Got my transparent inner bezel installed from maceffects. Added a LED under the apple, and added a led to the mouse. Not happy with the keyboard, I'm going to revise the keyboard and probably remove the leds from the keyboard.
And for those who don't already know, the product page is found here:
maceffects.com
Inner Bezel for Slot Loading iMac G3 w/ Plastic Tabs
Each iMac G3 slot loading machine has a fatal flaw - the inner bezel. Original bezels are structural and support the CRT and chassis, however, because of age and fire retardant additives they have been crumbing to dust. MacEffects finally has a solution that can save crumbling iMacs. Our...
maceffects.com
I am not using anything to reduce the RPM's. I used 4 because about a quarter of each fan is blocked just due to the amount of space available and the shape of top plastic. I don't have the proper tools to do any measurements. I tried downloading a couple apps to measure the difference from ambient room noise, the G3, and my Color Classic with a 60mm Noctua fan installed. Take these measurements with a grain of salt, but sitting in front of the computer as if I were going to use it holding my phone where my face is, I got a difference of +3dBA from an ambient room for the Color Classic, and a difference of +5dBA for the G3. In my own personal opinion it's not bad and doesn't bother me. It's a low hum, that reminds me of my friend's PC in his basement when we were younger, or like an office PC in the early 00's. It is definitely noticeable though. I could wire an adapter and slip it in there if I want to lower the RPM's and that Is something I'll be considering and maybe playing around with in the near future.
I install them exclusively in my SE and SE/30 machines, so I’m well aware of their low noise benefits. But I’ve never installed four in the same machine, hence my question.
Furthermore, except for the noise of the hard drive, those CRT iMacs are pretty silent, and therefore, you would more easily notice even a single fan addition.
At the end of the day, the question is, does the machine get hot enough to warrant, edition and fans? I’m not suggesting it doesn’t need a fan. Just curious about the thinking behind the addition of one or more fans in that particular line of iMacs.
I guess the obvious is there is no active cooling, so my personal concern is trying to extend it's life, more specifically the flybacks lifespan, but I definitely went overkill with 4 fans. Is it necessary? Probably not, I've seen discussion over the years online about this, and I got the idea from someone else who wrote a blog posting about it some years ago. I'm hoping my G3 will live a very extended life, and I'll never have to open it again for repairs. I'm going to bump the CPU another 100Mhz to 700Mhz and then be done with it. So, probably not necessary, but I feel better about using it and pushing it's limits.