Fan confusion

[kenny8076]

I have a dell XPS400 and want to replace the two fans in the front. i have no idea what sizes they are(im assuming the fan on the top is 120mm and the bottom in 80mm?)

i have found everything else about the pc in manuals except for cooling. on tigerdirect all the fans look the same exept ofcoarse some glow!! but some say 3 pin, 4 pin. i just want to know what i can upgrade mine with, thank you if anyone has any knowledge with this!

 

[Guest]

fg

 

[hefox]

Just take a measuring tape and check diagonal and see. Also take out fan's connections and see how many holes has (3 or 4).

 

[geofelt]

Just take a measuring tape and check diagonal and see. Also take out fan's connections and see how many holes has (3 or 4).

Fan mounts are square, I think you mean measure the diameter of the fan.

@op: Why do you want to replace the fans?

 

[kenny8076]

they are all almost 5 years old, the pc runs great still, installing xfx geforce 9500gt tom. when it gets here in the mail, and adding 2 gigs memory on friday to put it at 4 gigs. so i want better air flow in there, the front top fan seems like its starting to putt a little and is very loud. also just want to learn a little more about HOW these things work not just how to work them. if anyone has any good fan knowledge that would fit mine let me know!!

 

[geofelt]

For more air flow, you can install a fan that turns at a higher rpm. The negative is that the higher the rpm, the noisier the fan. Fan design does play a part, but I consider it to be a secondary contributor to noise.

Fans will usually be 25mm deep, and 120mm, 92mm, or 80mm in diameter. Measure yours so you can get an exact size replacement.
Look at the attachment cable. It will usually be either a 4 pin molex or a 3 pin motherboard attachment. The 3 pin attachments allow for monitoring fan speed.

I think the best fans come from noctua:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010110573+50012454&QksAutoSuggestion=&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&Configurator=&Subcategory=573&description=&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=

Good value vans come from yate-loon:
http://www.frozencpu.com/search.html?mv_profile=keyword_search&mv_session_id=YLAMDfMo&searchspec=yate+loon&go.x=12&go.y=19

 

[kenny8076]

Thanks geofelt, ya i think the fan in the front of the case is a 120mm. Its hard to see cause the cpufan and heatsink thing is right behind it and this stupid big dell plastic thing is covering everything.

The noise isnt really a concern of mine as much as performance. The fan under the big one is probably 80mm,i dont know why i think that but i do. I am going to take the 120mm out this weekend and see what im working with here.

i found a pic. online of the same pc i have, you can see the big black case in the middle, i think i have to take that off to get to the big case fan in front of it?


http://media.photobucket.com/image/xps%20400%20case%20fans/Adm86/DSCN6287.jpg

 

[hefox]

For more air flow, you can install a fan that turns at a higher rpm. The negative is that the higher the rpm, the noisier the fan. Fan design does play a part, but I consider it to be a secondary contributor to noise.

Fans will usually be 25mm deep, and 120mm, 92mm, or 80mm in diameter. Measure yours so you can get an exact size replacement.
Look at the attachment cable. It will usually be either a 4 pin molex or a 3 pin motherboard attachment. The 3 pin attachments allow for monitoring fan speed.

I think the best fans come from noctua:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010110573+50012454&QksAutoSuggestion=&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&Configurator=&Subcategory=573&description=&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=

Good value vans come from yate-loon:
http://www.frozencpu.com/search.html?mv_profile=keyword_search&mv_session_id=YLAMDfMo&searchspec=yate+loon&go.x=12&go.y=19

Noctua are good but not the best and the price is pretty high. Until a month ago, I was also using only Noctua. See here a link with a test:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/120-140-fans-roundup_28.html#sect0
I suggest you to buy Scythe. Good airflow, reduse noise and a good price.

 

[ulysses35]

Hmm not sure if changing the fans would make a huge difference... mind you a newer case with fans included

 

[kenny8076]

dont have the money nor computer knowledge to go switching entire cases. trying to learn and do things small and easy for starts. but from what i have been reading, simply changing or upgrading fans can contribute greatly to pc performance and maintance. people lowering temps as much as 10C at peak performances. i just always get caught up not knowing what is compatible with my setup........example.... i was looking at purchasing this CPU cooler......

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2844209&CatId=1588

but im not sure what socket type i have, will the screw holes match up?....

my chipset is Intel 945P i have a Intel Pentium D

 

[hefox]

sk 775

 

[kenny8076]

sk 775

Thanks Hefox!!