Question About Fans

[Troof2Troof]

Hi All,

So I completed my first build and all is well, yay for me!

Here's what I have:

Intel Core i7-4770K (OC'd to 4.5Ghz, 1.20v)
Asus Sabertooth Z87
EVGA GeForce GTX780 SuperClocked w/EVGA ACX Cooler (Plan on SLI when price drops)
Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (8GBx2) DDR3 1600 MT/s (PC3-12800) CL9 @1.5V
NZXT Phantom 410 (140mm front intake, 120mm side intake, 120mm back exhaust)
Corsair H100i (2x 120mm fans on top as an exhaust)
Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 1000W 80 PLUS Gold
Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB SATA 6Gbps SSD (Windows)
Seagate Baracuda 1TB 7200RPM HDD (Games/Storage)
Crappy DVD Burner


Unfortunately my fans are louder than I'd like, especially in the corsair cooler. There are so many fans on newegg and I don't know where to start. Eventually I'd like to replace all my fans

What I'd like:
1x 140mm fan for the front to be powerful and quiet.

4x 120mm fans for the corsair (top), rear and side to also be powerful and quiet.

Cost isn't an issue, within reason, I don't want super top of the line stuff. Would also be nice to get some LED goodness going on in there but I'll worry about that last

 

[animal]

Go back to Newegg and look them over again with the following in mind:

For the sound they will make, look for the dB (decibel) ratings, the smaller the number the quieter the fan will run

For the airflow they will produce, look at the CFM (cubic feet per minute) rating, the larger the number the higher the airflow

Just look for styles/led colors you like and try to aim for the highest CFM with the lowest dB rating, you can compare up to five (5) at a time to see which design/style/color you like fits the bill

 

[kiezz]

did you try using the fan xpert II software that comes with your sabertooth and control the fan speeds lowering noise,
i find these pretty decent fans http://www.corsair.com/en/cpu-cooling-kits/air-series-fans/air-series-sp120-high-performance-edition-high-static-pressure-120mm-fan.html or these and there cheaper http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/acc/026/sy1225sl_detail.html

 

[Troof2Troof]

did you try using the fan xpert II software that comes with your sabertooth and control the fan speeds lowering noise,
i find these pretty decent fans http://www.corsair.com/en/cpu-cooling-kits/air-series-fans/air-series-sp120-high-performance-edition-high-static-pressure-120mm-fan.html or these and there cheaper http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/acc/026/sy1225sl_detail.html

well, unfortunately the fans that came with it are only 3-pin so i cant control them from the mobo (there is a 3 speed manual fan speed control on the case which is kind of lame). So I need to get some 4 pin fans so I can control them with the sabertooth.

 

[kiezz]

the sabertooth z87 can control 3 pin fans, in bios you change cpu Q-fan control to advanced mode and then it will control all the fan connections with 3 pin fans

edit: look at 3-40 in your motherboard users guide it says about switching to advanced mode for 3 pin (dc mode) fan control

 

[Troof2Troof]

the sabertooth z87 can control 3 pin fans, in bios you change cpu Q-fan control to advanced mode and then it will control all the fan connections with 3 pin fans

edit: look at 3-40 in your motherboard users guide it says about switching to advanced mode for 3 pin (dc mode) fan control

I was under the impression you need 4-pin fans to utilize PWM, no?

 

[kiezz]

yes to utilize pwm you do need a 4 pin pwm fan but you can control 3 pin fans as well that asus fan xpert II does very well but you need to change that option cpu Q-fan control and pick advanced mode and then all the headers including chassis fan headers will be able to control 3 pin fans i have 11 fans 3 pin all controlled on my asus motherboard fan xpert actually turns off some fans on low temperatures so they only kick in when needed my system is whisper quiet browsing internet or watching videos

 

[animal]

fan speed can be controlled by using PWM (pulse wave modulation) which are 4-pin fans or by changing the voltage the fans are operating at, which is what is done with 3-pin fans (this can be accomplished thru BIOS or utility software or a variable speed fan controller, not the 3 step variety on your case)

 

[Troof2Troof]

yes to utilize pwm you do need a 4 pin pwm fan but you can control 3 pin fans as well that asus fan xpert II does very well but you need to change that option cpu Q-fan control and pick advanced mode and then all the headers including chassis fan headers will be able to control 3 pin fans i have 11 fans 3 pin all controlled on my asus motherboard fan xpert actually turns off some fans on low temperatures so they only kick in when needed my system is whisper quiet browsing internet or watching videos

Nice, Ill look into it!

 

[kiezz]

yeah because no fan at full speed will be quiet enough to keep you satisfied and yet good enough cooling when your under load so its best to get control of the fans, after you change the setting in bios just go into fan xpert and use the autotune it takes about 2 or 3 minutes testing the speeds until fans stop and after its finished you can choose preset profiles or create your own profile its actually really good software