Advice on controlling fan speeds.

elsmandino · Post by **elsmandino** » Fri May 04, 2012 5:10 am

Hi there,

I currently have a server/HTPC that although is fairly quiet, I would like to make it more so if possible.

I have a 140mm fan on the front and a 120mm on the back, which in conjunction with the CPU and PSU fans, does add up.

I have an MSI board which does not really provide automatic settings in the BIOS - I tried plugging both fans into the motherboards and the 140mm won't spin up on its own. It needs a slight push to get the fan spinning.

I have also considered speedfan, but there is also the same problem with the 140mm fan - it seems my motherboard fan connector is not quite powerful enough.

I am currently using a manual dial, connected to both fans, but I don't like the fact that I have to keep messing around to get the best noise/temperature ratio.

Ultimately, I think my best bet is an automatic hardware fan controller that can speed up things only when needed and whack them down when the PC is just ticking over. I would be really grateful for any advice as to what to be looking out for.

Thanks very much.

Alex