Need help with new Corsair AF120 Fan

[b49adam]

So I just finished building a new Mini ITX HTPC a few days ago and one thing I wasn't happy about was the fan noise. Keep in mind that this is a PC for the living room so having this noise is very annoying. I decided to replace the stock fan on the case with something better. I went with the Corsair AF120 Blue LED Quiet Edition. I went with the LED version because it's nicer and also I went with this version because it had the word Quiet init lol. I installed it right away but this fan is also very loud, I don't get it. I watched a several videos on YouTube and mostly all of them said this is a very silent fan. I even read some reviews online that said the same thing.

 

I tried going in to the Bios to change the speed manually but that wasn't an option. I only got an option to change it to Quiet mode which I did but it didn't do anything. I tried connecting the fan through Molex to the PSU and straight to the Motherboard's 4 Pin connector but it's the same thing. Is there any program that I can use to lower the speed a little or any cable i can buy to lower the noise. I don't want to use a Fan control because I'm planning to install a Blu-Ray drive in the only bay that the case has. After all this is an HTPC for the living room.

 

My temps are pretty good so I don't get why the fan is so loud. Here's a screenshot of HWMonitor.

 

Any help would be appreciated...

 

EDIT - ADDED SPECS

 

Cooler Master Elite 130

Intel Core i3 3225 CPU

Gigabyte GA H77N-WiFi Motherboard

G.Skill Ripjaws X (2x 4GB) = 8GB DDR3 1600

WD Blue 1TB HDD 7200RPM

Corsair CX500 PSU

AMD R9 270 GPU

Corsair AF120 Blue LED Quiet Edition

Cougar 120mm Fan on it's way

 

 

 

http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g419/adamdoom89/Capture_zpscf4155d8.png

[reaverclan]

you want to connect it to your mobo using just the three pin header and nothing else then use a program like speed fan to set its rpm's to something more reasonable. EDIt: what mobo is it? and you should list your specs in your profile btw.

[b49adam]

you want to connect it to your mobo using just the three pin header and nothing else then use a program like speed fan to set its rpm's to something more reasonable. EDIt: what mobo is it? and you should list your specs in your profile btw.

 

Sorry about that, I put up my specs. The Fan is currently plugged into the Motherboard as we speak...

 

I tried to use Speedfan to lower the speed but I had no idea how to use it. I read the tutorial on their website but i'm still stuck. I ended up uninstalling the program.

[reaverclan]

ah looks like your mobo does not really support 3 pin fan speed controlling you might need to get a 4 pin adapter so it can sense the pwm portion and changes its voltage accordingly. also have you tired manual mode for the fan, it also may not work without a pwm fan header though. for your specs i meant you can add them in your profile under settings so its like how mine is under my username. look forward to your results. EDIT: did it not come with a voltage step down adapter?

rvc

[b49adam]

ah looks like your mobo does not really support 3 pin fan speed controlling you might need to get a 4 pin adapter so it can sense the pwm portion and changes its voltage accordingly. also have you tired manual mode for the fan, it also may not work without a pwm fan header though. for your specs i meant you can add them in your profile under settings so its like how mine is under my username. look forward to your results. EDIT: did it not come with a voltage step down adapter?

rvc

 

So I would need a connector with the four pins correct. So would this be the cable that I need. If it is then this would also help out when my second fan arrives. I can just plug them both into this one cable right?

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Pin-PWM-to-Dual-PWM-Computer-Case-Fan-Power-Sleeved-Y-Splitter-Adapter-Cable-/160799162585?pt=US_Power_Cables_Connectors&hash=item25706080d9

[reaverclan]

no that will not work as your fan still has the circuitry for the 3 pin and not 4 pin so you will most likely stress out your fan header because it will not read the speed correctly you either need a 4 pin fan since you mobo does not control by dc and only pwm or a fan controller. you could also get a voltage step down cable and connect it to to a molex adapter with that or your header. i would contact corsair and see if maybe they would send you a voltage step down since it seems that the red version comes with one but the blue one doesn't which is odd. EDIT: to you would need a cable like this one if your doing that route as it mimics the pwm signal by reading your fan on its own.

[b49adam]

no that will not work as your fan still has the circuitry for the 3 pin and not 4 pin so you will most likely stress out your fan header because it will not read the speed correctly you either need a 4 pin fan since you mobo does not control by dc and only pwm or a fan controller. you could also get a voltage step down cable and connect it to to a molex adapter with that or your header. i would contact corsair and see if maybe they would send you a voltage step down since it seems that the red version comes with one but the blue one doesn't which is odd. EDIT: to you would need a cable like this one if your doing that route as it mimics the pwm signal by reading your fan on its own.

 

I guess I'm stuck with this fan then. I checked the Red version and both come with identical accessories so I don't know which Red version you're referring to.

 

I'll probably end up returning this fan and looking for a quieter one with a Blue LED. Hopefully my Cougar 120mm fan is quieter since it runs at 1200 RPM.