Question is this wise?

[daggs1]

I have an old case I'm reusing, I've replaced the mb and replaced a dead fan in the case.
now the eatx12v latch is being clipped by the fans blades.
would it be wise to cut it? the latch I mean

Thanks.

 

[sandorski]

Top handle part? Should be ok, but you will need to pry the clampy bit to undo. Not much of an issue though. The clampy bit being cut might cause the wiring to unplug over time, so that could be an issue. Your system could start exhibiting crashes if it's gradual. If it shifts suddenly I think catastrophic damage is a possibility, but I could be wrong on that.

Curious, which fan is it? If it is a standard 120mm, a lower profile fan could be a solution. If this won't work, a pic of the situation might help.

 

[daggs1]

the new fan is a noctua redux 140mm.
've maxed out my budget, so new fan/case is out of the question
image attached

 

[sandorski]

Should be able to shave it down a bit to fix.

 

[daggs1]

are you suggesting I should sand that latch a bit?

 

[sandorski]

are you suggesting I should sand that latch a bit?

Ya, or whittle with a knife. Looks like it's rubbing more than hitting.

 

[daggs1]

it clicks on touch, I'll try to sand it off, thanks for the suggestion

 

[mindless1]

First thing I would do is loosen all case standoff screws to see if you can gain some fraction of a millimeter moving the board, reducing amount of material you need to take off the latch.

 

[lakedude]

Would remounting the fan on the other side help?

 

[mindless1]

^ I assumed it was a case, top exhaust fan... tho' I suppose along the same line of thinking, the fan could be mounted on top of the case instead of inside.

 

[mindless1]

. If it shifts suddenly I think catastrophic damage is a possibility, but I could be wrong on that.

I doubt it would cause any damage, just crash, including potential data loss/corruption, except that if the wire/connector flops into the fan, could damage it or the fan.

 

[daggs1]

First thing I would do is loosen all case standoff screws to see if you can gain some fraction of a millimeter moving the board, reducing amount of material you need to take off the latch.

that will cause the mb not to properly attached to the case, I'm not sure that it is a wise idea with a standing case, gpu and hsf

Would remounting the fan on the other side help?

^ I assumed it was a case, top exhaust fan... tho' I suppose along the same line of thinking, the fan could be mounted on top of the case instead of inside.

unfortunately no, all other case fans are 120mm

I doubt it would cause any damage, just crash, including potential data loss/corruption, except that if the wire/connector flops into the fan, could damage it or the fan.

the cost of replacing a fan is negligible, the cost of replacing the psu however....
that's because the psu is not completely modular

 

[mindless1]

^ I don't know what your case is like, but with most case standoffs, and most motherboards, the holes for the screws are a bit larger than the diameter of the screws so there is some wiggle room, and it attaches fine. As stated you only gain a fraction of a millimeter but every bit helps... unless this is not a case fan, you didn't directly address that with clarity.

Keep in mind that if you remove too much latch material, it may eventually break off anyway. I've had connector latches break with no material removal, just from getting brittle with age.

 

[daggs1]

^ I don't know what your case is like, but with most case standoffs, and most motherboards, the holes for the screws are a bit larger than the diameter of the screws so there is some wiggle room, and it attaches fine. As stated you only gain a fraction of a millimeter but every bit helps... unless this is not a case fan, you didn't directly address that with clarity.

this is my case: https://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3180/antec_two_hundred_mid_tower_chassis/index.html
thing is, the minute I add more than one screw it gets too close.
I'll try to loosen all screws and play abit with it

Keep in mind that if you remove too much latch material, it may eventually break off anyway. I've had connector latches break with no material removal, just from getting brittle with age.

I one need to remove a small bit, if it breaks, it is like I've cut it altogether which it plan B

 

[daggs1]

I've started sanding the part but decided to leave it as is.
I'll try to find a low profile 140mm fan a later stage

thanks for all the help