How to mount Zalman 7700 fan for reverse air flow??

tempoct · Post by **tempoct** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 9:47 pm

Any good idea?
I already cut a Nexus 120mm out of its frame but can't figure out a good way to mount it to the "fin" part of the 7700...
Can I just use some glue gun? Would it come lose over the time?

Any comment is appreciated

tempoct

Tephras · Post by **Tephras** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 10:31 pm

Do a search for "fanswap AND 7000" or something, you'll find a couple of different solutions of how to mount the fan, here's one thread.

jjr · Post by **jjr** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 10:59 pm

Try this article :
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article160-page1.html

or this thread :
http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewtopic.php?t=25586

tempoct · Post by **tempoct** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 10:04 am

Thanks everyone

Tephras, my case is a little different coz I need reverse airflow.

jjr, that's close of what I'm looking for but I don't think I have enough clearance for that suspension method. One side of the HSF is touching the PSU.

http://htpcnews.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=16749

Any more thoughts?

dfrost · Post by **dfrost** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 10:42 am

Reversing the airflow might work very well, but the fan mounting arrangement on the Zalman doesn't lend itself to that. Most (all?) fans have the mounting frame attached on the "blow" side of the fan, and that's where all of the swapped fans attach to the Zalman.

Your alternatives seem to be:
- Find a fan that is already configured with the mounting frame on the "suck" side
- Attach a fan above the Zalman, perhaps with a bracket attached to that stiffening case rib that passes over the CPU
- Switch to a different heatsink like the XP-120 that allows any fan to be flipped.

I did the last, and found that an upward blowing fan on the XP-120 works very well, especially for more even temps across hot components on the motherboard around the CPU. No change in CPU temps.

tempoct · Post by **tempoct** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 12:21 pm

I have another idea.
Maybe instead of just reversing the Zalman, would it be better to duct the Zalman and get rid off the exhaust fan? See this pic

http://htpcnews.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=16749

If I make a duct, the CPU will have exclusive exhaust while the rest of the system will share the exhaust with the PSU. The only concern I have is, another two hot components (NB chip and VGA, both passive cooling) are a little far away from the PSU.

What do you think?

BTW, where do I get this dense foam? Is it heat resistance?

jjr · Post by **jjr** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 12:55 pm

That's a tricky one.
Zalman 7000's are good choices for HTPC cases but that's a tricky one to duct.

Maybe you should try a different thing :
- keep the Zalman as is,
- mount an exhaust fan on that hole
- and make a shroud coming enclosing the half of the 7000 that is close to it.

You'll have more fans, but that will drastically limit any recirculation of hot air and you can run them slow ...

Tephras · Post by **Tephras** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 7:20 pm

tempoct wrote:.....I need reverse airflow.

Sorry, I missed that part.

tempoct · Post by **tempoct** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 9:23 pm

Tephras wrote:
tempoct wrote:.....I need reverse airflow.
Sorry, I missed that part.

No problem

Thanks for your participation!

Qwertyiopisme · Post by **Qwertyiopisme** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 12:01 am

I have reversed the airflow on my 7000ALCU, and it works admirably. You will need some basic shop tools though (hacksaw, drill, file).

http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewto ... highlight=

Tibors · Post by **Tibors** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 12:11 am

tempoct wrote:Maybe instead of just reversing the Zalman, would it be better to duct the Zalman and get rid off the exhaust fan?

SPCR article: Ducted Zalman 7000CU on Athlon 64-3000 w/Countercurrent Flow Cooling