How to: Make a HSF shroud (56k warning!) - Overclock.net

Ducky · 10-08-08

Alright, well I understand that there is an older thread on the same topic, though it only includes one picture and may not be as helpful for those that are new to this forum. I took some photos while I did mine, so I figure I would put up a how-to on the matter because of the significant difference it makes.

How to make a Fan Shroud

Pros:
-Significantly lower temps
-Quieter
-Far less 'dead' spots
-Looks badass!

Cons:
-Bigger bulkier fans
-May cause fitting issues with other components/your case depending on orientation

What you will need:
-Fan the same size as the fan you wish to make a shroud for (thicker the better)
-Metal saw blade (or any saw blade with high tpi (teeth per inch))
-Screwdriver
-Zip Ties (optional, but easier)
-File (optional)

Understanding the purpose:
How exactly does this work? Well, it's rather quite simple. When your fan pushes/pulls air from the heatsink, it misses certain spots because it is so close. To be more specific..

These spots are what most people call 'dead spots'. Hardly any air hits these areas on the heat sink because of the hub covering it. So basically, when you put your fans directly on the heat sink, the air will primarily hit..

Or on a more common cooler such as the T.R.U.E. that only uses one 120mm fan..

By adding the extra inch or so, this give the air more time to fill the dead space, thus more coverage once it hits your heatsink. Also, it tends to make your fans quieter. Why? I don't quite know.

Get it? Got it? Good.

Instructions:

So let's take our fan (or in my case, fans) outside (it makes a mess cutting through plastic.

Commence cutting the 'legs' that hold the fan hub in the center off (there are usually 3-4). I found it easiest to do with a metal blade. Try and cut as close to the rim as possible.

Now, your fans are naked! I tried to avoid my fan blades in case I wanted to use them for something else down the road.

You will notice stubs from the 'legs' you cut off. You can leave them be, but I'm more of a perfectionist so I decided to file them off.

And now it's clean and done (pardon the photo quality, it was a rainy day and I had no sun.)

So now you have your shrouds and are done with the messy part, time for the real fun. Here is what my HSF looked like prior to the shrouds..

Took it apart and pondered how I would attach the shroud. I've seen zip-ties used for this, but I think it looks ghetto so I decided to screw mine in. Of course it's not always that easy. I had to use pliers to turn the screw till it poked out, then attached the shroud from there. Different fans have different tabs, so I leave this up to you to figure out.

Here is what the finished product looks like..

Temps
Note: The following is with a Q6600 @ 3.2GHz and 1.4 VCore and 2 Scythe Ultra Kaze 3000rpm fans at half speed (I don't remember the full speed temps)

Idle w/o shroud: 36°c - 39°c
Idle w/ shroud: 32°c - 34°c
Load w/o shroud: 59°c - 62°c
Load w/ shroud: 53°c - 55°c

So there you have it, it's quick, simple, and cheap, and does a pretty good job with temps

Hope this was helpful for anyone who didn't fully understand the concept prior.

sabermetrics · 10-08-08

nice tutorial! +rep!

88EVGAFTW · 04-27-09

Nice, I was thinking how I was gonna attack the dead spots, but I dont It would look too bulky for me to mount them inside the case =(

Kratthew D. Kraids · 04-27-09

That's awesome, I have the same cooler on my Phenom so I'm definitely going to give this a try.

+rep

e6800xe · 04-27-09

is there also a noticeable db (noise) difference?

gbyss · 04-27-09

wow i got about 10 120x38mm fans with blades broken off

justinDA · 04-27-09

Is it a good idea to shroud the cpu exhaust fan as well? I going to purchase two cheap $4 Ritmo 120x25mm fans and shroud both my Ultra Kaze 3krpm fans on my Megahalem when it arrives. Thanks for the article!!