Question How can i mount a fan on the exterior of the case on an extruded grill?

[Andrew Murphy]

So after getting high temps in my h200i 2700x build with the stock Wraith prism cooler i decided to get an aio. With my build the only available mounting option was a 120mm rad and trying to keep with the clean rgb look i went with the nxzt m22 knowing it's subpar cooling performance. I was hoping my heat issue was more of a heat getting getting trapped around the cpu from the gpu and if i could direct it out it would be cooler. Turns out i'm getting slightly worse cooling performance then before. Now i am trying to mount one more fan on the back of the case so i can get increased airflow through the radiator but like some cases are the back is extruded so on top of the mounting screws no longer being long enough, even if i were to find correct length screws the fan would be rubbing or held in place by the back grill. Looking for any recommendations or creating ideas on how to solve my cooling issues.

The only thing i can think of is cutting the extruded grill out but it is a new case and i don't really want to start cutting it up already.

Couple of notes, the radiator does not fit in the front of the pc on either fan and i have tried the included nxzt static pressure fan that was included with the m22 and saw no difference in cooling.

Pic's

https://imgur.com/a/BoRqqcU

View: https://imgur.com/a/BoRqqcU

 

[shknawe]

Can you move the aio fan to top of case to pull out air towards radiator, and then use fan at rear of case so you have a normal flow of air from front to rear? The way it looks is that the air is going from front of case to top of case and not cooling anything.

 

[Andrew Murphy]

Can you move the aio fan to top of case to pull out air towards radiator, and then use fan at rear of case so you have a normal flow of air from front to rear? The way it looks is that the air is going from front of case to top of case and not cooling anything.

Sorry a bit confused the radiator is on the back of the case. How would mounting an additional fan on the top help the radiator.

 

[shknawe]

Yes I said to move the radiator to top of case, and have normal air flow from front of case out to the rear. That way you have hot air ejected out top from the aio fan.
That's how I have mine set up.

 

[Andrew Murphy]

Yes I said to move the radiator to top of case, and have normal air flow from front of case out to the rear. That way you have hot air ejected out top from the aio fan.
That's how I have mine set up.

Unfortunately the radiator will not fit on the top. Clearance issues with the motherboard and ram.

 

[shknawe]

oh ok what case is that?

 

[ElectrO_90]

You could buy some bolts and nuts that willl go through both.
For instance, if the fan is 20mm and the heat sink 25, and you have a 20mm fan on the back thats a total of 65mm
so a 75mm bolt would be ideal, no cutting, no mess. Use a black permanent marker to colour it afterwards if you don't like the steal look.
https://www.toolstation.com/electrical-screw/p74658

 

[Andrew Murphy]

oh ok what case is that?

H200i

You could buy some bolts and nuts that willl go through both.
For instance, if the fan is 20mm and the heat sink 25, and you have a 20mm fan on the back thats a total of 65mm
so a 75mm bolt would be ideal, no cutting, no mess. Use a black permanent marker to colour it afterwards if you don't like the steal look.
https://www.toolstation.com/electrical-screw/p74658

So get a nut to space the fan from the grill and just find a screw long enough? Could work, i guess i could head to home depo and try a bunch of screws until i get the right length.
Edit. Nvm i get what you mean now. I kinda got another idea from you. I can't use a single bolt because the radiator has mounting holes on both sides but not a hole that goes throughout the actual fins.

 

[ElectrO_90]

I am just trying to think pratically and easily.
Take a screw with you from the fan and then you have exact size, anything bigger one fit but anything a little smaller will.

I dont think you should space anything, just one long bolt, one nut on the otherside. Why do you need to space it?
It is just about remocing 4 existing small screws and making them longer and bolting the end.

 

[Andrew Murphy]

I am just trying to think pratically and easily.
Take a screw with you from the fan and then you have exact size, anything bigger one fit but anything a little smaller will.

I dont think you should space anything, just one long bolt, one nut on the otherside. Why do you need to space it?
It is just about remocing 4 existing small screws and making them longer and bolting the end.

the back grill is extruded outwards like a circle so the corners where the fan would be screwed in are recessed. In order to have the exterior fan pull the front of the fan would be tightened directly on the back grate/grill not allowing it to spin. That is why i was thinking if i put spacers on the corners where the screws go the fan wouldn't be touching the grill and it could still spin.

I wish i was home so a could post a clear picture of the back of the case.

 

[ElectrO_90]

Well you can buy several nuts that can space it out. |---------||||--------||