So what's the best option for me? 2 PWM fans for CPU cooler which I'll get a PWM splitter to connect it to the motherboard?
But I'm not sure about case fans
120/140mm Fans
- Thread starter Casterina
- Start date
But I'm not sure about case fans
Soldato
This is how my setup will be when it's complete (haven't yet got all the bits)
CPU PWM > PWM/DC converter > 2 x Corsair SP120 Performance mounted on CPU cooler
NZXT fan controller > 1 x Zaward Golf3 (modified), 2 x Corsair AF120, 1 x Antec Spot 80mm, 1 x Corsair 120mm fan (not yet decided which).
The NZXT will for the most part be set to auto.
As Tealc said the best fans tend to be the 3-pin non-pwm ones. Thanks to Tealc and his PWM/DC converter I can have the best of both worlds. I can retain the PWM control whilst using what are considered one of the best fans on the market currently for my CPU.
The good thing about the PWM/DC converter is that if there's a failure then it'll just push 12v to the fans rather than just stopping the fans.
CPU PWM > PWM/DC converter > 2 x Corsair SP120 Performance mounted on CPU cooler
NZXT fan controller > 1 x Zaward Golf3 (modified), 2 x Corsair AF120, 1 x Antec Spot 80mm, 1 x Corsair 120mm fan (not yet decided which).
The NZXT will for the most part be set to auto.
As Tealc said the best fans tend to be the 3-pin non-pwm ones. Thanks to Tealc and his PWM/DC converter I can have the best of both worlds. I can retain the PWM control whilst using what are considered one of the best fans on the market currently for my CPU.
The good thing about the PWM/DC converter is that if there's a failure then it'll just push 12v to the fans rather than just stopping the fans.
Don't know which option is better, yours or ResidentNot to but in but..
All fans in my system are PWM.. and all are controlled by mobo CPU PWM socket with PWM splittersIt helps that all fans are of similar rpm range. (600-1500rpm and 700-1300rpm)
What's the difference between PWM splitter and PWM/DC coverter? How do you connect the fans to the PWM/DC converter?
Also the PWM/DC converter allows 3 pin fans to be used as PWM?
Should I get a fan controller for case fans or connect it to the motherboard?
From the answer from this topic, Scythe Gentle Typhoon and Corsair, which one to go for?
A splitter is for 4 pin PWM fans while a converter uses the PWM signal to control 3 pin fans. The converter is a home made (by me) circuit that I've made to order for a few forum members so far. Splitters are commercially available.
The corsair fans look really nice with their coloured rings but the Scythe are also good buy dont look so good. I'd probably go corsair at the moment but that's just me.
I would recommend a fan controller for case fan and PWM control for your CPU but there's no reason why you can't have every single fan run off the CPU fan PWM signal, as Doyll uses. PWM is the next gen of fan control, it's efficient and gives good control. I use a mix of PWM and 3 pin fans, some on my fan controller (Bitfenix Recon) and my cpu 3 pin on a PWM converter, because those are the fan that I already have and wish to use.
The corsair fans look really nice with their coloured rings but the Scythe are also good buy dont look so good. I'd probably go corsair at the moment but that's just me.
I would recommend a fan controller for case fan and PWM control for your CPU but there's no reason why you can't have every single fan run off the CPU fan PWM signal, as Doyll uses. PWM is the next gen of fan control, it's efficient and gives good control. I use a mix of PWM and 3 pin fans, some on my fan controller (Bitfenix Recon) and my cpu 3 pin on a PWM converter, because those are the fan that I already have and wish to use.
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If I go for Corsair fans, should I get AF or SP?
Which fan controller should I get which matches the Zalman Z9 Plus?
If I connect all the case fans to the motherboard, does it control the fan speed by the temperature?
What would be the best setup for 2x120mm fans for CPU and 4x1400mm, 1x120mm fans for case fans?
Also if I connect the case fans to the fan controller, do I manually control it myself or set it to automatically?
Soldato
Case fans - AF
Heatsinks/Radiators - SP
Depends on which controller you get.
The one I have is external and cost me £50 from here. There are different types of fan controller, from the basic manual ones which are just a series of varible knobs to the micro-processor controlled using it's own temp probes which have both auto and manual modes
I went for the micro-processor controlled one because my room can get quite warm and often I'm not at my PC. Auto-mode can adjust the fan speeds for me should I not be there.
Assuming you'd be plugging them all into the CPU PWM header then yes, that's what would happen. The CPU temp would determine the fan speeds.
Personally I'd go for a setup similar to mine. Leave the PWM just to sort the CPU cooler and a fan controller for the rest.
If you do go with the Corsairs for your CPU cooler you will need the adaptor that Tealc builds to control them by PWM.
SP120 Quiets should be sufficient for your cooler. Although I don't regret it, using the SP120 Performance for mine was overkill.
Then fill the rest of your case with the AF Quiets too.
Sorry to push the Corsairs, it seems I've become a bit of a 'fan-boi' (excuse the pun)
Corsair AF/SP120 RPM seems to be abit low compare to Scythe as it has a better RPM which I'm really confused with
I want it to auto adjust the fan speed for me so should I use a fan controller or connect it to the motherboard?
I'll use the SP120 Performance for my CPU cooler as well, do I need to use the adaptor that Tealc make for my CPU fans and case fans?
My logic of using CPU mobo PWM control is as CPU demands more air to keep cool the case fans ramp up and supply CPU fans with more air.. Cool air into case increases as CPU demand increases.. Hot air form CPU exhaust faster/better because case fans are running fast to keep up with CPU fans.
Now that GPUs are using PWM you can have the case fans that supply GPU ramp up with GPU heat fan demand.. Same reasons as above.
Best bit is you don't have to remember to turn fan speed up before you start running CPU / GPU intensive programs... or remember to turn them back down when you finish.
Because I'm forgetful and also a lazy barsteward.
Edit: and I often remote control my tower using remote desktop.. kinda hard to adjust fan speed when you aren't there.
Now that GPUs are using PWM you can have the case fans that supply GPU ramp up with GPU heat fan demand.. Same reasons as above.
Best bit is you don't have to remember to turn fan speed up before you start running CPU / GPU intensive programs... or remember to turn them back down when you finish.
Because I'm forgetful and also a lazy barsteward.
Edit: and I often remote control my tower using remote desktop.. kinda hard to adjust fan speed when you aren't there.
So why worry about AF / SP ratings instead of just using SP fans for everything?
Isn't the main difference that static pressure on cooler / radiator fans is higher?
And using higher static pressure fans for case would seem a plus because it means you don't need to worry as much about exhaust fans to keep airflow up.
Was part of my reasoning is using TY-140 fans in my case.. and they are quiet... and they push air directly away instead of blowing it everywhere.
Isn't the main difference that static pressure on cooler / radiator fans is higher?
And using higher static pressure fans for case would seem a plus because it means you don't need to worry as much about exhaust fans to keep airflow up.
Was part of my reasoning is using TY-140 fans in my case.. and they are quiet... and they push air directly away instead of blowing it everywhere.
Soldato
It's not always about RPM. You could have a cheap 2300 RPM fan shifting the same amount of air as a more expensive lower RPM fan. It comes down to design. Lower RPMs also mean quieter operation.
My case came with cheap 120mm fans rated at ~35CFM @ 2300 rpm. They're noisey because of the poor blade design & speed. The AF120 Quiets are rated at ~40 CFM @ 1100 RPM which is better performance at a lower RPM therefore quieter.
To control the Corsairs with PWM you will need Tealc's adaptor. I would recommend you go for the quiet edition, PWM keeps my Performance ones @ around 800 rpm for the most part because I've used software to customise my fan curve. When they do spin up to max (during initial boot) it sounds like a turbo-prop plane taking off.
If you chose a fan controller that using micro-processing, like the BitFenix Recon or the NZXT LXE (there are many models) then you can have auto-control should you decided against relying on PWM for everything.
So why worry about AF / SP ratings instead of just using SP fans for everything?
Isn't the main difference that static pressure on cooler / radiator fans is higher?
And using higher static pressure fans for case would seem a plus because it means you don't need to worry as much about exhaust fans to keep airflow up.
Was part of my reasoning is using TY-140 fans in my case.. and they are quiet... and they push air directly away instead of blowing it everywhere.
As I understand it SP fans work much better when there's airflow resistance, they're designed to force air through that resistive force where as AF fans are designed to move air freely. If they encountered a resistive force such as a heatsink then the resistive force would win the battle.
Whilst both performance versions of AF & SP have very similar CFM at @ 12v, the SP has a much higher RPM to acheive that, some 600 rpm more which means more noise.
I think the difference is the extra rpm can increase static pressure and as a result pushes more air through heat sink. But they do not require static pressure.
I do know that TY-140 fans in my case and on my cooler keep both my case and cooler cool and produce very little noise / work at low rpm.. regardless of CPU load. Fans never run above 1000rpm and CPU never goes above 60c so can't use system's cooling potential... the kind of problem I love to have.
In about a week I will have a i7 980 installed. Maybe overclocking it will tax my cooling system enough to find out.
Soldato
I disagree and the reason for that is one simply of blade design.
If the difference in static pressure was one simply of RPM then the blade design would be the same. High SP fans tend to have a different style of blade conpared to high air-flow.
If you slowed a SP fan to the top speed of an AF fan then you'd still acheive better static pressure with the SP fan.
Yes. No problem.
What I'm trying to say is a fan designed to supply higher static pressure will work very well even if there is no need of high static pressure.
A fan that is not designed to build static pressure will not perform if there is pressure resistance.
Soldato
As I see it SP fans focus the air flow in order to create the pressure, hence the blade design where as AF fan distribute the air flow any which way it can.
For my mind, focused airflow is great if you need it to be like through a heatsink/Rad.
If you just need to move air in and out of a free(ish) flowing area like a case the AF fans are the better option.
TBH this is all a moot point for the OP as the 140mm Corsairs only come in AF
For my mind, focused airflow is great if you need it to be like through a heatsink/Rad.
If you just need to move air in and out of a free(ish) flowing area like a case the AF fans are the better option.
TBH this is all a moot point for the OP as the 140mm Corsairs only come in AF
Which fans should I use for my CPU cooler and case fans?
So you mean that I only use PWM for my CPU cooler and a fan controller for case fans to auto control?
Soldato
Well I appear to have become somewhat of a Corsair fanboy so my choice would be
CPU Cooler > SP120 quiets via PWM via Tealc's adaptor
Case > AF120 quiets via Auto capable fan controller.
So yes, PWM would just be for the CPU cooler.
But that's just how I'd have it.
Is this the fan for the CPU cooler? Corsair SP120 Quiet Series High Pressure Low Noise, Also will the SP120 fans fit into the clips of the Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure CPU cooler?
Is this the fan for the case fans? Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition Low Noise High Airflow
How do I know if the fan controller is using micro-processing which has auto control?
Soldato
I can safely say YES.
^ That's MY Matterhorn with SP120s
However to fit 2 fans to the Matterhorn you will need 2 sets of clips or 'bodge' it like I have with cable ties.
Yes
Almost all of them have screen displays. I'll put a few as links below as examples:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BB-001-NX&groupid=701&catid=2331&subcat=189
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BB-007-AE&groupid=701&catid=2331&subcat=189
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BB-002-NQ&groupid=701&catid=2331&subcat=189
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-072-BX&groupid=701&catid=2331&subcat=189
And this is the one I have, little expensive but I like the fact that the display is on my desk and I don't have to bend to see the front of my case
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BB-000-NX&groupid=701&catid=2331&subcat=189
There are many other models to chose from in OcUK's store.
Fans look great!I can safely say YES.
^ That's MY Matterhorn with SP120s
However to fit 2 fans to the Matterhorn you will need 2 sets of clips or 'bodge' it like I have with cable ties.
There are many other models to chose from in OcUK's store.
Like your fan controller too.