Yes, you should use an adapter. Here's why: (an e-mail I sent to The Tech Zone after reading their Making a Super Hog article)
Regarding the article "Making a Super Hog", you illustrate the steps required to install
an 80mm (3"😉 fan onto a Kanie Hedgehog heatsink. There is a little thing you can do to
increase the cooling performance. You notice the little 'hub' of the fan that the fins of
every fan spin around, right? The hub of an 80mm fan is relatively large, and also it is
larger than the core of a Duron/Thunderbird. Both of them are aligned on one axis.
Notice something? That's right, the hub doesn't move any air over the center of the
heatsink, where it is needed most (the hot die is in the center). So what can you do to
offset this problem, you ask? 🙂
Shift the fan over to one side so that the fins blow air onto the heatsink. I don't know
how you might do this (the fan grille might not have the proper spacing), but I think it's
worth a shot. In fact, you might be able to even screw on two 80mm fans, so that each
adjacent fan blows onto the center, if you have the space. If you don't, you could try to
design a duct that allows you to install 2 80mm fans or a 120mm fan (with or without a duct).
Basically, the adapter shifts the air around so that the pressure is even everywhere (except maybe on the sides, but that's part of the design).
