[SATLUG] mounting a cooling fan.

[Mitch Thompson]

Donguitar wrote:
> I'm setting up a new case that came with two extra cooling fans.  I see
> place on the back of the chassis that's a perfect fit for one of the fans
> but there isn't an obvious place where the second fan could be mounted and
> neither of them came with mounting screws or hardware. 

There usually is a place in the front, at the bottom, under any drive 
bays.  If you have a spot in the back of the chassis, they may not have 
punched the holes for the front one.
>  I think the pack of
> two fans is a generic accessory item that was added to this case as an
> incentive to buyers.  The fans have long wires and a paired male/female
> jumper which permits them to "steal" power from the cable feeding a CDROM
> drive or hard drive.  My questions are as follows:
>
> 1.   How good an idea is it to use additional fan/s?
>
>   
Computers like to stay cool.  Having said that, there is a diminishing 
returns aspect, as well as a loudness aspect, which is wholely up to 
you.  I have seen cases where the cooling was performed by a fan on the 
CPU and the fan in the P.S.
> 2.  should I mount them with the label (front of the fan) facing into or
> away from the grill.
>
>   
The "standard" always seems to be: the fan mounted in the front draws 
air into the chassis; the fan mounted in the back draws are out of the 
chassis.
> 3.  Is there some sort of "well, duh" trick to mounting an extra fan that
> hasn't occurred to me yet or should I endeavor to produce/procure my own
> mounting hardware?
>
>   
Simple methods: Any screw large enough with coarse threads that can "dig 
in" to the plastic of the fan. Or, a long thin bolt and screw method.  
Maybe some washers to provide coverage of the holes.
Less simple, but kinda cool:  
http://www.quietpcusa.com/acb/showdetl.cfm?&DID=8&User_ID=910525&st=4821&st2=89172982&st3=75705852&Product_ID=282&CATID=7

Mitch