Questions Regarding: Proper Fan Controlling and Fan choice.

[Alkali A]

I've built my own computer in the past 6 months, and it runs great! It's got good stability, performance, and temperatures; the only problem being it can get PRETTY loud when I start the computer up.

So I figured the best solution would be to buy new fans to cool the pc, as the two fans that came with the case (Corsair Carbide Spec 2) are 3 pin fans, and as I understand it can't be controlled to run at less than full blast.

 

Initially I bought a  fan y splitter so that I could try and connect the two 3-pin fans I have with my one PWM fan that came with the hyper 212 EVO that I'm using, which seems to have a varying level of success.

The fans DO slow down when they're connected to the cpu fan header and the cpu is not under load; HOWEVER, the fans are still quite loud and both before and after using the fan splitter none of the fans will show up in SpeedFan.

 

I haven't the faintest idea if this is because of the specific fans I have, because of the motherboard of have, or because of a flaw in SpeedFan itself. 

 

Moving on from there I've been looking at pc fans to buy and have considered buying corsair's led fans or quiet edition fans (depends on which is quieter I guess), both because I've heard good things about them, I've heard tell that they're quiet, and because it matches my build colors (black and red).

 

The problem there is that the only corsair fans that are PWM are corsair's sp120 High performance fans, which is both louder than I'd like the fans to be, and un-optimized for usage. 

 

So my final questions are as follows:

 

1- Can I use a type of fan splitter, fan hub, or fan controller to control 3-pin fans?

 

2- Can said fans then show up in SpeedFan so I can control them with software and set a fan curve, this would be best case scenario

 

3- Would the Corsair led or quiet edition fans be the best choice, and which of the two would be quieter? 

 

4- If the fans couldn't be fan controlled would they be silent enough to run at full blast to not matter either way?

 

5- If these fans aren't the best choice, what would be the best choice? 

 

I want very good cooling for my case, with sound being very important as well, but I'd prefer not to spend 25-50 dollars on one pc fan (I will if I really have to though)

 

The Carbide SPEC-2 can fit either two 140mm or two 120mm fans in the front, two 120mm on top, one 120mm in the back, and one 120mm fan in the bottom; in addition to this, I can also fit one more fan on the hyper 212 EVO heatsink, so I figure I might as well add another fan for that

 

All in all that would be 8 fans in total, two SP 140mms (or 120s), four AF 120mms, and two SP 120mms (for heatsink) 

Of those I have two stock corsair 3-pin AF 120mms, and the SP 120 with the 212

 

 

Addition pc junk in the system:

 

Gigabyte Z170 HD3P mobo

 

Intel Core i7 6700k cpu

 

msi 1070 gaming gpu

 

EVGA 80+ gold 750 semi-modular psu

 

ASUS 4x4 802.11AC Wireless-AC3100 PCIe Adapter (PCE-AC88)

 

white label 1tb HDD

 

PNY 480gb SSD

 

[WoodenMarker]

The first step is to identify which components are too loud.

[Alkali A]

I just did a recorded sound test of all fans equal distances from all fans; both the stock fans and the 212 fan are quiet loud, though the 212 fan does seem slightly louder.

 

I can't really control any of these fans though, which is the main problem I have with them. 

 

They just don't show up in software at all really.

[WoodenMarker]

16 minutes ago, Alkali A said:

I just did a recorded sound test of all fans equal distances from all fans; both the stock fans and the 212 fan are quiet loud, though the 212 fan does seem slightly louder.

I can't really control any of these fans though, which is the main problem I have with them. 

They just don't show up in software at all really.

There's no need to record sound. Stop the fans with your hands with the system running until the noise is low enough and to identify which ones are too loud.

What software are you using?

[Alkali A]

I'm using SpeedFan mostly, and wouldn't stopping the fans by hand damage the bearings?

 

[WoodenMarker]

20 minutes ago, Alkali A said:

I'm using SpeedFan mostly, and wouldn't stopping the fans by hand damage the bearings?

No, it's fine. 

Gigabyte's recent boards have terrible (nonexistent) fan control and a fan controller than isn't supported by SpeedFan yet last I checked. 

You need to quote a post or tag a member when replying or else they won't get a notification that you replied to them.

[Alkali A]

1 minute ago, WoodenMarker said:

No, it's fine. 

Gigabyte's recent boards have terrible (nonexistent) fan control and a fan controller than isn't supported by SpeedFan yet last I checked. 

You need to quote a post or tag a member when replying or else they won't get a notification that you replied to them.

Sorry I wasn't aware of that, also that kinda sucks for me doesn't it? Is there a fan controller of some kind that I can use to control 3-pin fans or pwm fans through software then?

[WoodenMarker]

2 minutes ago, Alkali A said:

Sorry I wasn't aware of that, also that kinda sucks for me doesn't it? Is there a fan controller of some kind that I can use to control 3-pin fans or pwm fans through software then?

There are many options when it comes to fan control. Your motherboard has some built-in fan presets but nothing custom outside of their janky in-OS software.

But first steps first: Which components are too loud?

[Alkali A]

8 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

There are many options when it comes to fan control. Your motherboard has some built-in fan presets but nothing custom outside of their janky in-OS software.

But first steps first: Which components are too loud?

I just stopped all the fans to test it, and it's definitely the 2 stock case fans; as well as actually the 1070's fans.

 

The 1070 shouldn't be too much of a problem though as I can control it's fans to a very specific degree with EVGA's Precision XOC, and the 212 fan is almost COMPLETELY silent unless you have your ear pretty much right next to it.

[WoodenMarker]

1 minute ago, Alkali A said:

I just stopped all the fans to test it, and it's definitely the 2 stock case fans; as well as actually the 1070's fans.

The 1070 shouldn't be too much of a problem though as I can control it's fans to a very specific degree with EVGA's Precision XOC, and the 212 fan is almost COMPLETELY silent unless you have your ear pretty much right next to it.

What headers are your case fans plugged into? Are you adamant about using SpeedFan? Are your motherboard settings set to default?

[Alkali A]

Just now, WoodenMarker said:

What headers are your case fans plugged into? Are you adamant about using SpeedFan? Are your motherboard settings set to default?

I first tried to have the splitter plugged into a normal 4 pin fan head on the mobo, but it wouldn't show up in SpeedFan, so I just plugged it into the cpu fan header so it at least has some sort of automatic control.

 

I'm not particularly adamant about SpeedFan, I just know that it works from other's experience so that's what I've been trying to use.

 

Also, I haven't really messed with the BIOS settings outside of overclocking the cpu to a moderate 4.6, putting the memory at what it's rated at, and upping the cpu voltage ever so slightly to stabilize the overclock. 

[WoodenMarker]

12 minutes ago, Alkali A said:

I first tried to have the splitter plugged into a normal 4 pin fan head on the mobo, but it wouldn't show up in SpeedFan, so I just plugged it into the cpu fan header so it at least has some sort of automatic control.

The cpu_fan header is best left to use pwm for the BladeMaster that comes on the 212 Evo. The case fans are 3pin and should be powered from sys_fan1/2 headers. Try that instead and set the headers in the motherboard settings to the Quiet/Silent preset.

[Alkali A]

1 minute ago, WoodenMarker said:

The cpu_fan header is best left to use pwm for the BladeMaster that comes on the 212 Evo. The case fans are 3pin and should be powered from sys_fan1/2 headers. Try that instead and set the headers in the motherboard settings to the Quiet/Silent preset.

So it'd better if I just didn't use the splitter I got then?

It's a 4-pin splitter that has the control pin all but one removed like it should.

[WoodenMarker]

6 minutes ago, Alkali A said:

So it'd better if I just didn't use the splitter I got then?

It's a 4-pin splitter that has the control pin all but one removed like it should.

The removed pin usually works fine for 4pin pwm fans depending on the fan and header in question. In the wrong configuration, it can end up just supplying a constant 12v signal resulting in the case fans running at 100%.

[Alkali A]

4 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

The removed pin usually works fine for 4pin pwm fans depending on the fan and header in question. In the wrong configuration, it can end up just supplying a constant 12v signal resulting in the case fans running at 100%.

Alright, I'll try connecting them straight to the mobo then and going into the BIOS later.

 

It should be noted though that I only have three 4-pin headers, not including the cpu fan header, so if/when I get new fans I will need some sort of way to connect more than one fan to a header.

 

And on that note, what are your thoughts on getting new/more fans, and which fans and/or other hardware would you recommend?

 

[WoodenMarker]

2 minutes ago, Alkali A said:

Alright, I'll try connecting them straight to the mobo then and going into the BIOS later.

It should be noted though that I only have three 4-pin headers, not including the cpu fan header, so if/when I get new fans I will need some sort of way to connect more than one fan to a header.

And on that note, what are your thoughts on getting new/more fans, and which fans and/or other hardware would you recommend?

Where to go with your cooling from here will depend on the reason behind getting more fans whether it be noise, aesthetics, or lack of cooling. 

[Alkali A]

6 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

Where to go with your cooling from here will depend on the reason behind getting more fans whether it be noise, aesthetics, or lack of cooling. 

The original reason was noise; however, that might not be a problem after I tweak a few things in the BIOS, yet to be seen.

 

Aesthetics wise I was thinking of getting red led fans from corsair because they'd give me red leds in the case, and I could then make the actual case leds (which I haven't gotten yet, or decided on which ones to get) to white so I can see the inside of the case much better, without completely flooding the whole case with nothing but red (kinda hate that).

 

Temperature wise the CPU idles at just under or at 30 degrees Celsius and hits 60 degrees while the stress test built into CPUZ is running; the GPU idles at just over 30 degrees celsius, and gets up to just over 50 degrees Celsius while Heaven is running on ultra.

 

It should be noted that I do have a fan curve on the gpu though, and it gets pretty loud by the time it's fully under load.

[WoodenMarker]

2 minutes ago, Alkali A said:

The original reason was noise; however, that might not be a problem after I tweak a few things in the BIOS, yet to be seen.

 

Aesthetics wise I was thinking of getting red led fans from corsair because they'd give me red leds in the case, and I could then make the actual case leds (which I haven't gotten yet, or decided on which ones to get) to white so I can see the inside of the case much better, without completely flooding the whole case with nothing but red (kinda hate that).

 

Temperature wise the CPU idles at just under or at 30 degrees Celsius and hits 60 degrees while the stress test built into CPUZ is running; the GPU idles at just over 30 degrees celsius, and gets up to just over 50 degrees Celsius while Heaven is running on ultra.

 

It should be noted that I do have a fan curve on the gpu though, and it gets pretty loud by the time it's fully under load.

Your temps are very low. You're fine up to 80-90c at load for both the cpu and gpu. I'd say to get your fan curve as low as possible.

Corsair's ML fans are good and their AF/SP LED fans are alright at best. Depending on what you go for, you could split the signal from either your cpu_fan or sys_fan1/2 headers.

[Alkali A]

6 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

Your temps are very low. You're fine up to 80-90c at load for both the cpu and gpu. I'd say to get your fan curve as low as possible.

Corsair's ML fans are good and their AF/SP LED fans are alright at best. Depending on what you go for, you could split the signal from either your cpu_fan or sys_fan1/2 headers.

If leds weren't an issue, would there be different fans you'd recommend? And which would be better? (performance and sound) Noctua fans, or the ML fans?

[WoodenMarker]

Just now, Alkali A said:

If leds weren't an issue, would there be different fans you'd recommend? And which would be better? (performance and sound) Noctua fans, or the ML fans?

ML's don't get as quiet as Noctuas. 

Which fans to recommend will depend on what you're shooting for. You're probably going to need to dampen the vibrations from your hdd if you want your system to be extremely quiet.

[Alkali A]

2 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

ML's don't get as quiet as Noctuas. 

Which fans to recommend will depend on what you're shooting for. You're probably going to need to dampen the vibrations from your hdd if you want your system to be extremely quiet.

Are there vibration dampeners for HDDs then? And I'd likely aim mostly for silence, but I wouldn't want to give up performance if at all possible.

[WoodenMarker]

4 minutes ago, Alkali A said:

Are there vibration dampeners for HDDs then? And I'd likely aim mostly for silence, but I wouldn't want to give up performance if at all possible.

Many newer cases come with built in dampeners although they aren't great. 

Suspending hdd's in elastics or foam is usually my go-to.

Here's are some examples

 

[Alkali A]

2 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

Many newer cases come with built in dampeners although they aren't great. 

Suspending hdd's in elastics or foam is usually my go-to.

Here's a photo from not too long ago of what I'm using.

 

Looks like you're the right person for me to be asking questions about silence to.

 It's totally within my ability to suspend my hdd, sweet.

And might I assume that you'd recommend noctua fans if I was aiming for silence?

[WoodenMarker]

1 minute ago, Alkali A said:

Looks like you're the right person for me to be asking questions about silence to.

 It's totally within my ability to suspend my hdd, sweet.

And might I assume that you'd recommend noctua fans if I was aiming for silence?

Noctua is one of many options. 

BeQuiet's Silent and Pure Wings series are also excellent. 

How much you're willing to spend and how quiet you want your system will help decide what fans to recommend.

[Alkali A]

1 minute ago, WoodenMarker said:

Noctua is one of many options. 

BeQuiet's Silent and Pure Wings series are also excellent. 

How much you're willing to spend and how quiet you want your system will help decide what fans to recommend.

Ideally, I'd like to get the fans I mentioned in the topic post all for under 100-150 dollars. May not be realistic, but that's what ideally is.

 

Silence wise, I wouldn't want to hear it normally under load, but if I could hear it if I listened for it , or if there was maybe a light low hum that'd totally be acceptable.