Case Fan for Antec Solo Case

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Bearmann
Posts: 67
Joined: Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:32 am
Location: Memphis TN, USA

Case Fan for Antec Solo Case

Post by Bearmann » Fri Mar 14, 2014 6:00 pm

I have a 5 year old custom built computer. The front case fan in front of the hard drives is not working. It is a SilenX Ixtrema Pro 92mm. I assume that the fan has gone bad and that there is not another reason for the lack of function. When I buy another fan, should it also be 92mm to fit in the same place, or can I use a larger fan? What fan would you recommend? Does the new fan come wired and plug into the MB or can I re-use the wiring from the old fan? I am concerned because parts of my motherboard are difficult to access and may require removing the MB or the CPU heatsink, etc. I have the original Antec Solo case.

Thank you!

CA_Steve
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Re: Case Fan for Antec Solo Case

Post by CA_Steve » Fri Mar 14, 2014 6:35 pm

I think 92mm is as large as it gets for the front fan mount in the original Solo.

Ok - not really clear from your post, but it sounds like you've plugged the fan into a PSU molex connector? If so, you might try:
- unplugging and replugging it - might just be an oxidized connection over time.
- plugging it into another molex connector.

If you need a replacement, I'd suggest the Nexus Real Silent and maybe get a Zalman Fan Mate 2 to dial down the fan speed as you like. Scythe also makes great 92mm case fans.

Bearmann
Posts: 67
Joined: Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:32 am
Location: Memphis TN, USA

Re: Case Fan for Antec Solo Case

Post by Bearmann » Fri Mar 14, 2014 7:33 pm

The computer was built for me. I'm not sure how the fan is powered. I'll have to trace the wire back and see where it ends up.

I noticed that the fan wasn't turning when I sprayed it with canned air while cleaning the inside of the computer. It was a little difficult to turn by hand. At first I thought that the fan blades were rubbing against the metal cage of the case, so I moved the fan casing away from the case with some foam "shims". The blades still seemed like they were catching, perhaps on the fan casing itself. I wasn't sure if this was definitly abnormal, so I started up the computer and noticed that it is not turning.


Thanks for you help!

Bearmann
Posts: 67
Joined: Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:32 am
Location: Memphis TN, USA

Re: Case Fan for Antec Solo Case

Post by Bearmann » Sat Mar 15, 2014 4:54 pm

I ordered the Nexus Silent tonight at your suggestion. I'll hold off on the Zalman fan controller for now. I like my PC quiet, but I'm OK with it not being totally silent. I'm waiting on a SATA PCIe card which won't arrive until next month. I may wait until then and install them both at the same time. I wonder how long ago the SilenX quit working? My computer has been running fine and the air from the rear case fan seems only barely warm at most. I'm not a gamer so I think I don't put much stress on the system.

Thansk for your help :)

CA_Steve
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Re: Case Fan for Antec Solo Case

Post by CA_Steve » Sat Mar 15, 2014 7:57 pm

2+ week delivery time for an add on card - yeesh!

If you don't have a substantial gfx card, your system probably doesn't generate much heat. I mainly had a low rpm front fan on my old Solo build to provide a little direct airflow for the HDDs.

Bearmann
Posts: 67
Joined: Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:32 am
Location: Memphis TN, USA

Re: Case Fan for Antec Solo Case

Post by Bearmann » Fri Mar 21, 2014 11:41 am

[quote="CA_Steve"]2+ week delivery time for an add on card - yeesh!

quote]

ARRRRRRG!!! Twice I've lost my post!!! This forum need an automatic save draft function.

Actually 4-6 weeks :shock: I bought it from a reseller on Amazon from China and Taiwan. It's coming on that famous boat that you have heard about, The Slow Boat from China :lol:

So I got my Nexus fan yesterday and decided to go ahead and install it. I'm embarrassed to tell you how long it took me. When attempting to remove the SilenX Ixtrema Pro, I removed the ?pin from the MB header but was unable to pull it through as it was lodged behind some other wiring. I decided to cut the fan wire and just taped up the end. In retrospect, after I cut the wire, I could have pulled it through from the motherboard side. DUH! Well, I'll remove it when I install the SATA card.

Well, once I got that SilenX Ixtrema Pro out, I could see what a piece of crap it is. Well, maybe it's better quality than it looks. I shouldn't have let my computer builder talk me into it. The Nexus, on the other hand, looks really nice. A quality piece of kit for sure.

While studying the fan headers and my build, I tried to trace the wires from the rear case fan. I was unable to, however. I noticed an unused sys fan header right next to the rear fan though, so I assume that the rear fan is plugged directly into the power supply.

So the Nexus fan went in without a hitch, once I looked up how to install those silicone fasteners. You would think that some instructions would have been in the box.

This week, I happened to come across an old email from when I first received my computer five years ago. I was complaining about the noisy front fan. So I might need that Zalman Fan Mate 2 after all.

Well, put everything back together and powered it up. Whew! Everything was working including all the fans. :) The front fan seemed a little bit loud, but this morning it seems better, though it is turning at the same speed. Perhaps there is more ambient noise in the house during the day masking the noise.

I installed Speedfan on my computer earlier this week. The main benefit of the working front fan seems to be of the C-drive which dropped about 10 degrees. Something called temp 2 also dropped several degrees, but I don't know what it is. I went from configure to the advanced mode, but did not see any fans on the drop down list. I only show 2 fans on the opening screen, the new one and one which is variable in speed from about 900-1200 RPM.

So that completes my beginner's novella. Perhaps I'll get enough experience to build my computer myself next year.

CA_Steve
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Re: Case Fan for Antec Solo Case

Post by CA_Steve » Fri Mar 21, 2014 1:29 pm

Congrats on a successful completion of your mission.

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