Originally posted by: Jid
Not to be too much of a bother, but could you explain a bit how you attached the fans to the cooler to a newb? Reason I ask is because I want to get this cooler but I've never done this before and I'm a bit worried about the weight too, I was thinking I should put a harness but really I'd probably just muck it up if I did it myself. So, I want to copy you if you don't mind
As it happens, I just redid mine yesterday, to get rid of an odd noise. I was using silicon spacers, and when I pulled up on the harness one fan sounded a bit like it was beating on something. So I removed my motherboard tray and redid the fans without the silicon spacers. This got rid of the specific problem. The pair of fans do make an objectionable whine at 12V, but are effectively silent at 5V, at the cost of 5C higher core temps at full load. So my rig may not be for everyone. It's possible that different ways of attaching the fans will lead to different noise patterns, one has to play. My setup works for my needs.
You'll go crazy unless you install the fans before putting your motherboard in your case. You need room to get your hands around all sides, in which case what I describe is dead simple, much easier to figure out even as a complete newbie than to explain. Nevertheless, I'll humor you and attempt to explain.
One wants cable ties narrow enough to go through the fan screw holes, yet long enough to reach through both fans and the cooler. Some but not all cable ties fit this bill; mine are "All States" RT-508 cable ties which I picked up at Fry's. They're 8" long; bring a fan along and you'll know if your ties can fit through the fan holes.
Figure out in advance where you want the fan wiring to exit, with the cooler installed in your case. I'd recommend the back side of the top edge? Depends where fan power is coming from. Visualize the cooler in place, this is easy to get wrong. Face your fans correctly, logo blows out. A standard setup has all air moving front to back, so all logos face back, my case is very odd because all air moves in and up, so you can't just follow my picture.
120 mm fans fit perfectly into each side of the Megahalems. Position a fan on one side, and push cable ties through so they slide through the second-to-bottom slot, between fins 2 and 3 counting from the bottom. When they come out the other side, thread them through the bottom holes in the other fan. Attach the head from a
second cable tie (you will use 8 in all) and slide loosely in place.
In other words, think of the first cable tie as a bolt, and the second cable tie as a nut.
Now repeat for the top fan holes, this time sliding through the very top slot, between fins 1 and 2 counting from the top. Attach more cable tie heads, tighten all heads in rotation. This is obvious to people who build physical objects, you want to tighten screws a little bit each then go around again, rather that wailing on one screw and wondering why the next screw seems to be stripping? Same deal here,
tease all the cable tie heads tight. Trim with clippers, and you're done.
I chose cable ties and wire for my harness because wire doesn't stretch, and cable ties adjust nicely. However, knotting the wire is a bit of an art or the knot will slip a bit. I did better on my second round: I tied a square knot, then kept going six or so times. Two times can slide a bit on #22 solid wire, but six times isn't going anywhere.
My fans are all attached to my case with 1.5" bolts and nuts. This is much nicer than using fan screws, and offers a nice support for the top of my harness. Your case will be different, but something will work.
Good luck! The fun is figuring it out. Once you get the bug you'll regret that you have to buy $1000 in parts to get another fix. But there's always friends and family needing more machines...