Fan for lower front hdd bay in the P182

David Cole · Post by **David Cole** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 4:39 pm

In my P182 build I wanted to stick my x2 Velociraptor hdds in the lower front bay. I had already removed the middle lower fan and holder because they got in the way of my psu cables and the cables into the hdds.

Initially, and having read the reviews, I thought I could do without a fan on the lower level and rely just on the psu to exhaust the hot air there but found that the hdds' temperature was too high for my comfort - around 53C (60C is stated max for the Velociraptors).

Having just had a normal sata hdd drive on me because of over-heating, and given how expensive the Velociraptors were, I din't want them to fail because of heat damage.

So, I needed to find a thin fan to install on the metal grill at the lower front air inlet. All the standard 120mms are 25mm, or a few 38mm, deep - too deep to fit into the metal slot area in front of the metal hdd cage. Then I found the Scythe KAZE JYU SLIM 100mm - 12mm deep -case fan -

http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/acc/0 ... etail.html

Sorry if this is old news at SPCR - but I haven't come across this fan/P182 combination before.

Because of some protruding plastic clasps it would have been very tricky to install this fan permanently without some serious case modification so I decided to soft-install them. That is, I used stick-on Velcro tape cut to size - with one velcro surface stuck on the interior metal air grill and the other on the corners of the fan positioned so that they came into contact when pressed together. The fan's corners work well for this because they have holes for 92mm and 100mm fitting fans and this gives more area at the corners for sticking the velcro. This definitely isn't a permanent solution; you might have to renew some of the velcro tape when you take out and clean the filters, but apart from this the approach seems to work fine and provides a firm and vibration free fixture.

I thought the little fan would not shift much air and be noisy - but using a Zalman fanmate it was an easy matter to find a setting which provided virtually silent fan operation with sufficient airflow - even with the 2000rpm model!

The velociraptors' temperatures now peak at 38 degrees.

Incidentally, I have tried Noctua PF-12 and SF-12s at various rpms and found that Scythe and particularly the orange Nexus 120mms give the best quiet/airflow combination. My system is not silent but it is very quiet and all I hear is whoosh not hum, which is fine for me.

Sorry again, if everyone here already knows about the Slim Scythe fan but I thought it worth mentioning as I could not find a fan solution when I looked for one.

David

Hypernova · Post by **Hypernova** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 12:36 am

Personally I just moved the fan mount to the HDD side and used 90' cables. I use a Scyth PWM at about 600RPM. Keeps my about 6C above ambient.

Exel · Post by **Exel** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 2:04 am

Have you blocked the rear vents around the PSU? If not, the PSU drags air from there instead of the front by the HDDs. Taping those holes up may improve airflow around the HDDs vastly, and you might not need a separate fan.

If you do, however, I would suggest mounting the fan in the middle in place of the original TriCool and just rerouting the HDD cables through the top compartment. The case has holes for just that purpose. That way you get a quieter cooling for the HDDs and the cables can bypass the fan

Interesting fan that Scythe you used nevertheless.

David Cole · Post by **David Cole** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 2:24 am

Interesting to hear your approaches.

Hypernova · Post by **Hypernova** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 5:22 am

I think you might not have needed to go through all that if you did what Exel and I did which is taping up the PSU chamber holes. My VC was 35C before I added the fan which many here would say is more then good enough. The fan I added was more for helping the PSU.

David Cole · Post by **David Cole** » Sat Jul 19, 2008 9:01 am

My velociraptors were around 53+ degrees each before I added the lower fan. They are now 37 and 34 degrees. I am happy with that and having the flexibility to add more air easily if I need to. I would not be happy to rely on the psu alone having lost a Seagate from heat that way. The lower fan is inaudible.

Exel · Post by **Exel** » Sun Jul 20, 2008 2:03 am

David Cole wrote:My velociraptors were around 53+ degrees each before I added the lower fan. They are now 37 and 34 degrees. I am happy with that and having the flexibility to add more air easily if I need to. I would not be happy to rely on the psu alone having lost a Seagate from heat that way. The lower fan is inaudible.

Naturally relying on just the PSU is not feasible if the HDD heats up too much. But blocking the vents around the PSU may improve the airflow in the lower compartment so much that you could keep the HDDs cool even without an extra fan. Don't know if your PSU could handle it still, just saying it's a possibility. Blocking the vents enabled me to remove the stock TriCool as the HDD stays cool with just the PSU (NeoHE) moving air.

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 6:30 am

Hypernova wrote:Personally I just moved the fan mount to the HDD side and used 90' cables.

I'd hate to see how many zip ties you needed to tie that much cable back.

Hypernova · Post by **Hypernova** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 2:59 am

jhhoffma wrote:
Hypernova wrote:Personally I just moved the fan mount to the HDD side and used 90' cables.
I'd hate to see how many zip ties you needed to tie that much cable back.

Which cables? The PSU? I got the modular RS-850-ESBA so no prob there.

If you are wondering about the SATA and power cables the 90 degree cables does a very good job of staying away from the blades.

[EDIT] On second reading did you thought I was talking about 90 INCH cables?!

bonestonne · Post by **bonestonne** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 4:58 am

90' = 90 feet
90" = 90 inches