PWM 120/140 options?

ttaskmaster

ttaskmaster

ttaskmaster

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11 Sep 2013
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Hi all,

Forgive what is probably a too-common question, but the Search doesn't turn up quite what I'm looking for.

I'm after some 120mm or perhaps 140mm fans - 2 for the H100, 2 or 4 for the front intake, 1 rear exhaust, possibly one underside intake.
I have a 200mm side fan, but could swap this for a pair of 120/140s.

I believe I'm looking for:
- PWM
- High static pressure
- Low noise

Looks and LEDs are a secondary consideration, so Noctua's 'SADF Nutria' colouring is not a worry. LEDs - If it comes with them, anything NOT blue or white will be just fine!

I'm using the stock fans that came with my H100 and Carbide 500R case, so that's the sort of noise I'm looking to combat. Doesn't have to be silent... just notably quieter. On my last PC, the loudest thing was the HDD spinning up!


Is there a chart that compares static pressure against noise, or something?
It's those two features I'll be looking to balance - What are people's thoughts?


Cheers,
Tasky.
 
It'll good to see what folks say about this because im looking for the same info, but to replace the super noisy fans that come on my h100i. They need to be 4pin low noise high static pressure PWM but give same performance as the fans provided with the cooler.
 
Thermalright TY-147 for £5.99 is very good.. both performance and cost.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=hs-104-tr

martin has tested lots of fans and most have audio/video to compare sound
http://martinsliquidlab.org/?s=airflow+and+pressure

here are links to french fan reviews where their graph is interactive. click on fan in list for graph to show. click again to remove it from graph. move cursor onto graph to see fan stats.
140mm fans
http://www.hardware.fr/articles/886-26/recapitulatif-db-a-vs-cfm.html
120mm fans
http://www.hardware.fr/articles/874-35/recapitulatif-db-a-vs-cfm.html
 
Gah... after all those helpful posts, I just learned what PWM actually is... and that my rig is built around 3-pin fans anyway!!

OK, so how about just relatively quiet 3-pin fans?
I'll need 1 pair high static (120 or 140, whichever is better) ones for the H100 rad and 1 or 2 pair for the front HDD intakes (I could get a push-pull deal either side, or just stay with the push from the front) .
I'll also need some high airflow case fans for the floor & side intakes and exhausts - Up to 6.

For the case fans, I was thinking the Silverstone FN121-P (58CFM and 25db) would be better than a Corsair AF120 Quiet Edition (40CFM and 21db)... or have I misunderstood something again? :eek::)
 
Got a couple of BitFenix Spectre Pro 140mm PWMs on my CPU cooler- terrific fans, really well made, quiet and shift good air.
PWM only available in non-LED black or white at the mo, non-PWM (i.e. 3-pin) are available in black or white, with or without LEDs of the usual colours.

Shall be replacing my case's stock Corsairs with them on payday!
 
Last edited:
I use PWM fans on everything and use CPU fan header and sometimes GPU fan header to supply PWM signal to fans and PSU to supply the power. This allows case fans to speed up and slow down the same time the CPU or GPU fans do dependent on which is supplying the PWM signal.
 
Controlling case fans with PWM signal from motherboard CPU fan header and GPU fan header.
There are some limitations:
  • Obviously motherboard and GPU must have PWM
  • Obviously fans must be PWM
  • Motherboard can only support 8-9 fans (PWM signal strength gets too weak)
  • No idea how many fans GPU can support.
Setting up motherboard PWM control of PWM case fans:
  • Use a PWM splitter with molex/sata connector. Gelid and Swiftech are my preferred:
  • http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=17923
  • http://www.swiftech.com/8-waypwmsplitter.aspx
  • Plug PWM splitter to motherboard CPU fan header and PSU
  • Use CPU cooler fan as "master" fan. This is the fan that sends rpm signal to motherboard PWM header.
  • Additional CPU cooler fans and case fans will ramp u and down with CPU fan.
  • Can use a second PWM splitter on 3-way & 4-way PWM splitter.
  • Setup fan speed curve with motherboard bios or software. Gigabyte has EasyTune 6 and Asus has SmartFan. I set minimum at 30% fan @ 30c and maximum at 100% @ 65c. Than watch temps and see if you want more or less rpm to keep temperature and noise where you want them. My sig rig idles 24-29c @ 700rpm; 100% all cores is 42-48c :950-1050rpm.



Setting up GPU PWM control of case fans:
 
Cor, this really does get complicated, doesn't it...!!

OK, the confusion arose because my mobo's CPU_Fan and Sys_Fan 1 headers are *definitely* 4-pin, but the Sys_Fan 2 (rear exhaust port) is only 3-pin...
The H100 is Molex-powered and connects to CPU_Fan, but only uses 3 of the 4 pins. Stock fans for H100 are also 3-pin, yet the four fan headers on the H100 pump unit are 4-pin!!
The H100 only uses the Ground, +12V and Sensor pins on the CPU_Fan header, but not the 4th Control pin... yet somehow still alters the radiator fans up and down. I'm guessing it checks the CPU temp and just bumps up the revs for a bit?

I'm thinking I could/should chuck some 4-pin PWMs into the H100 or not...?

Either way, I'm thinking 2 pair static pressure fans - 2 below to push air up and 2 higher pressure ones to pull up through the rad and exhaust out the top.
How does that sound?


The Carbide 500R front panel has a low-med-high switch and two cables for 3-pin fans, powered from the PSU by Molex. However, Corsair put flippin' proprietary connectors on everything!!
Unlike some other cases, these cables don't unplug fron the front panel either...

So... I'm now thinking I'd be best using some 3-pin high airflow case fans running off a fan controller (I really like the Lamptron FC models), so I can simply drop the volume when needed or bump them up if the rig starts warming up.

I had been reading up on PWM Splitters, but given that my mobo (MSI 970A-G46) has a reputation for being finicky, I'm a bit wary of putting more than one fan on a header unless they draw their power from Molex.
And yet, it sounds like I could put a 4-pin PWM on a 3-pin header (perhaps even into a fan controller) and just run them like 3-pins?
Just about every fan point in my case can take either 120 or 140, so I could feasibly choose anything I liked... and it's then down to just reading all the stats on all the fans, deciding between positive/negative pressure and choosing which fans I want?

Phew....
Does any of that make sense? :confused: :D
 
Some PWM splitters use the molex or a sata for power and some use the fan header.

Not all PWM fans behave on a 3 pin header, you can get ticking at lower speed and relatively high stall speeds compared with their 3 pin brethren.

There's nothing quite like totally automatic fan control. No fiddling and forgetting to adjust your speeds. I find using the PWM signal from my CPU header and my VGA header vital for efficient cooling with the minimum of noise. I use a Noctua 3 pin fan through a PWM to DC circuit I put together. I get 500-1300rpm based on PWM.
 
Well, trying out a pair of Noctua NF-P12 Vortex 120s on the H100, with another Noctua NF-S12A exhausting and a pair of Enermax T.B.Silence PWM UCTB12P for intakes.

They're all OK, I guess... but the whole 'silent' 8db idea is utterly wrecked simply because I have to move air through the intake meshes and I think THAT is what's making half the noise!!
Couple that with a noisy HD6950, plus the H100 pump, all in a case that has so much mesh it might as well be an open bench rig... and I think I've found the overall problem!!

I suddenly hate my case... :(
 
Pump noise in my case is by far the worst bit :( the noise of the air going through the rad isn't that bad/not really a problem except at the extreme end of the fan speeds anyhow, all the fans are very quiet during normal operation... but that pump noise :(
 
Tealc said:
There's nothing quite like totally automatic fan control. No fiddling and forgetting to adjust your speeds. I find using the PWM signal from my CPU header and my VGA header vital for efficient cooling with the minimum of noise. I use a Noctua 3 pin fan through a PWM to DC circuit I put together. I get 500-1300rpm based on PWM.
Click to expand...
Couldn't agree more! Absolutely the best way to go!

ttaskmaster said:
Well, trying out a pair of Noctua NF-P12 Vortex 120s on the H100, with another Noctua NF-S12A exhausting and a pair of Enermax T.B.Silence PWM UCTB12P for intakes.

They're all OK, I guess... but the whole 'silent' 8db idea is utterly wrecked simply because I have to move air through the intake meshes and I think THAT is what's making half the noise!!
Couple that with a noisy HD6950, plus the H100 pump, all in a case that has so much mesh it might as well be an open bench rig... and I think I've found the overall problem!!

I suddenly hate my case... :(
Click to expand...
LOL
Hate your H100 and HD6950. They are the problem. The 500R is a nice case. I don't think the mesh is the problem.. at least not most of the time. Setup like Tealc and I have ours with a good CPU cooler (like new True Spirit 140 Power for under £35.. no idea why OcUK doesn't have them) and a nice quiet GPU and you can listen to the sound of silence. :D
 
It is the 500R in part, as the rig was notably quieter in my previous case (some old generic HP or Packard Bell one).

The 6950 at least will be going once the insurance cheque clears, though!!
 
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