Control Fan by Temp. or Full On?

[Ex_Dell_User]

I'm wondering what the board consensus is for controlling the case fans? I've got an ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 in a CoolerMaster 690 II advanced case. I've got three fans that came with the case plus a Hyper 212 + CPU fan. Right now, I've got the fans set for full on, which I presume is the default setting. The computer isn't loud, but I can certainly hear the fans running. Could be the case allowing fan noise to be heard because it has a lot of mesh openings.

Using the ASRock BIOS I could control the fans by temperature. I can set the point where the fans will kick on by temperature range as well as set the fan speed per temperature reading. Yes, I know I could play around with it and run some experiments but just wondering, what is the preferred method--full on or temperature control?

Also, is there any fan control software made for the ASRock boards?

 

[geofelt]

You could try speedfan which is free, and can control fans on most motherboards.

Personally, I find that changing fan speeds sounds more annoying than a constant drone, so I just set them to a nice low level.
If things get hotter, so be it. Parts will still work until the temperatures get ridiculous.

If the overall speed of the fans seems too loud, you can buy or make voltage lowering adapters. Noctua includes a couple with their fans.

Easier is to use a couple of zalman fanmate controllers. They are cheap and can adjust the fan speeds continuously.

 

[kajabla]

IMO the best way to go would be to set them just below the point at which they're annoyingly audible and then leave them there unless you have temperature problems. Maybe have them stay at that speed unless you get really high internal temps.

 

[Ex_Dell_User]

Thanks for the quick replies. I've turned the chassis fans down as low as they will go and the noise level has dropped off appreciably! I've got CPU fan at '4' out of '10'. I'm monitoring temps/fan rpm with ASRock Extreme Utility and keep an eye on it under various computing loads.

 

[Ex_Dell_User]

Upon further review, I note that the Chassis_Fan1 pin out on the mobo is a four pin connection; whereas the front case fan on my CoolerMaster 690 II case has a 3 pin connector. When building this rig last weekend, this prompted me to connect the front 140mm case fan to the ASRock Chassis_Fan2 pin out, the top 140mm case fan to the ASRock Chassis_Fan3 pin out, and the rear 120mm case fan to the Power_Fan1 pin out on the mobo. This means I cannot control the rear case fan using ASRock Xtreme tuning utility.

I'd like to hook the front case fan (3 pin) to the mobo Chassis_Fan1 pin out (4 pin) and subsequently move the other fan connections so my rear case fan is controllable on Chassis_Fan3 pin out. What's the solution? Are there 3 pin to 4 pin adapters?

 

[kajabla]

I think you should just be able to plug a 4-pin fan into a 3-pin plug without any problems, but there certainly are adapters. Google is your friend.

 

[Ex_Dell_User]

I think you should just be able to plug a 4-pin fan into a 3-pin plug without any problems, but there certainly are adapters. Google is your friend.

The situation is the reverse of your description. The fan wire is a three plug female connector. The mobo connector is a four pin male connector. I've searched all over the internet and haven't been able to find anything.

 

[geofelt]

The situation is the reverse of your description. The fan wire is a three plug female connector. The mobo connector is a four pin male connector. I've searched all over the internet and haven't been able to find anything.

4 pin mobo headers are intended for PWM control, like the cpu fan header.
When you connect a 3 pin fan wnich is voltage controlled to them, the fan will run at full speed.

 

[liviu81x]

There is no adapter to 3 pin fan to 4 pin socket as your fan has 3 wires and cannot be controlled, via software as in the case of the 4 pin fans;
the 4 wires are used for: 2 for + and - (voltage), the third one for reading speed (rotation speed) and the fourth is for impulsing a lower / higher speed via PWM in the BIOS. If the BIOS can't lower the voltage for the 3 pin fan, there is no other way but getting your hands on a fan with 4 pins or just pull the socket and disable it. ( Ooor, you can manipulate the wire like cutting it and attach an inline diode to lower the voltage but I guess that's out of the question... by 1 V).

Yes, or switch it with the one at the top that havs 4 pins, you have a fan inside the PSU and another one left at the back, it's enough I think.