OT: PC hardware temperature control

VMP wrote on 1/28/2008, 3:54 PM
Hi,
I have a full tower pc casing containing 4 internal hardiscs.

To avoid high temperature peaks I have placed about three fans in the casing.

One at the back blowing out (connected via intended fan power source) and two in front blowing in air.

The last two I have connected via two separate connectors which are intended 12v connection for extra cd rom drives etc.

Recently I found a software called ‘speed fan’ where you can monitor varied hardware temperatures and fan speeds.
It also allows you to control the fan speed *less noise!*

But because the two later placed fans are not connected via the ‘original fan power source’ they do not interact with the software, or the motherboard fan control system.

My question is:
Is it safe to connect the other two fans on the original ‘single’ fan power source?

If so, would the software / motherboard see them as ‘three’ different fans?
Thanks,

Comments

Kennymusicman wrote on 1/28/2008, 4:24 PM
NO!

DOn't connect more than 1 fan to a header control - it's an easy way to fry the controller at best, much more damage at worst.

Double check your motherboard for other fan headers - many have a second or even a third fan connection. Double check again if you've already looked - it's easy to miss! You may find
System fan 1
system fan 2
case fan
or similar.


If none extra, get a "PC Fan controller"
http://www.amazon.co.uk/LINDY-Case-Controller-variable-illuminated/dp/B00062UMYQ (shows an example)
Granted it won't show up in the software, but you have instant hand-tweaking if needed.

The other action is to look at silent fans - many fans report being quiet, but as you can see/hear, a couple together add up. There is an australian brand (brown color fans, name escapes me atm) that is about teh quietest around. It's another option.
VMP wrote on 1/28/2008, 4:47 PM
Thanks Kennymusicman,

V
blink3times wrote on 1/28/2008, 4:53 PM
If you really want quiet as well as even temperatures, then go liquid cool. Admittedly it's a bit of a pain, but a liquid cooled system runs whisper quiet with very even temps. I still have one fan blowing over the HDD's but because the liquid cooling has dropped the case temp drastically, I have been able to throttle back the HDD fan so that it is not even heard (about 300rpm)
Kennymusicman wrote on 1/28/2008, 5:11 PM
The company I couldn't remember earlier: Noctua

http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/std/sku=noctua_nf-s12.html?id=BYXPeCHG

8dB(A) !!!
TheHappyFriar wrote on 1/28/2008, 7:27 PM
how hot does your PC get? I've had 4 HD's for a few years & have had no heat issues with the drives.

But I'd put 2 fans on the out & 1 on the in. If you're bringing in more air then out, some is getting trapped inside the case. That's not good (think of it as a water pipe: you don't want two inlets & one outlet, the pipe will burst)