Can you hook a fan controller to your GPU Fan(s)

[Spike]

Just a question of curiosity here, I have my BFG 6800 GT and there is a little cable that connects the fans/heatsink to the graphics PCB, that looks just like a regular fan cable. Would it be possible to hook this to my controller and controll it's voltages just like a case fan?

I don't know about this, but if the graphics card could sense that the fan was not plugged in I assume it would not allow itself to be turned on or would do a severe underclock, does anyone know if this is the case? that BFG dual fan setup is so loud when on full speed...

-spike

 

[akira34]

If it's running at full speed it's because it needs to be cooled down. Lowering the fan speed on the card will increase the heat it retains and severely shorten it's life span. Not to mention that every fan I've seen connected to a video card uses a plug that's different than the ones you find on fan controllers.

If you want to make the card less noisy why not get one of the Arctic Cooling (or similar) units for it? That's a much wiser choice, since many of those are made to keep the card cool, but also be quieter than the stock coolers. I'm using an Arctic Cooling unit on my 6800GT and can notice the drop in noise produced by the card. It also runs cooler, which is even better.

 

[Spike]

I am planning on getting an artic cooler for it soon, but was just curious about using a fan controller. The plug looked the same to me but that was at a distance. And no, it definitly does not need to be running full-bore, not when I am playing mp3's!!! This is not a constant problem, it just seems to spin up at times for no reason (yes, I monitor temps closely). Just thought maybe a fan controller could give it some stable speeds...

I would get the NV silencer 5 now, but I have purchased so much equipment lately it would be hard to slide that one under the wifes radar... even at $30!

-spike

 

[BonzaiDuck]

In my humble opinion, this is just a matter of voltages and the little ah heck on the graphics card is no different than any other 40mm x 40mm fan at 12V and something like < 0.10 amps. But as the earlier post said, you don't want to kill the noise if the GPU is controlling the voltage to the fan and making it noisier for the heat. The Silencer by Arctic cooling is second best but nearly as good; the Zalman ZM80 series has the Silencer beat by only a couple degrees F or C. For the drop in GPU core temperature, either one is a good choice.

 

[Spike]

Isn't the ZM80 a passive cooler? that can't be enough for an overclocked GT, it would fry. I was just planning on getting that NV silencer 5 but if there is a better one...

 

[BonzaiDuck]

That's the way you can use it, given Zalman's commitment to that goal, but after their first model -- the tops of the Alum heatsinks for the B and D-HP models are slotted and for certain graphics cards, Zalman either recommends or insists that you should use their OP-1 80mm fan. The fan, like their 92mm jobs, runs about 2,950 rpm, or using their fan splitter that changes the fan from 12V to 7V, it also runs in "Silent" mode. But "Normal" mode is nothing that I can hear.

You could, if you wish, use any kind of fan or jerry-rig a bracket fan above the thing, but if the graphics card requires an OP-1, I still think it can bring in temps a degree or two below the Silencer. But in the end, it WOULD depend on how hot the GPU runs . . . so your point is well taken.

For purposes of comparison, I'm using a dual-heatpipe ZM80-D-HP:

ZM80-D-HP

with an ASUS V9980 FX5950 Ultra 256 AGP card. Although this is last year's flagship model for the nVidia line, it still requires the additional power of a four-pin molex plug. Temperatures I've measured with a thermal sensor right at the GPU core registered as high as 128F with a GeForce4 Ti4600 card, and I can't imagine the FX5950 -- with GPU @ 475Mhz and memory @ 950Mhz -- running cooler than the GF4 card. For the Ti4600, the cooler without a fan dropped the GPU temp at room ambient of 75F to about 105F, measured with the same taped-on sensor at the core. With the FX5950, the GPU has its own thermal monitor built in, and the temperature value is available through Display Properties, Advanced, FX5950 tab. At about the same room ambient, it registers something between 38C and 40C, or 104F.

This is a competitive business, and I see ThermalRight and others producing products under similar concepts. I have a Silencer now on the Ti4600 -- a problem of space and conflict between CPU and GPU heatsinks. I have the ZM80D-HP on my FX5950.

I haven't determined a way to measure this, but I have it from my electronics-tech friend back in Virginia that my suspicion that the mobo circuit traces conduct heat as well as signals -- is correct. I DO believe that cooling high-temp components without needless electrical usage or additional fans and fan noise will allow for more control of other component temperatures. I haven't been able to TOTALLY confirm it, but measuring the temps before and after VGA and other cooling seems to substantiate it. I'd like to find out what other people show as chipset temps before and after their VGA cards were cooled with solutions more effective than the stock HSF.

 

[Spike]

I still may stick with the NV silencer due to there being so large a market penetration. The user base is huge if a problem arrises and there are tons of FAQ's for proper installation and readings.

Still, I am thinking about setting up a SILENT but powerful system for my wife. Fanless psu, passive GPU, passive NB, 120mm silent CPU cooler... the works. Maybe even some of that noise dampening foam. It is just and idea at the moment though...

 

[BonzaiDuck]

The issue about "what is noise?" has intrigued me for months. I went from 80mm fans last year to 120 and 92mm fans this year, and am experimenting with ducting.

It will be interesting to see the thermal properties of the post-Prescott, possibly dual-core models Intel produces through middle of next year. THG just published a recent article about a Sanyo-Denki "sealed", ready-to-install water-cooling unit which comes pre-filled, pre-sealed -- all you do is bolt in the radiator and fan, and hook up the water block on the CPU. This apparently has Intel backing.

I have some ideas about what to do next when ready to give up on fans and air-cooling, or possible hybrid cooling solutions, and will perhaps post a new thread here soon.

For myself, I've mostly eliminated the "whine" that drives people nuts, but I have no problem with the gentle "shshshshshhhhhh" of air intake and exhaust. Some purists have gone with water, or TEC cooling or "Vapo-Chill" to eliminate even that sound.

Your wife may be averse even to "shshshshhhhhh".!!

 

[Spike]

lol, she is definitly not advers to the "shhhhh", my old case had 5 80 mm case fans and a cranked 80mm ys-tech (70+ cfm at 45dB). This was in our bedroom and she was still fine, she just prefers silence.

 

[bobcam]

I'm actually using an asus V9980 ultra. This card is great but very noisy.

Could your tell me a little more about using the Zalman ZM80 with this card ?
Are your using the optionnal fan OP1 or is it possible to use the ZM80 without ?
Does it give any problem with games or other applications ?

thanks a lot for your answers,

 

[Spike]

I don't think anyone here is using that cooler, we just talked about it. Most people use the Artic Cooling silencers as after-market cooling for their cards. Check that line out, for less than $30 you can get good cooling that is pretty silent. I am going to install one of these after the new year.

-spike

 

[Navid]

Originally posted by: Spike
Just a question of curiosity here, I have my BFG 6800 GT and there is a little cable that connects the fans/heatsink to the graphics PCB, that looks just like a regular fan cable. Would it be possible to hook this to my controller and controll it's voltages just like a case fan?

I don't know about this, but if the graphics card could sense that the fan was not plugged in I assume it would not allow itself to be turned on or would do a severe underclock, does anyone know if this is the case? that BFG dual fan setup is so loud when on full speed...

-spike

The fan connector on that card uses a 2-pin connector. The two pins are 12V and 0V. No sensing pin. So, the graphicsc ard has no idea if there is a fan or not. Of course, it can sense the heat, but, not the existence of the fan directly.

If you are talking about a fan controller like the one from Zalman, they have three wires and you cannot hook it up to the connection of that graphics card.

Whether you can lower the RPM of that fan without overheating the card is another subject. Officially, you will be voiding the warranty by modifying the card (lowering the fan RPM counts).

 

[Spike]

I overclocked the card less than 20 min after installing it so my warrenty is all-ready long gone. I was just curious about preventing the jet-engine like noise on startup.

-spike

 

[Navid]

You can reduce the RPM of any fan by placing a resistor in series with the red (12V) wire.

The higher the resistance of the resistor, the less voltage across the fan, the lower the RPM, the quieter the fan, the hotter the chip (wow, what a sentence).

The fan controller you are talking about is basically a variable resistor in series with the red wire.
You can get a 2pin-to-3pin adapter (with appropriate male female connections). This is just an example.
http://www.coolerguys.com/840556058083.html
Then, use it to connect the the controller to the fan.

You can use RivaTuner to monitor (and log) the temperature of your GPU while you play a game.

I don't want flames. So, I have to say that reducing the RPM of the fan will result in increasing the heat. You have to be very careful to not heat it up too much.

 

[Navid]

There is another problem with this approach i forgot to mention. The fan RPM on these cards is controlled by the card itself. If you hook it (the fan) up to your fan controller, you will disconnect the fan from the card completely. Then, the card will not be able to control the RPM if needed.

Another possibility is to insert a resistor in the path of the red wire, still using the card itself for powering up the fan. Then, the card can increase the RPM if needed.
You can cut the red wire of the adapter and solder the resistor in between.
But, then you will lose the control over RPM.

 

[Spike]

Originally posted by: Navid
There is another problem with this approach i forgot to mention. The fan RPM on these cards is controlled by the card itself. If you hook it (the fan) up to your fan controller, you will disconnect the fan from the card completely. Then, the card will not be able to control the RPM if needed.

Another possibility is to insert a resistor in the path of the red wire, still using the card itself for powering up the fan. Then, the card can increase the RPM if needed.
You can cut the red wire of the adapter and solder the resistor in between.
But, then you will lose the control over RPM.

Thanks for those ideas. I am not so worried about heat as my card has NEVER spun up except on startup, not even after 4+ hours of HL2. I watch the temps with the nVidia drivers and they never push past 68c on the GPU core (threshold according to the drivers is 120c).

I have alot of pots sitting around here so I might try one of those. Is there a particular resistance I need or will any value work?

-spike

 

[Navid]

Originally posted by: Spike

Thanks for those ideas. I am not so worried about heat as my card has NEVER spun up except on startup, not even after 4+ hours of HL2. I watch the temps with the nVidia drivers and they never push past 68c on the GPU core (threshold according to the drivers is 120c).

I have alot of pots sitting around here so I might try one of those. Is there a particular resistance I need or will any value work?

-spike

Pots are usually too large. What you need is something between 22 Ohms to 56 Ohms.
If you use a very large resistor, the fan may never start!
I would not cut the wire of the graphics card. I would get a connector and install the resitor on it. Then, you can always remove the connector and have the graphics card as it was originally.