Question Using Case Fan for CPU Cooler ?

wm3797

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Apr 7, 2020
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CPU fan of COOLER MASTER HYPER 212 suddenly broke down. Can I use one of my BeQuiet Pure Wings 2 case fans to replace it for now ?
i7 9700K
Asus Z390 P
 
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Lutfij

Titan
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It shouldn't harm anything actually just that PWM has a wider range of performance as opposed to DC. Just be sure to connect the 3pin connector according to the notch on the CPU_FAN header on the motherboard. The manner in which you've stated your opening post does lead me to think that your cooler is leaking or damaged(heatpipes), not just the fan being dead.

What settings do I have to adjust ?
You might want to add the make and model of your motherboard.

Furthermore, what processor are you working with? Most people tend to strap on the wrong cooler on the processor and, well, the fan tends to die out after being overworked. Worst case scenario, your BIOS is corrupt or the board's fan header is faulty causing the fan to not work, though that can be left for later to discuss.
 
What settings do I have to adjust ?
Assuming you plan on mounting it to the cooler and plugging it into the CPU fan header, go into the fan settings in BIOS and make sure the fan type is set to voltage if it was set to PWM. If it's on auto, then it shouldn't matter.

What harm will it bring to CPU ? My order is coming in a few days
There shouldn't be any problems. Having some fan there is better than nothing anyway.
 

Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
Like I said, I'm assuming the latter. You might want to first see if you can get back up and running with a DC fan. If you had a spare PWM fan(regardless of the size) that would've been ideal to see if the port or fan was at fault.

Curious though, which variant of the Hyper 212 do you have? Coolermaster have a number of them floating about on shelves and even on their portfolio. How old is the cooler at this point?
 

Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
As stated prior, move ahead with strapping the case fan onto the cooler. Once you're up and running, in your free time, take the knocked out cooler's fan and see if the fan works when hooked up to any of the other 3 fan headers on the motherboard.

My order is coming in a few days
I forgot to ask, what fan did you put an order for?
 

Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
Honestly? You did really good getting that fan! Specs wise, you're near like for like with the fan that came with the cooler.

I got;
1x NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM
2x NF-P14s redux-1500 PWM
Noctua NH-U12S Redux
all tethered to a Coolermaster PWM hub, hooked to the CPU_FAN header within a Coolermaster MB400L for a friend's "refurb" build and I'm super impressed by the fans for their price + their silence.
 
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Considering the fans on the Hyper 212 Evo are just 120x120x25mm PWM fans, which is something you can also get as case fans, there is nothing preventing you from putting case fans on the cooler in return.
Fans are fans.

The only two things you have to look out for is if the fan is powerful enough and if it's PWM or voltage controlled. (voltage controlled fans have 3 pins, PWM have 4)

According to their website the fan is either a 600-2000 RPM or a 600-1600 RPM fan (there are two versions) with 82.9 CFM and 66.3 CFM and 2.9 mmH2O and 1.7 mmH2H respectively. (and they go up to 36 and 31 dBA) So you'd want a replacement fan that can offer at least that level of performance.
The airflow and pressure are the important parts, RPM is just secondary. Generally, a slower rotating fan will be quieter, but ymmv.

I was running a case fan on the back of my 212 evo for a while, no issues, two fans got it slightly cooler than one. Only took if off again because the noise to cooling ratio doesn't justify running two.
 
What is your view on adding a second Noctua NF-P12 redux-1700 PWM to the cooler, since product came with fan splitter and extra clips ?

Generally, I'd lower expectations.

Adding a second fan rarely makes a significant difference, likely under 5 degrees. If you are so close to the edge that 3 or 4 degrees is critical, I'd look for a different cooler.....or decide that temps aren't quite such a big deal.