Help with case fans?

[Kall49]

Hello everyone,

I need some help with my case fan situation. So I ordered 4 Corsair AF120 led fans for my Phanteks P400 silent edition case. I was only using the stock phanteks fans at first (I just recently built this computer) but decided to increase my cooling capability. However when I bought the fans, I realized that I made a mistake and I did not have enough fan cables to connect all the fans.

One reason I am asking the community, is because the phanteks case has a fan speed controller button on the front of the case. Speeds going from low, medium, and high. But the cable that is plugged into it (Which I cant detach) runs a 3 header split cable; with each head having a 2 pin male end. These do plug into my corsair fans and still allow me to control the speeds. I am just unsure how the 2 pin male ends effect my connection in any way.

I was able to find two options that I am still unsure about. One is the Phanteks PWM fan hub, which is an optional edition to the case and has 6 3pin fan headers. However, I have heard that these hubs will run the fans at the highest speeds. I also found a phanteks y cable splitter which has the same 2 pin male end pins like the case.

So which one should I get? If some one has used the fan hub, will it allow me to control the speed threw the case button, or the motherboard? Would the hub handle the .4 amps that the corsair fans use? Should I look into other options?

I apologize for any confusion, because honestly I am still confused on this matter myself.

Parts
Corsair af120 led fans
Phanteks P400 silent edition case
Asrock z270 killer lga1151 motherboard
Seasonic g series 550w gold

 

[Paperdoc]

You can and should buy and use the Phanteks PWM Hub for your situation. It will do the job well.

The whole point of fan speed control is NOT fan speed! It is TEMPERATURE control! There are two main focus points for this. The first is the CPU chip and its cooler. The mobo CPU_FAN header that you plug your cooler into will constantly check the actual temperature inside the CPU chip using a sensor built into the chip, and adjust the cooling fan to whatever it takes to keep that chip's internal temperature on target. A second system does the same for case ventilation fans, based on a different temperature sensor built into the mobo. That system is what controls fan speeds via the CHA_FAN headers IF you plug your fans in there.

You have been using instead the case's manual fan speed control system, which has NO way to use those automatic features of the CHA_FAN headers. YOU are the controller that must decide whether your mobo temperature is OK or not, what speed to set the fans at, and when to change them as your workload changes. I'm guessing you have not actually spent a lot of time doing that job, so it's tough to know whether your mobo cooling has been adequate, too little, or too much.

So, if you change to having the automatic features of the mobo CHA_FAN headers do the job for you on a continuous basis, that will be better. The problem is that your mobo's headers, according to the manual, use only the new PWM Mode to control fans, and that can NOT control 3-pin fans. A 3-pin fan connected to any true PWM Mode header will always run full speed. (That's the origin of the incorrect stories you have heard about the Phantek Hub.) The solution to that problem is the Phanteks PWM Hub, a device with a unique design. It REQUIRES the PWM signal from a mobo CHA_FAN header using PWM Mode, but then it uses that internally to create its own group of six 3-pin fan headers that use the older Voltage Control Mode, which is the only way to control 3-pin fans. That's why I recommend you get that Hub.

Here's a hint. The Hub's manual suggests that you connect its 4-pin female fan connector to the CPU_FAN header of the mobo, and then plug the actual CPU cooler into the Hub's white Port #1 and other case fans into other Hub ports. But that is only because some mobos with 4-pin CHA_FAN headers do NOT actually use PWM Mode, and hence do not supply the PWM signal this Hub needs. (It is those types of headers that can make the Phanteks Hub fail to control.) But your mobo does not have that limitation. Its manual says both of the CHA_FAN headers use only PWM Mode.

So, do it this way instead. Plug your CPU cooler into the mobo CPU_FAN header. Plug the Hub's female fan connector into one of your CHA_FAN headers. Plug the Hub's power connector into a SATA power output from the PSU - that's where it will get the power for all its fans. When you plug your four 3-pin case fans into the Hub, make sure one of them is on the white Port #1. Why? Well, any mobo fan header can accept and deal with the speed signal coming back from only ONE fan. So the Hub, as any good device like it would do, will send back to the mobo CHA_FAN header the speed signal of ONLY the one fan on its Port #1. You simply will never see the speeds of the other three fans on the Hub, although they should be the same as the first one.

A last point. Go into BIOS Setup to where the fan headers are configured. The manual indicates that, for each fan header, you can select which built-in temperature sensor is used to guide its control function. So specifically for the header that your Hub is plugged into, make sure it is the mobo sensor, and not another one. If you have to change its setting, be sure to SAVE and EXIT so your new setting is saved.

 

[Kall49]

You can and should buy and use the Phanteks PWM Hub for your situation. It will do the job well.

The whole point of fan speed control is NOT fan speed! It is TEMPERATURE control! There are two main focus points for this. The first is the CPU chip and its cooler. The mobo CPU_FAN header that you plug your cooler into will constantly check the actual temperature inside the CPU chip using a sensor built into the chip, and adjust the cooling fan to whatever it takes to keep that chip's internal temperature on target. A second system does the same for case ventilation fans, based on a different temperature sensor built into the mobo. That system is what controls fan speeds via the CHA_FAN headers IF you plug your fans in there.

You have been using instead the case's manual fan speed control system, which has NO way to use those automatic features of the CHA_FAN headers. YOU are the controller that must decide whether your mobo temperature is OK or not, what speed to set the fans at, and when to change them as your workload changes. I'm guessing you have not actually spent a lot of time doing that job, so it's tough to know whether your mobo cooling has been adequate, too little, or too much.

So, if you change to having the automatic features of the mobo CHA_FAN headers do the job for you on a continuous basis, that will be better. The problem is that your mobo's headers, according to the manual, use only the new PWM Mode to control fans, and that can NOT control 3-pin fans. A 3-pin fan connected to any true PWM Mode header will always run full speed. (That's the origin of the incorrect stories you have heard about the Phantek Hub.) The solution to that problem is the Phanteks PWM Hub, a device with a unique design. It REQUIRES the PWM signal from a mobo CHA_FAN header using PWM Mode, but then it uses that internally to create its own group of six 3-pin fan headers that use the older Voltage Control Mode, which is the only way to control 3-pin fans. That's why I recommend you get that Hub.

Here's a hint. The Hub's manual suggests that you connect its 4-pin female fan connector to the CPU_FAN header of the mobo, and then plug the actual CPU cooler into the Hub's white Port #1 and other case fans into other Hub ports. But that is only because some mobos with 4-pin CHA_FAN headers do NOT actually use PWM Mode, and hence do not supply the PWM signal this Hub needs. (It is those types of headers that can make the Phanteks Hub fail to control.) But your mobo does not have that limitation. Its manual says both of the CHA_FAN headers use only PWM Mode.

So, do it this way instead. Plug your CPU cooler into the mobo CPU_FAN header. Plug the Hub's female fan connector into one of your CHA_FAN headers. Plug the Hub's power connector into a SATA power output from the PSU - that's where it will get the power for all its fans. When you plug your four 3-pin case fans into the Hub, make sure one of them is on the white Port #1. Why? Well, any mobo fan header can accept and deal with the speed signal coming back from only ONE fan. So the Hub, as any good device like it would do, will send back to the mobo CHA_FAN header the speed signal of ONLY the one fan on its Port #1. You simply will never see the speeds of the other three fans on the Hub, although they should be the same as the first one.

A last point. Go into BIOS Setup to where the fan headers are configured. The manual indicates that, for each fan header, you can select which built-in temperature sensor is used to guide its control function. So specifically for the header that your Hub is plugged into, make sure it is the mobo sensor, and not another one. If you have to change its setting, be sure to SAVE and EXIT so your new setting is saved.

Wow, paperdoc thank you so much. That really clears up allot of my issues. Thank you for your time!!

 

[Paperdoc]

You're welcome, and thanks for Best Solution. Enjoy your system!