Aurora R10, remove the 3.5" caddy to install second front fan?

@jdrodrig 

I believe @r72019  used zip ties to mount the fan; I used rubber gasket; double sided tape would also work.

(click photo to embiggen)

@Anonymous @r72019 

many thanks, you guys are great ! I will top wasting my time in reddit, and will come here for any questions. All these are 120mm and they get connected to HDD fan header? 

@Anonymous  Great I will order some. If I use a Y split, do you think the computer will complain the original front fan and this Nuctua are not identical? 

@jdrodrig    If I use a Y split, do you think the computer will complain the original front fan and this Nuctua are not identical?

I think you should be OK. Make sure you get a PWM Y-splitter cable and connect the 4-pin side to your OEM fan. Then the Noctua will be a secret  

@jdrodrig   All these are 120mm and they get connected to HDD fan header? 

Yes . . . all are 120mm x 25mm fans. You could probably connect both front fans to your FRONT_FAN header with a PWM Y-splitter cable. I have the XPS 8930, so I am connected direct to the PSU with a SATA to dual fan adapter.

Your standard retail Y splitter comes with two fan connections, both with 4 PINs.  On one side, three wires come out of the 4 pin connector.  On the other side, four wires come out of the  pin connector.  Plug the OEM fan into the 4 pin connector with 4 wires coming out of it, and the Noctua into the other connector.  And you won't have any issues. 

Most of the brown and tan Noctua fans already include a Y splitter with the fan.  So no need to purchase a Y splitter separately if you get a Noctua. The exceptions are the Redux and IPPC lineups, which are barebones.  

Thanks again @r72019 @Anonymous 

Just to report another successful mod, and in case it helps future searches of this topic. Following advice, I got a Nuctua NF-A12x25 PWM 120mm, and a Amazon JBtek PWN Fan Splitter Cable converter.

And everything went smoothly so far (photos here https://imgur.com/a/Y4kAv7t). So far I did not bother with the two sided tape, as the fan fits quite snuggling in the space the 3.5in left behind and I dont notice any rattling or movement.

The Y split is one 4-pin to Dell OEM, one 3-pin to the Nuctua, so I think the Nuctua is running full speed all the time. So far it is barely noticeable noise, and I feel more relieved knowing there is air flow going in the direction of memory and chipset. I need to clean up the cables to block less air.

@jdrodrig    Just to report another successful mod

Great Job! . . . and thanks for sharing.

That should definitely help the air flow in the top half of the case. In addition to RAM, VRM and mobo cooling, I think you should see better GPU temps as the air flow picks up heat from your passive cooling back plate.

I am not an expert, so deferring to @r72019  but I think since you have PWM fans and a PWM Y-splitter, since the 4-pin portion is connected to the Dell OEM fan, it will be modulated as "Master", and the Noctua will be modulated as "Slave" based on the signal provided by the "Master" fan.

@Anonymous Thanks for the info (which was also informative for when I talk to my marriage therapist, I think my wife is the 4-pin in the relationship and I am the 3-pin).

btw, one question, do you think it would make sense to instead connect this second front fan to the header HDD fan in the motherboard? I see one empty around the bottom edge (below the last PCIE slot).

@jdrodrig    btw, one question, do you think it would make sense to instead connect this second front fan to the header HDD fan in the motherboard? I see one empty around the bottom edge (below the last PCIE slot).

I think the way you have everything connected now, with the Y-splitter, is probably the best. You can monitor the situation for temperature and noise, and adjust as needed. The Noctua comes with a couple low noise adapters that will slow the rpm and reduce noise. This is typically not needed, as the Noctua is probably the most quiet fan in your system.

Another option would be to pick up SATA or Molex power direct from the PSU. If you were to use, for example, a Molex to 3-pin fan adapted cable connected to the Noctua, then it would be emancipated from being a 'slave' and run at a constant 2000 rpm. This could still be adjusted with the Noctua low noise adapters.

Personally, I would leave the set-up where it is for now . . . and monitor.

yes, and if you have a 3.5" HDD, you can drop it to the bottom (the 2.5" and 3.5" caddies are interchangeable).

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Sorry, but just to verify ...

On the Aurora-R6 (for example) ... you can remove the existing top-mounted 3.5inch HDD  ... AND IT"S mount/caddy ...

and move it all to the bottom? It will fit and mount with existing holes and extra screws?

I'm not planning to install another fan, but I was thinking that in itself will likely increase air-flow.

Hello just noticed you've did some changes to your Aurora R10, I'm a R6 user here just wanted to know if there were any noticeable difference when adding in an additional fan.

also if it is safe to relocate my 3.5" HDD along with its caddy where the 2.5" caddy was originally in.

My CPU is water-cooled so my main concern is mostly regarding whether or not it helps in cooling my 1080 blower card.

The R5 to 11 use the same internal chassis.  The 9-11 have a different outside plastic covering in the new Legend design (but the inside chassis is the same). 

Removing the 2.5" HDD bays, and swapping it with the 3.5" bay is plug and play.  Although the 3.5" drive is taller than the 2.5" drive, the addition of a second fan (and removal of the second 2.5" HDD bay) is a net benefit as far as airflow and temps.  You can run the second fan using a Y splitter or connected directly to the PSU.