Silent 140/120 PWM fans for 540 Carbide

M

MorgothPl

2[H]4U
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Oct 13, 2008
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I need to swap those corsair fans in Carbide 540 for something PWM and silent. Don't know, if I should stay with 2 140 in front, or go for 3x120... but even at the electric control via Asus board, those 140 fans are irritating, especially when then spin up a bit.

Oh, and those fans should be good looking, so no way I'd put those fugly Noctuas there.
 
Silent fans don't exist. They all make noise. If you're going for quiet fans, Noctua's are the best. Otherwise go undervolt some gelids.
 
Check out Thermalright TY-147 fans. I buy them for £5.49 plus tax. They perform the same as NF-A14 & NF-A15 PWM fans. On my X58A-U5 & X58A-UD3R at 20% PWM they idle at 500rpm. First is TY-147, second is photoshopped TY-140 (same fan, different color) and third is comparison. TY-141 performs the same as TY-140, TY-143 & TY-147. TY-143 just keeps going up to 2500rpm, but will idle at 600-650rpm no problem.
TY-147_zpsda1e69d3.jpg
NF-A14A15ampTY-140seriesblade_zpsf5eb68aa.jpg

TY-141143ampNH-A15-12001500rpmdbammH2O_zps96823554.png
 
I'll agree on the Noctua aesthetics, but they are a bit of a statement. For some system builders, they are a conversation piece and an indication that performance was the intention.

That said, the Corsair fans are decent performers that look good and they always look right in Corsair cases.

I personally like the XSPC 120 mm 1650 rpm fans. They are about $6 a pop, simple black, and perform well.

One other thing, try adjusting your fan profile. If they are annoying when they spin up, determine first if they actually need to spin up.
 
I've used the Arctic Cooling PWM fans for years with multiple builds. Using Asus FanXpert, they are completely quiet on "silent" because, well, they're off most of the time. At lower to mid RPM ranges, they do provide a decent balance of airflow and very low noise. At full speed, they will move some air, but you can definitely hear them...nothing insane like the old Vantec/Delta equi talent to jet exhaust. Tolerable, but definitely noticeable.

I've yet to find any 120mm or 140mm PWM that offers a better balance of decent airflow and low noise for the price. 6 year warranty is good peace of mind, as well. Keep an eye on your inbox for Newegg 20% off case fans coupon code with free shipping. $7-8 apiece is a steal for them, imo.
 
Why do you want PWM if you mandate silence? Assuming you define "silence" as "inaudible from several feet away at my ambient noise levels", there would be absolutely no point in slowing down "silent" fans from their maximum speed.
 
wabbitseason said:
Why do you want PWM if you mandate silence? Assuming you define "silence" as "inaudible from several feet away at my ambient noise levels", there would be absolutely no point in slowing down "silent" fans from their maximum speed.
Click to expand...

Because the capability to ramp up the airflow well beyond what a fixed speed "silent" fan provides is there when needed.
 
With PWM fans and a PWM splitter with power from PSU the case fans cycle on demand the same as CPU fans .. and if you use a video card PWM to normal PWM adapter/splitter, some of the case fans can cycle with video card fans. Quiet when at low load and only get louder under heavy load .. just like cooler fans. ;)
Controlling case fans with PWM signal from motherboard CPU fan header and GPU fan header.

There are some limitations:
  • Obviously motherboard and GPU must have PWM
  • Obviously fans must be PWM
  • Motherboard can only support 8-9 fans (PWM signal strength gets too weak)
  • No idea how many fans GPU can support.

Setting up motherboard PWM control of PWM case fans:
  • Use a PWM splitter with molex/sata connector. Gelid and Swiftech are my preferred.
    http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=17923
    http://www.swiftech.com/8-waypwmsplitter.aspx
  • Plug PWM splitter to motherboard CPU fan header and PSU
  • Use CPU cooler fan as "master" fan. This is the fan that sends rpm signal to motherboard PWM header.
  • Additional CPU cooler fans and case fans will ramp u and down with CPU fan.
  • Can use a second PWM splitter on 3-way & 4-way PWM splitter.
  • Setup fan speed curve with motherboard bios or software. Gigabyte has EasyTune 6 and Asus has SmartFan. I set minimum at 30% fan @ 30c and maximum at 100% @ 65c. Than watch temps and see if you want more or less rpm to keep temperature and noise where you want them. My sig rig idles 24-29c @ 700rpm; 100% all cores is 42-48c :950-1050rpm.

Setting up GPU PWM control of case fans:
  • Obviously GPU fans need to be PWM. Because the GPU PWM header/plug is smaller than normal PWM we need a Mini 4-Pin GPU (Female) to Mini 4-Pin GPU (Male) / 4-Pin Fan (Male) Cable Splitter Adapter is needed-. The blue wire going to normal PWM socket needs to be cut off of mini PWM plug. (You can use this wire to monitor rpm on case fan by connecting it to a normal 3pin fan plug in the rpm position.) Plug a PWM splitter into the normal PWM socket and PSU for case fans.
    http://www.moddiy.com/products/Mini...)-{47}-4%2dPin-Fan-(Male)-Cable-Splitter.html
  • Case fans hooked onto this splitter will ramp up and down with GPU fans.
  • Use GPU software or Bios to setup fan speed curve
 
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