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Forums › Home Theatre (incl HTPC) › Making a Home theater PC - I cant fit the CPU fan inside the slimline HTPC box !! Help!!!


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Wannabe Geek


Topic # 14229 22-Jun-2007 09:22
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I just started building my own home PC (expensive mistake - but that is another story)....

I bought a slimline HTPC case and Pentium D (which cant be returned) and managed to insert into the socket, set up the fan etc and everything is hunky dory.

But the Intel Pentium D 945 I bought - (which is the only type my supplier has) has a big fan.

Unfortunately I cant close the lid of the new machine now, as the fan sticks out by 2 cm [The fan housing is about 7 sm high. The case I have has just under 5cm clearence between the motherboard and the lid!

Can anyone make a suggestion (apart from replacing the pentium). I am hoping I can buy a cheaper low profile fan and replace the Intel one. But whatever I buy has to sit neatly on the Pentium as I dont want it to overheat.

Any help / suggestions would be appreciated.

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  Reply # 75608 22-Jun-2007 09:38
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PB Technologies have more different Cooling Fans than you can shake a stick at:

http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?page=56&PHPSESSID=032e2b2a196c70ec9f9a0fa1ed61a4e4

Hopefully you can find something there that will fit.

However, the slimline type of case such as you are using, is really designed for a more thermally efficient type of CPU such as Core2 Duo.  It will dissipate a lot less heat meaning that you can have a smaller/quieter fan.

If you have the choice, a Core2 Duo compatible motherboard and CPU is the best combo to use for this type of application where you need something REALLY QUIET.

P.S.  Welcome to Geekzone Smile



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Wannabe Geek


  Reply # 75614 22-Jun-2007 10:26
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Thanks Grant.

I will check them out....

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  Reply # 75630 22-Jun-2007 12:10
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First thing I did when building my HTPC was to throw away the CPU fan provided and replace with a more efficient and much quieter version.  I wouldnt really consider using the supplied fan if teh box was going to live near to the television

EDIT: I used a Zalman cooling fan for my AMD processor fyi




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Wannabe Geek


  Reply # 75658 22-Jun-2007 14:56
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I wish I could. But none of the Zalman fans / cooling kits listed on their web site for the Pentium D would fit inside a clearence of 4.8cm - which is all the space I have between the motherboard and the top of the case.

I have also got someone to contact the two online resllers (including the one Grant suggested) but to no avail.

I will have to use my jigsaw to cut the Intel heatsink in half to make it fit inside the box.

The only other option I can think of is to use a water cooled system like the CoolerMaster AQUAGATE Mini R80- RL-MUA-E8U1. It is expensive ... but even then, I would have to make custom holes on the chasis to mount the radiator as the case only have a 5cm diameter fan hole on the side.

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  Reply # 75660 22-Jun-2007 15:03
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What sort of case did you buy?



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Wannabe Geek


  Reply # 75669 22-Jun-2007 15:59
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sbiddle: What sort of case did you buy?


I got a Gigabyte barebone case.

If you buy it preconfigured like in some countries (which I did not), then they have one set up - with thermal pipes running off to the main heat sink on the processord all the way to the other side where the heat can be dissipated - see picture below:

GB MB2

But I can not get anything that looks like the one on the picture above here in NZ. Anyone recognise the fan / heatsink / thermal pipes above? Any suggestions would be welcome.

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  Reply # 75685 22-Jun-2007 20:49
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what is the exact model of your gigabyte case and did you buy it brand new, or second hand?




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  Reply # 75693 23-Jun-2007 09:27
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howabout getting another casing?

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