I am new to OC'ing, but I'm ok at comparing specs. I am soon to assemble an ASUS P4C800-E Deluxe/ 2.6C/ 512MB Dual channel EL4200/ 2 SATA Raptor 36GB RAID0/ DVDRoM/ 30GB U-ATA-100 storage HDD/ floppy/ SBLive5.1 pci/ USRV.90 pci/ Radeon VIVO 64MB DDR/ SB Lexmark MFD/ system. So, for cooling I just bought my first 3-pin fan for this potentially OC'able to ~280/260/250FSB... soon to be all together system. It's a Thermaltake 37cfm, 30dBA, 2900rpm+/-10%, TT-8025A-2B, Rated Voltage 12V, Started Voltage 7V, Rated Current 0.18A(2.0max), Power Input 2.16W. I briefly tested this newly bought Thermaltake TT-8025A-2B on my soon to be history ASUS cusl2-c (my first time using the 3-pin CHA_FAN mobo connector as opposed to 4-pin) At a full speed stock 30dBA It is louder than the 600MHz celeron cpu fan, psu fan, and 2-pin rear case no-name exhaust fan I currently have on my ASUS cusl2-c, to the point that it is at a noise level that I do not want to sustain for day to day computing, unless warranted. (ie unless to reach best OC'ing/gaming/or when music is up). I was recommended at first to buy a Vantec Stealth, which is 27cfm @20dBA, 12 V Current, 0.10 Amp , 1.20 W, 2050 RPM.. I get the feeling this is a desirably quiet and adequate fan for a non OC'd system. But I want to be able to adequately cool if I reach the OC figures published by others for the above System (eg anantech and legitreviews.) Because I may want more than minimal quiet cooling, but still want quiet computing, I am considering replacing this newly bought Thermaltake with The Thermaltake Smart Case Fan 2. I am thinking of buying two: not only for my monitorable 3-pin CHA_FAN, but to tackle both front intake and rear exhaust needs. One or the other will need to be a 2-wire/4-pin. I'm gonna end up with 1 psu, 1 cpu, 1 front & 1 rear fans. The Thermaltake Smart Case Fan 2 seems to have it all: a great possible range of adjustment, manually adjustable, thermometer, and 4-3 adaptor, and if I can read the specs correctly is potentially quiet. 20.55 CFM at 1300rpm 75.7 CFM at 4800rpm, 17 dB at 1300 rpm 48 dB at 4800 rpm, Rated VOLTAGE 12V VOLTAGE 12V, Started Voltage 6V, Rated Current 0.04A ~ 0.50A, Power Input 2.40W ~ 8.40W, FAN Speed 1300RPM AT 20°C, 4800 RPM AT 55°C, Connector 3-PIN. All of this means nothing if the fan will not co-operate with the other possibly non-OC'ing-type range fans in the system, or if it gives off a false reading because I have manually adjusted to compensate, because I will want to maintain (i) rpm monitorability, and (ii) ASUS Q-FAN fractionability (e.g 11/16...). But there are so many fan factors that may be involved which I am potentially overlooking when choosing a quiet fan. I want to know I can achieve safety if required and now know I want/demand quiet. I have enough to deal with enough to not blow up my pc if trying to reach guaranteed specs without needing to match the electrical specs of each fan number by number, while at the same time ensuring safety. Trail and error won't be happening. I am interested in the 11/16-15/16 feature of the ASUS P4C800-E Deluxe. What this does and what effect having one fan(s) model, as opposed to other(s) I don't know. Is it strictly a voltage fraction, and does it apply to all fans. Does it even adjust fan speeds. If I have fan(s) that are individually adjustable can they play, or are they disqualified from entering monitoring, and adjustment? IF I BUY A FAN WITH A MANUAL ADJUSTMENT KNOB, SUCH AS THE SMART CASE FAN 2, TO GIVE ME A SPECIFIC SIGNIFICANT RANGE WHICH ALLOWS BOTH POWER AND QUIET OPERATION OPTIONS, WILL IT HAVE A CONNECTOR TO THE 3-PIN ASUS MOBO TO ALLOW MONITORING THE RPM WITH SUCH AN ADJUSTABLE KNOB TYPE-FAN, IF I ADJUST THE MANUAL KNOB TO ANY SETTING I WANT, WILL THE OPERATION OF THE SPEED MONITORING OR FUNCTIONALITY OF THE Q-FAN RANGE (11/16-15/16) BE AFFECTED, OR CHANGE THE PARAMETERS (POSSIBLY DUE TO FLUCTUATIONS IN VOLTAGE) SUCH THAT MAY REQUIRE A BETTER ELECTRONIC MATCH TO BEGIN WITH. THAT IS, RUN STOCK SYSTEM WITH STOCK FAN(S)/ RUN OC'D SYSTEM WITH ALL FAN(S) GREATER THAN STOCK. ; AND, DEPENDING ON WHAT 11/16 DOES, WILL I BE ABLE TO WORK WITH BOTH THE MANUAL KNOB AND THE 11/16... SETTINGS THE ACHIEVE. If I need cpu cooling I'll buy a 7000Cu, which is adjustable; don't know if mobo monitorable though! Sorry, please try to sympathize (esp. TEXT). You may get lost in here, but here lies the problem. Need answer by refund Saturday. BTW, is this too much text for a forum message?
Wow, that's a little overkill on the information. OK, it's a lot overkill. Let me begin by saying that your choice of chassis fans doesn't have to be quite so scientifically metered (read: complicated) as you're making it out to be. As with any home/office spec device, you will see anomolies and fluctuations that cannot be planned for. I've owned Delta fans that were rated at 4800 RPMs and actually ran at 7800! IMHO, Thermaltake Smart Fans are the best solution if noise is a serious consideration for you, yet overclocking may be on your horizon. Vantec Stealth fans are very quiet, but don't move many BTUs... they're barely adequate cooling for non-OC'd modern systems because of the low RPMs. The only real way to move a lot of air with a little noise is to go with fans much larger than 80mm. At 120-200mm, you can move a huge amount of air with a relatively low amount of white noise. ...or you could always water cool, but that is a bit expensive and of course entails certain risks. That's my two cents. All the best, Anti-trend
