Dell 8100 Chassis fan??

[Northwinds]

Hi all
I have an old Dell Dimension 8100 which I have upgraded several times over the years just to serve as my main internet PC.
Recently i started get error messages re the system fan not working on bootup.
After opening it up and tinkering for a while it turns out that yes one fan is faultering - namely the chasis fan.
I contacted Dell support and they told me they no longer stock the part but that I could contact a company called UPGRADE OPTIONS (here in the uk) for it.
So I gave them a call and yes they had one in stock - Dell part number 6985R.
But they wanted a total of £63 for it (that's almost $130)
I'm sorry, but for a basic fan I'm not paying that.
So I'm wondering if anyone can advise if it's possible to use something else?
The big issue here is that Dell's proprietary BS (never buying from them again!) means that the connecter is non standard.
It in fact has a 3 pin connector to the motherboard but not of thge regular type, and with a small catch on the side to secure it.
Would it be possible to exchange this with another 92mm fan (possibly a lot better quality one) and just cut and swap the connector?
Or will the Dell system not accept it?

Many thanks for any/all advice in advance.
Cheers all
Northwinds.

 

[cal8949]

any 92mm fan should do even if its not a 3 pin. im sure you can just get a fan for £5. sounds like someones trying to take advantage of you

 

[delluser1]

Would it be possible to exchange this with another 92mm fan (possibly a lot better quality one) and just cut and swap the connector?

Don't see why not.
I've done the opposite, took a 3 pin 120mm fan from an older Dell, swapped the connector and used it to replace a busted 120 in another machine. Sounds like a leaf blower but it works.

 

[itadakimasu]

i just replaced a fan on a optiplex today and it cost me $26 usd... which is kinda pricey for a basic fan. but $130 would make you want to buy another computer... the fan isn't 3 pin... its a 5 pin plug i think.

alot of more recent dell systems sell on ebay for $200 or so.

http://cgi.ebay.com/15-DELL-OPTIPLEX-320-TOWER-P4-3-0GHZ-512MB-80GB-DVD-XP_W0QQitemZ330257647412QQihZ014QQcategoryZ179QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

This has shipping but they're not too far away from me. I may get 4-5 of these for the office. cant beat $200! i was thinking if i buy 4 I can have 2 w\ 2gb of ram and then buy 2 2gb ram kits and put in the other 2 so they have 2gb.

its funny because i have a 320 here and when they bought it a year or so ago it was $800+