Fan Controller, Case Fans and CPU Fan

[jblue42]

Hey, I'm planning on getting a controller to turn down the noise on my rig at night. Many of the Controllers I've seen say don't use it to control CPU fans. I have the Zalman 7000, and it came with a Fan Mate, so I don't see why a different fan controller couldn't be used. I'd like a controller without bright lights, that can control my Zalman and 2 120mm Fans with. I'd also still like to connect the CPU fan to the mobo, so I can still monitor the RPM with ABit EQ. Is there a controller that will let me connect 3 pin mobo -> Controller -> Zalman HSF

Thanks!

 

[Logan321]

Most new motherboards can enable dynamic CPU fan speed, so it'll slow down when not active, so you won't need to manually adjust the speed. Also that way you can enable the motherboard's fan monitoring alarm/autoshutdown incase your cpu fan fails.

Of course, this means your system has to be idle... Folding overnight won't work so well.

 

[jblue42]

Ive got a pretty old (2003) mobo, ABit IC7-G. My Zalman HSF never seems to drop below 2600RPM, and it would definiatly be the loudest thing in my system at that speed. I can open the case, and lower the speed with the Fan Mate 1, but that's a hassle to do every night.

 

[trust_no1]

They most likely tell you not to use it to control CPU fans so a mishap doesn't happen, like someone plays with it and turns off the fan. I use a Vantec NXP-301 to control my CPU fan and haven't had problems with it (no one touches my PC though).


Since you seem to have a way to control HSF speed already, why not just set it to a tolerable speed and leave it at that?

 

[jblue42]

I'm an idiot, I'm going to use speedfan to automatically slow my CPU HSF down at night, while the controller will be used for the case fans. Very good point about not wanting manual control of the CPU fan, because there are frequently hordes of people in my room, (the house bar is in my room) and I wouldn't want it to be turned off.