newbie question: installing a fan....

[whatever3]

i'm pretty new to all this, but i am fairly technically inclined.

i'm running a p3-600 in a poorly ventilated case w/a GF3Ti500. according to mbm5, it looks like its running a bit hot in there (35C in case and 47C in CPU -- much, much hotter after gaming, of course).

so iwas thinking of one of those fans that fit in the PCI slot just below the video card. Something ilke this: PCI slot fan on NewEgg.com. It has 2 large 4-pin connectors. does this mean its intended to go between the power supply and something else (like the hard drive, which uses a lage 4-pin connector)? the only free connector coming from my power supply is a SMALL 4-pin connector. so if its not supposed to go between something, then do I get a large-to-small converter or something?

either that or i guess i just dont have the option. any thoughts? and thanks for putting up with my newbie question. to think: i'm also planning out my first pc from scratch.....

 

[DaiShan]

If I were you I would just get a better heatsink and fan, and a case fan for the back, this fan will really only keep your video card cool (the onboard fan already does a good job unless you are heavily overclocking) it won't lower your case temps or your cpu temps.

 

[whatever3]

thanks for such a quick reply. but i guess i should elaborate a little.

the only fan in the case is in the power supply, which is located right over a giant heatsink on the cpu. there are vents in the front of the case, but it would be difficult to mount a fan there to pull in more air. also, there is nowhere in the back of the case to add a fan. that's why i was thinking of a pci slot fan.

also, during gaming (Q3, MOHAA, UnReal, etc) i get terrible lag. not sure whether it's ISP related or system-related. since there's so little ventilation in there, i was thinking that maybe extra ventilation around my video card might actually help.

otherwise, i think antec makes a pci fan that is much longer and focuses more on removing hot air from the case rather than just around the video card.

eventually, i will upgrade the case (as well as the motherboard and processor, etc, until it's completely new). but until then, i'm just looking for a quick fix.

does this make more sense?

 

[DaiShan]

well you could use this fan, it comes with the connectors. It won't cool your cpu down, I don't think heat is the problem with the lag, what type of internet service do you have? maybe it is the server?

 

[whatever3]

i'm using a cable modem. i've tried a bunch of line quality tests at dslreports.com. don't know how accurate they are, but they generally didn't help this problem.

also, i've tried many different servers. always happens whether close by (pings under 20) or servers where a ping closer to 100.

i'm using RCN. support there basically told me they can't help me unless the server is on their network and i call them while i'm lagging, which generally doesnt last longer than 20 or 30 seconds...

hmm. i suppose if i use the fan, it may not help, but shouldn't it at least extend the life of my video card. of course, if there's no benefit, then i won't bother getting the fan. it was just a thought.

but if it is worthwhile for $12 (fan + S&H), then how do i connect it?

thanks again!

 

[whatever3]

thought i'd include this too. this the second type of fan i mentioned. it's the top one and can be found here.

thanks.

 

[stockjock]

The guy is right....I would go ahead a get the slot fan...they are good fans and usually push a lot of air out....but as he said..try and get a case fan in there too...

If I was in your shoes...I would get the slot fan... I have one mounted just as you want to mount yours...mine is next to my 64mb GeForce2 GTS which is overclocked.

 

[altonb1]

The slot fan WILL help cool down your system. You can try buying thermal grease such as Arctic Silver/Arctic Alumina to help with the processor. make sure you read the instructions at the arctic silver website before applying thre grease. I already had decent temps on my system, but when I added Arctic Alumina and the slot fan to my system, I dropped my temps down significantly. I also came across an 80mm fan from my sister's old case that I added a few days ago. My temps, as I type this now, are 28-degrees C for the system, 37-degrees for the CPU. Prior to the addition of the fans and grease, my CPU stayed around 43-45. The board was always in the mid 30s.

Both of my added fans have the standard power supply connectors. I have 2 hard drives, a CD-RW and a DVD-Rom drive. I have one fan powered from the same chain as my hard drives, the other in the chain with my CD drives. I have not noticed anything negative. The slot fan is right next to my AGP card.

Oh...and I'm running a 750 Duron with 384MB RAM.

 

[whatever3]

thanks guys! i appreciate it!

 

[indianduddawg47]

i don't know if they answered your question yet, but the power connector is the same one used for the hard drive. It may come as a follow through connector or it may-not. If it does not you can get a Y-power adapter for about $5 which will split the power connector into 2 power connectors. hope this helps!

 

[altonb1]

The connector wasn't a follow-through, but it had both male and female connectors supplied. Total of 2 connectors.

Then again, maybe that is still considered a follow-through, though I picture the follow throughs as 1 physical connector with both male and female properties, to use at the same time. I can't think of what devices I have seen those type of connectors on, but...nevermind. You probably get the point, and if not, well, it's probably irrelevant, anyway.

Related to this same topic...I mentioned in my other post that I have a slot fan, and an 80mm fan. I have the option of mounting the 80mm fan in the front of the case to draw the cooler air in, or on the back of the case to pull the warmer air out. I elected to have the fan pull warm air out, but my slot fan is also doing the same thing. Would I be better served by moving that to the front of the case to pull in cool air?

My reasoning for installing it to remove air is because I sometimes use a space heater and i was afriad the fan would pull in warm air and make the case hotter, instead of cooling it. That is not a common occurence, though, and if I had to, i could just wear socks! So should I move the fan and mount it in the front where the fan bracket is instead? My temps are already fine, so this isn't a critical piece of knowledge, but I'm curious.

 

[DaiShan]

I would pull the cool air in because that way you are blowing cool air on your components, and displacing the warm air out the back anyways, granted not as fast as one in the back, but you are still moving the heat off the components, just my take on it though.

 

[whatever3]

actually, i think altonb1 inadvertently answered my original question when he said,

<< I have one fan powered from the same chain as my hard drives, the other in the chain with my CD drives. >>

i assumed he meant that they just daisy chain together, which is one of the things i was thinking about.

as for adding a fan to the front: since i have no where to mount it really and just a half-inch (6" high) of slots on the front corners of the case, i was thinking maybe i could get a sheet of rubber and afix it to the front, inside of the case. then cut a hole large enough for a fan to fit inside the hole snuggly. that might create enough of a vacuum to actually draw in enough air.

hmm. might be fun to try, but i'll probably be better off just getting a new case. besides blowing air out of the back, draws air in through the front. it may be more efficient with a fan in front, but i won't know that until i try.

i ordered the slot fan. i'll hopefully get it next week and i'll write back as to whether it did help or not.

thanks again for your responses!

 

[DaiShan]

sry whatever, I was answering altonb's question about fan placement in his config, for you I would just throw it in the pci slot because taht is waht it was designed to do.

 

[whatever3]

as promised, i'm writing back after installing the fan. the case temp is cooled down to 29C and the CPU actually dropped a little too, to 41C. that was a shock!