How to power all my case fans with the option to control their speed through software?

[HarveyMc1224]

Hello,

I am planning on purchasing a Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX Case sometime in the near future.

I am still confused as to how I go about powering my case fans.

I want to have a 360mm radiator mounted on the top of my case along side with 3 120mm fans, 1 140mm fan in the back of the case, and 3 120mm fans in the front of the case.

I want to have control over the speed of the fans directly through software so I can have them quiet when the computer isn't under load or is already cool enough and to only be load when the system is under load like playing a game or rendering something/

I know this is possible through PWM and my motherboard supports this feature but I'm not sure if it will power all 7 fans. I would plug all my fans directly into my MOBO but I don't think it has enough headers for that. I have read that most 4 pin headers only support up to 1 amp, but I don't know how much power each of the fans will take up and if I may need to use multiple headers.

I know my PSU can handle powering my fans but I don't think I will be able to control the speed of them then.

Do I need to purchase an external controller to power this many case fans or is there an option avaliable to me which I am not aware of?

Also, if I were to buy RGB fans how can I control the colours of them?

Do I need to buy something like the NZXT Hue+ to do this?

And also, can I control the speed and colour of the fans or can I only do one or the other?

CASE: Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX
MOBO: ASUS Maximus IX Hero
AIO: NZXT Kraken x62

Thanks.
Harvey

 

[raisonjohn]

Your ASUS Maximus IX Hero has enough fan headers to run the 7 fans, even without using any splitters.

All the eight (8) fan headers in your motherboard are 4-pin PWM fan headers:
1) CPU_FAN - 1A Max., Q-Fan Controlled (by Default)
2) CPU_OPT - 1A Max., Q-Fan Controlled (by Default)
3) CHA_FAN1 - 1A Max., Q-Fan Controlled (by Default)
4) CHA_FAN2 - 1A Max., Q-Fan Controlled (by Default)
5) CHA_FAN3 - 1A Max., Q-Fan Controlled (by Default)
6) AIO_PUMP - 1A Max., Full Speed (by Default)
7) W_PUMP+ - 3A Max., Full Speed (by Default)
8) H_AMP - 3A Max., Q-Fan Controlled (by Default)

Note that you can change the default settings through Asus BIOS, as all headers have PWM functions that can be used with PWM fans (variable speed by changes current on continuous +12VDC).

Some RGB fans have a separate controller (plugged in via PSU) while some are supported via software (plugged in a USB2.0 header) -- it depends on your preferences. You can change both the color and the speed separately.