Okay, so, I’ve been messing around with my PC lately, specifically the cooling situation. I finally decided to slap in a new 9-inch fan into my case. Let me tell you, it wasn’t as straightforward as I thought it would be, but I got it done, and I’m here to share the whole messy process.
First off, I had to figure out where this bad boy was going to go. I popped open the side panel of my case and took a good look. Generally speaking, you want the fans at the front pulling air in and the ones at the back pushing air out. And since hot air rises, any fans on top should be blowing air out, too. My case already had a couple of fans in the front, but I figured more cool air couldn’t hurt, especially since I’ve been pushing my system a bit harder with some new games.
After some pondering, I decided to mount this new fan on the side panel. Most folks say to use the side for intake, even though there aren’t any air filters, so I went with the majority. My thinking was, the front fans are doing a decent job, but I wanted to get even more fresh air directly onto my graphics card, which has been running a bit toasty. So, I put the 9 inch fan on the side.
Installation Time
Next up, the actual installation. This was a bit of a pain, not gonna lie. I had to unscrew the old side panel, which was no big deal. Then came the fun part – figuring out how to mount this thing. My case didn’t have pre-drilled holes for a 9-inch fan, which was a bummer.
So, I had to make my own holes! I grabbed my trusty drill and marked out where the screws needed to go. I took it slow and steady, making sure I didn’t crack the panel or anything. A few pilot holes later, I was ready to screw the fan in. I lined up the fan, got the screws in, and tightened everything down. It wasn’t pretty, but it was secure.
Once the fan was in place, I had to connect it to the power supply. My power supply had a few extra connectors, thankfully, so I just plugged it in. Powered up the PC, and boom! The new fan spun to life, quiet as a mouse. I closed everything back up, feeling pretty accomplished.
The Results
Now, the moment of truth. I fired up a few games and ran some benchmarks to see if this whole ordeal was worth it. And guess what? It was! My GPU temps dropped by a noticeable amount, and the overall airflow inside the case felt way better.
- Before: GPU was hitting 80-85 degrees Celsius under load.
- After: GPU temps are now chilling around 70-75 degrees Celsius.
It wasn’t the easiest project, and I definitely made a few mistakes along the way (like almost drilling through my finger – whoops!), but I’m happy with the results. My PC is running cooler, and I’ve got some peace of mind knowing that my components aren’t frying themselves. If you’re thinking about adding a fan to your case, I say go for it, but maybe just double-check if your case actually has the right mounting spots first. You might save yourself a headache!