[SOLVED] Fan Connector Question/Recommended CFM

Upgrayedddd · 06-30-2008, 08:56 PM

Hi, I was looking at 92mm, 2-ball bearing fans at Newegg and have come across these:

- VANTEC TF9225

RPM: 1850-3100 RPM
Air Flow: 34.8-58.5 CFM
Noise Level: 29-40 dBA
According to the picture it draws 0.17A. Now, the power connector connects to a PSU 4-pin and the other 3-pin connector connects to the motherboard. I will be able to control the fan speed with SpeedFan, because it still has that 3-pin connector right? I can control the current fans just fine.

- Antec Pro Series 92mm

RPM: 2600 RPM
Air Flow: 42.4 CFM
Noise Level: 33 dBA
It draws 0.17A as well according to info I got from the Antec site. It can be connected with just the 3-pin, or another 3+4 pin.

I like that the Vantec fan has a higher CFM, and if I can control the RPM with SpeedFan then noise won't be that much of a problem. But I like the low noise level of the Antec fan. I'm planning on putting a dedicated GFX card in my machine in the future. But I don't think I'll be getting a new case. I have an OEM case at the moment and aside from the 80mm PSU fan, the 92mm case fan will be the only other fan working exhaust. No intake fans. So I'm thinking I'll be needing the extra CFM of the Vantec. Unless the GFX card doesn't heat the case up that much and the lower CFM Antec will do just fine? I need help.

magnethead · 06-30-2008, 09:11 PM

my thoughts are that, since you dont have an intake fan, higher CFM is not always better.

No, the vantec is not speed controllable. The 3 pin only has the RPM report wire so speedfan will report RPM but thats all. the fan will still recieve voltage from the molex connector.

Honestly, I wouldn't pick etier fan. I'd pick up the tri-cool fans if I were you. They are powerable by either 3 pin for molex so you can control the speed from speedfan, but the fan also has a 3 speed switch on it so you can balance out the cfm and volume for your case then fine tune it in speed fan.

I think if you go too high on CFM in your case you may start to develop a vacuum, which is not good for cooling.

Upgrayedddd · 06-30-2008, 09:56 PM

Thanks for the reply. The Vantec fan is supposed to adjust to air temp on its own then, but a review at Newegg said that it was spinning at 3000 RPM even when SpeedFan reported 31C air temp. I went to the manufacturer site, pulled a .pdf and indeed it is supposed to only go to 3000 RPM if air temp is near 50C. Since it can't be controlled manually with SpeedFan either, I guess its out of the question.

I considered the Tri-Cool fan and the Smart Cool fans from Antec, too. I just thought the Pro series was the best of the bunch. I pulled a .pdf from Antec and the Pro series fan appears to be able to be plugged in either with 3-pin or 4-pin. It's a full 3-pin connector, and doesn't have just one wire to report RPM speed.

My case has vents on the side panel, is creating a vacuum still a risk?

magnethead · 06-30-2008, 10:37 PM

That helps your situation. The preferable situation is front fan to draw air in and over the hard disk, a side fan to blow in over the CPU and gfx card, and a rear (and top if avaliable) exhaust to expel the now heated air.

I've always liked the tricools. come standard in the antec 900. But if you can control through speedfan, the fan mounted switch isn't as important as airflow. remember as you slow the fan down, it moves less air and makes less noise.

Some fans report in sone now instead of db. I still don't 100% understand sone. But for decibel i do know the formula- 2 items of same levelk create a 3db echo. So 2 fans runnign at 33 decibels will register as 36db on a sound level meter.

06-30-2008, 08:56 PM	#1 (permalink)
Upgrayedddd Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 14 OS: Windows XP Home SP3	[SOLVED] Fan Connector Question/Recommended CFM Hi, I was looking at 92mm, 2-ball bearing fans at Newegg and have come across these: - VANTEC TF9225 RPM: 1850-3100 RPM Air Flow: 34.8-58.5 CFM Noise Level: 29-40 dBA According to the picture it draws 0.17A. Now, the power connector connects to a PSU 4-pin and the other 3-pin connector connects to the motherboard. I will be able to control the fan speed with SpeedFan, because it still has that 3-pin connector right? I can control the current fans just fine. - Antec Pro Series 92mm RPM: 2600 RPM Air Flow: 42.4 CFM Noise Level: 33 dBA It draws 0.17A as well according to info I got from the Antec site. It can be connected with just the 3-pin, or another 3+4 pin. I like that the Vantec fan has a higher CFM, and if I can control the RPM with SpeedFan then noise won't be that much of a problem. But I like the low noise level of the Antec fan. I'm planning on putting a dedicated GFX card in my machine in the future. But I don't think I'll be getting a new case. I have an OEM case at the moment and aside from the 80mm PSU fan, the 92mm case fan will be the only other fan working exhaust. No intake fans. So I'm thinking I'll be needing the extra CFM of the Vantec. Unless the GFX card doesn't heat the case up that much and the lower CFM Antec will do just fine? I need help.

06-30-2008, 09:11 PM	#2 (permalink)
magnethead Tech Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: TX Posts: 2,084 OS: XPH, 2K My System Blog Entries: 2	Re: Fan Connector Question/Recommended CFM my thoughts are that, since you dont have an intake fan, higher CFM is not always better. No, the vantec is not speed controllable. The 3 pin only has the RPM report wire so speedfan will report RPM but thats all. the fan will still recieve voltage from the molex connector. Honestly, I wouldn't pick etier fan. I'd pick up the tri-cool fans if I were you. They are powerable by either 3 pin for molex so you can control the speed from speedfan, but the fan also has a 3 speed switch on it so you can balance out the cfm and volume for your case then fine tune it in speed fan. I think if you go too high on CFM in your case you may start to develop a vacuum, which is not good for cooling. __________________ For proper support: what are you running? video card, cpu, m/board, ram, power supply, brand, wattage, any error message? PCI-E requires 26 amps at 12 volts. That's a 650W PSU. Power Supply Info and Selection . Info on thermal compounds & application . TEST PSU USING MULTI-METER

06-30-2008, 09:56 PM	#3 (permalink)
Upgrayedddd Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 14 OS: Windows XP Home SP3	Re: Fan Connector Question/Recommended CFM Thanks for the reply. The Vantec fan is supposed to adjust to air temp on its own then, but a review at Newegg said that it was spinning at 3000 RPM even when SpeedFan reported 31C air temp. I went to the manufacturer site, pulled a .pdf and indeed it is supposed to only go to 3000 RPM if air temp is near 50C. Since it can't be controlled manually with SpeedFan either, I guess its out of the question. I considered the Tri-Cool fan and the Smart Cool fans from Antec, too. I just thought the Pro series was the best of the bunch. I pulled a .pdf from Antec and the Pro series fan appears to be able to be plugged in either with 3-pin or 4-pin. It's a full 3-pin connector, and doesn't have just one wire to report RPM speed. My case has vents on the side panel, is creating a vacuum still a risk?

06-30-2008, 10:37 PM	#4 (permalink)
magnethead Tech Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: TX Posts: 2,084 OS: XPH, 2K My System Blog Entries: 2	Re: Fan Connector Question/Recommended CFM That helps your situation. The preferable situation is front fan to draw air in and over the hard disk, a side fan to blow in over the CPU and gfx card, and a rear (and top if avaliable) exhaust to expel the now heated air. I've always liked the tricools. come standard in the antec 900. But if you can control through speedfan, the fan mounted switch isn't as important as airflow. remember as you slow the fan down, it moves less air and makes less noise. Some fans report in sone now instead of db. I still don't 100% understand sone. But for decibel i do know the formula- 2 items of same levelk create a 3db echo. So 2 fans runnign at 33 decibels will register as 36db on a sound level meter. __________________ For proper support: what are you running? video card, cpu, m/board, ram, power supply, brand, wattage, any error message? PCI-E requires 26 amps at 12 volts. That's a 650W PSU. Power Supply Info and Selection . Info on thermal compounds & application . TEST PSU USING MULTI-METER