I need a PCI slot fan, any suggestions?

I've got an old Dell Optiplex 745, regular tower size, in need of extra cooling and it looks like all I can put in will be a PCI slot cooler.

So, what can anyone suggest for case cooling? This needs to cool the case, not just a GPU card. Would a 2-fan unit be a better choice? Should I get something bigger that takes up 2 slots? I want a nice air pull without paying an absolute fortune. Molex plug preferred for power but I do have a Molex to 3-pin adapter on hand if need be.

edit: this one maybe? depends on if it an cool the full case and not just the area around the PCI slots
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835888309

I use one of them on my grandpa computer and it does help but not much. Couple of degrees C.

I would suggest one or two of these!
Antec SpotCool Case Fan - Newegg.com
Only issue is the neck can still be a little floppy so zip tie a lenght of stiff wire like a cut down clothes hanger and then shape where needed.

I think you might have more fortune by using one of these and bolting it or duct-taping it to an area of the case where there are some holes. The area where there is the integrated speaker (the one that makes the sounds when you boot) is usually a good spot for a fan. Or if you have 3 free PCI slots and some metal wire, that's another good place.

Just check of the direction of the airflow, you want it to go in the same direction for best cooling. For example, if you have the PSU fan that sucks air from inside and moves it outside of the case, your fan must do the opposite.

Hi Diosoth

Depending on if your Dell Optiplex 745 is the slimline or not and cleaning all air intakes/outlets I would go for the max size fans your case will hold, also I find with fans you get what you pay for so looking at something like Scythe Gentle Typhoon Fans can be well worth the money.

This is the Optiplex "desktop". It's the 2nd down the list-mini tower being biggest, and the 2 small form factors below desktop. This one holds a full-sized optical and HDD, but is designed to lay flat rather than stand. There's a single exhaust fan on the front, right alongside the massive heatsink for the CPU. It runs off a proprietary Dell 4-pin motherboard connector and mounts alongside the built-in speaker.

There's nowhere in the back beyond the PCI area to add a fan and stuff like the serial port gets in the way. And I don't think I can fit in a normal PCI fan since this looks to use a low profile smaller PCI slot- the covers are about 3" long(or 70mm if I count the actual slot opening), and the numbers engraved match them to this product- Foxconn Low Profile Blank Filler Plate 8T440-FOXCONN

But I do have 2 holes above the serial port along with a vented grate that could attach fans... maybe an intake/exhaust fan that sits along that rectange? Here's a photo of the PCI area vent, this whole piece lifts out of the case.


Alternately, I could try a 3.5 HDD cooler. If it sits in the same way/mounting screws as a floppy drive, I can ditch the floppy drive in this case, I'd just need to place a bit of plastic to cover the hole. The main issue seems to be the HDD... I do need to replace this drive anyway, it's an old Samsung 80 GB with 30% bad sectors and it's running hot(48 C on idle, 55 after gaming use- by comparison, my Gateway keeps its HDD at a nice 33 C even with use). But I don't know if it's running hot because it's faulty or because of case design.

This is an old PC I purchased to run XP on. I want to get better cooling inside when I replace the HDD. The HDD started going bad less than a week after I got it in from UPS. I want to put in proper cooling so I don't destroy a fresh drive by overheating.



edit: Newegg lists these 2 PCI slot fans which are labeled 70mm, assuming that refers to the slot opening and not the physical fan size. Would this be a solution?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835114024
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835888112

Diosoth said:

Since it seems I need a low profile PCI slot cooler, this looks to be one of my only options.

Low Profile PC Case Video VGA Slot Cooling Fan Cards | eBay


Or perhaps one of these though they don't specify the slot size it takes up

Amazon.com: Titan Adjustable Dual Fan PCI Slot VGA Cooler (TTC-SC07TZ): Computers & Accessories

Those look to be good compact coolers, just don't be surprised if a fan or two go out eventually as I'm sure the quality isn't great. Maybe you could make your own and place a new Noctua fan there?

Lady Fitzgerald said:

Diosoth said:

Since it seems I need a low profile PCI slot cooler, this looks to be one of my only options.

Low Profile PC Case Video VGA Slot Cooling Fan Cards | eBay


Or perhaps one of these though they don't specify the slot size it takes up

Amazon.com: Titan Adjustable Dual Fan PCI Slot VGA Cooler (TTC-SC07TZ): Computers & Accessories

Neither of those will move air out of the case; they just blow air around inside the case. If you look at the photos carefully in the flea-bay listing, two are designed to mount in a PCI slot and the other two in a PCI-e slot. The two kinds aren't interchangeable.

I concur the best solution would be to bring in more cool air and try to exhaust more hot air. Maybe the solution would be to add a low profile fans on the side panel with one drawing cool air and the other exhausting hot?