Is there a trick with wire fan clips?

Angilion · 12 Jun 2017 at 02:06

If I sat down to think of a worse way of securing a fan to a heatsink than those clips, I'd have a job doing so.

I've actually failed to be able to get the fan attached to a True Spirit 140 Power. You can't put the fan on until after the cooler is attached to the motherboard (a screw is under the fan) and I can't get the bottom end of one of the clips in. I can't see a thing because it's near the motherboard and obscured.

I decided to take a break from it when I was starting to consider drilling holes in the heatsink and bolting the damned fan on

I've always found them a problem. Am I missing something obvious?

I'm referring to this sort of thing:

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/prolimatech-genesis-140mm-x-25mm-fan-clips-hs-043-pl.html

The shape's slightly different for the True Spirit 140 Power, but the basic horrible idea is the same.

pastymuncher · 12 Jun 2017 at 09:17

Not really. Some are easy to fit and others are a pain. I had a Zalman CNPS10X Flex which although it was a very good cooler it used those damn wire fan clips and they were a nightmare to fit once one side was clipped in. I hate the damn things and a much better solution are the rubber mounts such as those on the Raijintek and some of the BeQuiet coolers.

doyll · 12 Jun 2017 at 10:18

The best way for me was to clip one side of fan and hold fan pushing toward that side of cooler to hold clip in place, then clip the other clip onto other side of fan. When I get a new cooler with fan clips I'm not familiar with, I practice installing the fan before I install the cooler. Much easier to figure them out setting on bench then inside of case.

prosk · 12 Jun 2017 at 10:40

I've only used noctua but I think their fanclips are great. It's very fast and convenient when you want to remove the fans to clean the cooler.

almoststew1990 · 14 Jun 2017 at 13:45

If you like playing around with PCs and therefore installing / uninstalling the cooler several times you'll also find the clips lose their springiness and the fan sags and rattles as it is not being held tight against the heating anymore! My backup / "playing around with old hardware" build uses a relatively cheap cooler and the clips are now helped out by an elastic band.

varkanoid · 14 Jun 2017 at 14:28

Just tie wrap the little devil.

doyll · 14 Jun 2017 at 15:55

almoststew1990 said:
If you like playing around with PCs and therefore installing / uninstalling the cooler several times you'll also find the clips lose their springiness and the fan sags and rattles as it is not being held tight against the heating anymore! My backup / "playing around with old hardware" build uses a relatively cheap cooler and the clips are now helped out by an elastic band.

True of cheap coolers, but I've not had a problem with any of my Thermalright fan clips.

Plec · 14 Jun 2017 at 16:23

Angilion said:
If I sat down to think of a worse way of securing a fan to a heatsink than those clips, I'd have a job doing so.

I feel your pain and couldn't agree more. They're right up there with the stupid INTEL pushpin design on coolers.

I've got two Thermalright Silver Arrows - and apart from the centre bolt tightening system - which seems to be a twist and pray you don't crack your CPU affair - the fan clips are a *'ing nightmare.

I have literally spent an hour trying to fit a fan, while still in the case and it proved impossible (front fan - not the centre one). I had to take the whole MB out just to re-align it - after shredding my hands to bits. It almost feels like a sadistic joke when you compare the fitting system to that of Noctua.

Noctua and others have definitely got the design perfected.

So 'my trick' will be to buy either Noctua, Phanteks or be quiet! for my next builds and consign the Thermalrights (without fans) cleaned up on the bookshelf and try to pass them off as contemporary art...

They've scarred me for the last time...

doyll said:
True of cheap coolers, but I've not had a problem with any of my Thermalright fan clips.

Your exceptional cooler experience must be really paying off - as i have a constant battle to get the fans back on - or even the spring into the heatsink/fin holes.

Unless you have a slightly different fitting system - or just far more adept than myself, not unlikely.

/Damn my large hands...

doyll · 14 Jun 2017 at 16:54

Plec said:
Your exceptional cooler experience must be really paying off - as i have a constant battle to get the fans back on - or even the spring into the heatsink/fin holes.

Unless you have a slightly different fitting system - or just far more adept than myself, not unlikely.

/Damn my large hands...

I position fan and get clip into one side then tension fan on clip to keep it centerd on cooler so it doesn't slip off, then clip 2nd side. Usually works well. The clip on 1st side will not stay in the holes unless fan is pushed toward other side to tension it .. some small cooler the fan has to be held away from other side to keep tension on 1st clipped side. New TRUE Spirit 140 Direct is this way.

Angilion · 17 Jun 2017 at 01:24

Well, I went back to it when I wasn't irritated by it, removed the memory for a bit more space, repeatedly moved the fan by a few micrometers in different directions to try to get it exactly centred so the tiny bloody fan holes were equidistant from each clip (there isn't even a positioning mark of any kind), swore at it a bit...and then it slipped in easily like it wasn't a problem at all and why had I spent ages on it?

I haven't got an OS on this new build so I can't test under load, but it certainly ticks the boxes in idle. I can hear a very faint ticking if I take the panels off and put my head in the case. That's it. Genuinely inaudible otherwise. I wasn't sure it was working until the BIOS screen appeared. CPU fan is at 580rpm. Slow enough to be able to see the label on it as a label and not just a blur! The CPU (4790K currently at stock) is idling at 4.4GHz and 3.5C above ambient. System temp (no idea where the thermosensor is, must be on the board somewhere) is 7C above ambient. I think I'll add a second case fan, since an intake fan would be good for cooling the drives and I have another fan rated at 21dB max. I also think I'll keep this PC for myself.

I'd recommend the cooler...to anyone who has a very wide case (it's very tall - 172mm) and someone else to put the fan on

Come to think of it, the cooler itself has a pretty poor mounting system. You plop it on the CPU and screw a plate over the cooler base to hold it to the mounting bracket. With 2 screws and no springs, so have a guess at how much force to use to tighten them and good luck trying to avoid having the cooler twist around on the CPU while you're screwing the plate down.

It seems like they spent 99.9% of the development time and money on the cooler and fan and then did a caffeinated all-nighter when they realised they had to slap together a way to fit them together and on a PC by 0900 the next day using bits they happened to have lying around.

doyll · 17 Jun 2017 at 10:45

Glad you got it all sorted.

Another great cooler is the Le Grand Macho RT. It is not as tall (159mm) but very deep front to back with more between fins and uses TY-147B fan (has slotted venting in sides of housing). Overall performance is just a little better and it is just a little quieter .. not enough to be noticable. Thes fan performs the same as TY-147A (TY-147A 21dB & 73.6cfm vs TY-147B 20dB & 73.6cfm), but cooler is about 2dBA quieter then TRUE Spirit 140 Power because of wider fin spacing.

DarkHorizon472 · 17 Jun 2017 at 15:45

My old PC has a second fan on the CPU cooler attached with a thick rubber band

Plec · 17 Jun 2017 at 18:28

doyll said:
I position fan and get clip into one side then tension fan on clip to keep it centerd on cooler so it doesn't slip off, then clip 2nd side. Usually works well. The clip on 1st side will not stay in the holes unless fan is pushed toward other side to tension it .. some small cooler the fan has to be held away from other side to keep tension on 1st clipped side. New TRUE Spirit 140 Direct is this way.

Thanks doyll (missed your reply) - i will try your suggested method if i have to remove a fan before my next upgrade (god i hope i don't have to). You may save me needing a blood transfusion from fin cuts...

Angilion said:
>snip<

Glad to read you got it sorted. Hopefully with little pain