Advice with fan controllers/control and Linux

[markrich]

Hello - first post for me here.  Please excuse any etiquette I may have broken.

 

I have four fans in my home server/pc.  Of the case fans, two were supplied with the Fractual Design R4 and one is a beQuiet Silent Wings 2.

The CPU has a beQuiet Dark Rock 2 cooler with it's own fan.

 

Only the CPU cooler has a four pin connector.  I am therefore unable to control the others through software like pwmconfig and lm-sensors as they lack that all important extra connection.

 

If I connect the fans to the beQuiet Dark Power Pro PSU, the fans run quieter than running through the Asus P8Z77-V Deluxe motherboard, even with 'Silent' enabled in the BIOS settings.

 

The problem I am trying to resolve is making the rig silent.  The R4 case was supposed to help, as were the silent fans (including those supplied with the case), but there is still a hum and whirl heard from the machine.  I suspect the fans are running too fast but I have no means to control them.

 

So, how best to resolve and obtain that silent running machine I wanted?  I could take out the fans and replace with the new Silent Wings 2 PWM version or I could get a controller of some kind that only switches on the fans when needed - such as running x-plane, ripping a CD or DVD or using Handbrake to re-encode a ripped DVD to a file I can use on my tablet.  They presently do very little work.  The output of 'sensors' shows the CPU temps around 30 celsius and internal temperatures not much different.

 

Ideally something I can control through the Linux desktop would be ideal, however if not something which could be programmed to do what I need.  Would a radiator be a better option to replace the front two fans but then, how do I manage the last?  Would fewer fans help?

 

I am struggling to find a solution myself but all help appreciated.