Powering fans in a Bitfenix Prodigy

thehighwindow · 19 Jan 2013 at 15:44

Hi,

I've got a Bitfenix Prodigy (that includes 2 x 120mm fans) and a 230mm Bitfenix Spectre Pro fan that I bought as an intake.

I haven't started building yet but i'm just wondering how best to power 3 case fans in total with the Gigabyte Z77-WIFI Mini-ITX motherboard, as it only has one CPU fan header and one system fan header?

I bought this thinking it might help out but I could only really power 2 of the fans this way (and the stock CPU cooler) - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CB-031-AK&groupid=1929&catid=153&subcat=
Akasa AK-CB002 PWM Fan Splitter Cable

I've not done a build completely from scratch before, so please bear with me!

Tealc · 19 Jan 2013 at 16:56

That fan splitter will power and control PWM fans only, any 3 pin fans will run at full speed.

A fan controller would be one solution.

A PWM to 3 pin converter might be another.

thehighwindow · 20 Jan 2013 at 13:07

Thanks.

I think eventually I may get a fan controller like the BitFenix Recon.

However, for now I'll just run the fans from the PSU.
Would this work...?
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CM-139-BX

That's 12v but they can be purchased in 7v and 5v. I'm guessing that results in a different speed for the fans? If so, are they going to sound like a plane taking off at 100%?

Tealc · 20 Jan 2013 at 13:24

The Spectre fans aren't too bad for noise, even at maximum speed, as they are (at least the 120mm ones) 1000RPM. As a guess I'd say a 7v reducer would make them around 700RPM.

The stock CPU cooler will probably be very noisy.

thehighwindow · 20 Jan 2013 at 15:39

Great, i'll give it a go and see.

I'll put the CPU fan on the designated header on the motherboard.

Thanks for the help.

thehighwindow · 23 Feb 2013 at 16:26

So I ended up building my system with the following:
- Intel stock cooler on CPU fan header on motherboard
- 120mm rear exhaust fan connected directly to PSU
- 120mm top fan connected directly to PSU (5V cable so a bit slower)
- 230mm intake fan connected directly to PSU

Well i've given it a go for a while and it does keep my computer fairly cool, although it's not quiet. I think it's mainly the 230mm intake fan that causes much of the noise, although all fans added up probably contribute.

I tried plugging the 230mm intake into the only system fan header on the motherboard (Gigabyte Z77-WIFI Mini-ITX). However I can't seem to change the RPM (through various options - normal, silent, manual - in BIOS) and also using programs like SpeedFan. The 230mm Spectre Pro fan is only 3-pin so I guess 4-pin is what allows RPM control right?

What would you suggest I can do to minimise noise? I suspect bringing the intake down to 60% might make a difference. The BitFenix Recon fan controller might be an option but it's probably overkill for what I need (especially with all the temp sensors).

Tealc · 23 Feb 2013 at 16:37

3 pin fans can sometimes be controlled by the motherboard if it has controllable headers.

You can use the 4 pin PWM header to control 4 pin fans, or 3 pin fans via a PWM to 3 pin converter.