Does Tom's have an up to date fan guide?

dolokhov

Distinguished
May 20, 2012
56
2
18,545
I don't understand my case fans, to be honest. I've tried to research some of my questions but there is a lot of anecdotal advice out there.

Some things I am wondering:


  • What parts add to fan quality? Bearings?
    How do voltage loads work? Can I daisy chain fans onto a single MoBo set of pins?
    What controllers do people most often use?
    What information does PWN provide me with?

Thanks everyone.
 
Solution
Motherboard headers are designed to allow motherboard controlled speed.
The speed sensors will get confused of more than one fan is attached via splitters.

Some fans are speed controlled by voltage. 12v is full speed, lower voltage will lower the speed.
Under 5v, the fan will likely not start.

Other fans are controlled by PWM(Pulse width modulation)
A full 12v is sent to the fan, but only for a small pulse. The fan speed increases as the pulse frequency increases.

Most people will let the motherboard control the cpu cooler fan. The parameters can be set in the bios.

Some will control case fans with an app such as speedfan, others will have manual rheostat controls to adjust voltage.
Others will just let the fans run at a constant...

sidewinder1911

Reputable
Oct 25, 2015
108
0
4,710
Most fans that you buy from reputable manufacturers nowadays will have more or less the same quality, which is usually determined by build quality, fan blade design, motor, etc. as well as noise levels and power consumption (although the difference in power is negligible among fans).
You can use a fan splitter/hub to connect multiple fans to a single header.
PWM basically means it is capable of running at a different RPM according to your CPU/GPU temperature and can be controlled using software or your BIOS.
 
Motherboard headers are designed to allow motherboard controlled speed.
The speed sensors will get confused of more than one fan is attached via splitters.

Some fans are speed controlled by voltage. 12v is full speed, lower voltage will lower the speed.
Under 5v, the fan will likely not start.

Other fans are controlled by PWM(Pulse width modulation)
A full 12v is sent to the fan, but only for a small pulse. The fan speed increases as the pulse frequency increases.

Most people will let the motherboard control the cpu cooler fan. The parameters can be set in the bios.

Some will control case fans with an app such as speedfan, others will have manual rheostat controls to adjust voltage.
Others will just let the fans run at a constant speed.

If you care about quiet, www.silentpcreview.com has good info on fans and quality
 
Solution