Sorry, Alternate's specs were incorrect again.

So you may either buy the additional bracket, or you may go for a fully compatible board (like the P8P67M PRO if it has enough fan headers for your needs, or a suitable ATX by Intel, MSI or Gigabyte).
Please take note that the True Spirit should be more compact than the HR02, and I think you won't regret about it up to 4.4/4.5GHz.


A valid option could be picking a rheobus like this one.
On the other side, using SpeedFan you might run the Noctua off a 3-pin header (there's at least a controllable one on ATX ASUS boards) but bound to the CPU temperature.

The P8P67M PRO is the same as the regular ATX regarding fan connections. I'll wait with deciding on the heatsink until Alternate answers my question about the fan connections - properly. The guy that responded, told me I could hook one up to the PSU! I'll see whether or not I'll have to pick a different motherboard.
Also, he told me they didn't have the new mounting bracket. I sent him your German link.

I don't know if I've well understood, however, the PWR fan header is meant to hook up a PSU, but just for sensing its fan, not to control it (not to mention that I don't recall right now any PSU with such an external cable).


Apart changing mobo, I think that a PWM Scythe could be on par - if not better - than the Noctua, in your proposed setup.
And as you should need just three fans - the exhaust (Antec), the intake (maybe), and the CPU one -, any of the above mentioned ASUS boards should have enough spare headers to drive them using BIOS/FanXpert or SpeedFan.

BTW, why do you have a distinctly catalan birth name?

Hooking up the fan to the PWR fan header is an option too (if you don't care about the fan running full rpm's), but he meant that I should connect the fan to the PSU directly, which is ridiculous because that won't allow me to control the fan speeds either. Which I did ask for specifically.


Well, I would prefer the three case fans, be it Scythe or Noctua. I mean, why not? I just have to hope Alternate has the flexibility to fix something for me.


It's a fairly common name in the Netherlands, although we pronounce it differently. I know it's actually Catalan though.

Got my reply from Alternate tech support. The guy told me that the Asus P8P67 PRO can support 2x 3-pin (CHA_FAN2; PWR_FAN1) AND 1x 4-pin. The 4-pin I can control through AI Suite, the other two through BIOS. I don't think this is a pleasant solution, since it's probably way more comfortable controlling everything through one program.
Either that or a fan controller, he said.

Jordi, I do not understand why do you continue to rely upon Alternate's customer support that has proven so many times unreliable.
SPCR has already tested the P8P67 PRO, you may read about its fan control here.

Thanks for pointing out the obvious... which I missed. I guess I just wasn't thinking straight.



So the review answers a few questions, I think.
One is that it uses DC voltage control on the chassis fan headers. At first I thought (yay, that means it can control 3-pin fans, but then I read about AI Suite II here ("Your CPU fan and any chassis fans that you have connected to one of the PWM 4-pin headers on the motherboard can now be set to 1 of 4 different profiles: Turbo, Standard, Silent, and User") and that made me think otherwise. So I'm confused again.
Two is that it is possible to set minimum fan speed lower than 60% through Fan Xpert, although for only one fan through BIOS (which was mentioned earlier in this thread) and the rest gets reset after reboot (I can't tell which version SPCR used for the review). And three is SpeedFan's incompatibility with FanXpert when it comes to speed control (which has also been mentioned before).

Another question that remains, regarding the case fans, is if it is possible to accommodate three case fans, all with speed control through the motherboard. Am I right to think that two Noctua fans (max. 700 rpm) could well be supported through one motherboard heather (like Abula said)? I'm awaiting an answer from Alternate regarding this matter.


Regarding the CPU heatsink, the Macho is now officially off the table since Alternate is unable to supply the new mounting bracket for it. This leaves me with my other choice: the Scythe Mugen 3.

So how about the PSU fan. I'm not able to control that one anyhow, right? If I even need to...

PS: I had this whole reply typed out and I thought I had posted it but when I checked, it seemed I hadn't. Luckily I make a habit of copying the whole thing before I do so and I hadn't copied anything else since so, yay, didn't have to do it again.

I don't know if ROG's post is applicable to your board: at first sight I would say no.
I can say that from what I read on SpeedFan bugtraq service the P8P67 PRO should be now fully supported (with the same features of FanXpert: so PWM only fan for the CPU, DC controlled ones for the two controllable chassis headers).
The only thing unclear, to me, is whether or not the 4-pin chassis header can control PWM fans.


No: you have two controllable chassis headers, and I'd recommend to do not overload them with Y splitters (unless the 4-pin chassis one can control PWM fans as in ROG mobos - as the Gene-Z and the like -, and so you may use the PWM splitters advised by Abula: but those cables are not available at Alternate.nl, so definitely it doesn't matter).
So, the only straight way to have a single control for all your fans should be to use a fan controller.


I would use them on two different headers and use the TruQuiet on its switch, if in case.


There's still the Thermalright True Spirit 120, I guess.

[quote="JordivanderTorre"]So how about the PSU fan. I'm not able to control that one anyhow, right? If I even need to...
With that board, for sure. But AFAIK you don't need to control a PSU fan: you just need a quiet PSU.

Well, I'm not the expert but as far as I know 4 pins equal PWM. And the manual says it's possible.


The aren't relevant if I'm going with the 3-pin Noctua's. But is PWM safer when splitting or something?
The Alternate guy agrees with you but he does think it's a possibility to hook up two fans to one header with a splitter (the only drawback being that you'll have one speed for both fans, which doesn't sound that bad to me if they're both front chassis fans). But do you think that will cause any issues with the system or fans?
I'm not really into the external fan controller. I'm not even sure if my case has a slot for a fan controller (on the front).


This is more like the third option. I'd even prefer using an external fan controller over this, I think.


You really want me to give some love to the True Spirit, don't you?


Yes, going with the Enermax EMD525AWT II Modu82+ after all so that shouldn't be an issue.

You must've never upgraded from 4 to 8 mbyte of from 32 to 64.
Or from software rendering to a 3D card.

I feel your nostalgia...

You're right, but I don't have the board right now, and as bugtraq tickets from SpeedFan are with reference to voltage-controlled fans, I'd rather to say that it's unclear.


The Akasa PWM splitters are safer because they don't draw power from the connected motherboard but directly from the PSU.
I'm not aware of any similar products for voltage-controlled fans (as the Noctua ones).


Under some circumstances this connection might blow the header. With good mobos it might be less likely, with low consumption fans (like the Noctua ones) even less likely. Unfortunately even the more reputable boards usually don't declare the continuative power of their fan headers, but almost ever the peak one. So as a rule of thumb I won't draw more than about 1W from any single header: but you may do what you may rather, obviously.


For a Scythe Kaze Server you do need a 5,25" external slot, on an Antec Solo II you have two, one for the ODD, and one spare.
So, if in case, you'd have room.


No, in fact the Mugen 3 probably could be a better cooler, with a maybe better fan.
The TR is a more compact, (more than) decent and just more proven (by SPCR) cooler, also more modestly priced.
And it's available at Alternate.nl
IMO they are both good options but it's all up to you.

Well, this fan control topic has really been a nuisance, I have to admit. I'm just waiting for the final answer from Alternate now. I'll probably go with the Antec (which has a 3-pin cable header after all) on the 4-pin motherboard header (which is possible if I'm not mistaken) and the two Noctua's on the 3-pin motherboard header with a splitter. I'll take a look at what the manufacturer says the header can take and keep in mind the 1W. Alternate says it's OK and it's their warranty in the end so I'm cool with that. I'll also stick with the Mugen 3. Because it has all those nice curves! (No, I'm kidding about the curves. They're not that sexy.)

So I'm getting annoyed with Alternate now. Let me tell you why.
After establishing the fact that the motherboard I chose for my new pc actually supports 3-pin fan control through voltage regulation (Asus AI Suite II, FanXpert), I was happy because this would mean that I could use the Noctua 3-pin fans I chose and not have to pick a different kind of 4-pin PWM fans. I then found out that an Antec fan I thought was 4-pin actually had a 4-pin molex and a 3-pin motherboard connection. Excuse my newbness. So this means that, because the one 3-pin motherboard header will be taken by the 3-pin Noctua fans (on a splitter), the 4-pin motherboard header would have to be able to support the Antec 3-pin connection. As you may know the 4-pin connections allow the use of PWM control whereas 3-pin connections allow the use of voltage control. In theory this means that, when plugging a 3-pin cable into a 4-pin motherboard connection, you lose the PWM control but it still allows for voltage control. That is what I learned from the interwebs anyway.
Following everything so far? Good. So I thought this would take just a quick answer from Alternate saying "all's well". Well, the several e-mails I had to devote to this topic were mostly handled by a certain male person (whose name I will of course not mention) that works at the Business to Consumer department at Alternate. Despite the fact that he consistently misread or misinterpreted my questions, thus providing me with incomplete or unnecessary advice, we still managed to get somewhere. Up to the point I described in the last section in fact. I was happy, I thought I could wrap this up before they went home for the night. I was wrong.
The only question I had left was: will I be able to control the 3-pin fan through the 4-pin motherboard connection? (This implies, if you witnessed the entire correspondence or have read the above, that with "control" I meant voltage control through Asus AI Suite/FanXpert.) The answer I got back was from a different employee. He sent it to me along with a picture of a 4-pin connection that allows plugging in a 3-pin connection to fit on the motherboard. He told me: 'It's possible to connect a 3-pin cable to a 4-pin header (look at the pretty picture). However, it is not possible to control the fan speed with this kind of setup.'
While pulling out my hair, I am still wondering if he meant PWM control or voltage control.

PS: does this justify an fml?

She probably meant that the MB 4 pin PWM header can not control 3 pin fans with voltage.

But that's ridiculous. 4-pin PWM is the same as 3-pin, only with that extra PWM pin. Or am I going crazy here?

Yes, but some motherboards don't support voltage regulation on 4pin PWM header. Since the PWM just turns the fan off and on really fast to get the required speed.

Seriously, this is frustrating. Can't put it any other way. Anyway, I'll just hope that Alternate support can answer this question satisfyingly.

I think you are expecting way to much from a supplier/reseller. Personally i wouldnt even trust them with their answers, only owners i would trust and with a gain of salt.

To know how the mobo works with 4pin PWM and 3pin contact ASUS, or if you dont get an answer look in Asus forums, there are probably owners that can help you.

Personally i would just avoid a mobo that has 3pin and 4pin fan connectors, and just go with one with full 4pin PWM connectors like the Gene Z (has 5), now if you really like the mobo there are alternatives like you can plug all or some PWM fans to an extension like Akasa Flexa FP5 PWM 5-Way Splitter - Smart Fan Cable (AK-CBFA03-45) (depending on your case you could even hide the cables on the back), you wont be able to control (individually) all fans, but all will behave as you the master or the one that its sending the pwm/rpm signals.

Now if you are set on the noctuas, they will not be PWM, so just use the built in resistors and run it on the speed you prefer. I personally would just go with 4pin PWM slipstreams and a mobo with full PWM fan connectors (like the GeneZ) and just use an extension or two if you feel you need to add more fans then the 5 that the mobo allows. The solo II has 2 fans mounts on the front, one on the back, i think one on the side (i wouldn't use it), so get 3x 4pin pwm slipstreams, the Gene Z, get a Mugen 3 (already has a slipstream pwm), connect all 4 fans to mobo 4pin pwm fan connectors, install Asus AISuite / fanXpert and control the fans.

I would also drop the PSU OCZ Fatal1ty 750W or the Enermax 500, in favor of Seasonic X560 / X660 or Corsair AX750.

Yes, I guess you're right. I just didn't think it would be that hard for them to use standard brain functions. Oh well... *sigh* It might be easier if I build the pc myself but I'm not brave enough to do that.

Alright, Seasonic X-560 it is (15 euro more than Enermax EMD525AWT II Modu82+ mind you).

I'll have a look at a different motherboard. If I drop the Noctua's in favor of the Slipstreams that will save me 24 euro to compensate a bit. *cheer*
The annoying thing about the fans though is that the Antec TrueQuiet that comes with the case is pretty good (no space for a fan on the side btw), so I want to use that. But it's a 3-pin...

What? And who will do it?


If in case, is the Intel DP67BG available at Alternate.nl? Broadly speaking I don't think that a fully PWM mobo (like my/Abula's Gene-Z) should be absolutely preferred.

At any way, I'm quite confident that the ASUS P8P67 PRO can do anything you want (the only limitation is it can't use a 3-pin voltage controlled fan - just - for the CPU): to be overabundantly sure, personally I would send a PM to Lawrence Lee who tested that board for SPCR (even a public post onto the relevant thread might be useful).


I don't know why you prefer so much going with Noctua: they are high quality products, but overrated with reference to quietness and performance (I own almost any Noctua fans) and overly expensive: definitely they are mainly a luxury brand.
So there's plenty of alternatives when it comes to quiet fans: the Antec TruQuiet is at least on par with them (even quality-wise), the standard voltage-controlled SlipStream and Kama Flow 2 are equally or best performing, and so on.

Alternate... I'm not that technical, really, so a warranty is nice.


The Intel board is available at Alternate so I'll take a look at it too. Higher cost though.


It was helpful.


Sadly enough (since I did consider it) the TrueQuiet is not available at Alternate.
So I just talked to a tech guy from Alternate. He said that if the motherboard supports voltage control, it should work with a 3-pin fan on a 4-pin mobo header too. *cheer* for the tech guy. Anyway, I also asked him if it was possible to put two PWM fans on a splitter but he said they don't have it. So I'll need a 3-pin alternative. What they do have is:
Scythe Slip Stream 1200. Is it the same?
Scythe Kama Flow2 1900rpm
Scythe Slip Stream Slim. 800, 1200 and 1600 rpm

With reference to hardware, there's no technical requirement but using some screwdrivers. But it's up to you.
At anyway, what makes a system quiet (or silent) is how you use it: are you able to properly configure software/BIOS? I wouldn't rely upon Alternate tech support for this.


Yes, Intel is still a premium brand: but it is probably the best for fan management and energy efficiency right now: look for the "Boring but silent" thread in the Galley forum. You may consider it as an alternative to the more gaming oriented ASUS ROG boards.


Personally I would avoid the anemic Slims and the too fast Kama Flow 2, while the SlipStream M (1200rpm) is about on par, acoustically - with reference to the Noctua S12 FLX, avoid the noisier but more effective Noctua P12 -: but it do need to be undervolted a bit more than the austrian fan, as it pushes more air.
How much should you wait to order a Kama Flow 2 900rpm (not 1900, but 900rpm)? I'm asking as IMVHO it should be a better move and offer a better value than the Slipstream M, sonic-wise.
Another alternative could be feeding a 500rpm fan with a 4-pin MOLEX.

At anyway, please take note that the Scythes should draw a bit more power than the Noctuas.

Just a warning, not saying what im typing is fully accurate, but there is someone in OCN forums that is using the Slipstreams PWM fan on a GeneZ, and he says hasnt been able to lower them from 1000rpm, post. I dont have any PWM fans on my build on chassis connectors only in CPU.

That maybe puts it a bit too simple but I admit I'm afraid to screw something up. Having a warranty is comforting.


Oh no, don't worry. I'll dive into that when I have my pc. I'm less likely to screw up that way, I think. Lots of good examples in that regard.


According to the thread it was also easy to control the fans. I'd still have to know if it supports the Antec TrueQuiet though. It'd be a shame not to use it. This site says it has voltage control. Intel website only says system chassis fan speed control. Can't research that right now. Any suggestions?
I think this is a valid choice. It would solve my problem with cabling instantly and the 27 euro higher price will be almost entirely compensated by the cheaper PWM Scythe fans.


They have the Kama Flow 2 in stock, so no problem.


As it will theoretically always be silent? There's the 500 rpm version of the Slip Stream M.

AFAIK the DP67BG support both 3-pins voltage fans (such as the Antec TruQuiet) as well as 4-pins PWM fans.


The 500rpm SlipStream SL is virtually silent: it may work if you accept higher load temps (as it has lower fixed airflow than a dinamically controlled fan like a SlipStream M or a Kama Flow 2 900rpm).

A 4-pin AKA PWM-fan will be potentially controllable in any with header. Go with one of those and you'll one thing less to worry about.

The issue was more whether or not a 3-pin fan could be controlled through a 4-pin header on that specific motherboard. We suspect it will work.

It does seem like the best choice after all, quest. That board with the Slip Stream. Done.
It doesn't have a very long QVL list for memory though.

Well, I always got the impression from previous posts that the Asus boards required a PWM fans for software control. So anyone with nice 3-pin fans from previous systems would have to abandon them, in return you get sophisticated and pretty fan control via bios or software. I might be misstaken however. I take the QVL lists with a grain of salt, manufacturers usually take care to follow Intels specs, just use 1.5 volt or lower. 1600MHz speed is likely enough too, even benchmarks don't show much benefit. Hope this helps.