Alienware R11 Radiator Mod and Case Fan Upgrade

[@theonlyjoe6036]

Thanks for watching everyone! Below is a part list in case you want to try it for yourself. QTY 3: 120mm non-RGB 120mm Corsair Pro fan QTY 4: 1 and 1/4 inch Number 6 Phillip head screw (available at just about any hardware store) QTY 1: Y Fan Splitter QTY 1: Artic MX4 Thermal Paste 4 inch Zip Ties

[@leightreloar2158]

Would these work? Having a look online in aus www.jaycar.com.au/m3-x-32mm-steel-screws-pk-25/p/HP0418

[@thomasdecesaro7022]

Can you put links to Amazon or Newegg for the items involved ?

[@theonlyjoe6036]

@@leightreloar2158 Had to actually look up the metric conversion on those, but yes, they should work as M3 X 32 is the metric equivalent of #6X32 1 and 1/4.

[@theonlyjoe6036]

@@thomasdecesaro7022 Fan link : www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G5I6O4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Thermal paste: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0795DP124/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Y Splitter: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EF9OI0O/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Screws: www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-6-32-x-1-1-4-in-Combo-Round-Head-Brass-Machine-Screw-5-Pack-813561/204274717

[@leightreloar2158]

@@theonlyjoe6036 thanks, the only Joe legend

[@brianpowell2298]

I ordered these fans for this exact mod for my R11 and they arrived last night. Searching for a vid and here you are. Thanks and subbed!

[@Austzynn]

how was the install? and was it self explanatory with the instructions on the video

[@shmevanriceballz2857]

@@Austzynn yes yes it is

[@Teslacoil33]

Ok, I finally went ahead with the push/pull upgrade. A few things I would like to pass on to anyone else who wants to try this. 5:30, I also removed the heatsinks (just held in by 3 screws) and RAM sticks to make it easier to remove the radiator. 6:30, make sure you have a screwdriver that fits through the plastic holes in the fan! I had so many screwdrivers lying around, but none of them had a stem thin enough to fit the hole. I didn't check this prior to attempting the upgrade so was in quite a pickle at this point. Also at 7:00 make sure you screw the new fan back into the radiator (this might seem obvious but isn't explicitly mentioned in the video). At 7:16, pay attention to the top fans cable. I didn't pull the cable through far enough so when I put the radiator back in there was a bit of cable that was in the way of the fan. It's worth taking the time to make sure the top fan's cable is out of the way. As mentioned at 7:32, it can be hard to line up the holes with the screws, 3 of mine went in fairly easily, but the fourth was a bit tricky. I spent a bit of time gently jiggly things around until it did. 8:00, I'm not sure if it was just me, but it felt like my AIO didn't want to fit back over the CPU very easily after I took it out. I sort of had to 'force' it into place, meaning my hoses are little more kinked than before. Not sure if anyone else had this issue, but I'd suggest just taking your time here when placing it back in place. Lastly, make sure you plug everything back in! I had a minor freakout when my computer booted into a BIOS error. Fortunately I had just forgotten to reattach the CPU fan cable 😅 But when all is said and done, my computer is SIGNIFICANTLY quieter than before, and along with around a -125mV undervolt, my CPU rarely gets over 45°C Thanks again for this awesome video, could not have done it without your help!

[@willizey]

Mine got a bios error for the Top Fan for some reason. I don’t think I did anything wrong but I used the Corsair ML120 Pro LED. Is that why?

[@robotuprising1711]

@@willizey Yeah i think the LED version is the issue. This mobo is very picky with fans that it deems acceptable. The good thing about the bios errors is that you can hit esc a few times and it will still boot fine i think.

[@SergioSilva-zc6id]

@@willizey I got the same fans as you did and got the same Bios error. However, after two new reboots, it went away and hasn't complained at all. Weird.

[@glennvanicek3374]

Got my R10 last week and without your video would NEVER have tried to do the mod. Perfect video and I can't believe how much quieter it is. THANK-YOU!

[@jimsimpson2393]

Thanks for this video. My R11 was driving me crazy with the very loud fan noise when playing MSFS2020. I have now completed installing three new fans and the results are pretty impressive - meaning very quiet compared to the past. Your presentation is clear, concise and well documented with the video camera. It was very easy to refer to your video while I was make the changes. Your video gave me the knowledge and the confidence to make the changes. I doubt I would have tried it had I not come across your instructions. Well produced!

[@JrAnnahatak]

You didnt get any system testing failure with the new fans?

[@quasi-savage2460]

I did this mod and replacement for my r10 using noctura NF-A12x25 fans yesterday. No error or anything, the only difference was where I had to plug the front fan into, the wire ran to the top instead of the bottom for some reason. For anyone attempting this mod, he forgot to mention you’re going to have to force the aio to fit because the fan doesn’t sit flush with the case so it takes up an inch or two of space between the top of the case and the aio, it might feel sketchy but I got it to fit and so far there’s no problems. Thank you for this video! Wasn’t impressed with the cooling difference, I hit 90 degrees Celsius with the old fans at one point and so far I’ve hit 85 with the new ones. The main difference is the noise, definitely worth the upgrade as long as I don’t hit 90 again

[@yingchanglei5795]

Can you passed the fan bios test?

[@quasi-savage2460]

@@yingchanglei5795 it didn’t give me an error or anything, just started up like normal

[@Tesseus]

Can you describe it in more detail how you got it to fit back in? The tubes were so stiff for me I didn't know how to get the AIO back in

[@24879067marshall]

I did all the mods you have here for my Aurora R9, I have since added a additional fan above the front fan. In the place some models have a standard HD enclosure. Simply moved that enclosure to the bottom of the case and installed a ML120 non pro 3 pin fan. Used a Noctua Y splitter from the bottom fans mobo header. Now running the fans at lower RPM and whisper quiet under full load.

[@patrickzanchette3913]

Have you checked to temperature change with the addition of this 2nd front fan? Does it worth it?

[@24879067marshall]

Yeah its lowered the temps. On the gpu when gaming its hoovering around 60°C and the cpu seems to be happy under 70°C regardless of what task I'm doing.

[@nicolasmercier-gaboury8818]

A worthy upgrade, works like a charm and surprisingly not too difficult. Thank you very much for listing the parts needed for this.

[@infasis]

It would be nice if Dell didn't cheap out on the fans in the first place, but this probably the best user made Aurora video I've seen on youtube. I bought a heavily discounted R9 and I actually really like it, but the Alienware community can be pretty clueless normally it seems. It's nice that there's people like this making awesome tutorial videos for people who get these as their first PC. Everyone has to start somewhere.

[@theonlyjoe6036]

Thanks for the compliment. This is the first PC I've ever bought as I've always built. However, I needed an upgraded PC for work, and parts were too hard to come by thanks to the pandemic.

[@infasis]

Yeah, I was really into PC gaming as well as SFF/HTPC stuff, but have been away since around 2005 and catching back up is entertaining and a lot of fun, but also pretty crazy. So much has changed and the market is just nuts. You should make more videos though. You really do seem to have a knack for it and this community really seems like it could use someone like you who can help lead beginners on their way to being more of hands on, enthusiasts (and wasting all of their money on PC hardware :p )

[@NB-bq6ql]

I saw some people asking about the RGB version of the ML120 Pro. It’s all I could find so I used those and it works fine. Just has some fancy lighting.

[@ericwalker258]

Thanks man

[@oO6DTK90o]

A big thanks for your tutorial. I bought an aurora r11/i7/3080 this christmas, but the fans were too loudy. So I change ventirad for a Corsair h60, and buy 2 extra m120pro fans, to do your custom trick. And now my pc is more quiet than before, and I save 10~15C during my game sessions. Again, thanks a lot

[@edgardmozart]

I'm having exacly this problem with the same setup as yours. My R11 is too loud with the original fan, even my wife said WTF is this noisy sound =/ i realy need replace

[@danrek]

i have the same pc, i upgraded to a h60 with 2 ml120 pro fans and i still get cpu fan error upon boot... at my wits end with it.

[@oO6DTK90o]

@@danrek You have to connect the cooler not to the fan pin, but into the dedicated CPU fan pin. This connector is at bottom left of the CPU. Not at top. Tell me if it fix your issue. I had the same error for booting

[@danrek]

@@oO6DTK90o i have the h60i pro xt cooler it powers from a Sata off PSU it has a Tach lead that goes on cpu pins. still i get the fan error.

[@oO6DTK90o]

@@danrek Hi I have the H60 AIO, but mine is also powered by sata. But the issue came from connector. The bios cannot check the temperature. Maybe try to connect it to the top pins so. If you can :/

[@daermegil2557]

Thank you very much for the clear and informative video. Just upgraded my aurora r10 5900 OEM and rtx3080 with 4 Corsair ml120 like you did. I couldn't find any screws that would fit, probably a different standard size for my country. But zip ties work well, although a bit of a hassle and an insult to a 3000€ computer. Temperature is about the same, but much quieter. This upgrade is almost mandatory if you don't use headphones. Dell should be ashamed they couldn't do this in the factory.

[@lucaspeyatt]

Excellent video, just did this on my R12. Something I couldn't find an answer to anywhere ... There are two sets of standoffs that come with the H60, you want to use the set that has the same length on both ends of the standoff, using the one that has a long side and short side won't work.

[@f1watcher445]

Screws are 1 1/4” x 6/32 on top fan Did this on my R12; worked fine Many thanks 👍🏻

[@praevalens]

Did this last weekend on mine, thanks so much, way better noise levels now!

[@Ulfius1984]

For others that try this, I was able to get the radiator out of the top without removing the CPU cooler, heatsinks, or memory sticks. I just wiggled it out of the top - being very careful of the tubes - then I unscrewed the fan and installed two Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM fans in push/pull. The nice thing is that these fans are much thinner than the stock fan, so both of them take up just a little more space than the stock fan. The top fan is now running at 35% 60C and the front fan at 27% 60C. The only issue is right now my front fan stays at 27% (according to Command Center), but the top fans are varying their speed from 35-45%.

[@aidenhampton4140]

How did you get it out of the top I’m just wanting to replace the fan but really want to avoid taking anything off the mobo if I can

[@Ulfius1984]

@@aidenhampton4140 First, I unscrewed the stock fan and removed it. Once I did that, then there was enough room to tilt the radiator and pull it back out of the way.

[@aidenhampton4140]

@@Ulfius1984 that’s kinda what I was thinking but how did you get the screw on the fan that’s tucked in the back corner that’s kinda blocked by the pump and everything

[@Ulfius1984]

@@aidenhampton4140 Hmm, trying to remember, but once the 4 top screws were removed, I think I was able to pull the unit back enough to tilt and remove the screws.

[@Teslacoil33]

Just slapped in the first fan without too much trouble. Already can notice the beast is a bit quieter. Need to work up the courage to get the push/pull configuration happening for that top exhaust fan, but I'll be sure to use your video as a reference again. Thanks a lot!

[@theblakerbrown9576]

Joe you should make a video taking out every part

[@HaterZgunnaLuvMe]

I would agree except for one thing. Case swapping is not fun with Alienware. In another KZbin video of someone else explaining how much a nightmare of the motherboard and some other part is to take out.

[@stewartcraig6960]

Great mod, thanks. Didn't do three fans, just replaced the existing ones. Now my Aurora doesn't sound like it's going to lift off any more under load.

[@stephenmartinez1]

I can confirm this all works on the Aurora R10 RYZEN edition!! TYVM for your video- I just finished the installation on mine. One thing I noticed that you never mentioned: The fans' 4 pin y splitter, one side has 4 pins, and the other side only has three pins- at first the top fans did not work, but by switching the two fan cables- it resolved itself.

[@theonlyjoe6036]

You are correct, and thanks for the news that it works on the R10. The Y-splitter must be able to pass the PWM signal to the MOBO, and you are not the only person that experienced this issue. I plan on making a brief follow video to address a couple of issues that I should have included.

[@MrHodge1]

Can we get links to the splitter needed for this?

[@DeathBotzz]

People please understand this is a noise reduction mod, the Corsair fans move less air than the OEM ones....

[@beetrootmckinnley3486]

Wow! This is a perfectly paced how-to video. Love it! I'm waiting for my R10 to be delivered so this was the perfect vid, thanks.

[@ajhoy7750]

Thank you for the great guide to upgrade the radiator fans!

[@CashWiley]

Very nicely done video. Good presentation, not too slick not too janky. Good illustration of each step. I've been building pcs since 1993 and this is what I'm looking for in instructionals. Thanks!

[@scarrillo31]

So you screwed the extra fan on top of your radiator. and then there's another fan directly underneath your radiator?? I'm thinking of doing the same thing

[@TheNightKing22]

This video is fantastic and JUST what I needed. Well shown and informative. Thank you kind sir. Doing this to my R10 real soon. 👍🏻

[@mikeironman]

Nice just ordered the Corsair pro and I'll be replacing the front fan on my R11.

[@roqperi94]

This was a great tutorial, thanks! I own an R8 but I believe the steps are about the same since the newer models share similar chasis

[@bradleyhovan9390]

CFM versus noise, you guys are crazy for sacrificing air flow

[@Ghost88o9]

Thanks for the tips only joe. I am a newbie and look to tackle my first much needed upgrade! And your video convinced me this is it and I can do it 😄

[@RyanYu]

I just upgraded my front fans and top fans, the noise level got reduced hell a lot.

[@JustxLiving909]

What fans did you use

[@RyanYu]

@@JustxLiving909 the same ones he used.

[@JustxLiving909]

@@RyanYu ok do you think these fans will work with the r10 ryzen edition?

[@RyanYu]

@@JustxLiving909 yep I think so.

[@silvaroo]

I'm going to be installing some new Corsair fans. Thank you for showing us how to do it :)

[@DarkSkinKakashi]

Omg thank you so much my cpu used to run at 90c max now runs at 60c max tyyyy much respect

[@OSkyFireO]

Great video. I own an R10. I purposely ordered it without water cooling so I could simply put a Corsair H60 in which has a better fan than the alienware model. The problem I have is that mine has an RTX 3090 in there. DELLs 3080 and 3090s are made shorter so they can fit in the alienware case....which I have to say, isn't well designed, as far as heat is concerned.

[@BasicDaD134]

I have a R11 with i9 10900k it runs hot. Great video and I’m doing this! I hope it helps my temps

[@mchammerp]

comment back and let me know , i got the I7 10700K with the RTX3070 16gb ram and 1tb NVMe SSD 2TB HDD and liquid cooled CPU . im doing this fan upgrade and will reply with my outcome too.

[@mchammerp]

@Snake Eyes X yeah i got it dropped to about 60 degrees Celcius on load. from what i had before i was running atleast 85+ degrees. i did the same thing with the same fans and used artic silver 5 thermal paste. made a huge difference

[@colourwire]

@The Only Joe Thanks for this video. I purchased an R11 w/ Air cooling, 10900F and a 3090, lets just say I learned to take the side of my case off almost instantly. To relieve some heat on the CPU, I purchased a H60 Water Cooler, 2x Cooler Master Sickleflow fans (both higher CFM and Static pressure than stock fans @ lower speed) for push/pull. It seems with your Push/Pull Sandwich you had lots of clearance on your power supply when swinging it back over with both 25mm fans there and the radiator there.. I see that you put the pull fan in first and lined it up first, is that because the tray for radiator and radiator fan was too shallow to put both in? I was worried about the room left available for air flow immediately below the radiator/above the power supply, so I do have one slim fan, that I could do a SIcklemaster (push) + radiator + P12 slim (the only issue is that the slim has less CFM and Static pressure than the doing two of the same type and I dont know the extent of the consequences of having an imbalance of them in the push pull setup. I read a user somewhere had the best configuration on their PC by setting all of their fans to be intake from external to internal, basically making the computer a vaccum, but the had all the slots open in the back other than the video card I believe so air could pass out the back. I run my case neutral pressure as I have the door open, I have no other ability to use it safely without. I hope that I don't have a processor with a fault though.. my i9 core 6/7 always seem to get a few degrees hotter than the rest of the cores and were in risky temp areas. 80+ I'll definitely come back and fill people in on my results, I plan on doing some kind of video/tutorial/my experience with the process but I do have a question for you or to anyone about your video... you show some game play and it shows both the usage on the GPU/CPU their temps and frequencies, how do I get this? Can anyone suggest an application to use to add it in for screen capture?

[@marcellogiovannini9072]

@The Only Joe thank you very much! It's very improved. Now even after 1 hour of gameplay in Half-Life Alyx my PC is cooler than before!

[@emberos]

great vid - does a solid job of showing what's involved and i agree with putting a warning on the top fan replacement. it's a bit sketchy to perform in this tight case and also removing that top panel just feels like something is going to break for sure. fwiw, this mod will work with noctua fans as well. i used 2 x NF-A12x15 PWM for the push pull (as they are a bit slimmer than normal 120 mm fans) and 2 x NF-F12 PWM in the front (i also pulled the drive cage and put a fan in it's position as well). no bios errors - fan control does still spin up and down - i'm using the stock "quiet" profile. fan control does seem a bit flaky if i try to do a custom profile with my own fan curves with these new fans but the quiet profile keeps everything cool and quiet well enough. it would be interesting to know if custom profiles work with the corsairs or not. i used noctua because i have yet to find quieter fans and i'm happy overall with the mod. it's definitely worth doing in terms of case volume and temperature reduction.

[@patrickzanchette3913]

Interresting. Why have you chosen 15mm thick fan instead of 25mm.? Also why NF-A on top and NF-F on front?

[@emberos]

​@@patrickzanchette3913 1st question - size and performance - I did not think two 25 mm would fit. It seems like from this video they would but I did not know that when I built my plan. I thought I was dealing with 1 x 25mm fan or 2 x 15mm fans and Noctua have said that 2 x 15 mm in push/pull will exceed a single 25 mm. That said, it seems like maybe you can slam two 25mm in and still have clearance so I guess take my above reasoning for what it is worth. Second question, NF-A -15 is made for radiators/coolers in space restricted areas so it was the ideal fan for that. It was either that or a single NF-A12x25-PWM. I would've also used the NF-A12-25 PWM for the front fans as it's a great all around fan but I could not find them in stock over the holidays when I was buying the fans. I ended up getting the NF-F fans for the front because it's a good static pressure fan that was available. The front of the Aurora case doesn't really have a lot of open air/space on either side so I wanted a fan that could pull air through efficiently. If the NF-A12-25 PWM had been available, I would've used two of those but the NF-F seems to be doing fine work - and is less expensive even if both SKUs are available. NF-A12-25 PWM would likely be quieter and a bit more performant but I'm happy enough.

[@patrickzanchette3913]

@@emberos thanks for the detailed answer. As NF-A 25 are not available, do you think using NF-F 25 for the top would be a good idea?

[@emberos]

@@patrickzanchette3913 NF-F12 PWM is a good heatsink/radiator fan. I would definitely prefer NF-A12-25 PWM but yeah, they don't seem to be able to keep that fan in good availability right now . . . and what is available seems to be victim of price shenanigans. It's almost like it's the PS5 of fans :)

[@atomicflopper]

Doing this for my R12 with A12×25 PWM Noctua fans. Will use this as reference, TY!

[@eatmy888]

I've just ordered 2 Noctua fans as well and now at the beginning of the video it says brands other than Corsair throw BIOS errors...I hope he is talking about the cheapers alternatives because those Noctua fans aren't cheap... Let us know how it went.

[@xIRATUMx]

My r12 coming today. What mods are recommended

[@Dino.go505]

Just completed this task! Thanks for the video!!!!

[@TheRealCruelRogue]

Great video. I used it step by step to install this same configuration.

[@MichaelJohnWalters]

Thanks for the vid. Did it today with no issue. Got a yellow light on my power button for a minute, 2 bios errors for each fan, booted through it anyway and it's been perfect ever since. Running the 5.3 overclock and fans are at 17 and 10 percent, 39 degrees. 👍

[@vernonharvey6612]

Do you get the Bios error on every boot up ? That’s what I got on both Front and Top Fan - Have tried Noctua (Pwm) and Corsair pro (non rgb) On top fan and Noctua on front still get errors- I have reverted back to stock until I figure out BIOS error work around/ fix

[@MichaelJohnWalters]

@@vernonharvey6612 I just got it the one time. My system boots up now with no errors.

[@jerrygibson1422]

The only small issue I had was it was just a bit difficult to get the AIO back in place due to the radiator being a little lower after the push-pull mod. But the temps seem to be great averaging 37-40c most of the time.

[@Tesseus]

How did you get it back in? I couldn't get the AIO back on since it was lower like you said.

[@jerrygibson1422]

@@Tesseus it was a pain had to be pretty forceful.

[@luis44801]

Absolutely doing this to my R11, thanks for the awesome video!

[@grahamn214]

you should have a link to the fans and be paid for people buying from here as I looked for a link to buy from!

[@markgreywolf642]

You know what's really making that loud sound when gaming? It's the PCU's fan. And for the cpu liquid cooler, the push pull method is just gonna get your cpu temps high over time because only one will work when idle so it will only blocks the airflow if the other fan is not running and even if it runs, it will not run all the time. One more reason why I wouldn't recommend the push pull method is the clearance between the fan and the PCU is so little gap so the air flow to cool the radiator is reduced so you're not really getting any benefits in doing this.

[@nicomartel1852]

Since he used a Y splitter for both of the push/pull fans; they will both ramp up at the same time when under load since they're being controlled by the same fan header. Good point though on the clearance. I've seen people just swap out the stock rad for a Corsair H60i as well.

[@someguyyoudontknow263]

What about the top front FAN spot. there is an SSD mount there but wouldn't a fan there help cool the ram and top of GPU?

[@innerworth]

Really clear expaliner- many thanks!

[@leelatt]

Great video! If I don't want to replace the thermal paste and remove the AIO, can I just unscrew the top fan from the radiator while it's still installed? When you removed the top fan from the radiator, it looked like there was nothing to it except for removing the 4 fan screws and nothing else preventing it's removal.

[@uptone12111]

Thank you! Getting ye ol fan hum now

[@teeq985]

This was so helpful, thank you.

[@shuo_tonny_tao1725]

For the screws on the radiator, when you mentioned to unscrew and re-screw according to the numbers. If I want to unscrew it I should follow the order 4-3-2-1 and if I want to re-screw it I should follow the order 1-2-3-4, am I right?

[@Josephtimeisallwegot]

thanks for your video,it helped me a lot.

[@Omi2cool4ya]

Thank you very much. Very helpful

[@trungmai1667]

Would the ML120 Pro white LED work? They're cheaper than the non RGB version for some reason.

[@ebug64]

Thanks for the video, Joe! Great tutorial to have for the future! Would it be possible if you uploaded some pictures of the Advanced Views of your CPU, GPU, and RAM, please? I'm really curious to see your exact overclocking settings :)

[@theonlyjoe6036]

I can for sure post my overclock setting, and have even been thinking about making a video of how to overclock the R11. Can you clarify what you mean by advanced view? Do you mean like a part teardown? If so, Gamer Nexus actually does great tear apart videos of all sorts of PC parts.

[@ebug64]

@@theonlyjoe6036 A how to over clock tutorial would be awesome! And no, not a part teardown. In the Alienware Command Center, in the tab Fusion, there are "Advanced View" tabs at the top of each section of hardware. The CPU, GPU, and Memory Clock all have Advanced View tabs where you can edit the overclock settings for each piece of hardware respectively. Showing that would be a huge help!

[@kenny3217]

Other videos on this subject say that the Noctua NF-A12x25 will work here as well, haven't heard anything about it throwing a BIOS error. I sure hope it doesn't because I ordered them already.

[@FIGNAS83]

Why can't they come like this?

[@infasis]

Dell, apparently, needs to save every penny and enjoys reading consumers reviews where they complain about the noise. I just feel bad for those people who thought they'd get by just fine with fan cooling for the CPU too. I don't think they should even sell these models that way.

[@keremakyuz1839]

lol I was thinking the same

[@dmay7]

Thanks. took no time at all.

[@panpan661]

Thanks for the video. I tried to do the same as yours. But I bought the wrong fan ( I bought 4 Corsair ml120,no pros)But after I finished this I realized that there’s top fan error when I start the computer every time. I tried to buy the exact same in the video but the Corsair ml120 pro(no rgb/led is out of stock, I can’t find them anymore) One question, I’m going to buy the Corsair ml 120 pro led, and replace the top two fans. Can this problem be solved? Or do I have to replace the front two fans as well(I removed the hard drive from the front top and add another fan and use the y splitter connect with the bottom one)

[@KenjGames]

Great video! is the front fan pushing air out of the case through the front of the alienware?

[@DmitriyChaikovskiy]

Great video, very helpful !!!

[@e1bo]

Could have used a before and after demonstration of the noise reduction, was curious to hear the difference. Other than that, thanks for great video may want to try this when my warranty expires lol

[@theonlyjoe6036]

I tried to capture a before and after, but I couldn't quite a good comparison using my RODE microphone that I use for re-dubbing. I also don't own the proper equipment to measure DB within a proper margin. That said, sound is also more about just noise level. The type (pitch?, frequency?, tone? whatever sound engineers call it, but I'll go with acoustic signature) also plays a large role in how we perceive sound to be pleasant or unpleasant. Besides making the case more quite, this mod also made sound more pleasant (tolerable?, less annoying?) even when the fans are revved up.

[@PENA1804]

were you able to put the top cover back on flush with the 1 and 1/4 inch Number 6 Phillip head screw installed on the 3rd fan on top?

[@rainair402]

Thanks for the tips. I just need to replace the very disappointing fans. I am really wondering, why Alienware is saving money exactly where customers will get mad - the noise!

[@theonlyjoe6036]

The fans work, they are just noisy. Especially the top fan, it is a Nidec server grade fan and capable of moving a lot of air. The sensible design choice would be to redesign the top of the case to fit a 240mm AIO cooler, but that would also increase the price by a few bucks and definitely mess with the looks of the case.

[@rainair402]

@@theonlyjoe6036 I disagree with "they work" because: 1. They are very loud. I didn't expected this noise at all and I was very disappointed about my new desktop PC. That's why I was looking what I can do. 2. The fans were cooling my CPU with max load to 90°C. With your suggested build: two fans on top, one fan on bottom, it cools my CPU with max load to 80°C. I am now very happy with the Noctua fans despite they are really expensive (for 3 fans). Thanks again for your nice video, now I am super happy with my PC.

[@theonlyjoe6036]

@@rainair402 Good to hear you saw results. "They work" or "It works" in engineering simply means that it performs the job, it doesn't say anything about how efficient or good it is. Example: My boss reviewing my code and commenting how messy how it is. Me: "It works."

[@keaganhamilton7591]

Hey I am having issues with the retention clip for my gpu I can’t tell if it’s pressed or not. I pushed it down as hard as I could, not so hard to damage the hardware, and tried to remove the gpu and it felt like I was going to rip out the whole motherboard. I’m I doing something wrong or do you think the clip could be defective and is stuck?

[@shanemotes282]

I just completed this upgrade but the front fan is throwing an error and causing preboot diagnosis. Top fan doesn't throw anything, front one does.... both same fan

[@AlejandroMirabalArt]

Just did this upgrade to my R10 now and it works great, but I have a question. Did you connect the radiator fans to the “top fan” or “cpu fan”?

[@RadialNoah]

I did this exact upgrade on my R11 with a 10900KF and a 3090. It’s definitely helped with noise, and seems to have helped with temps a decent bit. But it did seem to put a decent little bit more of “bend” on the AIO pumps. I’ve seen some comments online that worried me a bit. Was wondering what your thoughts might be. Thanks you!

[@theonlyjoe6036]

You are right that it did bend the AIO tubing. I don't think it is that big of issue. I've put far more stress on actual flex pipe liquid cooling systems with no issues. An AIO should last for 5 to 7 years, and the fittings on the Dell AIO (are actually Astek) are good quality too.

[@RadialNoah]

@@theonlyjoe6036 thank you very much for the reply! Was worried about it after seeing people talk about it online. Feel better about it now, lol.

[@Pandaliciousness]

anyone have a fix to reset or fix the bios error I'm getting? i just put in 2 ml120 pro fans at the top for the push/pull config. and I'm getting a top fan bios error. i had 2 noctua pwm fans too previously they also triggered the bios error. i don't want to have to press esc every startup to stop the test.

[@captain543]

Having the same issue. Nothing I’ve been able to find yet. I may pose the question to Alienware support as it’s under warranty still and it’s such a silly thing to have a fan upgrade throw a bios error on startup. But I guess that’s Dell for you. I’ve confirmed the fans are working, you just have to factor in that AWCC percentage is a percentage of 4500rpm. So my two noctua front fans at 1500 each don’t get higher than 33% ever. I’ll take pressing escape each time over loud fans. Getting 60-65 degrees max temps on GPU at load and 48-55 on the CPU at load now. Can’t complain

[@cardanogreen]

Awesome video. I am using your video, combined with Cloud Prepared's GPU location/fan mods and Gamer Heaven's thermal pad GPU mods for my new R10 with a 3090. Will have 7 noctua fans running!

[@aidenhampton4140]

In case anyone is wondering because I was confused about it at first the fans in the video are just the normal ML120s you don't have to go for the pros. I don't know if there was a mix-up or something but even looking up the SKU on the back of the fan you get taken to the normal ML120. Out of curiosity did you do any editing to the fan curves for the difference in RPMs I was planning to use these same ones for my PC.

[@andrewb2637]

Joe I slid the pull fan in and then the radiator with the push fan. It appears there is now less clearance since the 2 fans are wider then the single. I can’t get the AIO block on the cpu without putting force on the tubing. Was your a tighter fit too? I’m working on the same computer

[@Tesseus]

Did you ever figure this out? I couldn't get AIO back on when I tried too

[@enzojimenez2027]

My CPU and GPU are running even hotter now and just as loud. I don’t know what I did wrong. Fans are moving and placed correctly.

[@phho0698]

I am not keen on doing the whole removal of water cooler and repasting. can i just add the top fan and thread the power cable through so that i can do the push pull method? while keeping the original pull fan?

[@jeffbernard7613]

Love this How to Video, and even ordered everything as well... yesterday I got to reading all the to the bottom here and now it sounds like it doesn't work very well as Dell made some changes ? Please let me know. IS this fan swap really working like at first or did something change ? Thanks for any help.

[@treepizzle]

How is your inside fan so sunken in? When you put the ml120 pro before the radiator it pushes the radiator back into the case causing the hoses on the aio to bend and block the power supply.

[@theonlyjoe6036]

While it does bend the hoses out a little bit more than the stock config, I did not encounter any clearance issues in a push / pull config. The top fan on the radiator must go in the position in the video as it cannot rest above the bracket due to clearance issues (I tried). I have run much tighter bends in custom loops, so I'm not worried about the connectors and the hoses in their modded position. You are good as long you are not kinking or bending the hose to a creasing point.

[@treepizzle]

@@theonlyjoe6036 perfect. Thank you for the reply. It was very tight indeed. But it did close. Much quieter and a bit cooler as well. I was going to overclock, but I opted to run quieter at stock instead of getting moderate overclock and turning my pc into a heater. I’d say the temps dropped about 10 degrees Celsius at idle. It still hits 90c but quickly dips down when the fans ramp up. I’m running a 10900k. While the fans are at 40% in the high 70 Celsius range instead of high 80s. Great guide. Thank you!

[@taoyu7533]

Exactly same concern here. Nice to see someone asked and get replied to answer my question as well. Now much quieter and temp drop 10 degree when just sitting there than before the mod. Thanks for the great work.

[@B.404M]

Thnx! Just bought the R11, and all the recommended components. However, the 4 gold screws are not included, right?

[@theonlyjoe6036]

Correct, the gold screws are # 6 1 and 1/4 inch Phillip head machine screws. I bought the ones I used in the video at Home Depot.

[@B.404M]

@@theonlyjoe6036 Thnx, I think you helped me dearly! Now, I can't waint untill 5th od april, haha

[@markim5087]

No it may seem dumb but are we adding a second or 3 rd fan, ???

[@xmlviking]

@Joe did you have any bios code errors during boot with those corsairs? I had heard some people get them with certain fans.

[@srnacho]

I'm kind of nervous about the band on the radiator hose

[@Icarus8311]

Thanks a million for the succinct walkthrough! But Im curious, why does this case only support these Corsair fans? Is it the RPMs, voltage,...? I have old NZXT non rbg fans Ive been eyeballing to replace the stock R10 fans (when I finally get it)

[@theonlyjoe6036]

I'm not 100% percent on why other brands fail, but my guess is that is has to do with the voltage test signal sent to the fans during POST. I actually had to redo all of the work after I used non-Pro Corsair fans, and received a BIOS error. I've heard that Noctua fans will also work. My advice would be to try replacing the front fan first, since that is easy to replace, and see if you get a fan test fail message from your NZXT fans.

[@Icarus8311]

@@theonlyjoe6036 FWTW, and if anyone else reads this, my 2020 R10 with the 2.0 BIOS, I was able to swap out the front fan with an NZXT AER F120 successfully. I am not confident that I can remove the top panel to access the watercooler fan without cracking it. So I havent tested that specific replacement. With the one replaced though, the R10 is noticeably quieter but without the top fan replaced, it's not as quiet as Id like

[@Icarus8311]

Update: During bootup, the alienhead logo will blink 2,1 in white but will successfully complete POST and load Windows. Diagnostics through the Support Line (toast to Eduardo) has traced the meaning of this code to the fan. There seems to be a special "relationship" between the mobo and the fans that Dell uses.

[@DrRandallWA]

I swapped out the front case fan. The original is a DC Model AFB1212EJ-01 which has 123.27 cfm displayed on the label. The Corsair ML120 Pro has an airflow of 12-75 cfm. Should we do this? Am I missing something?

[@MacrWest]

I can't fit both fans on the top without the aio being able to go back into place

[@Tesseus]

Did you ever figure it out? I got stuck at the same part when I tried

[@helghastcobar58949]

Will the fans with lights work? I can't find the non LED ones for a reasonable price. Plus if I only get a ssd in the computer will it come equipped with the sata and power cables?

[@theonlyjoe6036]

I don't know for certain if the LED lighted fans will work. I would suggest buying one and trying it up front as it is easy to do. I have heard from several people now that the Noctua fans do work with no issue. The case only comes with enough SATA cables needed for whatever configuration you order, but there are excess SATA power cables for adding extra drives (you will simply have to supply your own data cable).

[@helghastcobar58949]

@@theonlyjoe6036 thanks

[@khairulamilin9687]

ive changed the fans n using the noctua cromax. but i cant adjust the fan speed anymore, it stuck at 30% max . my cpu temp reachd 80-90 when playing far cry 5 :(

[@TheBigMacaDamian]

Do you know what the airflow and noise specs between the stock front fan and the new corsair one?

[@bobme3635]

Would a 120mm or 140mm dust filter fit between the front fan and the machine? Two ML120 pros on the way too. For now I'll not be placing a pull/push setup on the top fan so I will only need the filter for the front though I did see on your HDD removal video that there is there same metal grid behind that too. Expecting the machine next week and I'm organising essential bits and pieces now. Bought a SSD so that will be going in too.

[@theonlyjoe6036]

I think a thin mesh filter would fit no issues. I did not install one due to the fact that they limit air flow (in an already air flow limited case). I just choose to open up the case and take a can of compress air to it every couple of months.

[@bobme3635]

@@theonlyjoe6036 I had thought with the new fans that the air flow may be improved. I have a 120mm thin mesh filter www.amazon.de/SilverStone-SST-FF122B-Case-for-PC/dp/B006NB271U?ref_=ast_sto_dp in the mail which I'll leave out of it for now. Cheers.

[@markim5087]

Wished you had shown your work a little more completely,for us kids with the same r-11 ,but I’ve never done anything close to this , other than blow it out with air, lol..

[@karrot2001]

When you say torque do you mean to use a torque driver set to a certain torque or do you mean just remove the screws in that order?

[@Tharendel]

I’m not sure if it’s because I have an R10 5900x, but I could not fit a push pull noctua redux in the top, seems the tubes were too long from the middle to the top with the config and I could not maneuver my aio block back over the CPU, ended up just having one push through the rad at the bottom. Anyone else have this issue?

[@K-A-RVing]

i'm using an RGB ml120 Pro for the very top fan so that i can see the color, and a white LED ML120 pro underneath as the push fan, but i'm still getting a BIOS error upon boot. any thoughts? i used the RGB for the front fan replacement as well, but that didn't register any BIOS error.

[@alenkiu9886]

Hi, I noticed that you mention the fan MUST BE Corsair ML120 Pro 120mm fans as the non-pro version and OTHER BRANDS will give a bios boot error. Do you mind explaining more on this? I'm looking at fan comparison and I noticed that the Noctua NF-A12x25 actually performs better and quieter than Corsair ML 120 Pro, but I'm worried that it will not be supported by my Aurora R11.

[@theonlyjoe6036]

I've heard from several people that the Noctua fans do work, but have not verified it myself. I had to redo all of the work after first trying it with the Corsair ML120 non-pro versions. This caused the system to start a BIOS initiated fan monitoring test; which the system failed with the non-pro fans. Windows would still boot okay after failing the test, but the test cannot be disabled or bypassed via BIOS, and takes around a minute to perform each boot. I would try replacing the front fan first, and see if you get an error. If it passes, and boots normally, then you are good to go.

[@alenkiu9886]

@@theonlyjoe6036 Thank you for sharing the experience! It's priceless. Thank you again for this and the video!

[@swongskw]

Did you end up getting the NF-A12x25s? If so, did they work for you. I purchased these and couldn't get them to work in my A12.

[@alenkiu9886]

@@swongskw No, I did not end up trying because I simply cannot find a solid confirmation that anyone has attempted this on Aurora R11 successfully. The fans are not cheap so I do not want to risk it. Aurora R11's air circulation was pretty bad. 2 months after I purchase, I encountered a notorious random screen freeze / crash issue caused by my RTX 3080. This is very likely due to poor air circulation, causing some components in there malfunction (people suspect capacitor issue). On the bright side, after a few weeks of waiting, Dell has replaced my GPU with no additional cost because it is still within warranty. I believe R12 case design is exactly the same as R9/R10/R11, so you will must likely suffer the same problem if you are using a really hot and high end GPU + CPU (e.g. RTX 3080 + i9 10900KF). Good luck

[@Hamilton-bm4qj]

Since the 120 pro were discontinued, was anyone able to find fans that are currently available that do not throw codes?

[@doomslayer4406]

noctua, asus

[@aidangamel5968]

when you turn off the r1 does the alien power button light flash an amber orange color when it turns off for a brief second? everytime i turn my r11 the alien head very quickly flashes orange for a split second before it turns off. just want to make sure this is normal

[@e1bo]

Can someone help me, which directions of air is for the front fan, push out or pull in?

[@kedzis]

can someone confirm the size of the additional screws they used? 1 1/4 " lenght seems ok but size 6 seems too big, more likely 4, can anyone confirm please?

[@f1watcher445]

6/32” if I remember correctly

[@markim5087]

How does a 2nd fan fit on the other side of the radiator,??

[@Dadalorian_Powdown]

Hi so i purchased Corsair H60 i took out Stock fan and it only has Radiator and 1 fan goes inside casing for top fan, do i have to put stock in as top?

[@staycreamy]

when i did it i believe i used the fan the came with the H60 as the top, then radiator, then stock fan

[@Dadalorian_Powdown]

@@staycreamy Instructions showed to take out stock fan

[@TseStanley23]

Is the 2 fans on the radiator Considered overkill? Does the it really improve the airflow that much for the CPU/inside body of the case as it does 1 fan on radiator? Especially since it's the Corsair ML120 Pro fans are known itself to do well with air flow itself? And thank you for this video, it really is well done.

[@theonlyjoe6036]

I'm actually working on a video to address this exact issue. But briefly, I would advise both fans for the top. The stock Nidec fan is an industrial grade server fan that actually has twice the CFM of a single Corsair Pro, but the Nidec is also noisy (and is of course never running full out; I never saw the Nidec go above 30% power and it still was irritatingly loud). The Corsair can move air more efficiently and more quietly across the RPM range, but in order to match the airflow of the Nidec while maintaining a low RPM and noise level it is recommended you install two. A single Corsair fan could move enough air to cool the case, but it would have to run at a higher RPM (higher noise level) in order to so.

[@TseStanley23]

@@theonlyjoe6036 understood. I also utilized the Arctic MX-4 paste , and max temp on COU has been around 65-69 C, which is pretty decent with one fan. Since the thermal paste you suggested doesn't require break-in time that'll prob mean that'll be the best I get out of that temp. However, with possible two fan, perhaps it'll improve maybe 1-3c. I'll see when I'm able to get in the two fan(s) and let you know how it goes, also for the Y splitter - the one you suggested is the one the works the best? Did you try any other brand?

[@theonlyjoe6036]

@@TseStanley23 Those are not bad temps for a 10th gen Intel. When gaming my temps generally hover right around 60C with an ambient room temp of 21.5C. Just about any decent Y splitter should work as long as it has PWM control; without PWM control you will get a BIOS error as the board cannot detect the RPM on the fans.

[@TseStanley23]

@@theonlyjoe6036 I'm also running 21.5C (70.7F) in my house as well. I'm glad you clarified the Y-splitter having PWM, definitely, a must need to know when trying your suggested mod. Also - I'm running all the latest update(s) as well as the new Bios update 1.0.4 that was released recently for the Alienware R11. I look forward to hearing your insight and video to address the previous item(s) we are talking about and thank you again for responding so quickly. It's nice to be able to share knowledge and insight with other(s) to help out the community. I'll wait for your next video update ( hopefully soon and not rushing you of course), before I move ahead and install the second fan on the top of the radiator - also the insight of your placement of Arctic MX4 thermal paste was good (also note to other(s) - you don't need THAT much thermal paste - having too much can actually do more harm than good due to overflow of paste - it can prevent the CPU cooler from doing its job as well - due to trapped air bubbles, etc - Luckily we're using Arctic MX4 but still - need to worry about too much and too little) (also don't overly tighten the AIO as well).Thanks again, look forward to hearing from you.

[@TseStanley23]

@@theonlyjoe6036 Lmk when you make the addtional video. Would love to view. Have a good one.