120mm 3 Speed Fan

[seekermeister]

I was going to order one of these:

NOCTUA NF-P14-FLX 140MM SSO BEARING ULTRA LOW NOISE FAN - eBay (item 170538381364 end time Dec-08-10 21:52:21 PST)

but ran into problems with eBay processing my order properly. Maybe that is good, because it forced me to focus on the item photos, which display the accessories. This is a 140mm fan, that is supposed to adapt to a 120mm hole. The little extension arms would be to reach the extra distance from the case holes and the mounting holes on the fan. It would seem that these clips would be flat against the case, and where they reach the mounting holes would be solid case metal. Thus the rubber mounting pads would have no place to fit. I suppose that one could drill new holes, but then there would be no need for the mounting clips in the first place...what am I missing?

 

[linnemeyerhere]

seekermeister,
If you have clearance you can also use one of these if the other isn't what you want?
Bitspower 120mm to 140mm Fan Adapter - Clear

 

[seekermeister]

seekermeister,
If you have clearance you can also use one of these if the other isn't what you want?
Bitspower 120mm to 140mm Fan Adapter - Clear

Maybe I'm looking cross-eyed at it, but it looks like that is for fitting a 120mm fan into a 140mm hole. I need to fit a 140mm fan into a 120mm hole.

 

[linnemeyerhere]

I think you can use it both ways 120mm to 140mm or 140mm to 120mm. I'm thinking for you it could just be easier to drill 4 small holes.

 

[sygnus21]

The screw holes on that fan will line up the with screw holes of a 120mm fan. Don't forget I have that fan on my CPU cooler, and I checked the holes for alignment awhile back and they lined up.

Here's a video review - YouTube - Noctua NH-P14 FLX 140mm Silent Computer Cooling Fan Unboxing & First Look Linus Tech Tips

Here's another video where the reviewer shows the holes lining up with a 120mm fan. The video is kind of long and dry, but the hole test is about 3:23 minutes in. Noctua NF-P14 FLX Round 140mm - the video is at the bottom of the page.

 

[seekermeister]

The screw holes on that fan will line up the with screw holes of a 120mm fan. Don't forget I have that fan on my CPU cooler, and I checked the holes for alignment awhile back and they lined up.

Here's a video review - YouTube - Noctua NH-P14 FLX 140mm Silent Computer Cooling Fan Unboxing & First Look Linus Tech Tips

Here's another video where the reviewer shows the holes lining up with a 120mm fan. The video is kind of long and dry, but the hole test is about 3:23 minutes in. Noctua NF-P14 FLX Round 140mm - the video is at the bottom of the page.

I appreciate that link, it clears up the question regarding how it would fit a 120mm hole. When eBay fixes their website, I'll order one.

 

[sygnus21]

Not a problem. If your ebay issue doesn't clear up you could aways look to Amazon. They have it for 25.01, it's only 6 cents more than ebay. Amazon.com: Noctua Ultra Silent 140mm Fan NF-P14 FLX (Brown): Electronics

Either way you go good luck with it, It is a good quiet fan.

 

[seekermeister]

Thanks, I usually prefer eBay over Amazon, but if they don't get squared away real quick, I will go with Amazon.

 

[seekermeister]

After a lot of delays enroute, the fan finally arrived and I popped it in. It obviously moves a lot of air comparatively, because I could feel a definite difference, but I don't know that it made the rig run any cooler. I ran the cable straight, without any resistors, so it is at full blast. I thought that I would see at least a couple of degrees lower.

I didn't use the rubber mounts, because they didn't seem to match with the holes in the case, but it is still very quiet. I didn't realize just how much dirt had collected on the old fan, until I removed it. I'm going to try it again, because I have a hunch that the dirt was throwing it off balance, causing a lot of racket.

 

[linnemeyerhere]

The dirt also impacts the amount of air the fan will throw. It's just like the room fans we use in summertime. Clean them and it's like new, don't clean them and they just don't throw air.

 

[seekermeister]

Even without the dirt, the old fan doesn't seem to move much air, even though it's spec says that it is rated at 44CFM, I'm sure that it was running less. The new fan is ~65CFM, so I'm surprised that the idle temp isn't lower than it is. Next to clean the CPU HS/fan...I know that it needs it, but I'm just not in the mood now.