silent 3-pin fan or noisier 4-pin PWM compromise?

LAThierry · Post by **LAThierry** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 8:41 am

Hello everyone,

As they say "first time, long time". I've been a long time lurker of these forums and would like to thank SPCR, MikeC and the entire community for their valuable help.

It seems too many times we have to compromise between a silent 3-pin fan or a not-as-silent 4-pin PWM. Why can't we have both? Why doesn't one of the quality / silent fan manufacturer, sell a CPU-only fan? And by that I mean:

- give me a PWM 4-pin for the CPU
- no small 3-pin
- none of the 2 huge 4-pin
- no freakishly long wires, thanks.

I would love a super quiet fan for my CPU, which could take advantage of modern motherboards' ability to regulate fan speed, without having to resort to tinkering with wires, soldering stuff, or adding some clunky/ugly speed fan regulator. Heck, I don't even have a soldering gun and I'm not buying one either!

So, is this a case of "there's not enough of a market for it" or can enough people agree this is something we need?

As an alternative, can anyone recommend a quiet boxed CPU fan+heatsink combo w/ a 4-pin PWM?

Thanks in advance
Thierry

seemingly.random · Post by **seemingly.random** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 7:45 pm

I've ordered an ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro with PWM fan control from NewEgg for an ABIT NF-M2 (matx) that doesn't have BIOS control for a 3pin HST on the main CPUfan connector. I hope I'm on the right track. You have me worried now about the prospects of a not-as-silent PWM CPU fan. Would be interested in an explanation of PWM or a reference to one - am looking around the forums for one.

I know what you mean about lurking. I too figured it was time to come out of the dark. Although many subjects have already been discussed somewhere, it's sometimes difficult to find precisely what you need. SPCR seems to be the most comprehensive forum out there. One of things I appreciate the most about SPCR is the apparent lack of flame wars - a welcome relief. Either the moderators are doing an excellent job or there is a different class of people posting here.

tempoct · Post by **tempoct** » Thu Nov 23, 2006 11:53 am

I was looking for the same fan earlier. I found this;
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/2489/ ... d=s9tu5EZx

Which is hefty @ $19. I believe if you go to JMC site directly, you will find other distributor which might be cheaper.

I end up with 3-pin fan and speed controller (fanmate 2) instead. You can plug the 3-pin into 4-pin slot. Just align it correctly. Turned off PWM speed control in your BIOS and you be done. Guarantee quietness.

I guess manufacturer will release more quiet PWM fans since it's getting more popular in both Intel and AMD world.