Fan control system

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OnY1337

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Hi,
I have a case NZXT H440 which has fan hub to connect my fans but i cannot control them from what i know, i really want to have my fans on low rpm at all times unless i'm playing games with higher requirements, what's rhe best way to have easy and fast or automatic control over all fans in my case?
 
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OK, I can suggest ways to get all your fans under mobo automatic control. This will deal with your case ventilation fans only. At the end I'll ask for more info on your liquid cooler.

The starting point is fan type. All four of the fans supplied with your case are of the 3-pin design. I'm guessing the fifth fan you added also is. Now the manual on your mobo, on p. 13, shows labels on the three SYS_FAN headers that say the all have 4 pins BUT only operate in 3-pin Voltage Control Mode. That is just fine for your situation - you have only 3-pin fans and they need that control system. HOWEVER, that means that you can NOT use the Fan Hub supplied with your case, because there is no source (other than the CPU_FAN header) of a PWM signal...
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Paperdoc

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The manual for this case is poor on the details of its Fan Hub. It is actually better than the manual says, and the clue is in the pictures on the case's website. There is a close-up of the Hub. It has eight fan output headers (four per side) and a copper torroidal coil at the upper right corner. It has ONE White fan output with 4 pins, and the other seven are Black with 3 pins. It also has two other connectors on it. At top left is where you connect a cable to the mob's CPU_FAN header, and this provides the PWM signal from that header to the Hub for its use. It also sends the speed signal from ONLY the White Port #1 fan back to the mobo's CPU_FAN header. For this reason, ONLY the CPU fan should be connected to the White Port #1, because the mobo does extra monitoring of that CPU cooler to detect any possible failure and take quick action to prevent damage to the CPU. Then all your case ventilation fans are to be connected to the Black Ports 2 through 7. Finally, the Hub has a connector at it bottom centre and from that you run a cable to a PSU SATA power output connector. All of the fans connected to this Hub get their power from the PSU this way, and not from mobo headers.

This Hub has a special feature. It uses the PWM signal from the CPU_FAN header to create its own group of seven 3-pin fan ports operating in Voltage Control Mode. That method can control both 3-pin and 4-pin fans in any mixture, giving you flexibility on choosing fans. The ones that come with your case, I'm pretty sure, are of the 3-pin type. (The White Port #1 is 4-pin and uses PWM Mode because most CPU cooling systems use PWM-type fans.)

There is only one small result of this system which is not quite "ideal". A mobo has two automatic fan control systems, each of which manages its fan speed according to an actually measured temperature in the components it is trying to cool. The CPU_FAN header manages its fan(s) according to temperature inside the CPU chip. The SYS_FAN header(s) manage their fan(s) according to a different sensor built into the mobo, so these headers are "ideal" for case ventilation control. But when you use this Fan Hub included in the NZXT case, ALL fans (CPU and case cooling) are guided by the temperature sensor inside the CPU chip. While this may not be "ideal", it is pretty good. After all, there is a good correlation between workload (and heat to be removed) of the CPU chip and the rest of the mobo systems.

If you use the Hub and connect it as designed, all your case ventilation fans will be powered AND automatically controlled by it. Their speeds will be adjusted for you constantly as your workload changes, guided by the internal temperature of the CPU chip.
 
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OnY1337

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5 fans plus a 240mm radiator at the top with 2 fans, z170 gaming k3, i may try your solution paperdock but its not ideal as i have wtaer cooler therefore my cpu temp doesnt exceed 55 degrees, also where should my pump and my radiator fans be connected? Im asking just to make sure, i have radiator plus one aditional fan at the top which are 120mm all exhaust, 3 front fans 120mm intake and one at the back 140mm exhaust as well, i forgot to mention i really want to achieve positive air pressure in my case but so far its not working :D i have negative pressure all the time, i thought to make top nd back fans really slow and keep the front fans on high so its quieter nd it keeps the air pressure positive or just keep them slow all the time untill i choose them to speed up or if i start gaming , but i cannot really control the fans so yh :/
 
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Paperdoc

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OK, I can suggest ways to get all your fans under mobo automatic control. This will deal with your case ventilation fans only. At the end I'll ask for more info on your liquid cooler.

The starting point is fan type. All four of the fans supplied with your case are of the 3-pin design. I'm guessing the fifth fan you added also is. Now the manual on your mobo, on p. 13, shows labels on the three SYS_FAN headers that say the all have 4 pins BUT only operate in 3-pin Voltage Control Mode. That is just fine for your situation - you have only 3-pin fans and they need that control system. HOWEVER, that means that you can NOT use the Fan Hub supplied with your case, because there is no source (other than the CPU_FAN header) of a PWM signal. And, as you have said, that source is not well suited to controlling your case fans. So, you will need to use a SPLITTER to allow you to connect more than one fan to a mobo header. The limit on this arrangement is simply that the total current load on each SYS_FAN header cannot exceed 1.0 amps. The fans supplied with your case are spec'd at 0.16 amps each, so you could easily connect several of them to one SYS_FAN header and not have a problem.

In selecting a SPLITTER, note how to differentiate them from Hubs. A Splitter has one arm with a female fan connector to plug into the mobo header. Then it has two or three output arms, each with a male (with pins) connector to plug your fans into. It has no other arms. All of the power for the fans comes from the mobo header used. You have a Hub included with your system that looks like a circuit board. But there also are Hubs sold that look like groups of wire arms, similar to a Splitter. These have one extra arm compared to a Splitter, and that arm must plug into a PSU power output (either a 4-pin Molex or a SATA Power Output). A Hub gets power for all its fans from the PSU, BUT it can only work if given a PWM signal from the mobo host header. You cannot arrange that, so a Hub is not suited to your application.

We also have the "positive pressure" aim to work with. I suggest this arrangement. Buy three Splitters with two output arms each, like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812423168&cm_re=Fan_Splitter-_-12-423-168-_-Product

Then "stack" them by plugging two of them into the output arms of the third. This makes a compound splitter with four outputs from one mobo header. Put tape around the pins of one of those so they don't short out to anything. Now use that to plug your three front intake fans into one of your mobo's SYS_FAN headers. This puts all three of them under the control of one mobo header. Next, connect each of the other two - the top and rear exhaust fans - to the other mobo SYS_FAN headers. That gets all five of them under mobo control at all times.

Now the balance question. You have three intake fans, two exhaust fans, PLUS two more exhaust fans attached to the CPU cooling system radiator. Moreover, most intake fans have filters in front of them to prevent dust intake, and these restrict the fan capacity a bit. Net result is more exhaust than intake. You could try this to improve balance. Simply disconnect the top exhaust fan - the one that is NOT on the radiator. Now you'll have a matched number of intakes and exhausts, and it MAY be close to balance. Check MOTHERBOARD (not CPU) temperatures before and after you do this, and assure yourself you still have adequate case cooling.

Now on to the liquid cooler system. Exactly what make and model do you have? With that info we can look up its manual and advise how best to connect it to your mobo.
 
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OnY1337

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I have changed all of my fans into motherboard as you said, luckily my arctic liquid freezer had 4 fans with each of them having an extension so I didnt need a splitter. Everything seems to work well, the temps are on point and my system hits below 30db compare to being 45+db earlier. I'm still waiting for the reply about my Arctic Liquid Freezer 240mm, I have the pump plugged to CPU_FAN and im not really sure whether it's right. My l;ast question is about the new Corsair ML series, I really liked them and I'm thinking of replacing my 140mm back fan for the new LED ML140, is it good? I have read overall reviews and it seems decent.
Edit: I forgot to mention that I used my BIOS 5 Smart fan control and set it to Silent mode. So motherboard controls all of my fans connected to it depending on the CPU or overall temps
 
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Paperdoc

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From what I can tell, that cooler system comes with four PWM fans that ought to be plugged into your mobo's CPU_FAN header, using the stacking cables that come with them. This header does use PWM Mode for control. The pump unit plugs into a separate mobo header, and appears to have only three wires; moreover, its specs indicate that it operates on varying voltages. So I expect it is like a 3-pin fan system and can only be controlled by a header that uses Voltage Control Mode. Your mobo's CPU_OPT header does this. Hence, I would recommend that the pump plug into the CPU_OPT header, and the four fans into the CPU_FAN header.

Connected this way, I expect that the speeds of both the pump and the fans will be controlled by the mobo according to CPU internal temperature.

I agree, the Corsair ML140 looks like a good fan, and can move lots of air. However, if you exhaust MORE air out the back with this fan than with your original one, that will give you more trouble trying for positive pressure inside the case.

I am not clear whether you set the Smart Fan option to Silent mode on your CPU cooler, your case fans, or both. You need to be aware that this setting is quiet specifically because it will NOT let your fans run at faster speeds. In fact, I believe it does not even do any adjustment of fan speeds - it just runs them at a fixed slow speed all the time. This means you do NOT get the cooling they can deliver when used properly. I always recommend you set the fan options to "Normal" so the mobo can manage their speeds over their full range.

You should understand something important about fan control. We talk all the time about "Speed Control" of the fans. In fact, the two control systems (for CPU and for case cooling) are really TEMPERATURE control systems. In each case the control system has a sensor to measure the actual temperature of an important component and a target for the ideal temperature for that item. It constantly compares target to measured value and adjusts fan speed according to that. The control system does NOT aim for a speed. It manipulates the speed of its fan(s) to whatever it takes to meet its TEMPERATURE target. This means that, when you are doing light work and generating less heat, the automatic system will slow the fans down to keep temperature on target, and they will be quiet. But when you load up your system with heavy work or gaming, the heat generation increases and the control system speeds up the fans to whatever it takes to keep the temperature on target. This certainly generates more fan noise, but that is because those components NEED that much air flow to avoid overheating. This is not where you want to limit your fan's speed just to keep it quieter.
 
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OnY1337

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Yes i am aware of the speed nd limitation but the option i chose still has a curve which adjusts to temp just with lower rpm from what i know. As when i choose different options it gives me different curves on the graph in my BIOS nd even after gaming my temperatures were good nd almost identical to previous fan speeds, i will change my pump to cpu_opt as u said, i will be ordering cable extensions and probably ml140 for the back and ml120 for the front but i read that they reqiuer full pwm 12 volts in order to work well, can u simplify or explain that statement for me?
 
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Paperdoc

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In the older 3-pin fan design, fan speed is altered by changing the voltage supplied to the motor via header Pin #2. The range is from 12 VDC (max) down to about 5 VDC - a lower voltage might cause the fan to stall and fail to re-start until the voltage is increased. The newer 4-pin fans work differently. Pin #2 supplies + 12 VDC at all times. Then the new Pin #4 supplies the PWM signal. Inside the fan case is a small chip that applies that PWM signal to the 12 VDC from Pin #2 to control how much of the time a current actually is allowed to flow through the motor. More "time on" yields higher fan speed. So a "normal" set of signals to a 4-pin fan includes a fixed 12 VDC supply plus a PWM signal that the fan uses itself.

Now, your mobo SYS_FAN headers only do it the "old way" - that is, they use Voltage Control Mode, and do not supply any PWM signal. So what your 4-pin ML140 fan will receive from the mobo header is no signal to use to modulate the incoming power from Pin #2, BUT that power will NOT be a fixed 12 VDC. It will vary the way a 3-pin fan would be supplied, and the fan's little internal chip will not attempt to change that. So the fan WILL operate with its speed controlled by the mobo header. This is a "backwards compatibility" feature of the design of 4-pin fans. Technically, controlling a 4-pin fan this way is not quite as good as doing it the new way, but the difference is small and of no real concern except for techno-purists.
 
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OnY1337

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My only concern is that I read somewhere that if the ML fan doesn't get all 12 V it will not be as quiet as it should be. I dont know if it's true. I have two more questions a bit off topic, I am planning of buying sleeved cable extensions fro Silverstone, BitFenix or CableMod, will they work fine with any power supply? And my second question is your thoughts on Phanteks Enthoo Evolv Tempered Glass, other than it's a bit pricey :D
Also thank you for the help you already gave me, greatly appreciated!
 
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Paperdoc

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I can't speak from personal experience on the fan "noise" question. There are some reports that some 4-pin fans (all? - I don't know) make little ticking noises at certain low speeds when actually fed by a PWM signal from a header using PWM Mode. You won't be doing that. There is also the fact that a 3-pin fan plugged into a header operating in PWM Mode can only run at full speed all the time, and that's noisy. But you won't be doing that, either.

I am not sure which cable extensions you are talking about. For certain functions - like, for example, connecting many devices to a line with several Molex or SATA power outputs - you might just be sure that the wire gauge they use is heavy enough to the current load. Usually that's not an issue. The mobo, CPU chip and graphics card are the heavy power users, so be careful if you're getting cables for any of those. But most things like HDD's, fans, optical drives, etc. use a few amps at most, and wires of 18 gauge or lower should be fine.

I am not familiar with that Phanteks case, and it's not one I have considered carefully, so I cannot offer useful advice there.
 
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