Controlling a PSU fan

[dancingmatt]

Morning all

The PSU in my new rig is much noisier than I hoped it would be, so much so that I think it might be a faulty one. Anyway, correctly working or not, this model doesn't have a lead to connect it to the PSU fan header on the Asus P5W DH Deluxe motherboard.

So what can I do to control my noisy PSU from the motherboard? Should it be automatically controlled via one of the 24pin or 4pin power plugs to the board? Can I buy some sort of molex adaptor to connect to it?

There aren't any 3 or 4pin fan plugs on any of the three Tricool case fans that were pre-installed on my Antec P180b case either, so I can't connect them to the motherboard's chassis fan headers. They just have the molex connector (they do have little switches for Low/Med/High though). Can I get some sort of adaptor for the molex connector to convert it/add a 3 or 4pin fan controller lead?

To be fair, the Tricool fans aren't noisy on Low, I really need to get the PSU down though.

Is there anything I can buy/do?

Thanks

DM

[chuckskull]

You can usually swap the fan out for a quieter one. not recommended if you're not sure what you're doing though.

You might want to check the maufacturers website, see if any shipped with faulty fans, I know FSP did a while back.

[dave87]

If you want to get a fan controller for the antec tri cools, try something like this - mine came with leads to convert from 4 pin to 3 pin which the fan controller accepted. From memory, mine was a 4 channel vantec.

With regards to the PSU, you could replace the fan, and run the power wire from inside the psu case to a header on the motherboard.

Dave

[IAmATeaf]

or you could install a rheostat in line with the fans in the PSU and mount it so that you can control the speed.

[-ChEM-]

the fan should be running as fast as it needs to for the temperature of the psu, if its what the manufacturer has deemed correct you will likely lower the lifespan of the psu by swapping fans

are you sure its powerful enough, if the psu is struggling you will get a big cut in efficiency and all the waste will come off as heat

[scrandman]

Should've got a Seasonic.

What PSU is it? Fan swap is fairly straightforward, provided you can use a soldering iron.

[dancingmatt]

If you want to get a fan controller for the antec tri cools, try something like this - mine came with leads to convert from 4 pin to 3 pin which the fan controller accepted. From memory, mine was a 4 channel vantec.

With regards to the PSU, you could replace the fan, and run the power wire from inside the psu case to a header on the motherboard.

Dave

Thanks Dave, but what leads to convert? My Antec Tricools just have a 4pin molex power connector, and a switch for Low/Med/High. Do you mean you can convert the molex power plug to something you can then plug into a fan controller?

DM

[dancingmatt]

the fan should be running as fast as it needs to for the temperature of the psu, if its what the manufacturer has deemed correct you will likely lower the lifespan of the psu by swapping fans

are you sure its powerful enough, if the psu is struggling you will get a big cut in efficiency and all the waste will come off as heat

It's a 700W PSU with a 14cm fan, and it's in the bottom PSU section of a P180b case which is designed to keep the PSU separate from the other components, so everything runs cooler, and the fans should therefore be quieter...

I have no means of plugging the PSU into the motherboard headers? Do other PSUs come with a lead for this then?

Thanks

DM

[scrandman]

PSUs with the fan header only provide an rpm signal - nothing else (i.e. speed control).

I'm afraid that the speed of the fan is determined by the PSU itself. Some units slow the fan down under low load, some run 100% all the time. Sounds like you've got one of the latter.

I'm guessing its an X-Clio - those are actually manufactured by CWT who used to make PSUs for Antec. Also worthy of note is the fact your case is designed for a forward - aft fan configuration as opposed to a bottom (or top in your case) fan. The fact that the fan is next to a solid case panel won't be helping matters.

PS. Why didn't I get a thanks for my last post?

[amjedm]

I was doing a fan swap in a Seasonic Tornado 400W psu - whilst tryiing to remove the plastic around the fan connector in the psu I managed to break the pins so there was no where to connect the fan

I swapped the fan, then ran the wire along the other psu wires out of the psu and connected it to a Zalman Fanmate. I set the Fanmate at a particular voltage and left it at that (just had to make sure the fan started at that voltage). This will reduce the lift of the psu as probably not enough airflow but it was very quiet. The case is an Akasa Eclipse so has a 120mm exhaust fan so the psu isn't the only exhaust.

Currently in the same psu the Fanmate has been removed so the fan is connected via 3pin to 4pin converter to a molex on the psu. Fan runs at 12v but is still quiet. The fan is a Aerocool Turbine 120mm.

I've also swapped fans in Fortron psu's just cut the wires and attached a fan connector. You can then connect any fan.

I only reason I wouldn't connect to a fan controller is incase the dial or whatever gets turned down accidentally - frying the psu?

If you were going to change the fan in your current psu I wouldn't recommend the Aerocool 140mm fan as I haven't read good things about them on silentpcreview.com. Go for the Yate Loon 140mm.

[psumann]

It's a 700W PSU with a 14cm fan, and it's in the bottom PSU section of a P180b case which is designed to keep the PSU separate from the other components, so everything runs cooler, and the fans should therefore be quieter...

Do you know the brand of the PSU? Most of 700W PSUs should have thermal controlled fans that don't get noisy until your system is under load. If your PSU fan runs noisy when you start the computer, you probably have a PSU with a defective thermal sensor/controller, or your 700W is so generic that doesn't even have a thermal controlled fan, in which case you will be better off just ebay off the PSU and get a new one.

[dave87]

Thanks Dave, but what leads to convert? My Antec Tricools just have a 4pin molex power connector, and a switch for Low/Med/High. Do you mean you can convert the molex power plug to something you can then plug into a fan controller?

DM

Oops, appears I forgot to post the link, this was meant to be clickable...well like this really

The model number of the one I got is the NXP-205, which is on the list under 'Multi fan controller'


That shows a picture (found from a review, but not hotlinked) with the cables I mean in them. (I would have taken my own, but all of mine are in use, and I'm not taking my PC apart )

Then you can use the antec tri cools (set them to high on the little switch) and get the motherboard (or indeed this fan controller) to adjust the speed

Hope this helps, sorry about forgetting the link

Dave

[dancingmatt]

This is all very new to me - thanks loads Dave for going to the trouble of posting all that!

Can I just clarify then, instead of buying a whole bay-mounted fan controller, it is also possible to buy cables that convert my fans' 4pin Molex power connectors into something that can be plugged directly into the motherboard's fan headers? Where do the fans get their power from, in this situation?

DM

[dave87]

This is all very new to me - thanks loads Dave for going to the trouble of posting all that!

Can I just clarify then, instead of buying a whole bay-mounted fan controller, it is also possible to buy cables that convert my fans' 4pin Molex power connectors into something that can be plugged directly into the motherboard's fan headers? Where do the fans get their power from, in this situation?

DM

No Problem,

afaik, you can't buy them on their own, but some forum member may have some spare they could send you If you use those, then the fan would draw its power from whatever the 3pin on the end of the lead is plugged into - be it the fan header on the motherboard, or a fan controller.

imho, its worth buying a fan controller, but thats due to me wanting constant levels of noise, and not for my fans to ramp up and down as the usage increases (as I fold all the time my PC is on, the temps change very little, except when gaming, as the graphics card heats up a bit )

Dave

[dancingmatt]

What a fantastically useful place this is. It never occured to me that the motherboard fan headers could power the fans too, I thought they just monitored them.

Now I know better. Thanks Dave!

DM

[amjedm]

Just in case you're still after the 4pin to 3pin convertor for the Tricools - Akasa do them and the cheapest place for one is ebay.

Overclockers also have them if you're doing another order.

There was another thread yesterday.