I need a PCI slot fan, any suggestions?

[Dwarf]

The only problem with Dell is that they still use non-industry standards, and one of those relates to motherboard mounting. The standard calls for mounting points that can be fixed to the tray/case with screws and a standoff, but many Dells have a proprietary system whereby the mounting is actually slots on the board through which tabs from the tray/case are inserted and securing clips fitted.

 

[Diosoth]

I have $1200 in dental bills starting Thursday- spending piles of money is NOT an option. I already have to spend money($5 or so) on thermal paste as the CPU and heatsink aren't connected anymore so any cooling will have to be in a budget. A new case is 100% not happening. I bought this PC to run XP on, not be be a modern gaming rig. If I can't get it up to par for cheap then I'll have to sell it for parts. I'm lucky I even have a HDD to put in, if I didn't have a spare drive it'd already be sold for parts.

I repeat- I have looked at most HDD coolers. The ones that mount to the bottom of the HDD won't fit as the HDD tray is in the bottom. There's no way to even physically mount those standard coolers in without doing some severe rigging work and even then it'll be on top of the drive, not the bottom like they seem to intend. A 5.25 bay adapter is out of the question as I do not have a spare bay. If I go with a 3.5 drive bay option that Evercool one may be the best bet.

I don't mind ditching the floppy drive for a fan since floppy drives are a dead format but the cooler must work in that slot and fit well.

The drives are literally a HDD on the bottom set in a plastic drive caddy meant to lock in and slide out, a floppy drive above that(stock drive mount screws that slide into a locking rack) and an optical drive above that slides into a locking rack.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I also was going to suggest a new case until I saw the OP is using a Dell.

What is hiding under that black shroud on the MOBO by the side of the case? I'm thinkin' that is where the CPU and the intake fan are hiding and the intake fan is blowing air over the CPU heatsink. If so, mayhap you could cut a hole in the panel that's been removed in the photo near the rear of the case and close to the top mounted PSU, then put in a 120mm or 140mm exhaust fan. That might help by pulling hot air out of the case, possibly drawing more cool air through the original fan and CPU heat sink.

Also, since the CPU heatsink is apparently hidden under that shroud, is it possible it may be partially clogged with unseen dust?

 

[Diosoth]

The shroud has a large heatsink and a fan. I think the fan already blows air out, from what I was able to determine. I did take it out, hard as it was. I was barely able to get the fan rack out without having to remove the motherboard. The shroud comes right off but the front piece houses the fan and speaker. I dusted it, it spins okay.

If I wanted to even replace that fan I'd have to buy another of that type, it won't take another off the shelf fan. 4 pin cable, proprietary, but no fan adjustment options in the BIOS anywhere so while it runs off the motherboard it seems to have no special software or controls.


more photos- http://www.instructables.com/id/Disassembly-for-learningcleaning-purposes-of-a-De/?ALLSTEPS



edit: By design the CPU fan should draw air into these cases. The fan in this was reversed. Some people say to reverse this fan but that seems to cause issues- the fan should blow cool air over the heatsink and CPU. I would assume someone replaced the fan at point, but put it in to exhaust rather than intake, which actually is bad because with that massive heatsink and shroud it's not pulling much air out.

So I have it faced to intake now. I need exhaust. That Evercool looks good but fits in the floppy bay so it'd exhaust the air out the front. if I mount anything in the back I can go with a single 40mm and a 70mm fan. The 40mm will have to run off my 3-pin to Molex adapter, with the 70 running off Molex. I think the 3-pin plug on the motherboard may not run a fan since it's designed for that "intrusion" switch security thing.

 

[linnemeyerhere]

I would install your hard drive in the stock location and call it a day. Then start to save for a custom build at a later more affordable time. Other wise you need to consider opening up the side panel and placing a proper cooling fan to draw air out of the case. With a hole saw, fan and fan guard I'm guessing you'll spend $20-35.

 

[Solarstarshines]

last resort can zip tie a few fans in around the case as long as the air is circulating should be fine

 

[Diosoth]

I've narrowed my fan choice down to one of two-

a 70mm fan over the PCI slots. This will be the cheapest option but I also think the hardest to mount in securely.

The second option would be a 40mm Sunon fan with a high air flow rating. I think it would be far easier to mount in using existing holes in the grating. This would be a bit more expensive, but so long as the air flow is high it should do the job. Something like this, or another similar Sunon fan
SUNON PMD1204PQBX-A Case Fan - Newegg.com

 

[linnemeyerhere]

Yikes that 40 mm is almost 60 dba. I would opt for much quieter and get a quality fan and add two. Noctua makes a new 40mm fan and you can start with one then add and second later for more air flow. Maybe you can squeeze a 60mm or two in as well. The Noctua is only 17 dba at full tilt.

 

[Diosoth]

I just checked those out... they're quite pricey and are only rated for 4.8 CFM airflow(Newegg lists higher for some reason). I'm not too worried about a fan being noisy as I run the AC in this room constantly and usually have TV/games going anyway.

This one might be better for my needs, then again I don't know what a suitable CFM would be for this case. Could go with 2 of them if necessary.
Sunon 40mm Fan Maglev DC12V 0 8W 7200RPM KDE1204PKV1 MS A GN | eBay

 

[Diosoth]

Here's an oddball idea... I get a standard PCI slot cooling exhaust fan, and rig it to mount in the grating above the serial port. There should be enough room there- it allows me a good 10cm X 2cm space just on the removable grating, with maybe another 3cm height going over the USB ports.

Seems easy to mount- drill screw holes in the metal slot, bend the top part up and drill a hole into that. I'm thinking this will let me move a good deal more air out of the case than a 40mm fan would.

 

[linnemeyerhere]

It's all about getting some air to move and any idea that helps with that is a good idea.

 

[Diosoth]

Only trick now, is which fan?

New Thermaltake A2426 80mm Blue LED PCI Slot Fan | eBay
AOC FC 2000 PCI Slot Case Cooler | eBay

the AOC has a much higher CFM rating but I wonder if such a high draw will really matter in this case? The case sits flat so heat really isn't rising.

It seems Dell intended the CPU fan to intake air and the PSU fan to exhaust, but that only works well if it's standing up, not sitting flat.

 

[linnemeyerhere]

I would just pick one. Put it in the PCI slot and see if that helps. Double check to see which fan has its intake on what side? Are you sure you don't want to mount a real 120 or 140mm on the side panel as an exhaust fan?

 

[linnemeyerhere]

Here's another vid.

 

[Diosoth]

2 things to remember

1) I am on a very limited budget. That means $10 at most for this fan. I've already spent $5 on thermal paste for the CPU, still need to buy a 16 GB SD card for another purpose and will have a pile of dental bills later this week.

2) This is a Dell Optiplex 745 Desktop case. It is made to sit flat and has low profile PCI slots. It has one intake fan by the CPU and no other fan mount locations.

If I mount a PCI fan or a 40mm fan it will have to go on the slim grate area above the serial port with some rigging to fit it there. I think attaching a fan to the PCI slot area will be too difficult and would ultimately render me unable to use those slots.

I don't have cutting tools to mount to the top panel. Even if I could cut a hole I would need to lead a long power cable to the fan to be able to remove the top. It has a release lever on one side and folds upward to remove.

 

[smarteyeball]

Apologies if this has been asked, but exactly what temps are you getting on all components?

A HDD a 55c under load for example is within spec and not really a concern.

What are your CPU idle/load temps - GPU etc

Why not whack a fan here? It doesn't have to be 'mounted'. Try both intake, exhaust to see what works best. A 120mm would be ideal, but 80mm if you have to.

 

[Diosoth]

Here's an update-

I found a Mad Dog brand PCI fan on eBay for $7 shipped. It's not as strong as the AOC but more powerful than the Thermaltake, and cheaper than either. It wasn't too much hassle to rig it into the back grating- I had to bend the L tab of the PCI bracket up flat and drill a hole in the other end, with two long screws secured by tightened nuts. I also ordered a new tube of Arctic MX-2 thermal compound for the CPU.

New HDD in, XP reinstalled fresh, and my Dell drivers installed. I got HD Tune installed. Right now I'm showing 40 degrees Celsius on the HDD(I think? I'm not too sure where the temp sensor in this PC is) after leaving it sit idle. That's about a 10 degree drop compared to the previous HDD and no exhaust fan. The thermal paste may also be helping a bit. The front CPU fan is a 92mm intake fan and is ideal there as it'll better draw in cool air from the room. That temp may go up after some gaming but hopefully it'll stay within a good range.

By comparison, this was the old bad sector HDD stats.

 

[linnemeyerhere]

That's good, I'm a fan of fans !

 

[Diosoth]

I am wondering which would cool better- with the fan mounted with the face up or down? I have it with the intake opening up right now but it can be switched(regardless of the drilling and bolting to the grate, the fan itself can be popped off the metal plate and reversed). There is space around the top between the fan and lid but having it down might just catch the air from the CPU area better.

I'm running at a stable 40 Celsius after the PC has had time to warm up but if I can drop it a bit by turning the fan...

 

[linnemeyerhere]

Exhaust would be my first try. But only through trail and error will you know, but make sure the ambient stays the same.