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If you have a large CPU fan or case fan that pushes
a lot of air, but is just too loud for your ears - simply
run the fans at a different speed. In order to do this,
we must supply a different voltage to them.
All parts we will need:
-Fan
-Wire strippers (or knife - scissors)
-Solder (or electrical tape)
I would rather use electrical
tape to secure these wires because you may want to change
the voltage later. In the winter, you may want them
running slower than in the summer..
First of all, you must understand
the computer power supply (PSU) and how it is color
coded.
-The yellow
wires from the PSU are your 12v.
-The red
wires from the PSU are your 5v.
-The black wires from the PSU are your
ground.
This is not the case with
most fans. Most fans will run at 12v but have a black
and red wire. Look closely at your fan, it will say
12v or 5v. Usually both fans will have
the same color wires. So, this is obvious that the 12v
fan will run at: 5v, 7v and 12v. It's ok to go under
the specification, just not over - otherwise you'll
fry the fan.
Also keep in mind that a
lot of CPU fans come with three wires. The third wire
(usually yellow or white) is for temperature monitoring.
You can still use this wire all by itself, or just go
into the BIOS and turn off this "feature".
So, assuming you have a 12v
fan that is too loud, you can run it at 7v or 5v to
quite it down. Watch your temperatures if you attempt
this. When I do this on a CPU fan, I use SpeedFan
to test my CPU temps.
Always turn off your PC
and unplug the power supply before cutting wires!
Take your fan and cut off
the connector.
Find a molex connector that
you will not use (like a spare floppy drive power cable).
Or one that has all three colored wires on it, and you
don't plan on using it for anything. Cut off its molex
connection as well.
Strip the wires on the fan,
and try to only strip the two wires from the power supply
you plan on using. I stripped all three for this write-up.
Here we can see the three
different fan speeds. Use which ever one fits your "cooling/sound"
level needs.
5V:
(quietest)
7V:
(good
medium)
12V:
(moving
the most air- loud)
Once you decide
on a good cooling solution, go ahead and wrap the wires
with electrical tape. I went for 7v here. Always tape
up loose ends.
If you do not
want to cut your wires and you still want to get 7v,
here
is a pre-made cable pretty cheap.
Ah, now you can sleep.
Related Links:
PSU
Tester
Burke~
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