[SOLVED] 4 Fans 2 headers

[CaddyQuinn]

Hey guys!

I'm currently putting together my first PC and I really couldn't have guessed I'd get hung up on fans.

I have a Phanteks Eclipse P-400s (honestly idfk. Just says p-400 but tempered glass edition is p-400s on the box, instructions show 2-3 different models) case that came with two 3-pin fans.
MOBO: Gigabyte B460M DS3H it has 2 fan headers (4-pin)

I bought 2 additional arctic 4 pin PWM fans, they are .08amps each

My question is what route do you recommend I take here?

Splitters for both headers?
One hub/controller? https://www.newegg.com/phanteks-ph-pwhub-02-black/p/N82E16811984030?Item=N82E16811984030

Forget the case fans and just use mine?

I'd appreciate any wisdom on this as a first time builder.

 

[rubix_1011]

This depends on what you want to do with the fans. Should they all run the same speed based on the fan curve you have set? Or should each of them perform differently?

If you want them all to operate at the same speed and performance, a fan hub or splitter would accomplish this (there are 3-pin and 4-pin splitters available on Amazon, Newegg, etc).

There are also fan hubs like you linked and this unit looks like it has a manual fan speed control (via buttons) and also looks like it can make use of motherboard PWM/speed control, but this would mean anything connected would be controlled the same.

 

[Paperdoc]

That new model Phantex Universal Fan Controller you linked to is exactly what you need. Almost all Hubs can NOT control 3-pin fans. BUT that new Phanteks model has output ports for both 3- and 4-pin fans, and it CAN control the speed of all of them using the PWM signal it gets from ONE mobo header.

 

[jorendebruyne]

Why is a hub better than a simple Y splitter?
If both fans can spin same speed he can just use a splitter which is much cheaper, no?

 

[Paperdoc]

OP did not ask about how to arrange Splitters, but you have a good point. The mobo cited, Gigabyte B460M DS3H, has two SYS_FAN headers (see manual p. 14). On p.32 it says for EACH header (we presume) you have an option to choose either Voltage Mode or PWM Mode (do not choose Auto mode). It appears there are four fans in total to connect, and their combined load at max will not exceed the mobo header limit of 1.0 A. The issue to address is that two fans are 3-pin, and two are 4-pin. Those two types require different types of speed control signals to be controlled. For a 3-pin one, you MUST use the older Voltage Control Mode (aka DC Mode), and you could combine the two 3-pin units with one Splitter on one SYS_FAN header configured that way. For a 4-pin fan you can also use that older Mode, although it is not ideal, and thus could combine all four fans on one header IF you choose the Voltage Mode. But even better, the two 4-pin fans should be combined on a second Splitter on the OTHER SYS_FAN header, and that one configured to use the PWM Mode optimal for those fans.

OP, to do this you will need two common 2-output Splitters, not a Hub. You CAN use 4-pin Splitters for both, because one of those WILL work for your 3-pin fans on a SYS_FAN header configured for Voltage Mode. In the options for EACH of the two SYS_FAN headers shown on p. 32, set the Fan Speed Control to Normal, and Fan Control Use Temperature Input to the sensor on the Motherboard, not the one inside the CPU chip. Other settings should be the same for both headers. You MAY find that the speeds of the two groups are different because they are different fan models, but that does not matter.

 

[Karadjgne]

Group your fans. You have a Phanteks S, so have a Silencer mid plate panel for the top. Leave it there. A single 3way splitter and use 3 fans on a single header for the front. Rear exhaust is used by itself.