Cooling is very important to your computer. Processors, video cards, and hard drives are all susceptible to overheating and failure if temperatures inside the case are too high. While computer makers design cases with ventilation holes in the case, case fans are still important. Some makers do not include active fans even though a vent exists for this purpose. You can add, or change out, your own case fan.
Instructions
1. Turn off your computer and unplug all the cables in the rear, including the power cord, the video monitor, keyboard and mouse, ethernet connection, and your speakers. Remove the side cover from the chassis.
2. Examine how the current rear case fan mounts to the case. Most case fans use four special screws that look "stubby" compared to normal wood screws. Use a Phillips head screw driver to remove these screws.
3. Unplug the existing fan from the motherboard. A set of two wires will be leading out of the fan to the motherboard. Slide the wire connector head off the post on the motherboard.
4. Align the new fan to the inside of the case at the appropriate case fan mounting area. Make sure the fan is facing the proper direction so the air is forced out of the case, not pulled into the case. A case fan draws fresh air from vents on the front of the case and through the component area. The fan should then exhaust the warm air out the back of the computer.
5. Slip special rubber gaskets over the screw holes in the fan. These rubber gaskets help to reduce fan vibrations. Install the new fan using the four fan housing screws.
6. Connect the new fan to the electrical post on the motherboard. The post connector is designed to fit over the post securely and in only one particular direction.
7. Boot the computer for a moment to test the fan operation. The fan should spin up immediately and without unnecessary noise. Some new fans may have a sticky blade. Give one blade a gentle nudge with a finger to get it started.
8. Optional: Add an additional cooling fan to your case only after careful consideration. Make sure you have a means to power another fan off the motherboard or a power molly. Be certain your power supply is large enough to handle the load of an additional device like an extra case fan. Most ordinary computers do not require this kind of "super" cooling unless they have very large hard drives (over 500 gigs), or very powerful video cards (512 mb and larger). In that case, an extra cooling fan may assist in performance.
9. Optional: Turn off your computer. If you perform any case cutting, remove all other computer components from the chassis, including the motherboard, before cutting into the case. You may need to use a rotary cutting tool to cut a hole in the side cover or top of the case. Be scrupulous about cleaning up any sharp edges and metal burrs from inside the case.
10. Optional: Improvise mount the fan in this new hole so it is very secure, does not produce vibration noise, does not interfere with other PC components, and so it pulls heat out of the case.
11. Replace the chassis side cover and reboot your computer once the new fan tests successfully.
Tags: your computer, inside case, side cover, case case, case fans, case Most, from chassis