Old office PC fan swap dropped my temps by 12 degrees for $9

My Dell OptiPlex from 2013 was running hot, like 88c under load, and I was about to buy a new cooler for $40. Instead I grabbed a used 92mm fan from a local repair shop in Austin for $9, wired it to the motherboard header, and zip tied it to the existing heatsink. The bracket didn't fit, but that didn't matter, the fan sat flush enough. Temps dropped to 76c after a full hour of folding. The noise went up a bit, but for a machine worth maybe $60, this feels like a win. Has anyone else jury rigged a fan with zip ties instead of buying a proper mount, or am I just asking for the whole thing to shake loose eventually?

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alexlewis1mo ago

Zip ties are basically free performance if you don't mind the rattle.

5

dixon.willow1mo ago

Is 12 degrees really worth the risk of that fan vibrating loose and taking out your GPU? Zip ties and a 9 dollar fan on a 60 dollar PC seems fine until the thing starts rattling at 3am or the blades clip something. For a rig that cheap it's probably worth the gamble, but calling it a real fix is a stretch.

1