Silent Desktop PC - noisy CPU fans by Noctua 3pin - 4pin etc

[mrweasel]

Hi
I just upgraded my pc and built myself something really nice with hquality components, for the pc to run as quietly as possible
Antec P183 silent case
Noctua Noctua NH-C12P SE14 cooler
Silent Pro 620W power supply
P8P67 EVO Asus Motherboard
24Gb ram
2600k i7 processor etc

The only thing is that the cooler I got for myself runs at top speed because it only has 3 pins and my motherboard has a 4 pin connection for the CPU fan.

What's the story with that? Anyone has had that issue before?
From what I gather, some cpu fans with 4 pin connections seem to make regular noise, although the Bios can allow regulation according to the cpu levels
On 3 pin fans, which is actually most cpu fans, you can't seem to control the speed so it goes full speed.

The solution Noctua seem to recommend is to use an attenuation cable, to lower the voltage going into the fan and cut some of the noise.
Are there any alternatives?
I'm sure some of you must have been confronted to that issue before

I ordered a fan controller thingie but it only works for case fans.
Any help would be greatly appreciated

[Ezro]

Hi
I just upgraded my pc and built myself something really nice with hquality components, for the pc to run as quietly as possible
Antec P183 silent case
Noctua Noctua NH-C12P SE14 cooler
Silent Pro 620W power supply
P8P67 EVO Asus Motherboard
24Gb ram
2600k i7 processor etc

The only thing is that the cooler I got for myself runs at top speed because it only has 3 pins and my motherboard has a 4 pin connection for the CPU fan.

What's the story with that? Anyone has had that issue before?
From what I gather, some cpu fans with 4 pin connections seem to make regular noise, although the Bios can allow regulation according to the cpu levels
On 3 pin fans, which is actually most cpu fans, you can't seem to control the speed so it goes full speed.

The solution Noctua seem to recommend is to use an attenuation cable, to lower the voltage going into the fan and cut some of the noise.
Are there any alternatives?
I'm sure some of you must have been confronted to that issue before

I ordered a fan controller thingie but it only works for case fans.
Any help would be greatly appreciated

Hey mrweasel,

That heatsink (Noctua Noctua NH-C12P SE14 cooler) has 2 usable adapters. A low noise adapter, and an ultra low noise adapter.

If those two are not options, then I'm not sure what you can do (aside from just soundproof the inside of your case).

Also, just fyi, 3 pins are standard fans which have no ability to control speed. The extra pin is a PWM control(Pulse-width modulation) which allows for the fan speed to be adjusted.

Regards,
Ezro

[fatrabbit]

You could use a cable that steps the voltage down to 5v or 7v. That's what I did with a noisy intake fan (connected directly to the power supply).

Another option is to buy a fan controller (BitFenix Recon as an example).

If you have the fans plugged into the motherboard try a bit of software called SpeedFan first. You might have to go in to the BIOS to change your fan setting.

[mrweasel]

Ok thanks. Will The software work with a 3 pin fan?
Because the bios settings won't affect the settings of a 3 pin fan because its not pwm/pwm but volt controlled.

[Ezro]

Ok thanks. Will The software work with a 3 pin fan?
Because the bios settings won't affect the settings of a 3 pin fan because its not pwm/pwm but volt controlled.

It doesn't hurt to try.
There are a lot of factors that go into making a 3 pin adjustable via software, so, at least it has the possibility of working, heh.

Also, regarding the bios, that may or may not be true in your case; there are mobos that do support voltage control on 3-pin fans.

Regards,
Ezro