Zalman RC56 7v Noiseless Resistor Cable
These small resistors convert 3-pin fans from 12 volts to approximately 7 volts (RC56) and 5 volts (RC100). This basically means it reduces the speed of your 3-pin fan, which in turn reduces the noise the fan makes. We tested the RC56 resistor with a 92mm fan and without the resistor installed the fan ran at 2700 RPM. Once the resistor was installed the fan ran around 1400 RPM. The reduction in noise was significant. The RC100 would reduce the speed of the fan to around 1100 RPM, making the fan even quieter!
Installation considerations
Fitting the resistor is very straightforward. Just plug the 3-pin fan into one end of the resistor and then the other end connects directly to your motherboard. If you have both RC56 and RC100 resistors in your collection of computer parts and you are not the world’s leading expert in decoding resistor colour codes, you can easily tell which product is which by measuring their lengths. The RC56 is the longer one (9cm) and the RC100 is the shorter one (6cm).
NOTE: The resistor reduces the RPM of the fan, in turn this reduces the air flow that the fan produces. Please bear that in mind when purchasing one of these resistors.
Inta Audio recommends the Zalman RC56 7v Noiseless Resistor Cable by Zalman
The Zalman RC56 7v Noiseless Resistor Cable offers great value for money, features, build quality and reliability.