XPS 8930, possible to install a front case fan?

---

@Anonymous wrote:

---

@rh310 wrote:

How do you plan to mount the Noctua in the front?  I've seen the setup @546insp created which looks nice.  I've got the stock front fan w/mount which I'm going to try.  But I also like the simpler approach of adding a fixed speed Noctua in the front - powered via SATA - so I don't have to unbuckle the CPU fan/heat-sink just to get power.  The price I pay for getting the bigger CPU :-) 

---

I am going to drill holes and run bolts through with filter screens on the outside. I have to remove the CPU fan/heat sink to change the top exhaust fan to 120 mm, so I am taking that opportunity to also upgrade the PSU to 850 watts. Right now the front fans are just wedged in place with rubber gasket, until I can get on this project (hopefully tomorrow). Even with this funky set-up, CPU & GPU run at much cooler temps.

 

---

Use the Alienware R5/R6 lower fan bracket to mount the lower intake fan.   Existing fan in the bracket can be removed and you can put the Noctua fan into the bracket and just snap the bracket into place.

https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8930-CPU-Liquid-Cooler-GTX-1080-Hybrid-GPU-Upgrades/m-p/6138060/highlight/true#M16396

The Noctua fan you are using is a static pressure fan, did you already have that fan and moving it to the XPS 8930?

Can you link the fan filter you have pictured?  I find it interesting that there appear to be 92mm and 120mm fan holes there on it. 

The upper fan location has holes on the outside of the chassis already there, and I believe the metal bracket for the hard drive holder that you removed has 92mm fan holes there.  Wondering if the fan dust filter can act as an adapter and allow you to mount the 120mm fan without drilling using rubber fan mounting pins. 

The four holes located on the upper chassis fan location are on small tabs that protrude slightly into the case.  Not sure if they would hit the fan blades with a flush mounted fan.  Check that as well.

3M Advanced Moulding Tape should also lock that fan into the upper position if you can actually mount it flush against the inside part of the chassis.  The fan doesn't weigh much and would try that before drilling.  On the Noctua fans you would remove the brown tabs on the outside corners and can apply tape there.  

If you put a fan filter on the front of the chassis you can use the 120mm/140mm magnetic fan filters.  Note that you would need to shave a little off the pins on the front bezel that lock into those holes on the front of the metal chassis if you put fan filters on the outside at those locations.

Mounting a 92mm fan in the upper compartment using the existing HDD bracket would be an easier task and should be considered as a viable option as there isn't any drilling involved.   Fairly easy to do

https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8930-CPU-Liquid-Cooler-GTX-1080-Hybrid-GPU-Upgrades/m-p/7199726/highlight/true#M22014

---

@HanoverB wrote:

---

@546insp wrote:

The way those fans are in that picture they are doing very little, I hate to toot my own horn but you need to do it like I did. 

---

Disagree... any fan in the upper compartment helps direct airlfow in the upper part of the chassis to the upper exhaust fan.   This case has too many obstructions for the lower fan to be effective by itself.  The lower fan is more for the GPU.

---

Disagree, it all flows around just fine but more fan= cooler PC, it's a no brainer. 92mm is for those PC's with no problems. Why advocate a 92???

---

@546insp wrote:

The way those fans are in that picture they are doing very little, I hate to toot my own horn but you need to do it like I did. 

---

The fans are just wedged in there temporarily until i can do the entire project. That being said, I am actually surprised at the CPU & GPU temperature drop I am seeing, even with that temp set-up.

---

@HanoverB wrote:

Mounting a 92mm fan in the upper compartment using the existing HDD bracket would be an easier task and should be considered as a viable option as there isn't any drilling involved.   Fairly easy to do

https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8930-CPU-Liquid-Cooler-GTX-1080-Hybrid-GPU-Upgrades/m-p/7199726/highlight/true#M22014

 

---

Thank you very much. I seems ironic that you show much concern about drilling a few holes, when you are the guy that did this: LOL 

---

@Anonymous wrote:

I did not have any fans prior to this project. I bought the Alienware R5/R6 upper exhaust fan from the auction site just for the bracket, so I can change my upper exhaust fan from 92mm  to 120mm. I bought the Alienware R5/R6 lower front fan and bracket, thinking it would be a simple install, but when I connected that fan via SATA, it screamed at 2,000 rpm. The Noctua fan I have connected temporarily has the "Low-Noise Adapter" in the circuit and is quiet.

This is the link to the dust filters: 120mm Dust Filter

These are for 120mm fans. If I use the Alienware R5/R6 bracket for the lower front fan, I need some way to mount the dust filter.

The three fans I purchased based on my understanding of your previous recommendations are:

2 - 120mm Noctua NF-S12A PWM

1 - 120mm Noctua NF-S12A FLX

I was planning to use one PWM for the top exhaust upgrade, one PWM for the top front, and the FLX for the lower front position. Please feel free to make recommendations to the contrary.

The "tabs" you refer to at the top front fan location where the hard drive basket used to be are very close, but not quite lined up well enough to mount the fan and dust filter. Also, I would like to mount that fan 'offset' as much as possible so it is blowing air to the back of the case, and not into the PSU 'dead space'.

I understand I will be shaving the pins on the front bezel to clear the dust filters.

I thought I was going to start this project today, but life got in the way. Therefore, I am still interested in hearing any recommendations or suggestions for this project. Recall I am also upgrading the PSU to the 850 watt Seasonic. I have read through your "liquid cooler install" thread several times, and that is very helpful. I have also seen the recommendations from 546insp, to which I will pay heed.

Thank you for all the help and information.

 

 

 

 

 

---

Just stick with 120mm fans and you will be fine. My front Arctic PWM fan is tied in with the top rear one and goes the same speed (it came with a splitter wire) and it is all very quiet. It normally runs at 80* F at the top of the rear one (coming out) and goes to 90*F MAX with heavy duty programs. Double sided tape works very well for mounting in PC's. My front fan is mounted with tape and weather stripping which knocks out the "noise causing" vibrations. MAKE SURE ALL THE FRONT AIR COMES FROM OUTSIDE.

I did not have any fans prior to this project. I bought the Alienware R5/R6 upper exhaust fan from the auction site just for the bracket, so I can change my upper exhaust fan from 92mm  to 120mm. I bought the Alienware R5/R6 lower front fan and bracket, thinking it would be a simple install, but when I connected that fan via SATA, it screamed at 2,000 rpm. The Noctua fan I have connected temporarily has the "Low-Noise Adapter" in the circuit and is quiet.

This is the link to the dust filters: 120mm Dust Filter

These are for 120mm fans. If I use the Alienware R5/R6 bracket for the lower front fan, I need some way to mount the dust filter.

The three fans I purchased based on my understanding of your previous recommendations are:

2 - 120mm Noctua NF-S12A PWM

1 - 120mm Noctua NF-S12A FLX

I was planning to use one PWM for the top exhaust upgrade, one PWM for the top front, and the FLX for the lower front position. Please feel free to make recommendations to the contrary.

The "tabs" you refer to at the top front fan location where the hard drive basket used to be are very close, but not quite lined up well enough to mount the fan and dust filter. Also, I would like to mount that fan 'offset' as much as possible so it is blowing air to the back of the case, and not into the PSU 'dead space'.

I understand I will be shaving the pins on the front bezel to clear the dust filters.

I thought I was going to start this project today, but life got in the way. Therefore, I am still interested in hearing any recommendations or suggestions for this project. Recall I am also upgrading the PSU to the 850 watt Seasonic. I have read through your "liquid cooler install" thread several times, and that is very helpful. I have also seen the recommendations from 546insp, to which I will pay heed.

Thank you for all the help and information.

---

@Anonymous wrote:

I did not have any fans prior to this project. I bought the Alienware R5/R6 upper exhaust fan from the auction site just for the bracket, so I can change my upper exhaust fan from 92mm  to 120mm. I bought the Alienware R5/R6 lower front fan and bracket, thinking it would be a simple install, but when I connected that fan via SATA, it screamed at 2,000 rpm. The Noctua fan I have connected temporarily has the "Low-Noise Adapter" in the circuit and is quiet.

This is the link to the dust filters: 120mm Dust Filter

These are for 120mm fans. If I use the Alienware R5/R6 bracket for the lower front fan, I need some way to mount the dust filter.

The three fans I purchased based on my understanding of your previous recommendations are:

2 - 120mm Noctua NF-S12A PWM

1 - 120mm Noctua NF-S12A FLX

I was planning to use one PWM for the top exhaust upgrade, one PWM for the top front, and the FLX for the lower front position. Please feel free to make recommendations to the contrary.

The "tabs" you refer to at the top front fan location where the hard drive basket used to be are very close, but not quite lined up well enough to mount the fan and dust filter. Also, I would like to mount that fan 'offset' as much as possible so it is blowing air to the back of the case, and not into the PSU 'dead space'.

I understand I will be shaving the pins on the front bezel to clear the dust filters.

I thought I was going to start this project today, but life got in the way. Therefore, I am still interested in hearing any recommendations or suggestions for this project. Recall I am also upgrading the PSU to the 850 watt Seasonic. I have read through your "liquid cooler install" thread several times, and that is very helpful. I have also seen the recommendations from 546insp, to which I will pay heed.

Thank you for all the help and information.

 

---

Sorry Dell630i I somehow forgot to answer your question.  Hope it's not too late.

I went back to the old posts you looked at and I could see how you got confused and ordered those 2 Noctua PWM fans.

I know you considered using the OEM fans that came with the correct fan brackets you ordered and the only way to use those effectively was with the TOP FAN PWM motherboard header because as MrArcher said, you want nothing to do with those fans spinning at full speed.  So that's why I suggested getting a 4 pin PWM splitter so you could run that OEM PWM fan modulated, as well as fixed fans off the other legs of the splitter.  I think I also got off tangent a little and suggested how to mix the different types of fans in combination using molex adapters and the TOP FAN header which totally must have confused you. (I read it and it confused me so I cleaned things up)

In another post I suggested using the OEM fans first and trying them for noise tolerance.

https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8930-possible-to-install-a-front-case-fan/m-p/6239024/highlight/true#M21010

I compared the Noctua NF-S12A PWM fan and the Noctua S12A FLX (fixed speed fans) you ordered and said that these fans are better as intake fans because they move as much air at lower speeds and with less noise as the another Noctua PWM fan would if it ever were to reach maximum speed 2000 RPM.  I might have suggested upgrading to the PWM fans somewhere along the way, but that was wrong.

So the best way to approach your final fan configuration would be to use 3 Noctua S12A FLX fans if you are going to dump the OEM fans that came with your brackets.  

First off, we have an open TOP FAN header.

1) We figured you would use the Noctua FLX fan at 1200 RPM fixed at the top exhaust position
2) We would ideally use the same Noctua FLX fan at the upper front intake and lower intake fans as they are quiet and moved air at a constant rate versus the PWM version.

Since we have a open TOP FAN header, you can connect one, two or all the fans to that TOP FAN header as we know it will run at fixed speed on that header.  You would need a 3 pin splitter, and even those 4 pin splitters should work as the 3 pin fans would run at full 1200 RPM speeds.

The option is available for you depending on the splitters/Y adapters you have to connect any of these fixed fans to the PSU using molex to SATA power adapters that come with the Noctua fans if the connectors are close by (especially at the front intake postiions) rather than running them to the top of the case where the headers are.

If you already went the PWM route with those intake fans, your machine should be fine and there is no reason to switch them as it is running really quiet as it pulls air into the case at those lower 700-900 RPMS.  High CPU temps would be the only reason to make any changes.  With those fans in place you have created a balanced pressure case (more likely a positive pressure case) with better airflow, which is the desired end result of adding the front intake fans.  

Also I hope you considered the 92mm fan bracket at that upper intake position if you haven't already mounted that 120mm fan.

Then there is the case swap discussion we are having here as well.  Very applicable to you since you have that killer machine with new i9-9900K CPU and the GTX 1080.

https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8930-CPU-Liquid-Cooler-GTX-1080-Hybrid-GPU-Upgrades/m-p/7241669/highlight/true#M22272

https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8930-GPU-and-CPU-Liquid-Cooler-PSU-Case-Swap-Upgrade/m-p/7247268/highlight/true#M22480

Hanover

---

Sorry Dell630i I somehow forgot to answer your question.  Hope it's not too late.

I went back to the old posts you looked at and I could see how you got confused and ordered those 2 Noctua PWM fans.

I know you considered using the OEM fans that came with the correct fan brackets you ordered and the only way to use those effectively was with the TOP FAN PWM motherboard header because as MrArcher said, you want nothing to do with those fans spinning at full speed.  So that's why I suggested getting a 4 pin PWM splitter so you could run that OEM PWM fan modulated, as well as fixed fans off the other legs of the splitter.  I think I also got off tangent a little and suggested how to mix the different types of fans in combination using molex adapters and the TOP FAN header which totally must have confused you. (I read it and it confused me so I cleaned things up)

In another post I suggested using the OEM fans first and trying them for noise tolerance.

https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8930-possible-to-install-a-front-case-fan/m-p/6239024/highlight/true#M21010

I compared the Noctua NF-S12A PWM fan and the Noctua S12A FLX (fixed speed fans) you ordered and said that these fans are better as intake fans because they move as much air at lower speeds and with less noise as the another Noctua PWM fan would if it ever were to reach maximum speed 2000 RPM.  I might have suggested upgrading to the PWM fans somewhere along the way, but that was wrong.

So the best way to approach your final fan configuration would be to use 3 Noctua S12A FLX fans if you are going to dump the OEM fans that came with your brackets.  

First off, we have an open TOP FAN header.

1) We figured you would use the Noctua FLX fan at 1200 RPM fixed at the top exhaust position
2) We would ideally use the same Noctua FLX fan at the upper front intake and lower intake fans as they are quiet and moved air at a constant rate versus the PWM version.

Since we have a open TOP FAN header, you can connect one, two or all the fans to that TOP FAN header as we know it will run at fixed speed on that header.  You would need a 3 pin splitter, and even those 4 pin splitters should work as the 3 pin fans would run at full 1200 RPM speeds.

The option is available for you depending on the splitters/Y adapters you have to connect any of these fixed fans to the PSU using molex to SATA power adapters that come with the Noctua fans if the connectors are close by (especially at the front intake postiions) rather than running them to the top of the case where the headers are.

If you already went the PWM route with those intake fans, your machine should be fine and there is no reason to switch them as it is running really quiet as it pulls air into the case at those lower 700-900 RPMS.  High CPU temps would be the only reason to make any changes.  With those fans in place you have created a balanced pressure case (more likely a positive pressure case) with better airflow, which is the desired end result of adding the front intake fans.  

Also I hope you considered the 92mm fan bracket at that upper intake position if you haven't already mounted that 120mm fan.

Then there is the case swap discussion we are having here as well.  Very applicable to you since you have that killer machine with new i9-9900K CPU and the GTX 1080.

https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8930-CPU-Liquid-Cooler-GTX-1080-Hybrid-GPU-Upgrades/m-p/7241669/highlight/true#M22272

 

Hanover

---

Not a problem Hanover, and it is never too late. I did an exploratory venture into my PC this past weekend to make sure I know where all of the wiring connections and routing go (took a lot of photos) for when I swap out for the Seasonic PSU. I think I have that all figured, and while I had the GPU pulled and out of the way, I started playing with the front fan placement. Long story short, after much consternation, I am going with several of your recommendations. I am going to use the Aurora R5 bracket for the lower front position and a 120 mm Noctua fan (to be determined). Also, because those tabs in the upper front location are in the absolute worst possible position for drilling holes, I am going to mount a 92 mm fan into the HD basket and see how that works. I ordered a Noctua NF-A9 FLX fan for this purpose (should arrive before next weekend). Then I have the Aurora R5 bracket for the top exhaust fan to replace the 92 mm stock fan with a 120 mm Noctua.

If I understand what you are saying, I should use the 120 mm Noctua NF-S12A FLX fan in that top exhaust position, plugged directly into the MB, with no "Low-Noise Adapter". For the top front position, I will have the 92 mm Noctua FLX fan mentioned above. For the lower front position, I will have to start with a 120 mm Noctua PWM fan in the Aurora R5 mounting bracket. I can replace this with a FLX fan later, if necessary.

I currently have two 120 mm Noctua fans temporarily wedged in the front fan positions with rubber gasket strips. I am picking up power with a SATA to PWM fan splitter cable. I also have the "Low-Noise Adapter" plugged into both fans. I was originally planning to run a splitter off the MB to power the front fans, but now after I install the Seasonic 850, I can get power for the front fans with either SATA or Molex adapters. I don't see any reason to use the MB for power.

One more note: since I am not drilling any holes and running bolts, I needed to come up with a mechanism for mounting those dust filters I linked to up-thread. I used some magnetic tape and trimmed it neatly, which is going to work out just perfectly.

---

---

@Anonymous wrote:

If I understand what you are saying, I should use the 120 mm Noctua NF-S12A FLX fan in that top exhaust position, plugged directly into the MB, with no "Low-Noise Adapter".

 

 

---

Perfect

 For the top front position, I will have the 92 mm Noctua FLX fan mentioned above.

 

---

Good choice and easy.  You can go straight to PSU as its right there.

Option and for future reference: You should have a 3 pin Y adapter with the Noctua fans and you can connect both of those fans to the TOP FAN motherboard connector.  Both running fixed.  If you go direct to the PSU, use molex or your SATA to PWM fan adapter/splitter which works great for 3  pin fans as well.

You can put a LNA on the 92mm fan if you want, but I think it will be fine after looking at the specs 17.1 dBA at 1600 RPM.. (~ same dBA as the 120mm SA12 fans)

---

For the lower front position, I will have to start with a 120 mm Noctua PWM fan in the Aurora R5 mounting bracket. I can replace this with a FLX fan later, if necessary.

Your SATA to PWM fan adapter/splitter is perfect for what you are doing here.  The PWM fan will run fixed at 1200 RPM  just like the FLX fan would.  PSU is right there.

Option and for future reference if you are without those SATA to PWM adapters: You know you have those 3 pin to molex adapters with those other fans. In a pinch, you can use those to connect any PWM fan to get fixed speed by cutting off the side to accommodate the wider plug, same with LNA. (Thanks AlienBlaster)

I currently have two 120 mm Noctua fans temporarily wedged in the front fan positions with rubber gasket strips. I am picking up power with a SATA to PWM fan splitter cable. I also have the "Low-Noise Adapter" plugged into both fans. I was originally planning to run a splitter off the MB to power the front fans, but now after I install the Seasonic 850, I can get power for the front fans with either SATA or Molex adapters. I don't see any reason to use the MB for power.

One more note: since I am not drilling any holes and running bolts, I needed to come up with a mechanism for mounting those dust filters I linked to up-thread. I used some magnetic tape and trimmed it neatly, which is going to work out just perfectly.

---

You can take those LNA adapters off  if those are the NF-S12A fans, at 1200 RPM fixed they should be real quiet.   The drop from 1200 RPM to 900 RPM with the LNA does almost halve the noise with only a 20% drop in airflow so I can see that as well.

In regards to the dust issue, I pick up very little dust on the upper intake fan position with the fan filter I have there.

I do pick up a lot of dust on the lower intake fan.  A LOT.  I am constantly cleaning that front filter over the blowhole.  That’s probably why none gets to the upper one!

Sounds like you have things well under control and you are set.:Yes:

---

@HanoverB wrote:

---

---

@Anonymous wrote:

If I understand what you are saying, I should use the 120 mm Noctua NF-S12A FLX fan in that top exhaust position, plugged directly into the MB, with no "Low-Noise Adapter".

 

 

---

Perfect

 

 For the top front position, I will have the 92 mm Noctua FLX fan mentioned above.

 

---

Good choice and easy.  You can go straight to PSU as its right there.

Option and for future reference: You should have a 3 pin Y adapter with the Noctua fans and you can connect both of those fans to the TOP FAN motherboard connector.  Both running fixed.  If you go direct to the PSU, use molex or your SATA to PWM fan adapter/splitter which works great for 3  pin fans as well.

You can put a LNA on the 92mm fan if you want, but I think it will be fine after looking at the specs 17.1 dBA at 1600 RPM.. (~ same dBA as the 120mm SA12 fans)

 

---

For the lower front position, I will have to start with a 120 mm Noctua PWM fan in the Aurora R5 mounting bracket. I can replace this with a FLX fan later, if necessary.

Your SATA to PWM fan adapter/splitter is perfect for what you are doing here.  The PWM fan will run fixed at 1200 RPM  just like the FLX fan would.  PSU is right there.

Option and for future reference if you are without those SATA to PWM adapters: You know you have those 3 pin to molex adapters with those other fans. In a pinch, you can use those to connect any PWM fan to get fixed speed by cutting off the side to accommodate the wider plug, same with LNA. (Thanks AlienBlaster)

 

---

I currently have two 120 mm Noctua fans temporarily wedged in the front fan positions with rubber gasket strips. I am picking up power with a SATA to PWM fan splitter cable. I also have the "Low-Noise Adapter" plugged into both fans. I was originally planning to run a splitter off the MB to power the front fans, but now after I install the Seasonic 850, I can get power for the front fans with either SATA or Molex adapters. I don't see any reason to use the MB for power.

One more note: since I am not drilling any holes and running bolts, I needed to come up with a mechanism for mounting those dust filters I linked to up-thread. I used some magnetic tape and trimmed it neatly, which is going to work out just perfectly.

---

You can take those LNA adapters off  if those are the NF-S12A fans, at 1200 RPM fixed they should be real quiet.   The drop from 1200 RPM to 900 RPM with the LNA does almost halve the noise with only a 20% drop in airflow so I can see that as well.

In regards to the dust issue, I pick up very little dust on the upper intake fan position with the fan filter I have there.

I do pick up a lot of dust on the lower intake fan.  A LOT.  I am constantly cleaning that front filter over the blowhole.  That’s probably why none gets to the upper one!

 

Sounds like you have things well under control and you are set.:Yes:

---

Another reason I would never install a top front fan. The top one just blows air that hits the PSU cage, drops down, goes back, and then up (if it ever makes it that far), not to mention you have to permanently remove the top HDD cage. It's much better to just block the top off and draw from the bottom so the bottom one draws from OUTSIDE.

---

@546insp wrote:

---

@HanoverB wrote:

---

---

@Anonymous wrote:

 For the top front position, I will have the 92 mm Noctua FLX fan mentioned above.

 

---

Good choice and easy.  You can go straight to PSU as its right there.

Option and for future reference: You should have a 3 pin Y adapter with the Noctua fans and you can connect both of those fans to the TOP FAN motherboard connector.  Both running fixed.  If you go direct to the PSU, use molex or your SATA to PWM fan adapter/splitter which works great for 3  pin fans as well.

You can put a LNA on the 92mm fan if you want, but I think it will be fine after looking at the specs 17.1 dBA at 1600 RPM.. (~ same dBA as the 120mm SA12 fans)

 

---

Another reason I would never install a top front fan. The top one just blows air that hits the PSU cage, drops down, goes back, and then up (if it ever makes it that far), not to mention you have to permanently remove the top HDD cage. It's much better to just block the top off and draw from the bottom so the bottom one draws from OUTSIDE.

 

---

Pics of area of upper part of case with upper front intake fan installed

Pics of fan bracket relative to PSU bracket reflecting coverage of fan for this location.   Aprrox. 2/3 of the fan is actually under the PSU bracket. 

Those magnets are a bad idea, get some thick double sided tape. You are just transferring vibration noise and allowing air to whip around the sides and recirculate.