Need some advice on installing front fan on old Antec case?

I just built a new rig for myself and I'm giving my old one to my mom. Here are the specs of my old PC: Antec SLK2600AMB Mid-Tower case, ASUS P4P800 MB, Intel P4 2.GHz CPU w/HT, Ultra X-Connect 500W PSU, Radeon 7000 PCI 64MB graphics card, and 2048MB of PC3200 Kingston Value RAM.

What I want to do is install some new 80mm fans, and for this I've chosen two MASSCOOL 2700rpm fans here. The are only two 80mm fans in the case - one in the front and one in back. These fans are seven years old so I think it's time to upgrade.



Because my folks have no AC in their house and it will get pretty warm there during the summer I would also like to install a larger 120mm fan in the front of the case in the empty drive bay slots, which you can see here:



Here are a couple shots of the front panel:





I would like to know how I could install such a fan? Any advice, tips and/or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Wow, I posted this same thing on twelve different OC forums and not one lick of helpful advice from any of them. Zip ties is all I seem to be getting. Please....

I hope I get some more helpful (and detailed) advice here.

Well, if you don't want to do zipties, a slightly more professional-looking route would be to cut out a 120mm hole in the center of those three drive bay covers, along with four screw holes. Mount the fan from the backside (you'll have to remove that metal knockout plate) and put a finger guard on the front.

Those blanking plates should have enough structural integrity to hold a fan, though you prolly would be well suited to glue the three covers together to make sure the middle one stays put. And as long as you're careful about cutting the holes, it'll look like it's supposed to be there.

Edit... illustrations:

Cut out a hole like so:

Ha! Now we're talking. Thank you for taking the time to post this. I'm wondering is there a way to put some mesh over that, because it's going to look pretty ugly just as it is.

You can probably add some molding to the edges of the hole and paste some mesh material. Or you can just buy a fan filter:
http://www.petrastechshop.com/fanfilters.html

*shrug*

Stick a mesh filter in between the fan and the plates when you mount it? Might require slightly longer-than-usual screws, but it should work otherwise.

(Pick your favorite style, color and supplier... that link is just the first decent example I found in Google.)

ancalime, thank you This 120mm Aluminum Fan Filter would work great as a cover. So what would I use to cut out the hole? And as for the other fan at the bottom I was wondering if something like a Kama Bay would work? I'm not sure if that would fit in this case, especially with the HD rack where it is.

Also, after I cut the hole, how would I mount it? Just put screws right through the plastic? I was hoping for something more sturdy than that.

I was hoping for something more sturdy than that.

Click to expand...

Use washers on the screws. Also, that's where a metal finger guard would help, so that the screws/washers can be tightened against that rather than directly against the plastic.

What's a metal finger guard? And how would it be used? I was envisioning a metal enclosure that would fit in that open space that could house a large fan. Also I'm wondering if the smaller 80mm fan at the bottom should be replaced with something like a Kama Bay. Although I'm unsure if that unit would fit in this case.

By metal finger guard he means the fan filter.

Sorry. Finger guards. Or whatever you wanna call 'em.

What I'm talking about is having one of those grills on the front side, and the fan (and filter) on the back side, and screws going through the lot of it to hold it all together.

Or, looking at it from the front, you'd have, in order: metal grill, then the plastic drive covers, then the fan filter, then the fan.

Thanks. I get it now. So what do you think of that Kama bay idea I keep mentioning? (for the lower section). Would that also work for above or would that involve too much modding? I'm not even sure the lower one would work.

Never used the Kama Bay but it is a 120mm fan so you won't be able to mount it in the lower portion without a bit of cutting and drilling (you said the lower mount is an 80mm correct?). It also looks like if you have 3 free 5.25 bays, you can mount it on the 5.25 drive cage area.

Hmm, can you recommend someplace where I could find some detailed advice on doing a project like this? I appreciate everyone's help but I'm a little lost on the details. I'd like to refigure the fans in this case, but then I don't even know if I need to? Sticking larger fans in is looking to be more complicated than I thought. I need more detailed help.

If you know of anything please let me know.

It also looks like if you have 3 free 5.25 bays, you can mount it on the 5.25 drive cage area.

Click to expand...

Looking at the way it mounts though, there might be a problem getting it to work with those drive rails the case uses.

Another thought: how much space is there around the lower fan? (And, can you screw a fan into the metal directly, without having to use that purple cage thingy?) If it'll fit, you might consider using one of these. If you could fit something like that in there, you wouldn't really need a fan in the drive bays, and you could prolly also get away with removing that rear fan completely.