Fan Controller Recommendation?

[Alanstein]

I have a couple questions regarding silence in my case. I'm getting a CM 690 II and 3 Yate Loon lows and 2 Yate mediums to replace the stock fans. I'm replacing the side panel fan with a gentle typhoon to cool my 5850... and such.

What's the best fan controller to use I need something that's under 30$ that has great build quality. i would go ahead and order a Scythe, but the packaging and screws that came with the gentletyphoon were absolutely horrible and I would rather support another company.

On an unrelated note... how do I minimize vibration without breaking the bank? My gentletyphoon is quiet, but against the acrylic it emits a rather annoying humming sound. Any home-made mods, or should I buy the plastic screws for 4 bucks a pop?

Thanks guys! i'll also post pictures when the case gets in.

 

[Archmage]

Go for voltage control. Avoid PWM-control (can induce "clicking" noise).

I have gentle typhoons on a Sunbeam Rheobus (obnoxiously bright LEDs require resistor-mod). I think I paid about $12-$15, and it's a 4x20w voltage-controller. Scythe GT AP-15's are excellent at 9-10v.

Sunbeam Rheobus Extreme is 6x30w, voltage-control, and does not feature obnoxiously bright LEDs.

I ignored the mounting hardware that came with the scythe GT fans. I tend to decouple my fans. Right now they're a bit ghetto-mounted with a foam-gasket-tape because I haven't had time to do a permanent install, but this doesn't transmit vibration. I don't use screws at all - I got that tip from the guys at SilentPCReview (SPCR). I think they may have some further ideas about fan-mounting.

I'll post some relevant info later perhaps (links to fan mounting, fan controllers, etc).

 

[jedigeorge]

I have a sunbeam fan controller, and I think the first of the 4 fan knobs is not working right. It only seems to power the fan attached to it occasionally. I thought the build quality kind of sucks, and I will look at a different one when I buy another.

As for fan insulation, I'm going to try cutting my own gaskets out of thin foam I have leftover from another project. The stuff is available at craft or sewing stores. I use it to prototype costumes and armor, so I have plenty of scrap pieces to play with, but it's not much more expensive than posterboard or foamboard.

What I plan to do is trace out the outline of the fan and the hole, then cut it out with a straight edge an xacto knife. Scissors would work too. Then I'll fit that between the fan and the case and just screw it down. I'm not paying 4 or 5 bucks for silicone fan gaskets, even though they seem like a great idea.

I've never used rubber fan mounts since I always want to put grills on my fans to keep fingers, wires, and paws out of the way of the blades.

 

[Rogue71]

the rheobus extreme gets ome nice reviews. i picked up a nzxt sentry lx and while its large it looks pretty good. works fine to control my 2 gt fans on my h50.