XPS 8930, possible to install a front case fan?

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@Anonymous wrote:

Much thanks again! I will need to read through your response a few more times to make sure I understand the part about connecting one of the fans to the top fan header to avoid a fan error at start up. Can that one fan be the top fan, with the two front fans running at constant speed?

I ordered the CRJ SATA to 3 x 4-Pin PWM Sleeved Fan Power Adapter Cable you suggested. I have also ordered the Aurora R 5-7 120mm top fan & bracket to replace my 92mm top fan. I have 2 of the Noctua FLX fans saved in a cart, pending a final decision on this set-up. 

I have been reading a lot of posts in this and other threads (thank you very much!), and it appears that, if I have to remove the CPU blower fan/heat sink assembly to access the top fan header, that would be the opportune time to upgrade the PSU. I currently have the standard 460w PSU. Can you think of any reason why I would need to go more than 650w? That is what I have seen in the XPS 8930 PSU upgrade threads. I don't do any gaming or video rendering, or such like.

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For one upgraded fan at upper exhaust:

Use fixed speed Noctua FLX 3 pin fan at the top exhaust.  That fan is really important to have airflow at a constant rate with a fan that is reasonably quiet.

To add the OEM lower intake fan in the R5/R6/R7 bracket:

For lower fan intake, If you use the OEM PWM fan and a fixed speed fan in combination, then use the 4 pIn Y adapter off the TOP FAN header.  Can use one side for the PWM fan for motherboard control, the other leg for the 3 pin fan at fixed speed.  

If upgrading both upper exhaust and lower intake fans to fixed speeds:

If both these fans are upgraded to be fixed speed, you can use the top fan header, both fans fixed using the 4 pin Y adapter.  If you have a molex connector on your PSU, you can also connect the exhaust fan to the TOP FAN header (fulfills requirement to have that header used) and the molex connector to the PSU for the lower intake fan.  If you don't have a molex connector, use the SATA to 3/4 Pin Adapter to connect the lower intake fan.

If you add a upper intake fan to the other two upgraded fans:

If you add another 120mm fixed speed fan at the upper intake postion, then use the molex connectors or the SATA to 3/4 Pin Adapter for the two intake fans. The upper exhaust fan is already connected to the TOP FAN header.  I think the SATA fan adapter is neater in the case then using the molex connectors.

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Go with a 850W PSU, in case you upgrade the GPU in the future to take advantage of 1080p or 1440p at higher refresh rates or 4K.  You are good with that i9-9900K processor for a while, the next upgrade will be the GPU.

https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8930-CPU-Liquid-Cooler-GTX-1080-Hybrid-GPU-Upgrades/m-p/6223264/highlight/true#M20383

Don't forget the slimline SATA cable for the optical drive, link is there

Size comparison

https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8930-CPU-Liquid-Cooler-GTX-1080-Hybrid-GPU-Upgrades/m-p/6137734/highlight/true#M16377

Keep in mind the issue with that CPU heatsink and cooler assembly.  Not sure about the clearance under it for the 4 pin connector that powers the CPU.  The modular cables on a PSU are not as flexible, take a look and see how much room you have there.  

Edit:  Cleaned this post up a little Dell630i, hopefully it makes more sense.

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@Anonymous wrote:

Great information, very helpful. I am obviously a novice at this, so I appreciate your patience in answering my questions. I was wondering if it would be possible to "daisy chain" 2 PWM Y connectors (pictured below).

The first Y connector plugs into the mobo top fan header; from that, the 3-pin connector goes to the top exhaust fan, and into the 4-pin connector we plug second Y connector. From the second Y connector, the 3-pin connector goes to the bottom intake fan, and the 4-pin connector goes to the top intake fan. If that is even possible, 3 fans would be running from the mobo top fan header.

 

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Should work, the end result would be two 3 pin fans running at full speed and the 4 pin PWM fan being controlled from the motherboard fan header.

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 After dreaming up that crazy scheme, I was looking at the service manual and, from the picture at least, it appears the mobo fan header has only 3 pins, while I was certainly expecting to see 4 pins (19 below). Does that change any of your recommendations?

 

 

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Both the fan headers on the XPS 8930 motherboard are 4 pin PWM headers.  That picture is not accurate.

That was the exact route I took.  I upgraded the Top Fan from the stock 92 to the 120mm/149CFM fan, and Inserted the same 120mm/149CFM fan into the Aurora R5 Front Fan frame.  Used that PWM Y splitter, to run them both.

I will say when using Fusion 360, or even my son playing his games at full ultra settings, I never see CPU/GPU temps over approx 70c.  And, this is with 3 4GB spinners in the case.  I still wish I had a better CPU cooler but I can't seem to get my hands on the pictured above SE cooler which appears should outperform the LP11 cooler a few others have tried. 

But overall, this case cooler upgrade does a pretty good job and well worth the investment, imho.

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@mr_archer wrote:

That was the exact route I took.  I upgraded the Top Fan from the stock 92 to the 120mm/149CFM fan, and Inserted the same 120mm/149CFM fan into the Aurora R5 Front Fan frame.  Used that PWM Y splitter, to run them both.

I will say when using Fusion 360, or even my son playing his games at full ultra settings, I never see CPU/GPU temps over approx 70c.  And, this is with 3 4GB spinners in the case.  I still wish I had a better CPU cooler but I can't seem to get my hands on the pictured above SE cooler which appears should outperform the LP11 cooler a few others have tried. 

But overall, this case cooler upgrade does a pretty good job and well worth the investment, imho.

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But is ALL the air coming from the outside in the front?

This is just my opinion - Noctura is a great fan. From what I hear, they are quiet due to the bearings and overall quality of materials, and the lower RPM.  Even the F12 Ind fan only pushes ~70 CFM, so I would suggest running them on High full time.  The stock 120mm / ~149 CFM fan probably does 50 CFM on low, and is totally inaudible.  Even as it spins up a bit to mid-range, at perhaps 100 CFM, I have yet to hear the case fans over the CPU or GPU fans.  I'm not advocating not upgrading to a better fan, but just agreeing with Hanover that if you go with a lower CFM fan - even though it's a better quality and quieter fan, you need to run it faster to keep the air flow moving.  So far, my upgrade to the 120mm / ~149 CFM Top and Front fans have provided all I need for now, but I very well might upgrade one or both at a later date if I notice any temp issues. 

Yes, the Noctura's are great fans, no doubt about that, and a great upgrade. Again, you just have to run them full speed - or at least one of them, to push the volume of air.

That said, to answer your question, Yes, I am running the stock 120MM / 149 CFM fans in the top and front of the case. Stock, my machine came with the puny 92mm top fan only. I didn't necessarily notice a problem, but wanted some piece of mind.

I'm pretty good with this set up for now. I have these wired to the MOBO modulated connector using the PWM splitter. As such, neither are running full speed and are MOBO controlled. However, even after my kid plays his games, and checking on NZXT Cam, I've never seen the CPU or GPU get much over 70c and the top fan output is still plenty reasonable - and I doubt either case fan has ever had to go to high, so all's good.

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@mr_archer wrote:
Do we really have to hear about your duct tape umpteen times on this, and every other thread that pops up? That and the EVO 970 incompatibility proclamations too. I don't mean to be rude, but can you please give us a break already? I know you think you revolutionized industry and that's cool, but until your patent get approved, you might want to use a little restraint. Thanks bud.

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You are rude, I was just trying to help but it looks like you didn't do your install right and it's my fault. My patent doesn't need approval, it's a no brainer. Did you follow my helpful air directing idea? I don't think so. You just sabotaged your own work.

546Insp - Coming from the guy who insisted that you don't need a mounting screw to install a M.2 SSD, and advised dozens of people the EVO 970 was incompatible.  That was brilliant, LOL. This new sabotage alert is a great runner up!  

I can assure you, I don't need any help from you, ever.  As stated earlier, my set up is perfectly fine and icy cold, thankyouverymuch. I've tried to be polite and I'm really sorry, but it gets very tiring having to read your duct tape posts every single time someone posts.  I have to hand it to Hanover for having much more patience with you than me.

I hate to state the obvious, but the Alienware front fan bracket did not require a bunch of duct tape from the factory to make it work perfectly fine on the Aurora's.  I'm glad you think this a mission critical mod - and no doubt, you are obviously **bleep** proud of yourself.  That's cool.  I just don't need you ramming it down my throat every time I post. I've been ignoring you for a reason, but you just never clue in.  Just STOP already - I'm not interested in your mod nor any of your advice.  Happy Holidays.

Dell630i - The PWM Y connector I got had 4 leads going to both fans, just like stock.  So, I removed the lead from the Top Fan to the MOBO, inserted the Y connector, and then plugged the two fans into the connector. Pretty straight forward.  The fans are completely controlled by the MOBO. Works great.

@546insp wrote:

You are rude, I was just trying to help but it looks like you didn't do your install right and it's my fault. My patent doesn't need approval, it's a no brainer. Did you follow my helpful air directing idea? I don't think so. You just sabotaged your own work.

I really am not interested in your mod.  No matter how many times you broken record your mod, I have zero interest. Just give it a break.

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@Anonymous wrote:

My PC also came with the 92mm top exhaust fan. I will be replacing that with some kind of 120mm fan. I see your point about moving air volume, and none of the fans that I linked in my post come close to the ~149 CFM. I will have to cogitate further.

I am also misunderstanding the PWM Y connector. I thought that there was one 4-pin connector for modulation and one 3-pin connector for power only at full speed. Maybe it is one 4-pin connector for sensor reading, and both connectors are modulated?

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You want nothing to do with the stock fan it if is turning fast enough to move 149 CFM.  The noise will be an issue.  But if your CPU and case temps are reasonable, the stock fans, as reported by Archer, are not noisy and the GPU and CPU cooler fans might be the loudest fans in the case.  

The way the PWM Y connectors work is that they supply the same voltage to both PWM fans to run at the same speed, but you can only monitor the speed on only one fan.  The pin at #3 is the tach cable and is used for monitoring fan speed.  It is present on only one of the legs of the adapter. 

You can use a 3 pin fan in the 4 pin connector but it will run at 100% since it isn't being modulated without the 4th pin being present. 

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@mr_archer wrote:

@546insp wrote:

You are rude, I was just trying to help but it looks like you didn't do your install right and it's my fault. My patent doesn't need approval, it's a no brainer. Did you follow my helpful air directing idea? I don't think so. You just sabotaged your own work.

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I really am not interested in your mod.  No matter how many times you broken record your mod, I have zero interest. Just give it a break.

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If you used screws in your from fan and didn't bother to direct any air with tape you cheated yourself out of a much better mod.

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@HanoverB wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

My PC also came with the 92mm top exhaust fan. I will be replacing that with some kind of 120mm fan. I see your point about moving air volume, and none of the fans that I linked in my post come close to the ~149 CFM. I will have to cogitate further.

I am also misunderstanding the PWM Y connector. I thought that there was one 4-pin connector for modulation and one 3-pin connector for power only at full speed. Maybe it is one 4-pin connector for sensor reading, and both connectors are modulated?

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You want nothing to do with the stock fan it if is turning fast enough to move 149 CFM.  The noise will be an issue.  But if your CPU and case temps are reasonable, the stock fans, as reported by Archer, are not noisy enough and the GPU and CPU cooler fans might be the loudest fans in the case.  

The way the PWM Y connectors work is that they supply the same voltage to both PWM fans but you can only monitor the speed on only one fan.  You can use a 3 pin fan in the 4 pin connector but it will run at 100% since it isn't being modulated without the 4th pin being present.

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OK, these are the project items that are in hand on the way. My current plan (subject to advice herein) is to put the Noctua NF-S12A FLX 3-Pin fan in the top exhaust position using the Aurora R5 top bracket. I got two of the Noctua NF-S12A PWM 4-Pin fans for the front upper and lower positions that I will 'daisy chain' from the mobo top fan header with two of the PWM 4-pin fan splitter cables (not sure which one yet). I will not use the lower front fan Aurora R5 snap-in bracket to mount the Noctua fan. I got rubber gaskets for the intake fans on the inside of the case and the mesh filters on the outside of the case to try to get a good seal. I will block off any extraneous air intake to ensure I am not recycling hot air from inside the case.

 

 

 

 

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So what size are all these fans? I hope all will be 120mm