Side case fans

[ssu101]

My case (In Win Dragon slayer) has a side panel that can accomodate up to 4 extra side case fans. Im thinking of getting a couple of these fans

Arctic Cooling Arctic F12 PWM 120mm High Performance Case Fan | Canada Computers

My problem however is that I'm not sure how they connect to computer. It says the rpm can be controllable, so obviosuly it can connect to the mobo. My mobo does not have anymore places to connect fans however. DO fans typically come with molex adapters if I want to connect them directly to the PSU? I cant seem to find out for this particular product.

Thanks in advance

[Nuclear Krusader]

You'd need molex adapters. Some fans do come with them, some don't. And no, you shan't be able to control the speed if you plug them in via molex adapters.

First question, though: do you need those fans? Are you having overheating problems?

[ssu101]

Originally Posted by Nuclear Krusader You'd need molex adapters. Some fans do come with them, some don't. And no, you shan't be able to control the speed if you plug them in via molex adapters. First question, though: do you need those fans? Are you having overheating problems?

I plan to overclock soon, so I figured a new cpu cooler + case fans would help keep the temps down.

[Nuclear Krusader]

Have you tried looking for the same fans on NCIX.com or Newegg.ca to see if they have more specs on their site about them?

[ssu101]

OK newegg.ca says it uses a 4 pin PWM power connection. Are you familiar with it?

[Nuclear Krusader]

4 pin pwm - Google Search

You'll need an adapter. Doesn't anybody on those sites mention something about it? Sometimes you can e-mail the staff and ask.

[ssu101]

seems like I should just get molex fans instead. Do you have any recommendations? Im looking for 120mm fans that arent too loud.

[Nuclear Krusader]

My suggestion would be to do your overclocking first, then measure the temps and that will determine if you really need those fans. You can run your overclocked system with your current ventilation for a few hours without burning it. What you're concerned is with the CPU's HSF and putting good thermal paste (i.e. ArcticSilver) 'twixt the CPU and the HSF.

[David M]

What power is your PSU? That is the limit on how much waste heat that can be generated and therefore the maximum amount of heat the fans will ever need to remove. In reality, the actual amount of heat will be a good amount less than what your PSU is rated for unless you are loading up your PSU with a bunch of loads like a large graphics card, which these days tend to be the single greatest load on a modern gaming system...and much of that heat is ejected out the back of the card.

The supposed need for a bunch of fans is getting really overblown....pardon the pun.

[ssu101]

Originally Posted by David M What power is your PSU? That is the limit on how much waste heat that can be generated and therefore the maximum amount of heat the fans will ever need to remove. In reality, the actual amount of heat will be a good amount less than what your PSU is rated for unless you are loading up your PSU with a bunch of loads like a large graphics card, which these days tend to be the single greatest load on a modern gaming system...and much of that heat is ejected out the back of the card. The supposed need for a bunch of fans is getting really overblown....pardon the pun.

this is my PSU
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...-005-_-Product

I only have 1 gpu (sapphire hd5770 vapor-x)

[Nikon]

if you have a good setup, you can really get away with alot (and by that i mean not alot of fans). with proper flow and direction, 2 intake fans and an exhaust are plenty.

[ssu101]

my cable management is pretty terrible tbh, so my cooling probaly isnt optimal. I can get those fans for really cheap, would there be any downside in getting them (other than $)?

[Nuclear Krusader]

It all depends. One of the reasons I am reluctant to go fan happy is that the trick to properly cool a system lies in the positioning of the fans, not on the number of them. See, you have to create a negative pressure inside a case, turn it into a kind of wind tunnel; you have to be drawing more air out of it than you're putting in. That's why we have only one intake fan on the front versus two on the back. Putting fans all around can disrupt the flow and just blow hot air all over the innards of the PC (not really drawing it out), and thus compound the overheating problem rather than solve it.

What does the inside of your PC look like as it is now? Where is your PSU: atop or below the mobo? Do you have a fan on the case's "roof"?

[ssu101]

Originally Posted by Nuclear Krusader It all depends. One of the reasons I am reluctant to go fan happy is that the trick to properly cool a system lies in the positioning of the fans, not on the number of them. See, you have to create a negative pressure inside a case, turn it into a kind of wind tunnel; you have to be drawing more air out of it than you're putting in. That's why we have only one intake fan on the front versus two on the back. Putting fans all around can disrupt the flow and just blow hot air all over the innards of the PC (not really drawing it out), and thus compound the overheating problem rather than solve it. What does the inside of your PC look like as it is now? Where is your PSU: atop or below the mobo? Do you have a fan on the case's "roof"?

my case has a rear and top (roof) exhaust fan. My psu is bottom mounted. As you can see in the pic provided, the case is designed to accomodate an extra 4 120mm case fans on the side
http://www.legitreviews.com/images/r...slayer_006.jpg

[glc]

If you already have a rear and top exhaust fan, that should be all you need. Those 4 slots for side fans are all for show.

[Nuclear Krusader]

Correct. Unless you want bling and want to light up your case with LED-illuminated, 120-mm fans, just leave things as they are. The PSU's fan is your second exhaust vent, taking hot air out of the case.

For the record, fans are fans pretty much nowadays, not much of a difference. Good brands would be Sunon and Panaflo, if I remember correctly. 120-mm fans are already reasonably quiet (my case has 3, which came with it, and I don't hear them) as they spin slower than 80-mm or CPU/VC fans, so you won't have an aeroplane in your room.

[rwest]

One of my psu's has two fans. It is top mounted. One external and one on the bottom blowing in the case. I added a side fan to help pull that air out. I'm honestly not real sure how much help its doing, but it does have a pretty blue light.

I have been wondering if I'm sucking too much air and the cooler air from the front intake my not be getting to my cpu. Any clues?

[David M]

Originally Posted by rwest One of my psu's has two fans. It is top mounted. One external and one on the bottom blowing in the case. I added a side fan to help pull that air out. I'm honestly not real sure how much help its doing, but it does have a pretty blue light. I have been wondering if I'm sucking too much air and the cooler air from the front intake my not be getting to my cpu. Any clues?

All that really matters is your internal case temperature. All this other hoopla about the number of fans, how big they are and where they go is secondary.

Is your case temperature okay?

[rwest]

Thanks David, my case temp is 34 degrees celcius at idle. I used up my trial with 'Hardware Monitor' and 'Speccy' doesn't have a read for case temp. I currently have to reboot to see my case temp in BIOS.

I haven't been to worried about temps. But within the last six months I have been experimenting with unlocking my cpu and keeping it stable. I added the side case fan because I had it, and it was from an Asus cooler I couldn't get to mount on my board. I am currently using the stock cooler.

My pc runs great as a 3.5 dual core. But I can't get the third core stable beyond stock 3.1ghz. The overclocked dual core performs better overall than the stock 3.1 with the third core. So I was wondering if the side fan would help temps better if funtioning as an additional intake as opposed to is current funtion of exhaust. Or is it really not gonna matter a whole lot?

What it basically boils down to is if I end up having to buy a cooler to get my pc to overclock with the third core, I'm considering just upgrading this christmas to a quad or six core.

After working with the fan cooling, my next step will be playing with voltages. When I get to this step I'll be opening my own thread.