# New Heatsink/Fan doesn't fit in case...



## Dmoney517 (Apr 14, 2011)

I have an Apevia X-Dreamer III case. I recently upgraded from the stock Heatsink/Fan on my i5 2500k to the Hyper212. I thought It would fit, however I forgot to account for the factory mounted side panel fan.

The fan doesnt have normal screws, it seems fixed in place. Does anyone have any opinions on how I could remove the case fan in order to close the case while keeping the Hyper212 in place?


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## JMPC (Jan 15, 2011)

Judging by the pictures online it looks like they may be using plastic rivet type pins to secure the fans. Take a look at the inside of the panel where the plastic rivet goes into the fan housing and see if there's a way to push it out.

Can you take a close up picture of the fastener? It's hard to tell what it is from the pictures I see.


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## agentRed (Nov 7, 2006)

Yep, those are compression fasteners, or whatever they're called. You *should* be able to squeeze the inside portion of them (the portion that's attached to the fan from the inside of the case) with a pair of needlenose pliers and pop them out. If not, a pair of either wire clippers or large toenail clippers should snip them off. You could also try a pair of heavy duty scissors. After that, if you find some regular fan screws, you can simply mount the fan on the outside of the case, blowing in, and run the cable around back through one of your PCI/Expansion slots.


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## Dmoney517 (Apr 14, 2011)

I was able to tear the plungers out with needle nose pliers easy enough and get the fan out of the way of the Heat Sink. Thanks a bunch for the tip.


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## agentRed (Nov 7, 2006)

Dmoney517 said:


> I was able to tear the plungers out with needle nose pliers easy enough and get the fan out of the way of the Heat Sink. Thanks a bunch for the tip.


Not a problem! Glad it worked out for you.


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