Help with Fan Connections/Splitters on ASRock AB350m Pro 4

[alex.c.lindstrom]

Greetings,

I recently nabbed a Corsair Air 240 off e-Bay which already came with three additional fans in addition to the included 3 x Corsair A1225Ls (using up to 0.30A each on 3-pin). The additional fans are:

1 x Arctic F12 PMW Rev 2 (4-pin) (see: https://www.arctic.ac/us_en/arctic-f12-pwm.html)
2 x Arctic F8 (3-pin) (see: https://www.arctic.ac/us_en/f8.html)

The current configuration:

2 x Corsair in front of case (intake)
1 x Arctic F12 PMW Rev 2 in top front (exhaust)*
1 x Corsair in top back (exhaust)
2 x Arctic F8 in back (exhaust)

*Not sure why the previous owner bought one Arctic PMW fan but left the 2x Arctic F8s standard.

My motherboard is an ASRock AB 350M Pro 4 running a Ryzen 5 1600 w/ the Wraith Spire. While this mobo is perhaps the best value all-rounder for AM4 mATX, it arguably lacks fan headers:

1 x CPU fan header (4-pin) (located in top center-right)
1 x 4-pin fan header (located in center left)
1 x 3-pin fan header (located in bottom right)*

*A review for this mobo notes that the three-pin can't be controlled in the UEFI. Haven't been able to confirm this.

It also includes 1 x 'AMD LED Fan USB Header' for 'connecting the USB connector on the AMD SR3 heatsink'.

Basically, looking for suggestions on how best to power all of these given the limited headers. I want to avoid plugging fans directly into the PSU if I can. A fan controller could also be an option here instead of splitters, but I am really looking to keep things as value-oriented as possible. With regards to keeping the PMW functionality of the F12, standard fans will work with PMW splitters, yes?

Lastly, while there are no bottom-mounted intake fans right now, I'm considering adding 2 x 120mm slim fans (slim necessary due to case design and use of mATX mobo). Open to opinions on whether this would be 'worth it' since the case will already have competent airflow and I'm using an open-air EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 GAMING ACX 3.0.

Thanks, this community has given me so much info over the years.

P.S. Rest of components are:

1 x 8gb Crucial Ballistix LT DDR4 2400 RAM
1 x Samsung EVO 850 500GB SSD
1 x Barracuda 7200RPM 3TB HDD
1 x EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 GAMING ACX 3.0
1 x Rosewill Quark Series 750W Full Modular, 80 Plus Platinum

 

[RARRAF]

well you only have two options
1) splitters
2) fan controler
from what you have said you can get a nice fan controler for £20-30 I think that would work out best but never tried one myself so cant say.

 

[alex.c.lindstrom]

well you only have two options
1) splitters
2) fan controler
from what you have said you can get a nice fan controler for £20-30 I think that would work out best but never tried one myself so cant say.

Thanks. I'm aware that those are my options aside from plugging some fans directly into the PSU. Any specific suggestions as to what splitters or what fan controller? Anyone? Links are appreciated.

 

[photonboy]

*still reading, however I noticed your DDR4 memory bandwidth is far too low. Ryzen needs high bandwidth.
https://www.eteknix.com/memory-speed-large-impact-ryzen-performance/

The MINIMUM recommended is 2666MHz in DUAL CHANNEL (i.e. 2x8GB), up to 3200MHz. Very few applications go higher, and most people still have issues going above 3200MHz.

*For the sake of the WITCHER 3 graph, you are effectively at "1200MHz" right now. It's possible that it's not a huge difference if you are at 2560x1440 and able to maintain 60FPS, but you definitely will be losing some performance here or elsewhere.

At this point I would at least get another identical 8GB stick, then setup in dual channel (see motherboard manual)

 

[alex.c.lindstrom]

The MINIMUM recommended is 2666MHz in DUAL CHANNEL (i.e. 2x8GB), up to 3200MHz

I was not aware of this. I saw that stick being used in some other Ryzen builds and figured it would work fine (perhaps they were making the same mistake).

In any case, I haven't actually ordered the RAM yet. A suggestion there would be appreciated. Keeping with budget, I'd assume 2x4GB.

 

[photonboy]

FANS:

1) Use a 4-pin splitter, and put two IDENTICAL fans on the same splitter. You don't want PWM-controlled fans of different types on the same splitter.

2) use motherboard software to control the fans (see motherboard support site)

3) use the 3-pin header with splitter for the 2x intake fans (may not work in UEFI but should hopefully work with motherboard fan software)

4) use the 4-pin header for the exhaust fan

5) use the CPU_FAN header for the CPU fan

... still trying to figure out how to add another exhaust fan (two should be plenty... I only have one in my system which has a GTX1080 + i7-3770K at 4.4GHz)

 

[alex.c.lindstrom]

1) Use a 4-pin splitter, and put two IDENTICAL fans on the same splitter. You don't want PWM-controlled fans of different types on the same splitter.

2) use motherboard software to control the fans (see motherboard support site)

3) use the 3-pin header with splitter for the 2x intake fans (may not work in UEFI but should hopefully work with motherboard fan software)

4) use the 4-pin header for the exhaust fan

5) use the CPU_FAN header for the CPU fan

Thank you so much for your time here. I just need a little clarification. Exactly which/how many fans should be on the 3-pin splitter (ditto for 4-pin splitter)? From your instructions I'm not sure how the 6 case fans are getting divvied up between the single 3-pin and single 4-pin since, if I'm reading you right, we are using CPU_FAN for just the Wraith Spire.

Sorry if I'm just being dense.

 

[photonboy]

Hi,
I want to recommend THREE FANS however the manual provides no information on how much AMPERAGE it supports. If it supported 1A then you could support up to three, 0.3A fans.

I did think I was clear though:
a) 2x intake on 3-pin header, and
b) 1x exhaust on 4-pin

I'd like to see another EXHAUST, but you'd need another 4-pin PWM fan (preferably identical).

*At this point I recommend contacting ASUS to see how much power the 3-pin fan header supports (rather the AMPERAGE). If it's at least 1Amp, then you can get a 3x 4-pin (PWM) fan splitter.

Then all three fans are controlled at the same time. It would work quite well. Not sure how flexible the fan control software is, but I wouldn't go much above 800RPM as that's pretty diminishing returns for CPU/GPU temperatures anyway.

MEMORY:
Get a 3200MHz (2x4GB) kit. See pcpartpicker. maybe CORSAIR or G. Skill.

Frankly I'd get 2x8GB since you seem to have a high budget in this system and you'll eventually want more than 8GB.

 

[photonboy]

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Vn648d/corsair-vengeance-led-16gb-2-x-8gb-ddr4-3200-memory-cmu16gx4m2c3200c16
or
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/GQqbt6/corsair-memory-cmk8gx4m2b3200c16

The top 16GB, LED version should work with Ryzen motherboards to change the color of the LED's (if you care).

 

[alex.c.lindstrom]

Thanks. You were clear, I think I just needed the bit about putting up to three fans on the headers so long as I can confirm the amperage will tolerate it.

Found this (look under 'Which fan type...'): http://www.asrock.com/microsite/AM4TSD/

Confirms that CHA_FAN2 features no fan control. Though I don't think these fans are particularly loud anyway, I find this obnoxious.

BTW my budget is a bit lower than the part list would make it appear, I deal-hunted for weeks and am currently hovering just above a grand with only the RAM left to buy. I'll consider 16GB though.

 

[photonboy]

No fan control? STUPID. I didn't even know that was a thing. Way to save two cents on the motherboard (probably literally true)

Maybe get a different SSD to save some money, then a better MOTHERBOARD. You can always buy another SSD later.

 

[photonboy]

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/jXcMnQ/msi-b350m-bazooka-micro-atx-am4-motherboard-b350m-bazooka

That board has 3x 4-pin fan headers (which may support 3-pin fans as well. probably do). So if you had TWO fans per header you can have two intake and two exhaust. The third is the CPU.

UPDATE: Kitguru claims the fan headers support both 3-pin and 4-pin fans (that are of variable speed design. some only spin at one speed)

 

[alex.c.lindstrom]

No fan control? STUPID. I didn't even know that was a thing. Way to save two cents on the motherboard (probably literally true)

Maybe get a different SSD to save some money, then a better MOTHERBOARD. You can always buy another SSD later.

Thing is, most of what I've read has suggested that the model I have now is the best all-round AM4 option in mATX (and mATX is indeed what I want). The higher end boards aren't available for mATX yet, and if they are, they aren't at my local Microcenter anyway which matters since I took advantage of their bundle savings.

The closest competitor I think would be the Gigabyte AB350m Gaming 3, but it isn't as consistently regarded as the Pro 4. In comparisons in various places, I've consistently seen the Pro 4 recommended over most any of the other currently available mATX boards as well. I think that, given what is available now, a motherboard with garbage fan support is what I'm stuck with. They included a RGB fan header for the AMD fan, but not an additional 3 or 4-pin case fan header (much less one with fan control). What the hell was the thinking here?

In any case, I'm exhausted with this issue. I've never had to struggle with case fan configuration on a mobo before like this. If the 3-pin isn't offering fan control anyway, I might as well just plug the remaining fans directly into the PSU with some molex adapters (https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812201036&ignorebbr=1). This will allow the motherboard's 3-pin to remain free in case I want to use a splitter for two bottom-mounted slim 120mm fans down the road. Nabbing a 4-pin splitter for the others (https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812162059&ignorebbr=1). Since the CPU_FAN header is confirmed for 1A in the manual, I assume the 4-pin is as well, but I'll probably still call to try and confirm.

A fan controller would also be a solution here but I'd rather first see if the noise level of the fans at 100% is problematic or not anyway. The F8s I know are very quiet.

Can't thank you enough for the heads up regarding the RAM. I've been building since 2011 and I feel like this is the first time RAM speed and channels have presented such a huge difference (hence it catching me off guard; building Ryzen has been a learning experience). Keeping within budget, this looks like my best option: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211956&ignorebbr=1

Giving you nod for best answer.

 

[alex.c.lindstrom]

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/jXcMnQ/msi-b350m-bazooka-micro-atx-am4-motherboard-b350m-bazooka

I had a look at this one previously. Sounds like I'd be switching out better fan support for some other more serious problems, unfortunately, and again there is a difference in the general favorability of reviews: https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/784920-asrock-b350m-pro-4-or-msi-b350m-bazooka-black-or-white/

Honestly though it is hard as hell to tell with these things. As BIOS updates roll in problematic boards are improving significantly. Reviews don't tend to mention which BIOS they're using and it's just a mess.

EDIT - Spotted a NZXT GRID+ V2 for $20 (official refurb). Hmm...

EDIT 2 - Nabbed it. Last one too. It isn't a perfect product, but when your options are nearly $10 in connectors for half of your fans to have no freaking fan control vs. $20 for third-party software driven fan control, well...

Also, that RAM I picked up was apparently the last in stock. Very lucky. Between Ryzen and the way the market is now, I've never experienced such a difficult time to buy appropriate RAM (especially on a budget).