Need some advice for adding two 120mm fans on my case...

[SantiMun]

I'm tired of my case temps being in the 40 - 50 degree margin and decided to buy some bigger and better fans. I have an artec scorpion case that came with a side window fan and two fans in the back of the case (all 80mm)...

My first goal is to take out those two 80mm fans I have in the rear of my case and cut out the sheet metal that acts like a grill...

Picture 1: Pic inside of rear fans
http://www.ocforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=33460&stc=1

My problem is that I'm not sure i'll be able to fit a 120mm fan on there...

Picture 2: Pic of rear case fan grills
http://www.ocforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=33464&stc=1

This is the fan I plan on adding, two Enermax 120mm fans w/grill..

Picture 2: 120mm Fan
http://www.ocforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=33461&stc=1

The other modification i want to do is add another 120mm fan infront of my case. At the moment there is nothing there but four slots for 80mm fans.

Picture 3: Front case showing four 80mm fan grills
http://www.ocforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=33462&stc=1

Now that you know what I'm trying to accomplish, here are some questions i'd like answered:

1. What tool should I use to cut off the sheet metal that acts as a "grill" for fans? I hear those case grills are horrible for airflow and since I have a grill on those 120mm fans I figure I don't need that sheet of metal except for mounting the fan.

2. Should I just leave those 2 80mm fans on the rear of my case? I don't think I'll be able to fit a 120mm fan in there without risking damage.

Thanks in advance for any advice, i really appreciate it!!!

 

[drs499m]

Theres quite a few thing you can use to remove the stamped case grills. You could use a dremel, some sort of tin snips or a tool of the sort, you could even file through them if your really that desperate. For the holes you could buy a 120mm hole saw for a drill or use the previously mentioned dremel.

 

[neonblingbling]

It looks impossible to mount a 120 fan on the rear. BUT, you could do it so its at an angle... So it protrudes from the case.... Need like an acrylic shround for that...

As for the front, why didnt you get 4 high flow 80 mm fans? 1 120 vs 4 80s....

I use a dremel for pretty much everything.

Since you might have a 120 fan left over, consider having a top exhaust hole.

 

[Quigsby]

On the Antec type cases, I believe the largest fan size you can go is 92mm without doing some serious modding. Like neon mentioned above, maybe you'd need an shroud or something. Could always put the fan outside the case

 

[SantiMun]

how would i mount the shroud on the rear case? Also, where can I get shrouds for 120mm fans? Aren't there any type of metal cutters I could use instead of drilling a hole in the case? I don't want shards of metal getting in my case, and I don't realy feel like taking out my motherboard...

 

[neonblingbling]

Hehe, if you want to do a 120 on the back, thats gonna be alot of custom work.... I just love working with a acrylic.

As for cutting w/o getting metal shards everywhere..... To me, its worth the half hour to take the stuff out, than spend an hour explaining to my dad (who is an economist....) why i need a new motherboard..... But anyways, you could use tin snips. They are just big sissors that could take off your finger, and create like zero dust.... just alot of sharp edges...

 

[neonblingbling]

Yea, something like this (attachments)

Basicly 4, trapazoid shaped sides of the shound/funnel. Bend and drill the ends so they bolt/screw to the 120 fan, and the old 80 fan mounting holes.