Asus Z97 Hero fan setup

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Storm Crow

Storm Crow

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Jan 17, 2015
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I am getting the Asus Z97 hero and I am going to be getting the corsair 450D case. It comes with 3 stock case fans (two 140mm fans in the front and one 120mm fan in the back) with optional mounts for two 140mm fans on the top and two 120mm fans on thebottom so 7 spots total. I will also be getting two 140mm corsair airseries af fans and one 120mm corsair airseries af fan.

What I wanted to do is replace the stock fans with the airseries fans. And then take the stock 140mm fans and put them on the top. So basically I will have two 140mm intake and two 140mm and one 120mm outtake. So I want 5 case fans in total and I was wondering if the Z97 hero has enough fan headers for 5 fans. I wanted to be able to control them and I am aware that the z97 hero has features to do that but I think it has to be plugged into the mobo itself not directly to the PSU(my evga supernova g2 750w).

I also figured I could use a Y splitter to share a fan header but I wasnt sure if I needed it because everywhere I have looked I have read that the Z97 has 6 headers but two of them are for the cpu and im not sure whether they will work the same as chassis fan headers.

Any feedback is appreciated.
 
Solution
Karadjgne
Those fans are easily doubled up on the same header, of which the mobo has plenty. Using cha_fan headers to control chassy fans is not a problem, cyclic heat from the cpu is way too fast to affect case temps to any degree, and the cha_fan headers are addressed differently to the cpu_fan anyways.

1 pwm cable from header to behind mobo. Splitter from there to fan connectors, also put behind mobo. = no clutter. Run both intakes from cha_fan2, both exhaust from cha_fan, rear from cha_fan3 etc etc etc. Just keep pairs equal, so it won't matter which receives the rpm, as both will respond to the pwm switching signal as reported by rpm.

Asus fan Xpert is by far the best fan controller software with the possible exception of SpeedFan, but...
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Answer here

http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/LGA1150/MAXIMUS-VII-HERO/e9799_maximus_vii_hero_cover_v2_for_web_only.zip

(2) CPU Headers
(4) Chasis headers

So you'll have your CPU Header handling your cooler (2 fans assumed) leaving 4 headers for your 5 fans.

I am not a fan (pun intended) of cable splitters.... messy and inconvenient. Much prefer the PCBs from Swiftech, Phantek and ModMyToys.

You'll prolly want your case fans controlled on the same channel so a PCB works better here. Sugegstion:

Consider the Phanteks Enthoo Luxe case:

1. It;s $30 more.... but
2. It comes with 3 fans which are the best fans based upon performance / noise ratio on the market.
3. It comes with a built in fan Controller capable of controlling 11 fans.
4. It comes with a built in LED control system
5. The above more than erases the cost difference.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQOPK-OgvnM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kayq0Ad8A0Y

Once you start controlling Corsair PWM fans on a single channel, they stop working correctly, speed control kinds disappears.

Use this splitter for your 2 fan CPU cooler
http://www.swiftech.com/PWMsplittercable.aspx

Use the Phanteks PCB to handle ya (2) 140mm fans off CHA_1 and the 200 mm fan can be run off CHA_2 .... or add two more 140s and control all 4 of the same PCB

CHA headers an be DCV or PWM control. The hub works well with either.

Alternately you can use ModMyToys PCB for DCV and the Swiftech 8 way PWM splitter for PWM
 
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The Hero has 2 CPU fan headers, 4 case fan headers, all are PWM controled, the CPU can go VC (voltage control) for 3-pin fans also. You want to use the CPU headers for the cooler only, not any case fans. The simplest way to do this is to use one of these, it's very cool and does a great job.

http://www.swiftech.com/8-WayPWMsplitter-sata.aspx

Plug all of your case fans into it, take the MB lead and plug it into a case fan header on the MB, plug the power lead into a SATA power port off the PSU to power all of your fans. You don't want to use a splitter off the MB, the headers are rated about 10W and should only have 1 fan plugged into it. In this way, your PSU will be powering all the fans and the MB will be controlling all of them.

Just a note, the AUX CPU header does not read the RPM off the fan, it passes the same PWM signal that goes to the CPU header to whatever is connected to it. In other words, CPU header reads the RPM from the fan connected to it, both headers provide the same PWM to each fan connected to them.
 
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Yeah I am getting the i7 4790k but I will be using the stock cpu cooler for now since im getting aftermarket case fans for good airflow. I thought that the asus Z97 hero had built in fan control so why would I have to buy a pwm splitter sata. And why would I use a splitter for a 2 fan cpu cooler when my cpu cooler is only one fan? I wouldnt need a splitter.

What exactly is wrong with y splitters for case fans?
 
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1. I would strongly advise against having CPU header control case fans. The CPU experiences rapid rises and falls of temp due to cyclic loading and a) you will want to dampen this effect so as not to have case fans whiring up and down and b) it is unadvisable to have different fans on same channel.

2. The header has a 1 amp rating (12 watts) , no MoBo I have ever encountered had a rating higher than 2 (24 watts)

3. It's actually the CHA fans that can either be set to PWM or DC voltage control, not the CPU fans. See paged 3-42 an 3-43 of manual.

4. The 8 pin PWM Swiftech splitter should be used with PWM case fans, not DC 3 pin case fans

 
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I have had 4 cable splitters.... one worked. The main issue tho is cable routing and additional clutter. The headers are in visible locations, running one cable to them is "neater" then 1 which splits into 5.

The Hero has 2 methods of built in fan control, use FanXpert

1. BIOS which is somewhat limited .... see page 3-41 and 3-42 of manual
2. FanXpert ... See page 4-11

With the stock cooler, you would only use CPU header "for now"

You have 5 remaining headers so you could put one fan on each header and use FanXpert to control them. Use FanXpert's AutoTuning feature to set up the curves and then adjust as you see fit.

I don't see the value in switching the case fans.

Also, you said case comes with 3 fans... you are buying 3 more ... but somehow wind up with only 5 (I assume original 120 is getting tossed ?) ... you also have more air going out then in so will be sucking in dust from rear grilles... if you stick w/ that ...

Two stock fans on top going out on CHA_1 and CHA_2
Two new fans in front blowing in on CHA_3 and CHA_4
One new fan on rear bowing out on CPU_OPT

I'd suggest:

Two 140mm in Front (Intakes) - Put 2 here
Two 140mm on Top (Exhaust) - Put 1 here
One 120mm in Rear (Exhaust) - Put 1 here
Two 120mm on Bottom (Intakes) - Put 1 here

But when "for now" ends, and you get an aftermarket CPU cooler, you will need to double up somewhere.

If you are not overclocking and using say a GTX 970, I really don't think you need more than the stock fans.
 
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YOU: 1. I would strongly advise against having CPU header control case fans. The CPU experiences rapid rises and falls of temp due to cyclic loading and a) you will want to dampen this effect so as not to have case fans whiring up and down and b) it is unadvisable to have different fans on same channel.

ME: 1. If you would reread what I said it was just that " You want to use the CPU headers for the cooler only, not any case fans.". I understand about the CPU temps moving rapidly under load/unload, perhaps why they have separated CPU fan headers from the case headers. And again, I get your point “b”, I actually explained to the OP one of the reasons why:
“Just a note, the AUX CPU header does not read the RPM off the fan, it passes the same PWM signal that goes to the CPU header to whatever is connected to it. In other words, CPU header reads the RPM from the fan connected to it, both headers provide the same PWM to each fan connected to them.”


YOU: 2. The header has a 1 amp rating (12 watts) , no MoBo I have ever encountered had a rating higher than 2 (24 watts)

ME: 2. I said “the headers are rated about 10W and should only have 1 fan plugged into it.”, so why are you pointing this out to me? 12v * 1a = 12w, Ohm’s Law, got it.

YOU: 3. It's actually the CHA fans that can either be set to PWM or DC voltage control, not the CPU fans. See paged 3-42 an 3-43 of manual.

ME: 3. This is from the ASUS specifications:

1 x CPU Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin)
1 x CPU OPT Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin)
4 x Chassis Fan connector(s) (4 x 4 -pin)
1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s)

I don’t know why I thought the case fans were PWM only, my mistake, must have been thinking of an older board, ops. As you can see all of the fans connected to a HERO can either be VC or PWM. With some catches of course. The CPU headers auto detect the fan type and sets both CPU headers to either VC or PWM. The CPU temp reading is for the CPU only.
The case headers 1-4 can be either VC or PWM, this is set in Q-Fan. The headers will all be either VC or PWM, can’t mix the fans and have control of them with the MB. This is/can be manually set in Q-Fan. Can be controlled by the MB temp sensor or a sensor plugged into the SENSOR 1 header if you wish.


YOU: 4. The 8 pin PWM Swiftech splitter should be used with PWM case fans, not DC 3 pin case fans

ME: 4. Yes that is correct, I thought he was using PWM fans, my mistake, sorry.
 
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I took your post as saying he should run the CPU cooler off CPU and conenct the Swiftech splitter to CPU_OPT .... re-reading I see that was not the case.

PWM can run either DC or PWM fans tho many argue that there are issued associated with same. You don't wanna do this with ganged fans tho. There is a DC option on the CPU Headers tho as there is on the CHA fans.
 
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Yes, you are right in saying a 4-pin PWM header can run a 3-pin fan, also a 3-pin VC header can run a 4-pin fan. But they cannot control their speed, in either mismatch case the fans will run full out at full speed, if that is the issue you are talking about then it is so, yet it's not an argument for debate or opinion, it's a fact.

Pinnout is 1-ground, 2-12v, 3-RPM, 4-PWM. A 3-pin fan on a 4-pin header will feel the 12v and run full speed, a 4-pin fan on a 3 pin header will pass the full 12v to the fan in the absence of the PWM signal because the block is on the high side and it is open collector on the fan circuit.

I read the manual and referred to the pages you reference, also the Z97 PRO. You have 4 options for the CPU headers in Q-Fan, Auto, PWM Mode, DC MODE and Disabled. In Auto mode the header automatically detects the fan and sets the header to either DC or PWM. That is what it says, I do not have a HERO at home. If ASUS enabled either VC or PWM on the case headers, why would they only allow PWM on the CPU, it does not make good sense just thinking about it as there are many CPU coolers on the market with 3 pin fans, cheap ones.

Jack, I am not trying to be argumentative with you, please don't take my comments that way, I just like to peruse the facts and truths as you do of course. I hope the OP is reading all we are saying, he will gain a better understanding of what he is doing and trying to do, knowledge is power.

If I were the OP using 5 fans, I would plug 4 of them in the MB and pigtail one to the PSU with a pigtail and let it run, the back one. Or get a splitter and use the extra 6th fan, put it on the bottom under the graphics card, and let both of them run full out, you don't hear the back or bottom fan much anyway.

 
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Good explanations here.

http://www.overclockers.com/pwm-fan-controller/

There are PWM controllers and there are PWM fans, but the way in which PWM is implemented in each differs greatly: a standard PWM controller modulates the 12 V supply line of an “ordinary” 12 VDC motor. Conversely a PWM controller for PWM fans – such as the one featured in this article – doesn’t modulate the 12V supply line but instead sends a PWM signal along a different supply line (the magic “fourth wire”) to a more advanced 12 VDC motor, leaving the 12 V supply line uninterrupted. Designated PWM fans not only have internal circuitry which differs from that of standard fans, but because they are designed with speed control in mind the motors themselves are usually more advanced (and expensive). So, PWM speed control of a standard fan is indeed very different from PWM speed control of a PWM fan
Click to expand...

http://www.swiftech.com/pwmcontrollers.aspx

As we can see above, it is critically important to distinguish between PWM fan controllers designed to manage regular 3 pin fan, and PWM fan controllers specifically designed to manage 4 pin PWM fans. In the first type, the 12v supply line is modulated by the fan controller and in the second type the controller sends a signal thru the 4th wire to the fan, and the fan motor modulates its speed according to this signal by using its onboard controller.

What is important to understand above is that PWM fans, and the Swiftech PWM pump, are designed to receive a fixed 12 v supply. While the voltage may vary somewhat, the range is usually limited; we’ll publish the safe operating range for our pump upon release.

Therefore, if you have a PWM fan controllers it does not necessarily mean that you will be able to control our pump. You need to make sure first that your controller is designed to manage 4-pin PWM devices.
Click to expand...

I would tie the rear fan to the CPU speed on CPU_OPT as it's essentially an aid to the CPU cooler.... almost acting like a 2nd fan on the cooler itself. The other 4 fans on the 4 CHA headers.

It gets easier with Phanteks cases as the included fan hub is able to take a DC signal to 6-8 fans and or PWM signal to up to eleven 3 pin fans.

I have mine set up as follows:

Channel No. 1
CPU => Pump No. 1
CPU_OPT => Pump No. 2

Channel No. 2
CHA_1 => Hub No. 1 => 6 x 140mm Fans on 420mm radiator

Channel No. 3
CHA_2 => Hub No. 2 => 4 x 140mm Fans on 280mm radiator

Channel No. 42
CHA_3 => Hub No. 3 => 5 x 140mm Case Fans
 
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Oh yeah I was reading lol. And yeah I read how you can plug them directly to the psu and they will run full blast. I was worried about how loud it will be but I will try it and if it isnt that bad then ill keep it but I will get a couple splitters just in case as an inexpensive solution.

And yeah it was 6 actually. Two 140mm in the front, two 140mm on the top, one 120mm on the bottom, and one 120mm in the back. So six total with 4 chassis fan headers to work with. So I was going to use the y splitter for the two front fans and the two top fans since they will most likely be working in unison.
 
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The fans are the stock fans for the corsair 450D and 2x 140mm corsair airseries fans and one 120mm corsair airseries fan. The stock ones are pwm I think I think it said .1 amp. And the after market fans are the same.
 
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There are many different air series fans ...new egg brings up 90 :) ... so will need to be specific

2350 rpm 120s are PWM 0.18 amp ... but I wouldn't want to be in the same room with them
1450 rpm 120s are PWM 0.08 amp
1650 rpm 120s are PWM 0.13 amp
1100 rpm 120s are PWM 0.08 amp
 
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Right sorry. Two of these (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-fan-co9050017rled) and one of these (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-fan-co9050015rled). And then like I said the stock fans for the corsair 450d case.
 
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Those fans are easily doubled up on the same header, of which the mobo has plenty. Using cha_fan headers to control chassy fans is not a problem, cyclic heat from the cpu is way too fast to affect case temps to any degree, and the cha_fan headers are addressed differently to the cpu_fan anyways.

1 pwm cable from header to behind mobo. Splitter from there to fan connectors, also put behind mobo. = no clutter. Run both intakes from cha_fan2, both exhaust from cha_fan, rear from cha_fan3 etc etc etc. Just keep pairs equal, so it won't matter which receives the rpm, as both will respond to the pwm switching signal as reported by rpm.

Asus fan Xpert is by far the best fan controller software with the possible exception of SpeedFan, but is far easier to use. It doesn't operate on rpm at all for fan curves, but by temp. So temps reported by mobo sensors will determine pwm needs as set in ranges by user.

I'd advise the solutions above for any other manufacturer, but for Asus with its software, use a pair per header at most and it'll be fine.
 
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Solution


Both of these are 3-pin VC fans, it does not say but when it list variable voltage of 7V – 12V that nails them down. I read the Corsair page on the case also 3 reviews of this case, they are just not saying what it comes with and I am tired of wasting my time finding out what kind of fan it is, also went to the replacement parts for the case that listed the fan, it did not even say PWM or VC! Must be a matter of national security. I will go forward assuming all are VC.

I am sure you will get everything working as you want now that you get what is going on after reading through this long discussion. You should have enough understanding about 3-4 pin fans and VC-PWM MB headers to get everything connected and controlled as you wish.

Don't know what CPU cooler your going to use, if it has a PWM fan then don't plug a VC fan into the other CPU fan header, don't mix and match the CPU fan headers with different type fans.

Remember the headers are good for an amp each, don't overload them with splitters and loads over an amp, shoot for 10w per header. This has sure been a long thread over something that goes round and round :)

Jack, come on man, that PWM homemade controller stuff you linked is 4-5 years old. But now I understand what you were talking about. But the relevance today is nothing at all. I know about all that stuff and why they even did it but the need to modulate 12v on a 3-pin fan to adjust speed on something not capable of variable voltage control has not been needed for years now. Swiftech clearly says all of their pumps are PWM control, not modulated 12v driven.

Every PWM fan on the market today is PWM controlled, right? Every MB today on the market is either VC or PWM. The VC types vari voltage. not modulate the 12v line. Sunbeam made some pretty cool rheostats controllers for fans back in they day when they came in handy, but not today. They took the variable voltage off the MB and converted it into a PWM signal, or the other way around, it has been a long time ago.
 
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