Can I use a generic CPU fan to replace in a Dell Optilex G..

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Can I use a generic CPU fan to replace in a Dell Optilex GX260 computer?
Thank you in advance.
--
"Have I told you how much I like ants, huh? Especially fried in a
subtle blend of mech fluid and grated gears?" --Rampage to Inferno,
"Transmutate" in Transformers (Beast Wars)
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Phillip (Ant) @ http://antfarm.ma.cx & http://aqfl.net
| |o o| | E-mail: philpi@earthlink.netANT or ANTant@zimage.com
\ _ / Nuke ANT from e-mail address if your e-mail was returned.
( )

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

ANTant@zimage.com wrote:
> Can I use a generic CPU fan to replace in a Dell Optilex GX260 computer?
> Thank you in advance.

I meant to spell OptiPlex correctly. I found this:
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/opgx260/en/sm/mprcssr.htm#1106735
for Small Mini Tower (SMT) Chassis computer. It looks like Dell's design?
--
"Have I told you how much I like ants, huh? Especially fried in a
subtle blend of mech fluid and grated gears?" --Rampage to Inferno,
"Transmutate" in Transformers (Beast Wars)
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Phillip (Ant) @ http://antfarm.ma.cx & http://aqfl.net
| |o o| | E-mail: philpi@earthlink.netANT or ANTant@zimage.com
\ _ / Nuke ANT from e-mail address if your e-mail was returned.
( )

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

the optiplex gx260 has a fan-less heatsink that relies on a plastic shroud
and case fan to provide airflow over the processor heat sink. you can reuse
this heat sink and shroud on a replacement processor and maintain the same
level of cooling and noise or you can remove the shroud and heatsink and
install your own combination heatsink with integrated fan (but this will
likely add noise to the system).

<ANTant@zimage.com> wrote in message
newsYWdnZ3xEbcptdTcRVn-ug@mminternet.net...
> Can I use a generic CPU fan to replace in a Dell Optilex GX260 computer?
> Thank you in advance.
> --
> "Have I told you how much I like ants, huh? Especially fried in a
> subtle blend of mech fluid and grated gears?" --Rampage to Inferno,
> "Transmutate" in Transformers (Beast Wars)
> /\___/\
> / /\ /\ \ Phillip (Ant) @ http://antfarm.ma.cx & http://aqfl.net
> | |o o| | E-mail: philpi@earthlink.netANT or ANTant@zimage.com
> \ _ / Nuke ANT from e-mail address if your e-mail was returned.
> ( )

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Hmm, how come I got a few fan errors in BIOS a few weeks ago? The
machine still works, but I think the fan is going to die sooner or later.
I had to clear the event log in CMOS to remove the recorded errors.

I think I forgot to mention this:
Dell OptiPlex GX260 Small Mini Tower (SMT) Chassis computer with a Intel
P4 CPU fan.


Christopher Muto <muto@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
> the optiplex gx260 has a fan-less heatsink that relies on a plastic shroud
> and case fan to provide airflow over the processor heat sink. you can reuse
> this heat sink and shroud on a replacement processor and maintain the same
> level of cooling and noise or you can remove the shroud and heatsink and
> install your own combination heatsink with integrated fan (but this will
> likely add noise to the system).

> > Can I use a generic CPU fan to replace in a Dell Optilex GX260 computer?
> > Thank you in advance.
--
"Have I told you how much I like ants, huh? Especially fried in a
subtle blend of mech fluid and grated gears?" --Rampage to Inferno,
"Transmutate" in Transformers (Beast Wars)
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Phillip (Ant) @ http://antfarm.ma.cx & http://aqfl.net
| |o o| | E-mail: philpi@earthlink.netANT or ANTant@zimage.com
\ _ / Nuke ANT from e-mail address if your e-mail was returned.
( )

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

How about blasting the fan with compressed air to clean out all the dust? Same
with the fan inside the power supply. If that fails, look up the part number of
the fan assembly, call Dell (tel: 1800-357-3355) and order a replacement. Dell
is quite reasonable in price for its non-electronic replacement parts.

.... Ben Myers

On Thu, 16 Sep 2004 18:26:50 -0500, ANTant@zimage.com wrote:

>Hmm, how come I got a few fan errors in BIOS a few weeks ago? The
>machine still works, but I think the fan is going to die sooner or later.
>I had to clear the event log in CMOS to remove the recorded errors.
>
>I think I forgot to mention this:
>Dell OptiPlex GX260 Small Mini Tower (SMT) Chassis computer with a Intel
>P4 CPU fan.
>
>
>Christopher Muto <muto@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>> the optiplex gx260 has a fan-less heatsink that relies on a plastic shroud
>> and case fan to provide airflow over the processor heat sink. you can reuse
>> this heat sink and shroud on a replacement processor and maintain the same
>> level of cooling and noise or you can remove the shroud and heatsink and
>> install your own combination heatsink with integrated fan (but this will
>> likely add noise to the system).
>
>> > Can I use a generic CPU fan to replace in a Dell Optilex GX260 computer?
>> > Thank you in advance.
>--
> "Have I told you how much I like ants, huh? Especially fried in a
> subtle blend of mech fluid and grated gears?" --Rampage to Inferno,
> "Transmutate" in Transformers (Beast Wars)
> /\___/\
> / /\ /\ \ Phillip (Ant) @ http://antfarm.ma.cx & http://aqfl.net
>| |o o| | E-mail: philpi@earthlink.netANT or ANTant@zimage.com
> \ _ / Nuke ANT from e-mail address if your e-mail was returned.
> ( )

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

ask a bad question, get a bad answer....
the sff has a unique chassis with a unique blower fan. sounds like you need
a replacement. call dell. i would not recommend using an alternate type of
heatsink/fan configuration in the sff chassis.

<ANTant@zimage.com> wrote in message
news:Ebmdncdu3e-nvNfcRVn-uQ@mminternet.net...
> Hmm, how come I got a few fan errors in BIOS a few weeks ago? The
> machine still works, but I think the fan is going to die sooner or later.
> I had to clear the event log in CMOS to remove the recorded errors.
>
> I think I forgot to mention this:
> Dell OptiPlex GX260 Small Mini Tower (SMT) Chassis computer with a Intel
> P4 CPU fan.
>
>
> Christopher Muto <muto@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
> > the optiplex gx260 has a fan-less heatsink that relies on a plastic
shroud
> > and case fan to provide airflow over the processor heat sink. you can
reuse
> > this heat sink and shroud on a replacement processor and maintain the
same
> > level of cooling and noise or you can remove the shroud and heatsink and
> > install your own combination heatsink with integrated fan (but this will
> > likely add noise to the system).
>
> > > Can I use a generic CPU fan to replace in a Dell Optilex GX260
computer?
> > > Thank you in advance.
> --
> "Have I told you how much I like ants, huh? Especially fried in a
> subtle blend of mech fluid and grated gears?" --Rampage to Inferno,
> "Transmutate" in Transformers (Beast Wars)
> /\___/\
> / /\ /\ \ Phillip (Ant) @ http://antfarm.ma.cx & http://aqfl.net
> | |o o| | E-mail: philpi@earthlink.netANT or ANTant@zimage.com
> \ _ / Nuke ANT from e-mail address if your e-mail was returned.
> ( )

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)

Well, I was hoping to avoid Dell. If that is the case due to proprietary
fan, then I guess it has to be.


ben_myers_spam_me_not wrote:
> How about blasting the fan with compressed air to clean out all the dust? Same
> with the fan inside the power supply. If that fails, look up the part number of
> the fan assembly, call Dell (tel: 1800-357-3355) and order a replacement. Dell
> is quite reasonable in price for its non-electronic replacement parts.

> ... Ben Myers

> On Thu, 16 Sep 2004 18:26:50 -0500, ANTant@zimage.com wrote:

> >Hmm, how come I got a few fan errors in BIOS a few weeks ago? The
> >machine still works, but I think the fan is going to die sooner or later.
> >I had to clear the event log in CMOS to remove the recorded errors.
> >
> >I think I forgot to mention this:
> >Dell OptiPlex GX260 Small Mini Tower (SMT) Chassis computer with a Intel
> >P4 CPU fan.
> >
> >
> >Christopher Muto <muto@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
> >> the optiplex gx260 has a fan-less heatsink that relies on a plastic shroud
> >> and case fan to provide airflow over the processor heat sink. you can reuse
> >> this heat sink and shroud on a replacement processor and maintain the same
> >> level of cooling and noise or you can remove the shroud and heatsink and
> >> install your own combination heatsink with integrated fan (but this will
> >> likely add noise to the system).
> >
> >> > Can I use a generic CPU fan to replace in a Dell Optilex GX260 computer?
> >> > Thank you in advance.
--
"Have I told you how much I like ants, huh? Especially fried in a
subtle blend of mech fluid and grated gears?" --Rampage to Inferno,
"Transmutate" in Transformers (Beast Wars)
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Phillip (Ant) @ http://antfarm.ma.cx & http://aqfl.net
| |o o| | E-mail: philpi@earthlink.netANT or ANTant@zimage.com
\ _ / Nuke ANT from e-mail address if your e-mail was returned.
( )

 

[kaputnik]

I’ve just replaced the stock green funnel CPU fan setup on my OptiPlex GX260 (small mini-tower) with an aftermarket one and here are a few notes.

It’s a tale similar to Goldilocks and the Three Bears: finding the fan that’s just right.

First off, finding a fan for a 478 socket is getting harder to find these days, but they’re still available.

Secondly, Dell uses a proprietary cpu retention system: you’ll have to replace it with a “standard” socket 478 mount. Just ask your local “buy-sell-trade” computer shop and they’ll have them for pocket change.

Getting the “standard socket 478” retainer on the motherboard involves:
1. Removing the motherboard assembly from the pc,
2. Removing the motherboard from its metal backing plate.
3. Removing the retainer plastic pins.
4. And then removing the metal backing plate for the cpu mount.

Now you have to find a fan that’ll fit in your case.

The first fan I tried was the Scythe SAMURAI-ZZ (SCSMZ-2000). It’s a horizontal mount fan that sits on top of the CPU.
But alas, the cooling fins would not clear the RAM, nor an aluminum heatsink on the other side when I reoriented the fan.

Bummer.

So I brought the whole kit ‘n kaboodle to my local shop and explained my dilemma and they were only too happy of allowing me to “test fit” several fans until I found the one that would jiggle my Jello.

Now don’t get me wrong here: I don’t want to sound like I’m promoting Scythe fans, but they were the only ones in stock with a socket 478 retainer. Every other fan didn’t have that “legacy compatibility” option.

Ouh... ouh... then I tried fitting the gi-normus Scythe Mugen 2 (SCMG-2000) but it definitely was too tall. My over-clocking dreams were shattered.

My third and final fan was the Scythe KATANA 3 (SCKTN-3000) and that’s the one that fit just right. It’s mounted so that it draws fresh air in a straight shot from the front of the case where I removed the empty 3.5 inch drive slot front bezel plate.

I mounted the old cpu fan (NMB Thermally Controled Sensor Fan 3612KL-04W-B66) just to the right of it’s previous location and orientated it so that it blows out. I had to drill two holes in the metal case.

Now for the wiring of the fans, and here’s where it gets tricky because there’s lots of conflicting information out there.

Dell uses a proprietary 3-pin plug on the mobo to supply voltage, ground, and RPM sense.
And some say the pin outs are reversed from the industry standard, blah blah blah.
The plug is actually a Molex 50-57-9403 connector.
The NMB fan color coded wires indicate red (+ ‘ve) and black for (- ‘ve).
I confirmed that with a 12 volt power supply, so at least that much is “standard”.

However, the Samurai fan comes with a 4-pin plug: 12V, GND, RPM, and Fan Control, and is a different size that won’t fit in your Dell mobo 3-pin connector.

So I just cut off a 3” length (including the connector) from the NMB fan, and spliced the wires onto the three corresponding Samurai wires. Now you won’t get a funny message on boot-up saying no fan detected.

And the NMB fan wires I crimped onto a “standard” Molex 4-pin computer power plug and everything is just right and it’s not any louder than before.

My case temperatures have dropped significantly, and gaming doesn’t stutter or freeze anymore with my Sapphire HD3850.

So get your soldering iron and drill out and start giving that gran-pappy computer of yours a new lease on life.

 

[groo]

I've twistied more than 1 non-stock fan into place, and a few more "profesional" cobbles. just slap a standard case fan on the heatsink, or in place of the original dell one.