Removing exhaust fan grills

[Whiteshadow]

Hello
I recently bought a Cooler Master Sickle flow 120mm fan to use as rear exhaust in my CM 690 ii case. When running at max it is quite loud but is only getting to around 1700-1800rpm even though its rated at 2000rpm. I think its from the honeycomb shaped grill thats found on most fan ports.
My question is if i remove the honeycomb grill, will the fan perform better and not be as loud and would it be worth it?

Also is the CM sickle flow fan 69 or 90 cfm? The packaging says 90 but the CM website says 69.

Thanks

 

[jaymz9350]

The fan should be quieter and have a little better airflow if you remove the honeycomb gill as they can be a little restrictive (that's the first thing I do to a new case when I buy it). I would recommend getting a wire type fan grille though to keep stray finger out of the fan though. Now that may or may not let the fan spin up to it's full 2000 RPM but should help it perform a little better and be a little quieter.

 

[ehume]

If you remove your rear fan grill your case will be quieter . . . because you will no longer need an exhaust fan. You can use what is now your exhaust fan as an additional intake (be sure to filter all intake fans).

Best tool for removing your rear grill is with a nibbler tool. Not only does the vendor at that link sell a really good tool for less than Amazon, but it provides pictorial instructions on how to use it. No metal dust as with a Dremel. No warping of the case as with side cutters or tin snips.

 

[Conumdrum]

You have it to a fan controller? So you can see RPM? Fan controllers loose about a volt in the circuits. Common. So your RPM is probably fine. AND, with any electinic part, it has tolerances. If it's a cheaper fan, a 10% RPM diff could happen easily. Or the marketer who wrote the gibberish felt bloated that day.

Still, removing the hole pattern area on any fan area is a bonus for airflow f you want to bother with it.

Coolermaster has been hit at least once with total crap for the fan specs. Never ever trust the marketers words, only independant testing like at Martins can be trusted.

 

[wizzy886]

I had the same problem, my fan controller only lets it go to around 1600-1700 RPM. Annoying but I suspected that the above was the case.

 

[johan851]

Your fan isn't spinning slower due to the grill, but a grill can cause a bit more noise. Honeycomb grills are good, and tend to be very low restriction, but it wouldn't hurt to remove it if you don't mind the risk of stuff (fingers, cats) getting whacked by a fan. A dremel or nibbler will do the job.

 

[ehume]

Your fan isn't spinning slower due to the grill, but a grill can cause a bit more noise. Honeycomb grills are good, and tend to be very low restriction, but it wouldn't hurt to remove it if you don't mind the risk of stuff (fingers, cats) getting whacked by a fan. A dremel or nibbler will do the job.

Some honeycomb "grills" are more than 50% obstruction, at least on cases. Compare the honeycomb holes on your case with those on, say, a psu.

 

[johan851]

Some may be. But they won't cause the fan to spin slower. The ones on my case don't cause any problems with my low speed fans.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Some may be. But they won't cause the fan to spin slower. The ones on my case don't cause any problems with my low speed fans.

I realize this thread is several years old but I felt I had to address this statement for anybody else who come along and read the post. In reality the the more restrictive fan vent designs found on many cases not only increases noise significantly, (Mesh, honeycomb and stamped circles styles to name a few, can raise the decibel level of a fan by as much as 5-7dba, while turbine style grills can cause a 16dba increase in noise.) but it CAN also cause the fan to turn more slowly due to the resistance in air pressure. This is exactly the reason why high air pressure fans are desireable in applications like liquid cooling radiators and intake fans.