Tech Tutorial: Replacing a Case Fan

If you've ever built your own PC before, than you know the importance of proper airflow and fan placement. Fans keep your system's critical components from overheating during normal operation, and especially during high-end gaming and other resource-intensive applications.

But what do you do if your case fan begins showing signs of failure? Where do you go to pick up a replacement? How is it installed? This brief tutorial will answers these questions and more.

Late last week, I discovered that my front case intake fan was on the verge of failing, so I knew it was time to replace it. I built my current rig about a year-and-a-half ago, and this is the first time I've had to replace any components. In the big scheme of things, though, fans are considered disposable parts that wear out after some period of time. Mine wasn't a high-end unit to start with, so I really can't complain too much.

Replacing a case fan really isn't too difficult; you just have to be willing to crack the case, deal with some screws, and hook up a few cables. 

What You'll Need

1. A PC with a failing case fan
2. A replacement case fan of the correct size and type
3. An appropriate-sized screwdriver
4. A small container for loose screws
5. A clean workspace

Step 1 - Pick a Replacement Fan
Okay, so you're doing some work on your PC and all of a sudden notice your case fan is making a heck of a racket, rattling, grinding, or running loud (especially when you first power it on). Don't panic; you have plenty of time to remedy the situation. Just don't hold off too long. These sounds are all classic signs of a failing case fan. Since there's no fixing them, it's time to go shopping.

If you don't know already, determine the size of your fan (for example, mine was 120mm) and what type of connector it uses (ex. 3 or 4-pin Molex ). These bits of information are important when it comes to buying a replacement (fans aren't a 'one size fits all' product). If you're unsure, you may need to check the fan's label or look up the model number online.

Drop by an online computer hardware store like Newegg or Tiger Direct and begin researching fans that are of the correct type for your PC. A decent fan can run you anywhere between $5 and $30. For the average user, something in the $10 range is more than sufficient. If you're concerned about noise, check user ratings and/or the fan's specs to see how loud it runs (in decibels).

If you want to add a little 'bling' or 'style' to your PC, consider picking up a fan with built-in LED lighting. Depending on the model, fans like this can deliver either a very soft or very bright glow (enough to illuminate the insides of your case), assuming your case is set up for it. This really doesn't serve any practical purpose, but it does take things up a notch.

Some fans also come with a fan controller, a device for regulating the speed of your fan. This is especially helpful for people doing high-end gaming or other heavy graphics applications that use lots of processing power. I normally wouldn't bother with one myself, but the replacement I ordered came with one and the fan itself ran pretty load without it.

Step 2 - Open Up the Case
Once your replacement fan has arrived, it's time to crack the case and get to work. Make sure to disconnect main power before popping anything open! Even shut down, most computers have a small amount of current running through them.

After unplugging everything, find a flat workspace (a table, the floor, etc.) to spread out our equipment. Depending on your case, there may be two or more screws that need to be removed in order to slide off the side panel (if you have a really old machine, figuring this out may be a bit tricky...). Find a secure place to put your screws so they don't get lost (a small bowl works nicely).

Once the case is open, make sure to ground yourself against a metal surface (such as the case itself) to prevent static discharge from frying components. If you happen to have an anti-static wrist strap, you may want to don that as well.

You may also want to take the opportunity to blow a few dust bunnies out of your case using compressed air. I don't know about yours, but mine was pretty dusty, and I should know better!

 Mine was held on by two screws on the top and bottom edges of the panel. 

The panel should slide off to the left.

Step 3 - Locate and Remove the Old Fan

If you have multiple fans in your case, make sure you've confirmed which one is actually failing (you'd hate to pull out the wrong one...). Once you know for sure, locate the screws holding it in place and carefully remove them with a screwdriver.

If the fan is at the front of your case, removing the front panel may be in order. Generally, they're held in place by plastic clips, so be careful not to break them off.


Fans (especially lower-end ones) are notorious for having cheap screws and non-threaded holes on the fan itself, so it may take a little muscle to remove. In most cases, the screws go in from the outside of the case.

With the screws gone, disconnect the 3 or 4-pin connector, which is connected to a fan port on the motherboard (if you're lucky, it'll be labeled 'fan'), or tied directly into the power supply. For the former, gently remove the connection, being careful not to bend any pins.

For the ladder, locate the short cable that allows the fan connector to be joined with a 4-pin power supply connector and disconnect the fan end only. These types of setups are used when no free fan connections are available on the motherboard itself. Some fans may even come with this cable if you don't already have one. With all these connections free, remove the old fan from the case and set it aside.

Center: two molex power connectors (male/female). 

Lower Right: two four-pin fan connectors (male/female).

Step 4 - Mount the New Fan
With your old fan out of the way, it's time to hook up the new one. You may find it useful to pre-thread the fan's screw holes before attempting to mount it. This can be done using one of the provided screws, but only if necessary.

Line up the fan with the mounting screw holes on the case (this may be a bit tricky depending on where your fan is located). Try to align the power cable so it'll be easy to hook up later. Screw in the first screw (there's a good chance it'll be pretty stiff), but don't put it in all the way. Instead, start the other three just like the first one. Once they're all in part-way, finish tightening them. This'll make it a lot easier to make sure the holes are lined up and allow you to adjust for shifting along the way. Don't be afraid to turn the screws in tight; just don't over-tighten them. You want the fan to have no wiggle room, otherwise, it'll shake and rattle while its running, eventually coming loose altogether.

Step 5 - Hook Up Main Power
With the fan mounted securely to your case, it's time to hook up power. If you do have an open fan connector on your motherboard, plug it in. Otherwise, reconnect it to the power supply cable I mentioned above.

Note that if your fan happened to come with a controller, and you'd like to take advantage of it, your wiring scheme will be a bit different. In my case, I connected a 4-pin male power connector coming off the controller with a matching female connection coming off the power supply. Then, I connected the fan power cable to a female fan connection also coming off the controller. In this setup, the power supply is providing power to the controller, which in turn is providing power to the fan. Since the controller is an intermediary, one can control the power going to the fan, and therefore, the speed.

Step 6 - Put Everything Back Together
Before putting it all back together, tie up any extra-long cables with twisties so they don't interfere with anything. Especially watch out for any cables that may get caught in the fan blades. Reattach the side panel to your case and hook up all your external connections (with the power cable last). Hit the power button. If all went according to plan, your new fan should power right up (also don't be surprised if it sounds a bit different than your used to). If not, check all your connections and make sure everything's been wired correctly. The two most likely causes of your fan not working are 1) defective unit, or 2) fan isn't getting any power.

The old fan, a CoolerMaster SickleFlow 120mm 2000 RPM w/ Blue LED

...and the new one, a Rosewill RFX-120BL 120mm 2 Ball Bearing w/ Blue LED

Look at that glow! Much brighter than the original.

You won't be able to sleep with this one on!

That's it for this tech tutorial. Hopefully, you've found it helpful (feel free to comment) and make sure to drop by The Enterprise Bridge for similar articles in the future!

Google Nexus 7: A Review

The Google Nexus 7 is the latest entry into the growing tablet market and a very worthy competitor to Apple's proprietary iPad. My dad picked up the Nexus several months ago, and after playing with it for about a week, I decided to pick one up for myself. It was definitely a good investment, and I'm very impressed with the features this small but relatively inexpensive package possesses. For those of you thinking about buying, hopefully my little review will provide some insight.

Software:
The Nexus 7 hardware is manufactured by ASUS, while the operating system is pure Google Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). Like any Android device, there are five customizable home screens as well as several pages of apps and widgets. By default, several of the Google Play apps (such as Google Magazines) fill up your desktops, but they're easily removable.

Recent updates to the OS have added some interesting features, such as the ability to create multiple user accounts, the ability to add widgets to the lock screen, and 'daydream' screensavers showing information when the device is sleeping/idle, just to name a few. Overall, Android 4.2 appears to be very stable; I really haven't had any issues with crashing, and I rarely shut it down completely.

It comes pre-loaded with some of the essential apps, but is strangely lacking others:

• Gmail
• Google Calander
• Calculator
• Google Chrome
• Clock
• Google Currents (a tech news service)
• Google Earth
• Email (an email client for all your non-Google accounts)
• Google +
• Google Maps
• Google Messenger
• Navigation
• People (your Gmail Contacts)
• Google Play Store
• Google Play Magazines
• Google Play Movies & TV
• Google Play Music
• Google Voice Search
• Talk
• Wallet
• YouTube

What's missing:

• A camera app (try 'Camera ICS' from Google Play)
• A file explorer (try 'ES File Explorer' from Google Play)
• An office suite (try 'Kingsoft Office' from the Kingsoft website or Google Play)
• Facebook app (try the official app from Google Play)
• ebook reader for non-Google books (try 'Moon+ Reader' from Google Play)

Hardware:
On the hardware side, the Nexus 7 is solidly constructed and definitely doesn't feel like a cheap tablet. The back of the device is textured and doesn't slide around in my hand. In fact, the 'long and narrow' form factor makes hanging on to the device hand pretty easy. That's, of course, no excuse for getting a decent case. I picked up this ultra-slim case from Amazon and it works really well as both a case and a stand. The Nexus even automatically comes out of sleep mode when I open it!

The Nexus has very little in the way of physical buttons and external ports. On the right side, there's the power button and volume toggle switch. On the bottom of the unit we have a USB port and a headphone jack. The (rather short) charging cable that comes with the Nexus doubles as an AC power adapter (with the 'brick' connected to the end) and a USB data transfer cable, which makes up for the missing card slot.

The 7-inch capacitive touchscreen display is bright and clear, and the is very responsive to even the lightest touch. Fingerprints are, of course, a problem, but that goes for pretty much all touchscreen devices. I have noticed a flickering of the back light on my unit, but from what I understand, it's a known problem that's yet to be fixed. It's either caused by a flaw in the wireless card (which causes flickering when there's low signal strength), or a glitch in the brightness controls.

The unit's Nvidia Tegra 3 1.3 Ghz quad-core processor and 1 GB of DDR3 memory definitely gets the job done. Web pages load quickly, games and streaming media play smoothly and overall, everything most runs 'lag-free'.

I also hooked up an inexpensive Blutooth keyboard when I actually want to type something, and that works pretty well, too. I have noticed lag in the Blutooth signal on larger documents (especially with the most recent update...), but it doesn't seem to be a big issue.

Battery life is about what I'd expect for a device like the Nexus. For normal, everyday lite use, it'll go for a few days without needing a recharge. If you're playing games and watching videos, though, the battery drains pretty fast. Lowering the screen brightness and turning the Blutooth and/or wireless off helps.

Problems & Drawbacks
The unit does have a few drawbacks, however. If you're fond of using microSD cards on your tablet, you're out of luck on the Nexus 7. It has no micrsoSD slot and there's no easy way to hook one up externally. It ended up not being a big problem for me, but it would have been a nice feature, especially considering most low-end tablets have card slots.

The other missing piece of hardware is a rear-facing camera. Now, personally, I don't use my Nexus for taking pictures all that often (I still prefer a stand-alone camera for that), but when I do, using the front-facing camera is pretty awkward. Like the missing card slot, this was just another cost-cutting measure. On the other hand, the front-facing camera works pretty well for video calls (a la Skype) and the quality isn't too bad (720p).

There's one other thing I feel I should mention: beware of ASUS technical support! My dad had a pretty poor experience with them when he had to send his Nexus back for repairs after it froze up at the splash screen. It took them two tries to repair the device; the first time, the unit came back in worse condition than it started in!

Cost:
The price of the unit is fixed at US$199 for the 16 GB model and US$249 for the 32 GB version. While the 16 and 32 GB models are Wi-Fi only, a 3G/4G version for AT&T and T-Mobile customers has recently been released for US$299.

Overall, if you're looking for a fairly inexpensive tablet that works really well as a mobile productivity device, media platform, and ereader, I'd highly recommend the Nexus 7. It's not without its flaws, but it's also one of the cheapest high-end tablets on the market.