Installing an Antec case fan

[facedownwh]

I just picked up a 92mm Antec Tri-Cool fan for a Compaq presario. I'm pretty sure the exhaust port on the back is 92... But anyway, how can I be sure which way to install the fan to make sure it's pulling the air out? It can only be one of two ways, but I've never installed a extra case fan before. Thanks a bunch.

 

[redwing]

Well you could always ... plug it in and see for yourself?
If you're not willing to go to such extreme testing methods, as a rule of thumb, the intake of the fan is the side that has the front plastic cover of the motor itself, it usually has the company logo as well.

 

[nobly]

Usually fans have arrows on them. They're just raised bits of plastic, but they tell you what direction the fan turns and which way it blows.
Look on the side(s) of the fan.

 

[facedownwh]

Ok, I appreciate it guys. I knew it was gonna be something crazy hard...thanks though.

 

[facedownwh]

Hey, it did have an arrow! Anyways, I installed it and it's running. Something's not right though. As I mentioned, it's an Antec TriCool. I put it on high to start out, but it just didn't look like it was turnin that fast. My motherboard doesn't support showing the fan RPMs in the CMOS menu, so I installed Speedfan. Antec claims that on high this baby should be doin 2000 RPMs. Instead, Speedfan's telling me it's doing just over 1500. Has anyone run into anything like this with Antec fans or anything?

 

[Valtiel]

Perhaps your motherboard or fan controller does not support the fans different settings? Try changing the speed to see if there is any change in RPMs.

 

[facedownwh]

Yeah, I'll do that. It's supposed to have low, medium, and high. Except, the weird thing is that high is like medium, medium is like low, and on low it doesn't spin at all. Maybe I should try plugging it in and starting it at a lower setting? I dunno...

 

[nobly]

Well I assume that you're using the 3-pin plug that plugs into the motherboard, right? It may be that the motherboard controls the fans that are plugged into it. It does that for the CPU fan, and it CAN do it for the other fans too, depending on the motherboard you have.

If the fan comes with a molex converter (the 4-pin plug that you power your optical drives with), try using that and see if the fan spins faster/slower w/ your settings.

Also, if you have certain power supplies they sometimes have a "Fan Only" molex connector, which lets the PSU control fans.

The fan's controls just limit the power it uses. But if an outside force (motherboard in this case) is also limiting the power the fan can use, then your fan will probably not spin at its advertised rates, which assume that its being given all the power it wants.

OR maybe the fan's broken... heh.

 

[facedownwh]

Yeah, you're right, I'm using the three pin connector on the mobo. The fan did come with a molex adapter, so maybe I'll give that a shot. Thanks.