PWM fan v Fan Controller

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Baltazaar

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Jan 9, 2007
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Just wondering what to do in terms of a fan for my Thermalright Ultra 120A Extreme CPU cooler (for a Core i7 920).

The options are a 4-pin 120mm PWM fan controlled by the BIOS or a standard 120mm 3-pin fan controlled by a fan controller.

Any thoughts as to which is better?

Money is not really an issue and a fan controller would also help with the 3 case fans (2x180mm and 1x 120mm fans).

Cheers,
Aron
 
Do you want the fan to be controlled by the BIOS to the temp, or do you want manual control over the fan? Answer that and you have your choice. If it does not matter, pick based on fan selection, there are not very many good choices for PWM fans and none I can think of off the top of my head for 120x38mm PWM fans.
 
My main concern is just that I don't want to fry my CPU or have it running hotter then it should and shortening its life, PWM means I need not worry, fan controller means I have to control the temps and be aware of it etc.
 
Indeed it does, however, that being said, with my chip with a 120x38mm fan it runs at 900rpm, I only get a few C drop if I up the fan speed to max but if I know I am going to do something demanding like gaming etc. I turn it up. However if you don't want to think about it get a PWM fan, I do allot of testing to make sure my temps don't get anywhere close to max, and you can just run Realtemp or something in the background to warn you once your temps go over a set reading.
 
youre not gonna fry your cpu anyway. youll just BSOD. not really good for your score though when that happens often. yeah it might shorten its life a little, but who really uses a cpu for 10 years? if you use one for longer than 5 then good on you! ive run my pentium d overclocked to 3.2 on the stock hsf for 3 years pretty much only turning it off on vacations and its still strong as an ox.
 
Thx guys, that answers my question, looks like I won't be taking too much of a risk with a fan controller as long as I keep an eye on it. Much appreciated.
 
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