Removing fan on Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro 2

[Corvus]

Hello there! I have a new graphics card on the way, and I wondered if you might know how to remove the bottom fan on the cooler, and perhaps put it at the top, also would it cause severe thermal issues? .

 

The reason for why I'm trying to do this is due to the bottom fan is almost covering my first PCI-E slot. I would place the card in the bottom PCI-E slot if I knew for sure if it was a 16x or a 8x slot and if it didn't make any difference. The MOBO I'm using is the z77 Mpower if you could be nice enough to find some conclusive information about that for me, all I've found is different statements.

 

Also, before anyone says something like "Why haven't you tried removing the fan before asking the forum?", I have. It takes a lot of force, and I've yet to succeed. I'm also quite worried about bending the heat sink fins.

Thank you in advance.

[Guest GRRigger]

can you orient fan differently? maybe it will clear ram. 

[Corvus]

can you orient fan differently? maybe it will clear ram. 

It's not the RAM that's worrying me, It's the PCI-E slot. Also, it's impossible to orient it differently in my case, and it would also require me re-applying the thermal paste, which I'm not keen on doing. 

[Guest GRRigger]

i think there is enough space anyway. wait and see.

[Corvus]

i think there is enough space anyway. wait and see.

It might be, I'll take a closer look when I get home, and if I'm still wondering I'll post a picture so you may know. 

Also, is there anyone who knows whether the graphics card will decrease in power if I put it in the bottom PCI-E slot? Or if it might mess things up?

[Asusmad]

The Msi M Power has 3 PCIe 3.0 Slots. But for all of them to be enabled you must have an 3rd Gen core i3, i5 or i7. But still when all  slots are populated the speeds available to each PCIe slot is different. The top one you get 8x, the middle 8x and the bottom 4x.

[Corvus]

The Msi M Power has 3 PCIe 3.0 Slots. But for all of them to be enabled you must have an 3rd Gen core i3, i5 or i7. But still when all  slots are populated the speeds available to each PCIe slot is different. The top one you get 8x, the middle 8x and the bottom 4x.

Awesome, thanks. But if only only one slot is populated, does the top and middle 16x? IE, will I lose performance if I use the second PCI-E slot?

[Asusmad]

Awesome, thanks. But if only only one slot is populated, does the top and middle 16x? IE, will I lose performance if I use the second PCI-E slot?

1st i would try to move around your cpu cooler so you have all the PCIe slots free. Then they will run at 16x 0x 0x. So if you cant use the top slot you will of course then use the 2nd. Im sure that even if the top slot is not populated the 2nd will still run at 8x which is fine for a gpu but the 3rd will be 0x 

 

How may cards have you install.Is it just one gpu?

[Corvus]

1st i would try to move around your cpu cooler so you have all the PCIe slots free. Then they will run at 16x 0x 0x. So if you cant use the top slot you will of course then use the 2nd. Im sure that even if the top slot is not populated the 2nd will still run at 8x which is fine for a gpu but the 3rd will be 0x 

 

How may cards have you install.Is it just one gpu?

I can basically not move the cpu cooler, it wouldn't mount in any other way when I first installed it. :/

It's just one.

[Asusmad]

I can basically not move the cpu cooler, it wouldn't mount in any other way when I first installed it. :/

It's just one.

 

Well go for the middle slot has that will run at 8x. You will only be able to do SLI in the top and middle slot. 

[Corvus]

Well go for the middle slot has that will run at 8x. You will only be able to do SLI in the top and middle slot. 

Yeah, I figure that there won't be any problems unless there's some really weird ones. I'll be back if there's a problem. I'll mark this as solved.

Edit: I still have no idea of how to remove the fan properly.

[Asusmad]

Is that the fan on the cooler? If so the clips are more likely tight. Also there is a vid on your M/B on the timetolivecustoms YouTube Chanel. Take a look I like this guy Tom.