I have just installed some old components into a new Sonata II case. All is well except for mounting a 120*120*25 mm fan for sucking air in through the front.
I have no idea where to put it!
There doesn't seem to be any room for it just inside the front bezel. the only place I can find with pre-drilled holes is on the left hand side of the HDD cage if you look at it from the side with the sideplate removed. And that is on the wrong side of the HDD cage, so you can't draw air from the outside of the case, and blow it over the harddrives.
I'm really confused and need help.
Where and how to mount an intake fan in a Sonata II case
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That's where it's supposed to go... 
Lots of people complain about the Sonata's front fan mounting position, although if you're using it purely to cool the HDDs I don't think it makes much difference whether you're sucking or blowing air over them (the rear fan will be drawing fresh air in from the lower front anyway). The restrictive design of the drive cage and front bezel is more likely to be a significant factor, although this looks much improved in the Sonata II over the earlier version.
The rear 120mm fan should be able to pull enough air through the case for overall system cooling unless you have an unusually hot setup, and actually in most cases a front fan acting in series with the rear doesn't add much to the overall throughput of air, although it can help if you have high static resistance. You can usually do without it unless you want/need spot cooling for your HDDs.
I'd see if you can manage without the front fan altogether first (better from a quietness perspective anyway), and only install it if your HDD temps are higher than you'd like.
Lots of people complain about the Sonata's front fan mounting position, although if you're using it purely to cool the HDDs I don't think it makes much difference whether you're sucking or blowing air over them (the rear fan will be drawing fresh air in from the lower front anyway). The restrictive design of the drive cage and front bezel is more likely to be a significant factor, although this looks much improved in the Sonata II over the earlier version.
The rear 120mm fan should be able to pull enough air through the case for overall system cooling unless you have an unusually hot setup, and actually in most cases a front fan acting in series with the rear doesn't add much to the overall throughput of air, although it can help if you have high static resistance. You can usually do without it unless you want/need spot cooling for your HDDs.
I'd see if you can manage without the front fan altogether first (better from a quietness perspective anyway), and only install it if your HDD temps are higher than you'd like.
well... suck, or else you'll be fighting against the case's natural airflow. Your mobo might benefit from the fan also if there's a hot NB close by.DanielR wrote:So, should I make it blow air over the harddrives or suck air from them?
Again though, let the temps be the deciding factor... don't just install the fan because you have it and the mounting point is there...
A Mad Dog/Yate Loon at 5v for intake in my Sonata I/II hybrid keeps the HDDs at 34-35C (slot 2) and 37C (slot 3) in 20-22C ambient conditions. Highest HDD temp was 39C after 30+ minutes of defragging. That fan is plenty quiet for me and helps with the passive VGA cooler.
With the Nexus exhaust fan at 8-12V (auto-adjusted according to case temperature), S12 PSU and other cooling bits, temperatures and noise level are quite satisfactory.
With the Nexus exhaust fan at 8-12V (auto-adjusted according to case temperature), S12 PSU and other cooling bits, temperatures and noise level are quite satisfactory.