XPS 8910, need new chassis fan

@fatherom You may have to shop for a fan on eBay. Here is one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Dell-XPS-8910-8920-Alienware-Aurora-R5-Top-Cooling-Case-Fan-7M0F5-X64T5/264422841172?hash=item3d90d45b54:g:xyEAAOSwSY9fKw8z

I am 100% sure but I think that Dell uses non-standard wiring at the fan header so you cannot just use a standard PC fan. See this post: https://www.dell.com/community/Optiplex-Desktops/Fan-pin-out-order/td-p/7653972

Also, replacing the old fan requires removing the blower and heat-sink assembly from the CPU. So be prepared to clean and re-apply thermal compound to the CPU. See the procedure for removing the chassis fan in the Service Manual.

Thanks for the response, but I'm confused slightly:

The PDF service manual I have is different (but also for the XPS 8910) and doesn't mention the need to remove the heat sink assembly from the CPU. I just opened the case to dust it out and there's plenty of clearance to remove the top chassis fan without having to touch the cpu at all. It's weird that the service manual you referenced says that's necessary...that almost seems like an error in that version of the service manual.

EDIT: I looked at the service manual you referenced and it's talking about a blower assembly, which my XPS 8910 doesn't have. I have a traditional cpu fan on top of my cpu.

Does anyone else happen to know if a regular fan (like Arctic or Noctua) with a 3-pin connector will be able to be utilized by the XPS 8910 (considering the concern of non-standard wiring at the header)?

Thanks

Thanks for the response on the Noctua fans.

I don't know the size of my top exhaust fan. It's a bit funny how hard it is to figure that out online; I may have to take the fan out and measure it and check how many pins it has, etc. 

Yeah, I definitely don't have a blower fan. So I think replacing the top fan will be easy.

If I get a Noctua, and it's the same size as what I have now, will it go in easily? (i.e. I won't have to muck with the mounting bracket that's there)

Thanks again

Given there seem to be variations on XPS 8910 internals (blower fan over CPU vs no blower fan), I'm probably going to pull my fan to confirm. I found other posts online that some people's XPS 8910 seem to have 92mm fans...so I think that ebay listing may work for some, may not work for others who own an XPS 8910.

@Anonymous I guess my remaining question (which I know I already asked) is if I get a replacement fan that's the same size as what I have now, I hope it'll mount in easily without having to change the mounting bracket that's there.

The eBay top fan is 120 mm.

It is probably better to confirm the fan size. I thought the XPS 8910 always had a 120 mm fan, it was in the XPS 8930 that Dell started using 92 mm fans. Some in this forum recommended buying the old mounting bracket and changing the fan to 120 mm.

Thanks!

I'll try (soon) to re-open the case and get a good photo.

Chris

@Anonymous here are some pics - took a handful to make sure I covered all the bases.

I measured and the fan definitely seems to be 120mm x 25mm. Also, it seems to be be mounted in a similar way you described how to mount the Noctua. 

One thing I noticed...the connector is 4-pin, and the mobo has 4 pins. The service manual I have for my XPS shows only 3 pins in the diagram. But I definitely have four pins on the mobo, but the connector has a plastic guide on it (so it can't be installed improperly) which seems to 'envelop' 3 pins...perhaps the 4th pin isn't used?

Based on all this, which Noctua would you recommend? (I'm using amazon.ca)

Thanks again,

Chris

Thanks so much! That fan you cited was actually one I saw and was leaning towards. Thanks for all the help!

Already ordered the one...will try it and see how it goes.

For a front intake fan, how does that work? (just curious) The front bottom of my case is solid plastic...???

@Anonymous thanks for all your help...a follow-up:

Ordered the fan last night, got it this morning (gotta love amazon). Installed it with mostly no issues. At first I struggled to get the rubber nipples to pull through the holes on the fan mounting plate, but eventually I got them on (was worried that if I pulled them to hard they may rip).

Once I turned the PC on, I was actually taken aback by how loud 1200rpm is. I'm in a immensely quiet (and cold) basement, and noticed the difference immediately. Much louder (whooshing sound wise) than the OEM fan. This is probably due to the fact that I don't do really anything intensive on this computer: email, quicken, web browsing, etc. 

I decided, for now, to install the 'ultra low noise adapter', which reduces the fan speed from 1200 to 700rpm. Ahhh...much better, and more in line with the amount of 'whoosh' the old fan was doing. And, obviously, no more squeaking bearings.

I may, at some point, pick up a 4-pin PWM fan so that the mobo can go back to controlling the fan speed. But for now, will monitor the CPU temp once in a while to make sure things don't get too hot inside. 

Hey man. It's been several years since this thread had traction, but I must know where you connected the two, additional 120mm case fans given there are no 3-4 pin headers to expand with. Now, there are 5Pin to 4Pin Fan Connector Adapter Converters on Amazon other users on a related thread said can fix this, and, given to your photos it seems true. 

IF you see this, let me know how this worked for you so I can adapt my 8910 tower.

Here is the adapter link: https://www.amazon.com/Alloet-Connector-Adapter-Converter-Extension/dp/B07HF7YZ5W

Just in case the person with no nick doesn't response to your question, do not use the converter cable from your link.  It's a CPU 5-pin (Dell) header converter to 4-pin standard fan.  If you use it, your CPU fan won't run and your PC won't boot.

As you could see, the solution was for replacement of top fan, it was not the most satisfaction as it was using non-PWM fan.  The constant fan speed either too low (quiet) or too high (loud).  Your question was to add 2 extra fans at the front grill.  A smart upgrade by the way.

Look for a 4-pin PWM splitter cable and tap into your motherboard top case fan header.  If you are adding 2 more fan, get a 3 fan splitter and bypass your original (top fan).  It's wiser to get external power such as SATA or MOLEX to power your fans so you won't damage your fan header.

Not sure if you followed the other related thread on this topic, but here is the user in reference to additional, 3-pin case fans. https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8910-need-new-chassis-fan/m-p/7724652/thread-id/54917

Hey, thanks for the response. Yes, I realize what you posted is accurate and most likely the MOLEX adapters, which I have already, are the best for 3-4 pin fans for constant, max RPM. I will be upgrading the the PSU to an EVGA 700BR with plenty of MOLEX connectors. Thanks again.