[SOLVED] Extra Fans not working

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terranceandroblox

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Jan 6, 2019
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I have an H500 case that came with two NZXT fans and I have a H110i PRO motherboard (https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/H110I-Pro.html) and there's one CPU fan plug and one System fan plug. I have 4 fans that I need to plug in and I'm not sure what to do right now.



I would really appreciate some help on this as for I'm not sure what to do.
 
Solution
Darkbreeze
No. Not if you don't want to and can find a motherboard from these below that you feel will work.

So with that CPU you can use any B150, B250, B365, C232, C236, H110, H170, H270, Q170, Q270, Z170 or Z270 motherboard. Those are, respectively, 100 series and 200 series motherboards and are fowards and backwards compatible with both 6th and 7th generation Intel Core-i, Pentium and Celeron processors.

I would recommend that if you look at getting another motherboard, you target B250, H170, H270, Z170 or Z270 chipsets. I'll tell you now that finding a board for those generations is probably going to be more expensive than it was when they were current generations as supply has started to become rather scarce for all those chipsets since...
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What kind of fans are ALL of them? 3 pin? 4 pin PWM? Where are the two included fans plugged into right now if there is only one fan header for system fans or have you not assembled this build yet?

Likely, if all the fans are four pin PWM, you will need something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-System-Cables-Black-CPF04/dp/B00VNW556I/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1547359417&sr=8-3&keywords=PWM+fan+hub

If you have both 3 and 4 pin fans, then you'll something that can work with both like this:

https://www.nzxt.com/products/grid-plus-v3
 
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Right now the two that came with the case are 3 pin and the only area where I can put them is on my 4 pin motherboard. I don't know what PWM is regarding PC's but I haven't gotten my other two fans yet so I'm not sure what pin they are. Only one is plugged in to that slot in my motherboard but it doesn't run and I tried both fans and neither ran.
 
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4 pin PWM is Pulse width modulation.

Pulse-width modulation

Pulse-width modulation (PWM) is a common method of controlling computer fans. A PWM-capable fan is usually connected to a 4-pin connector (pinout: Ground, +12 V, sense, control). The sense pin is used to relay the rotation speed of the fan and the control pin is an open-drain or open-collector output, which requires a pull-up to 5 V or 3.3 V in the fan. Unlike linear voltage regulation, where the fan voltage is proportional to the speed, the fan is driven with a constant supply voltage; the speed control is performed by the fan based on the control signal.

The control signal is a square wave operating at 25 kHz, with the duty cycle determining the fan speed. Typically a fan can be driven between about 30% and 100% of the rated fan speed, using a signal with up to 100% duty cycle. The exact speed behavior (linear, off until a threshold value, or a minimum speed until a threshold) at low control levels is manufacturer dependent.[9]

Many motherboards feature firmware and software that regulates these fans based on processor and computer case temperatures.
Click to expand...

Your motherboard has two PWM fan headers. One for the CPU and one for the motherboard. Since you have both 3 and 4 pin fans and a basic PWM fan hub won't operate those three pin fans EXCEPT at full speed, which is usually not desirable, you will need something like the NZXT Grid+ v2 or v3 if you want to connect all those fans and have them operate normally with variable speed that is thermally controlled by the motherboard.

Or, you would need to replace the two 3 pin fans, or return the other two fans you got and get voltage controlled 3 pin fans, in order to use a very basic, inexpensive fan hub. The cheapest option is probably getting the Grid+ controller though depending on how expensive the fans you purchased are AND whether THOSE are 3 or 4 pin fans. What are the models of the fans you bought?
 
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Corsair AF140 White LED Case fans. I bought two of those and I tried looking if they were 3 or 4 pin but I haven't found anything yet. The two fans my case came with are both NZXT Aer F120. As of right now, neither of the NZXT fans work just plugging them into my motherboard. The NZXT fans are both 3 pin but I was reading that most 3 pin fans can plug into 4 pin motherboards but only work at full speed as for the 4th pin is to monitor their speed. Correct?
 
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Yes, that's correct, and you DON'T want that because not only will it DRASTICALLY decrease the lifespan of the fan motor, it will drive you flipping nuts unless you wear headphones with something louder than the fans playing 100% of the time. Plus, it will use a LOT more energy.

Is this system assembled and running currently? Because if it is, you need to stop using it until you have AT LEAST the rear exhaust fan running. Running without a CPU cooler or at least one case fan, and I say one can fan REALLY loosely because for most gaming systems that is not NEARLY good enough, is a very bad idea.

I'd suggest that this is your best option and will run both 3 pin and 4 pin fans with no problem.

https://www.amazon.com/Nzxt-Channel-Digital-Controller-AC-GRDP3-M1/dp/B075BBJZG2
 
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Yes I've been using it for the past day and keeping an eye on the temperatures. It stays at 70 degrees while gaming and around 50 normally using the PC. I have my GPU fan running, CPU fan running, and my power supply fan running to keep it cool. Is that enough? It's silent while gaming too.
 
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No, it's really not enough. There are other things to consider when it comes to thermal issues such as the motherboard VRMs, northbridge, southbridge, storage drives, etc. Those are all things that need airflow in order to be kept cool as they have no cooling devices of their own.

Still, it's your system, but I wouldn't personally run any machine I owned or any machine I was working on for a client without at LEAST one exhaust fan.

I honestly don't understand why you can't get one of those fans to work though. You need to make sure you are plugging them in correctly, with the keyway on the fan connector lined up with the key on the motherboard header, even though it is only a three pin. It MUST be plugged in with those alignment tabs in alignment. The three pins indicated in the red box below show the correct orientation for plugging in the fan if you use a 3 pin voltage controlled fan on a PWM fan header.

j5jped.jpg


IN the BIOS, you need to make sure that the fan header is not disabled. It will run at 100% speed but that's better than no fan at all. Be sure that if the case fans which are preinstalled are plugged into anything other than the motherboard that you unplug them and plug only one fan cable into that header.
 
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I posted the only fan controller I know of that is capable of handling both three and four pin fans AND controlling them, rather than just setting the voltage controlled fans to full speed. I don't know of any other controller or hub that will do that, at least none that are less expensive. The Grid+ v3 is your best choice unless you can find a good working Grid+ v2 somewhere. I have one of each and can tell you that it works fine even with both types of fans connected. You will be able to FULLY control each fan by preset fan profile or make a profile and assign it to all of the fans OR create a different profile for every single fan. It's the best option out there in your situation unless you're willing to just buy a new motherboard that has plenty of fan headers on it from the start.
 
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Ok I'll look into that more but for right now, I plugged in my rear fan into the SYSFan port on my motherboard exactly the way you posted and went into BIOS to enable it and it still doesn't run. The BIOS says my CPU fan runs at 1030ish RPM and my SYSFAN runs at 0 RPM.
 
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Ok I tried swapping the two and the CPU fan didn't spin but the exhaust fan did. What do you suggest I do? Could I get a splitter just for the CPU fan and hook up my other 4 fans to it? Or would I need an entirely new motherboard? My motherboard is completely fine this is just the only issue with it.
 
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I would just get a 3pin to 4pin molex and run those case fans at 100%. Or atleast one intake one exhaust for the time being, although these specific fans you own are a bit loud. Atleast your pc will thank you.
If you decide not to return your motherboard you should upgrade your fans to quietER low rpm ones and run those at 100% quietly and comfortably, for a very long time.
 
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I did what DarkBreeze suggested in trying and saw that the SYSFAN didn't work and that the CPUFAN was the only that was working with whichever of my 5 fans I tested. Leaving it running for about 2 minutes the two new Corsair fans I got were nice and quiet but I haven't tested them while gaming, if they change that is. Would it be best to just get a 5 4pin splitter or a molex? Or are those the same thing. I know I have 3 female molex cords that came with my power supply.
 
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RMA the motherboard. If the CPU fan doesn't work on the Sysfan header and the case fan DOES work on the CPU fan header, the motherboard fan controller is faulty. Return or warranty the motherboard. Period. DO NOT use any kind of molex adapter as was suggested, that is only covering up a problem you now know you have and when a motherboard begins to show, or has from the start, ANY problem, it is VERY likely that it will develop or already has other problems as well.

There is ZERO reason to continue using a board that is under warranty and has a problem. You paid for a working board, you should HAVE a working board.

You might even want to simply return the board if you can, and get a different model that has a few more chassis fan headers so you don't also have to purchase a fan controller in order to use the other fans once you have a board that actually works correctly.
 
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I originally bought my computer as a whole unit almost 4 years ago so I didn't know what parts it came with it so if I contact MSI will they RMA it or will I just have to buy a brand new motherboard and processor entirely. That's the last thing I want to do as for I'm short on money right now. I purchased my pre-built thru iBuyPower and I didn't receive and motherboard manuals or GPU manuals or anything
 
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Well, that sucks, but unfortunately this is a lesson learned by many people who buy through iBuypower and CyberpowerPC. You are incredibly fortunate that the system hasn't had issues until now in light of that fact. Many users have issues right out of the box or shortly thereafter.

Unfortunately, I don't think you have much choice other than to replace the motherboard. There is no other way to gain fan function if your sole chassis fan header does not work. Using the CPU fan header with a splitter is possible, but it is not an enviable choice as you will be driven absolutely crazy by the sound of the case fans running at the same speed and ramping up and down constantly (And with great variation, unlike the normal response of chassis fans) when connected to the CPU fan header because that header reacts to an entirely different thermal diode/sensor.

There are no fan controllers that I am aware of that do not require at least one functional chassis fan header in order to operate.
 
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No. Not if you don't want to and can find a motherboard from these below that you feel will work.

So with that CPU you can use any B150, B250, B365, C232, C236, H110, H170, H270, Q170, Q270, Z170 or Z270 motherboard. Those are, respectively, 100 series and 200 series motherboards and are fowards and backwards compatible with both 6th and 7th generation Intel Core-i, Pentium and Celeron processors.

I would recommend that if you look at getting another motherboard, you target B250, H170, H270, Z170 or Z270 chipsets. I'll tell you now that finding a board for those generations is probably going to be more expensive than it was when they were current generations as supply has started to become rather scarce for all those chipsets since they have all been discontinued for a while now.

However, if you WANT to get a newer motherboard, like a 300 series or a Ryzen AM4 chipset board, then you WILL need a new CPU as well. Your memory should be fine though as is so long as you have DDR4 and not DDR3L.
 
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