Unsolved
This post is more than 5 years old
1 Rookie
•
39 Posts
0
24964
February 16th, 2018 01:00
XPS 8930, possible to install a front case fan?
In an effort to cool my hard drive, I was wondering if a front case fan could be fit into an XPS 8930. When I looked inside, there seems to be enough room for one. I've never installed a fan before and I'm reading that it could be powered by plugging the power cable into a spot on the motherboard. On the XPS 8930 motherboard, I do see the words "Front Fan" in a location where such a spot would exist but there's nothing to plug into. Unlike the "Top Fan" and "CPU Fan" which do have something a power cable plugs into, I don't see anywhere in the motherboard where a front fan would plug into. Is it possible to install a front case fan into the XPS 8930?
546insp
2 Intern
•
732 Posts
0
February 3rd, 2019 21:00
Just stick with 120mm fans and you will be fine. My front Arctic PWM fan is tied in with the top rear one and goes the same speed (it came with a splitter wire) and it is all very quiet. It normally runs at 80* F at the top of the rear one (coming out) and goes to 90*F MAX with heavy duty programs. Double sided tape works very well for mounting in PC's. My front fan is mounted with tape and weather stripping which knocks out the "noise causing" vibrations. MAKE SURE ALL THE FRONT AIR COMES FROM OUTSIDE.
HanoverB
2 Intern
•
798 Posts
0
February 17th, 2019 01:00
Sorry Dell630i I somehow forgot to answer your question. Hope it's not too late.
I went back to the old posts you looked at and I could see how you got confused and ordered those 2 Noctua PWM fans.
I know you considered using the OEM fans that came with the correct fan brackets you ordered and the only way to use those effectively was with the TOP FAN PWM motherboard header because as MrArcher said, you want nothing to do with those fans spinning at full speed. So that's why I suggested getting a 4 pin PWM splitter so you could run that OEM PWM fan modulated, as well as fixed fans off the other legs of the splitter. I think I also got off tangent a little and suggested how to mix the different types of fans in combination using molex adapters and the TOP FAN header which totally must have confused you. (I read it and it confused me so I cleaned things up)
In another post I suggested using the OEM fans first and trying them for noise tolerance.
https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8930-possible-to-install-a-front-case-fan/m-p/6239024/highlight/true#M21010
I compared the Noctua NF-S12A PWM fan and the Noctua S12A FLX (fixed speed fans) you ordered and said that these fans are better as intake fans because they move as much air at lower speeds and with less noise as the another Noctua PWM fan would if it ever were to reach maximum speed 2000 RPM. I might have suggested upgrading to the PWM fans somewhere along the way, but that was wrong.
So the best way to approach your final fan configuration would be to use 3 Noctua S12A FLX fans if you are going to dump the OEM fans that came with your brackets.
First off, we have an open TOP FAN header.
1) We figured you would use the Noctua FLX fan at 1200 RPM fixed at the top exhaust position
2) We would ideally use the same Noctua FLX fan at the upper front intake and lower intake fans as they are quiet and moved air at a constant rate versus the PWM version.
Since we have a open TOP FAN header, you can connect one, two or all the fans to that TOP FAN header as we know it will run at fixed speed on that header. You would need a 3 pin splitter, and even those 4 pin splitters should work as the 3 pin fans would run at full 1200 RPM speeds.
The option is available for you depending on the splitters/Y adapters you have to connect any of these fixed fans to the PSU using molex to SATA power adapters that come with the Noctua fans if the connectors are close by (especially at the front intake postiions) rather than running them to the top of the case where the headers are.
If you already went the PWM route with those intake fans, your machine should be fine and there is no reason to switch them as it is running really quiet as it pulls air into the case at those lower 700-900 RPMS. High CPU temps would be the only reason to make any changes. With those fans in place you have created a balanced pressure case (more likely a positive pressure case) with better airflow, which is the desired end result of adding the front intake fans.
Also I hope you considered the 92mm fan bracket at that upper intake position if you haven't already mounted that 120mm fan.
Then there is the case swap discussion we are having here as well. Very applicable to you since you have that killer machine with new i9-9900K CPU and the GTX 1080.
https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8930-CPU-Liquid-Cooler-GTX-1080-Hybrid-GPU-Upgrades/m-p/7241669/highlight/true#M22272
https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8930-GPU-and-CPU-Liquid-Cooler-PSU-Case-Swap-Upgrade/m-p/7247268/highlight/true#M22480
Hanover
HanoverB
2 Intern
•
798 Posts
0
February 17th, 2019 22:00
Perfect
Good choice and easy. You can go straight to PSU as its right there.
Option and for future reference: You should have a 3 pin Y adapter with the Noctua fans and you can connect both of those fans to the TOP FAN motherboard connector. Both running fixed. If you go direct to the PSU, use molex or your SATA to PWM fan adapter/splitter which works great for 3 pin fans as well.
You can put a LNA on the 92mm fan if you want, but I think it will be fine after looking at the specs 17.1 dBA at 1600 RPM.. (~ same dBA as the 120mm SA12 fans)
Your SATA to PWM fan adapter/splitter is perfect for what you are doing here. The PWM fan will run fixed at 1200 RPM just like the FLX fan would. PSU is right there.
Option and for future reference if you are without those SATA to PWM adapters: You know you have those 3 pin to molex adapters with those other fans. In a pinch, you can use those to connect any PWM fan to get fixed speed by cutting off the side to accommodate the wider plug, same with LNA. (Thanks AlienBlaster)
You can take those LNA adapters off if those are the NF-S12A fans, at 1200 RPM fixed they should be real quiet. The drop from 1200 RPM to 900 RPM with the LNA does almost halve the noise with only a 20% drop in airflow so I can see that as well.
In regards to the dust issue, I pick up very little dust on the upper intake fan position with the fan filter I have there.
I do pick up a lot of dust on the lower intake fan. A LOT. I am constantly cleaning that front filter over the blowhole. That’s probably why none gets to the upper one!
Sounds like you have things well under control and you are set.:Yes:
546insp
2 Intern
•
732 Posts
0
February 18th, 2019 10:00
Another reason I would never install a top front fan. The top one just blows air that hits the PSU cage, drops down, goes back, and then up (if it ever makes it that far), not to mention you have to permanently remove the top HDD cage. It's much better to just block the top off and draw from the bottom so the bottom one draws from OUTSIDE.
HanoverB
2 Intern
•
798 Posts
0
February 21st, 2019 09:00
Pics of area of upper part of case with upper front intake fan installed
Pics of fan bracket relative to PSU bracket reflecting coverage of fan for this location. Aprrox. 2/3 of the fan is actually under the PSU bracket.
Jacobong521
16 Posts
0
February 25th, 2019 19:00
Hi, i really thankful for all of you sharing your idea and experience in this topic,
it's does help people like me.
i would like to share my experience too, my objective are cooling performance first noise reduction come later.
1. Replace Dell stock cpu cooler with NOCTUA NH-L9i by replace the stock mobo backplate with any LGA 115X mobo backplate. Not much gaining from here like reduce around max 3°C? LOL! but noise reduction does have a huge different even NOCTUA CPU COOLER FAN spin at max 2500 rpm.
2. Replace Dell stock 92mm top exhaust to COOLER MASTER SICKLEFLOW X 12 and adding another 2 COOLER MASTER SICKLEFLOW X 12 to front top and bottom. Manage to gain like -8°C to -10°C by adding these (GPU only gaining minor improvement i am not sure why but is ok because my GPU max temp only stay at 75°C while running at 2000+ mhz before adding fan), COOLER MASTER SICKLEFLOW X 12 are static 2000 rpm fan, fan will spin at 2000 rpm even computer stay at idle LOL! so it will be noisy!
Some video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYiRvpn6-Ms&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XNgey6UTGc&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCBLCNHwTjo&feature=youtu.be
You guys might wonder why i choose COOLER MASTER SICKLEFLOW X 12, actually this is just a temporary fan for experiment lol because this fan are cheap! i am waiting the arrival of 3 NOCTUA NF-A12, hopefully i will be able to reduce noise by using NOCTUA NF-A12 and still get the same or even better cooling performance, i am from MALAYSIA the shipping fee from ebay are too expensive for me to get Dell stock 120mm top exhaust fan and aurora r5 front bottom fan with bracket, i better spend these money to get better fan like NOCTUA NF-A12 or CORSAIR ML 120 PRO.
546insp
2 Intern
•
732 Posts
0
February 27th, 2019 11:00
Those magnets are a bad idea, get some thick double sided tape. You are just transferring vibration noise and allowing air to whip around the sides and recirculate.
rishdp90
2 Posts
0
June 9th, 2019 10:00
HanoverB
2 Intern
•
798 Posts
0
June 9th, 2019 10:00
They are still there on the auction site.
Search Alienware Front Intake fan
Part number is 7M0F5, make sure bracket is included
Once you have it, then go here
More updated info on that post
Edit: Try Alienware front case fan, seems to work better
rishdp90
2 Posts
0
June 10th, 2019 08:00
Thank you, much appreciated
woodenhead1
1 Message
0
December 10th, 2019 14:00
Hello,
another noob here...can you tell me how/where to order the 120mm bracket and hi volume fan ?
I also have an XPS 8930 and I would like to upgrade it for my son to take to college and use for gaming as well as school work.
Many thanks.
Tahman
3 Posts
0
September 10th, 2020 17:00
I have an 8930 circa November 2017. I usually leave it running 24x7. It does not appear to have any fans other than the stock OEM air fans on the CPU and inside the PSU. The CPU is an i7-8700. The GPU is 1050-Ti. It has one 8TB Seagate HDD and two 4TB Seagate HDDs. The temperatures of those devices run at less than 35°C.
Should I add any fans? When I opened the case, I expected to see one extractor fan near the top rear of the case and at least one or two sucker fans near the front bottom of the case.
Tahman
3 Posts
0
September 10th, 2020 20:00
My top exhaust fan, which I did not see previously, appears to be a stock 92mm fan. Thus, I should be able to replace it with a 120mm fan. Similarly, I should be able to add a 120mm lower front intake fan with the Aurora R6/7/8 bracket. I cannot add an upper front intake fan because that space is occupied by my 8TB Seagate Baracuda HDD. The two bottom HDD bays are occupied by my two 4TB Seagate Baracuda HDDs.
What brand and/or model is your CPU cooler?
Thank you for responding to me.