Installation:

Once the PC was shutdown and the system discharged, I pulled off the side cover and laid the case on its side. The very next step was to determine the power connection on the motherboard where the RAM Fan could plug in. My initial scouting revealed a power connection just below the area where my HDDs are located.

When the RAM Fan was clipped into place over the RAM modules, this particular fan connection was the only one initially determined within reach for the RAM Fan. A few of the current cables and connections had to be removed to allow room to insert the RAM Fan power cord onto the motherboard fan connector. Once connected, the other cables and connectors were restored and the system was prepared to start up again.

Notice the slight angle of the RAM Fan as it will push the air across the RAM modules and slightly toward the CPU.

Upon starting up the PC, there initially seemed to be no cause for concern. All the lights came on and some new ones greeted me: The RAM Fan has blue strobe lights that add to the already green lights of my XION II PC Case.

The above photos were taken after placing the side case cover back on and putting the PC into the upright position.

However, as I began to watch Windows XP load, I began to have some cause for concern: The Desktop Icons never showed up. I could click on the Start menu, bring up Task Manager using CTRL-ALT-DEL, but I could not Right Click and get any results at all. After watching the Activity Light on the front of the case continue on without any indication of letting up, I used the Restart option from Task Manager to restart the computer.

Once again, when Windows XP loaded up, there still was no Desktop or its icons. So, I shutdown the computer and took another look at how things were installed.

This time, I routed the RAM Fan wire beneath the module and plugged it into a power connection near the CPU. You can easily identify this connection next to the Molex power connector.

After making this change, and double-checking all the other connections, I put the PC back into order for another attempt to start it up.

This time, I had immediate success in getting back into Windows and getting my Desktop back. With this resolved, I was ready for some testing. Does the RAM Fan actually provide any additional or significant cooling?