CPU Fan Noise: 3 Pin to 4 Pin Adapter?

[GBCypher]

Hi Guys,
Recently had problems with FPS drops and stuff and found out that my CPU was overheating, so I bought a h80i which has fixed every issue. However...

Because my mobo had a cpu 3 pin and the h80i fan had a 4 pin, this meant that the fan is always on and sounds like a jet taking off in my house.

Tried SpeedFan and that obviously didn't work. Corsair Link doesn't have a fan option for the CPU because of that 4th pin.

So, is there any kind of adapter for 4 pin to 3 pin? I've browsed the web but can't find anything.

Thanks

PS: I have a spare 4 pin slot but thats for a case fan. Im guessing I cant use it as the CPU would get confused?

 

[TheDualshock]

If your CPU fan header is 3 pin, the motherboard won't be able to control the fan temperature wise. A solution to this is get a fan controller or plug it into a 4 pin header on your motherboard and control the fan speed yourself in BIOS to accommodate the temps of the CPU under load. However, you must have at least a fan plugged into the 3 pin header or else the PC will shut down a couple seconds after boot.

 

[GBCypher]

If your CPU fan header is 3 pin, the motherboard won't be able to control the fan temperature wise. A solution to this is get a fan controller or plug it into a 4 pin header on your motherboard and control the fan speed yourself in BIOS to accommodate the temps of the CPU under load. However, you must have at least a fan plugged into the 3 pin header or else the PC will shut down a couple seconds after boot.

So I could plug the CPU Fan into a case fan slot and then a case fan in to the cpu slot and then control them manually?

 

[TheDualshock]

If your CPU fan header is 3 pin, the motherboard won't be able to control the fan temperature wise. A solution to this is get a fan controller or plug it into a 4 pin header on your motherboard and control the fan speed yourself in BIOS to accommodate the temps of the CPU under load. However, you must have at least a fan plugged into the 3 pin header or else the PC will shut down a couple seconds after boot.

So I could plug the CPU Fan into a case fan slot and then a case fan in to the cpu slot and then control them manually?

The case fan in the 3 pin can't be controlled but the 4 pin one should be controllable by PWM. To my experience PWM is automatic. Try it out and check your temps while playing games/using the CPU and tune the 4 pin fan header to appropriately.

 

[GBCypher]

If your CPU fan header is 3 pin, the motherboard won't be able to control the fan temperature wise. A solution to this is get a fan controller or plug it into a 4 pin header on your motherboard and control the fan speed yourself in BIOS to accommodate the temps of the CPU under load. However, you must have at least a fan plugged into the 3 pin header or else the PC will shut down a couple seconds after boot.

So I could plug the CPU Fan into a case fan slot and then a case fan in to the cpu slot and then control them manually?

The case fan in the 3 pin can't be controlled but the 4 pin one should be controllable by PWM. To my experience PWM is automatic. Try it out and check your temps while playing games/using the CPU and tune the 4 pin fan header to appropriately.

Tried it and wasn't able to change any of the settings even though it was a 3 pin plugged into a 3 pin. Also h80i doesn't seem to come up in the Corsair Link. Can't work out why!

 

[nukemaster]

This is a strange thread here.

The H80i has its own build in 4 pin pwm based can controller. They include the adapter to connect both fans to it. Corsair should allow control regardless of your motherboard settings.

Contrary to popular belief many motherboard 3 pin headers and even 4 pin headers can control 3 pin fans by varying the voltage. PWM is a newer way to control fan speed.

Since cpu headers tend to be pwm only(at least on many newer boards. older boards could do both), you will have to use the case fan header IF it supports voltage control.

My first recommendation is to give the H80i software another try. Make sure the USB cable from the pump to the board is connected(as well as the mini connector -> 2 x 4 pin adapter) as it will be required if you want to adjust speeds. You adjust the speeds based on liquid temperature(it is more of a plate temperature) so you will have to run some tests to determine what temperature to speed ratio you want. You can also use profiles build into the software.

 

[TheDualshock]

That's normal as the general 3 pin isn't controllable. What we want to control here is the h80i. Check your connections as previous poster suggested 😛