About Phanteks Eclipse P400S Case Fans & Top Cover

[salam2009]

Hi,
1) This case has 2 fans (with 3-pins each) connected to a Y-Splitter with 2-pins & all my mobo fan headers come in 4-pins. Should I unplug the 2 fans from the splitter then connect them to 2 fan headers so their speeds can be auto controlled by the mobo for better stability?
2) Can I replace the top cover magnetic pieces with the dust filters if I'm not using fans at the top in order to get better airflow/filtering dusts?
Thanks for any help

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Since Z97, just about all MoBo headers are dual usage and can use PWM or DCV fans. Also many will auto sense which is present.

I haven't used the Phanteks p400 tho have used all the others. Most cases come with the Phantekls hub which eliminates and fan concerns. I have not see any 2 pin fans from Phanteks. That being said, when you want to control 2 fans off a splitter, only 1 of the 2 fans can be sending back a signal. So a typical DCV cable for DCV fans will have 3 wires going to one fans and 2 wires going to the other. Thaat 3rd wire tells the MoBo what the speed is ... and that's just like having two wives, if both are telling you what to do, nothing good happens. With PWM splitters, one has 3 and one has 4.

Id examine the fans and splitter carefully to see how / if speed control is being accomplished. As I recall, because of the p400s price point, it doesn't come with a hub

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAE3060P0642

With the hub, ....

... you can control up to six 3-pin fans from a single DCV header
... you can control up to eleven 3-pin fans from a single PWMheader

Whether the fans need dust filters depends upon whetehr they are intakes or exhausts. To many folks get hurt by there recollection of 8th grade earth science when the teacher said "hot air rises". but college level thermodynamics and HVAC engineering trumps what we learned in 8th grade.

Cooling System

120mm Fans
Front: 3 x 120mm or 2 x 140mm fan (1 x 120mm fan included)
Top: 2 x 120mm/140mm fan
Rear: 1 x 120mm fan (included)

As supplies (one out / one in) you would think you have same amount going in as out. But as the intake fan has an air filter, the rear fan is moving more air than the front and the case has negative pressure. That means that air intake is occurring thru the top and rear grilles and while you may be only thinking of dust, remember that what is carrying in that dust is your hot PSU and GFX card exhaust.

If you add a 2nd fan for the front, both issues will disappear.

 

[salam2009]

Since Z97, just about all MoBo headers are dual usage and can use PWM or DCV fans. Also many will auto sense which is present.

I haven't used the Phanteks p400 tho have used all the others. Most cases come with the Phantekls hub which eliminates and fan concerns. I have not see any 2 pin fans from Phanteks. That being said, when you want to control 2 fans off a splitter, only 1 of the 2 fans can be sending back a signal. So a typical DCV cable for DCV fans will have 3 wires going to one fans and 2 wires going to the other. Thaat 3rd wire tells the MoBo what the speed is ... and that's just like having two wives, if both are telling you what to do, nothing good happens. With PWM splitters, one has 3 and one has 4.

Id examine the fans and splitter carefully to see how / if speed control is being accomplished. As I recall, because of the p400s price point, it doesn't come with a hub

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAE3060P0642

With the hub, ....

... you can control up to six 3-pin fans from a single DCV header
... you can control up to eleven 3-pin fans from a single PWMheader

Whether the fans need dust filters depends upon whetehr they are intakes or exhausts. To many folks get hurt by there recollection of 8th grade earth science when the teacher said "hot air rises". but college level thermodynamics and HVAC engineering trumps what we learned in 8th grade.

Cooling System

120mm Fans
Front: 3 x 120mm or 2 x 140mm fan (1 x 120mm fan included)
Top: 2 x 120mm/140mm fan
Rear: 1 x 120mm fan (included)

As supplies (one out / one in) you would think you have same amount going in as out. But as the intake fan has an air filter, the rear fan is moving more air than the front and the case has negative pressure. That means that air intake is occurring thru the top and rear grilles and while you may be only thinking of dust, remember that what is carrying in that dust is your hot PSU and GFX card exhaust.

If you add a 2nd fan for the front, both issues will disappear.

The case does have fan control switch on the top panel & the 2 fans are connected to it through Y-Splitter, but since fan speed would be selected manually by user, I thought connecting the fans to the mobo would be better given that their speeds could be managed efficiently according to the interior temp.
As for the dust filters, I was asking if I could replace the 2 magnetic pieces on the top cover by them, even though I don't have any fan installed at the top of the case if that's what they're for.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

I will try explaining your answers in a different way but the answers are still the same.

1. Again, we have not as yet done a 400S build, but such switches are generally 3 position switches which send 5, 7 or 12 volts to vary the speed.... the more voltage applied, the faster they go. if you want to control them via the MoBo....again, assuming the fans have 3 wires, then you need to connect them directly to the MoBo headers. The 2 pin Y splitter will not work. You will need to:

a) connect them to individual headers
b) use a 3 pin splitter cable
c) use a hub as described.

2. The filters are there to prevent dust from entering your system. Again, I don't really know hpow to explain it any differently.

a) With the supplied fan set up, air is coming into the case thru that grille
b) The rear fan is removing more air from the case than the front fan is pushing into the case as the latter has a filter which reduces air flow..
c) As a result of the two items above, the laws of physics require that air enter the case from somewhere else
d) The absence of a fan at the top has no impact here.
e) Taking the filter out will allow more more dust into the case.

So...

a) If you want to keep the dust out, leave the filter in place.
b) If you don't care about dust take it out.
c) recognize that dust is still coming in from the unfiltered rear grilles and slot covers.... and briging hit exhaust from PSU and GPU with it.
d) adding a 2nd front intake fan eliminates the hot air inlet and dust issues.

I still would not take it out as when PC if off gravity will let dust in.

 

[salam2009]

I will try explaining your answers in a different way but the answers are still the same.

1. Again, we have not as yet done a 400S build, but such switches are generally 3 position switches which send 5, 7 or 12 volts to vary the speed.... the more voltage applied, the faster they go. if you want to control them via the MoBo....again, assuming the fans have 3 wires, then you need to connect them directly to the MoBo headers. The 2 pin Y splitter will not work. You will need to:

a) connect them to individual headers
b) use a 3 pin splitter cable
c) use a hub as described.

2. The filters are there to prevent dust from entering your system. Again, I don't really know hpow to explain it any differently.

a) With the supplied fan set up, air is coming into the case thru that grille
b) The rear fan is removing more air from the case than the front fan is pushing into the case as the latter has a filter which reduces air flow..
c) As a result of the two items above, the laws of physics require that air enter the case from somewhere else
d) The absence of a fan at the top has no impact here.
e) Taking the filter out will allow more more dust into the case.

So...

a) If you want to keep the dust out, leave the filter in place.
b) If you don't care about dust take it out.
c) recognize that dust is still coming in from the unfiltered rear grilles and slot covers.... and briging hit exhaust from PSU and GPU with it.
d) adding a 2nd front intake fan eliminates the hot air inlet and dust issues.

I still would not take it out as when PC if off gravity will let dust in.

Ok, now it's clear for me. Thanks a lot for the helpful tips