Fan Controller - CM 690 III

[cocainhore]

hey guys, iv received my new i7 7700 \ Coolermaster 690 III ( White Edition ) system.

im very happy with the case, BUT the fans are a bit noisy for my taste. i have 5 fans in
general and i wanna improve noise\cooling with a controller since i cant seem to make
it work as i want with the Q-FAN from bios.

my setup :

2 x 140mm in front for intake ( 1 x AF 140mm Corsair and 1 default 140 from Coolermaster )
1 x 120mm default on back exhuast
2x 140mm AF140MM Corsair on roof exhaust

i have never used an external fan controller. is it possible to use the NZXT sentry 3
for example and connect the entire fans ? is it require changing fans or wires ?

thanks ~

 

[cocainhore]

anyone ?

thanks

 

[Paperdoc]

Can you be more specific about, " i cant seem to make it work as i want". I SUSPECT the problem is that you cannot make the fans slow down - they run at full speed all the time. Is that your problem? That will happen if your fans are of the 3-pin type (I think all of those fans you listed are - is that true?) and they are plugged into mobo 4-pin fan headers that can only use PWM Mode for control. There are ways to fix that so you CAN have your case ventilation fans under automatic control by your mobo headers. To give you details, I need details from you.

1. Exactly what mobo do you have - maker and model number?
2. Exactly what fans do you have - makers and model numbers for each.

I will assume you plan to keep your CPU cooler system connected to the CPU_FAN header, and the case ventilation fans are the only thing we're dealing with here.

 

[cocainhore]

Can you be more specific about, " i cant seem to make it work as i want". I SUSPECT the problem is that you cannot make the fans slow down - they run at full speed all the time. Is that your problem? That will happen if your fans are of the 3-pin type (I think all of those fans you listed are - is that true?) and they are plugged into mobo 4-pin fan headers that can only use PWM Mode for control. There are ways to fix that so you CAN have your case ventilation fans under automatic control by your mobo headers. To give you details, I need details from you.

1. Exactly what mobo do you have - maker and model number?
2. Exactly what fans do you have - makers and model numbers for each.

I will assume you plan to keep your CPU cooler system connected to the CPU_FAN header, and the case ventilation fans are the only thing we're dealing with here.

thanks for the helpful reply.

my system : i7 7700 \ Asus H270 Strix \ Noctua U12S.


- yeah you are correct with the CPU cooler. the CPU isn't a problem, its quiet and the curve itself is fine by me.
what im talking about are the case fans. the case came with 2 default fans from CoolerMaster, a 140mm fan in front, and a 120mm on back. i added 3 more 140mm fans from Corsair.

the fans iv added : http://www.corsair.com/en-us/air-series-af140-quiet-edition-high-airflow-140mm-fan

- you are again correct about the issue with the lowest RPM speed when trying to "optimize all"
with the q-fan via BIOS. i have tried several times to set manual \ silent over and over and im not
happy with the noise. system temps are very good in general.

again thanks, your comment is very much appreciated. looking forward for your reply.

 

[Paperdoc]

I'm pretty sure you can fix this with an easy adjustment in BIOS Setup and the use of a couple of Splitters.

The root of the problem is that all those added Corsair fans, and I expect also both the Cooler Master fans, are of the 3-pin design. When such a fan is plugged into a mobo header that uses PWM Mode to control its fans, that header can NOT control the speed of a 3-pin fan; that fan always runs at full speed. BUT your mobo allows you to change the header's control method to DC Mode which CAN control 3-pin fans.

Now, in order to connect three (or two) fans to one header using DC Mode, you MUST use SPLITTERS. There is confusion between Splitters and Hubs, and it is not helped at all when sellers use the label Splitter on a Hub. What's the difference? A Splitter has one arm ending in a female (with holes) connector that plugs into a mobo male fan header. Then it has two or three output arms, each ending in a male (with pins) connector. Of these, only one has all its pins usually; the others are missing Pin #3 often, and this is proper. a HUB, on the other hand, has those two arm types, plus a third type that must plug into a power output from the PSU (either 4-pin Molex or SATA power). BUT a Hub can only work with a 4-pin fan system, and you are using 3-pin fans. So you need Splitters that do NOT have that extra arm to the PSU.

Here are typical splitters

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812423169&cm_re=Coboc_fan_splitter-_-12-423-169-_-Product

that has two 12" arms and is designed for 3-pin system. a 4-pin Splitter will also work. You can buy ones with 6" arms also.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812423162&cm_re=Coboc_fan_splitter-_-12-423-162-_-Product

That one is for a 4-pin system (still works for you) but has three outputs spaced from 8" to 16" from the end. If you get one of each of these you can connect your five fans to your two mobo headers. The Corsair fans each pull 0.1 amps, so connecting three of them to a single mobo header is entirely OK. I'm sure the same applies to the Cooler Master fans.

Once you have those splitters and fans connected to your two CHA_FAN headers, you need to adjust them in BIOS Setup. See your mobo manual, p. 3-28. Under Chassis Fan 1/2 Q-Fan Control, set each of them to use the DC Mode option. Under Chassis Fan 1/2 Q-Fan Source, set each to use the Motherboard source for the temperature sensor. Remember to Save and Exit to preserve your new settings.

Set up this way, all your case fans should be under automatic control by the mobo, based on temperature measured by a sensor on the mobo (not the sensor inside the CPU chip.)

 

[cocainhore]

will try and update. thank u ~

 

[Paperdoc]

Thanks for Best Solution. We look forward to hearing how it goes.