Can I plug the CPU fan into the PSU instead of the MB?

[BCHarrison]

I actually have 2 related questions. The first directly below, and the second after that.

I have recently purchased a CPU fan designed for overclocking, and the MB that I am using does not supply enough power to the CPU_FAN pins on the MB. Would it be ok to run the CPU fan right off the PSU? (If so, is it advisable?)

I know that fans can be run off the PSU in general, but all the discussions I've seen so far focus on the case fans, not the CPU fan.

Second question : The MB supplies 12W 1A to the CPU_FAN pins, and the fan is rated at 14.4W 1.2A, so would it be wrong to just plug it into the CPU_FAN header and accept a lower power? Would it just run a bit slower, or is it not a good idea because the fan will try to suck more power from the MB?

Sorry if these are noob questions. I don't have too much experience building my own PCs

 

[007agentHP]

Yes, but it will run at full speed.

 

[BCHarrison]

Yes, but it will run at full speed.

Ok, so I can do that. Is the CPU fan running at full speed an issue? I would think that there is no such thing as a CPU being "too cold", right?

 

[k1114]

Most people never put the fan on high all the time because noise. Mine are always on low because my cooler is decent enough. Just a cheapo cm212 even with 80f room temp keeps my oc cpu below 60c. Some mobos also beep or will not run without a cpu fan plugged in. I'd say to just put it in the mb as you shouldn't need it at max speed. The mobo won't give more power, it's only going to supply what its vrm gives. This will mean the max speed is just going to be lower than what it can do.

 

[synphul]

Like 007agentHP said, connecting the cpu cooler fan directly to the power supply will just make it run full speed. There's no real downside in terms of temps, only in noise maybe. The fan may wear out faster but by faster you're still looking at what should be considerable time in years, not wear it out in a week or month. The biggest reason for fan speed control is to maintain enough cooling while reducing speed to lower noise levels.

If you've got an extra pci slot in the back of the case not being used you can always add a cheap single fan controller.

 

[SSavage02]

There are three options. You can buy a molex to fan header adapter, just search it on google. You can buy a Fan power controller, which plugs into molex and powers all the fans in your case at full speed. You could also buy a Fan Controller, which will regulate the speeds of all the fans in your system.