antec micro fusion 350 system fans

mistermoleymole · 28 Jul 2010 at 08:35

Hi all.

I've recently built a htpc using the above. One thing that's quite annoying is you have no control over the system fans. There is 3 of them in total and all are plugged direct into the Psu.

On my motherboard there is a sys fan port but only one. Is there a way I can change the fans to use this so the BIOS controls the speed of the sys fans as well like it already does with the CPU fan?

Also has anyone replaced the fans in this case with anything quieter?

Many thanks all,

Gav

Tealc · 28 Jul 2010 at 09:13

You could use this..
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CB-031-AK

That is if your fans have a 3/4 pin fan connector. My Antec tri-cools just have the 4 pin molex connector but they do have a 3 way switch for low/med/high speed. If you don't have proper fan header connectors on your fans then you could rewire them using spare or purchased headers or just buy some replacements. I don't know the case but fans are usually designed to be replaced at some point.

You could buy new fans and wire them to the splitter shown or get yourself a fan controller for manual adjustment.

mistermoleymole · 28 Jul 2010 at 09:40

Yeah mine are the 4 pin molex connectors. I'm very new to pc building so was unsure if it was as simple as just changing the connectors and plugging them in. Sounds like it is though.

As far as fan controllers go the ones i have seen need a 5.25 or floppy bay spare and i have neither as its a very tight htpc case with only one bay for dvd/blueray.

I think i will look into finding some fan connectors and rewiring, seems like the best option.

Is there anything i could do to get control over the psu fan or should that just be running constantly?

Cheers
Gav

alex24 · 28 Jul 2010 at 09:42

The fans in the case should have a black cable attached with a switch that allows you yo change the speed to 3 different settings. They are only acceptable for a HTPC on low. Verify that you have them all set to low before spending anything more. I know this as I have the same case.

mistermoleymole · 28 Jul 2010 at 09:51

Hi Alex,

Yes i have them all set to low. I still think they are quite loud though and with the system temp not getting overly hot i dont see why i need them on constantly. They would be far better being controlled by the smart fan control on the motherboard and only coming on when needed.

alex24 · 28 Jul 2010 at 10:06

The motherboard would usually still have them running in any circumstance unless you change the profiles with software you have specifically set up. If they're still too loud (mine were fairly loud, even on low) I suggest new fans. The 80mm noctua fans on OcUK will shift some air and be near silent I would imagine, even at their full speed. What I did was rotate the fan next to the HDD chamber and it eliminated an annoying resonance tone. Now it's an exhaust I believe, and it's a lot quieter, maybe worth a go? Not sure if you're experiencing that or not.

Tealc · 28 Jul 2010 at 10:09

You'd need to buy fans with a lower rated speed then and hope that the CPUs fan speed is low enough not to drive those fans too fast as well. The tri-cools are not an efficient and silent fan design so replacement should make a big difference.

mistermoleymole · 28 Jul 2010 at 10:55

alexhull24 said:
The motherboard would usually still have them running in any circumstance unless you change the profiles with software you have specifically set up. If they're still too loud (mine were fairly loud, even on low) I suggest new fans. The 80mm noctua fans on OcUK will shift some air and be near silent I would imagine, even at their full speed. What I did was rotate the fan next to the HDD chamber and it eliminated an annoying resonance tone. Now it's an exhaust I believe, and it's a lot quieter, maybe worth a go? Not sure if you're experiencing that or not.

If its anything like the cpu fan though which i think it is the mobo allows you to select a minimum spin speed of zero which makes the fan only kick in when its needed. As there is no seperate settings for the sys fans i presume they will work off the same settings as the sys temp section is included within this section in the BIOS.

I think like you say i may look at replacing the fans for better ones and see if that helps.

Did anyone notice the quaestion about psu fan? do people generally replace these or is it not worth getting into? Its only a 350w psu so dont think its going to need any mega cooling would just like to make it as quiet as possible.

Cheers for help so far guys

Gav

alex24 · 28 Jul 2010 at 11:03

It'll be possible to replace, but I wouldn't bother. You'll have to open up the unit, which is not only potentially dangerous (I assume that in asking, you have not done this before), but also voids your warranty.

You could perhaps seek out another PSU, but I have a feeling that it's a proprietary design.

Tealc · 28 Jul 2010 at 13:43

Some people do replace PSU fans, myself included and I found it a very easy job. I didn't care about my warranty so much but I did care about zapping myself so took precautions.

After swapping the cheapo 2500 rpm fan for a Scythe S-flex slightly slower fan I noticed a massive difference. I didn't have a lot of choice though as the original fan has developed a ticking noise and while it was within warranty I couldn't be bothered with 6 weeks waiting for an RMA replacement from OCZ, or with the postal charges to the Netherlands for that matter.

Still, this task is not something you'd want to be doing if you are not comfortable with losing warranties, a soldering iron, a rudimentary knowledge of electronics and the potential of zapping yourself on a lethal charge from a rogue capacitor.

mistermoleymole · 28 Jul 2010 at 13:58

Ok many thanks. Think i will tackle the other fans before i try any of this other stuff.

Is it easy to pick up some of the fan connectors and convert the molex plugs to the fan ones so i can use the fan splitter at the top of this thread? so wheres best to pick them up from? Anywhere on teh high street do them?

Cheers
Gav

Tealc · 28 Jul 2010 at 14:09

Hate to take the wind out of your sail from the idea posted earlier but the fans you have must have the third wire for PWM/voltage adjusting. I didn't assume that your fans would be Tri-cools as your case is so different. Standard tri-cools do not have the third wire.

You would need to purchase replacement 80mm fans that will probably come with the correct connectors and wires. Other solutions would be to drop the voltage the tri-cools get using resistors, potentiometers or zalman dan mates. Complicated stuff and probably not worth it when 80mm fans are so cheap.

mistermoleymole · 28 Jul 2010 at 14:40

Bugger! ... never mind. Cheers for that though.

I will look at othe rfans maybe then.

@Everyone.... thanks so much for you help and advice. Looking forward to spending more time here, which doesnt happen on a lot of forums i have visited recently.

Cheers
Gav.