Is it possible to use multiple y splitter?

[ching88]

I would like to get more airflow in my gaming rig.
I have 1 y splitter for my cpu cooling which came with the Corsair H75 hydro series. which is connected to the cpu fan header. The pump is connected cpu_opt header.

So that leaves me to 3 chassis fan connectors left


But i would like to add corsair AF140 2 top exhaust - 1 bottom intake - 2 side panels intake.

So setup would be like this:
Front+bottom
2x side panels
2x top



I have an asus z97 pro gamer would this strain my mobo or not?

Or do i need to go for the psu molex solution?

 

[Mattios]

I'd go molex, because although you can use splitters, the power going to each fan would reduce, therefore lowering their speeds.

 

[Paperdoc]

You don't need to go Molex - you have enough mobo fan ports to add 4 fans if you use splitters. And Mattios is wrong - connecting 2 fans to one mobo fan port using a splitter does not change the fan speeds.

Most mobo fan ports can supply enough current to support two fans, but more than 2 on one port is risky. But with several mobo ports, you can use up to 2 per port on all ports.

Since the fans you propose all appear to be used for case ventilation, you should be connecting them to mobo CHA_FAN ports. These are the ones that are guided (in the automatic fan speed control system) by a temperature sensor on the mobo. (The CPU_FAN port is guided by a temp sensor built into the CPU chip itself.) Now, your mobo's ports of that type may be both 3-pin and 4-pin. The best guide here is this: always use 3-pin fans on 3-pin ports, and 4-pin fans on 4-pin ports. An acceptable compromise is to use 4-pin fans on either port type. That will work with speed control, but the 4-pin fans on 3-pin ports will just act exactly like 3-pin fans. (This means you lose a couple of small advantages of the 4-pin design, but you may never notice that.) If you buy all 4-pin fans, buy also one or two 4-pin fan splitters. If you buy some 3-pin fans and want them on a splitter, either a 3-pin splitter or a 4-pin splitter will work for them. Just be sure to plug 3-pin fans into a 3-pin port, or you won't have speed control on them.

 

[ching88]

You don't need to go Molex - you have enough mobo fan ports to add 4 fans if you use splitters. And Mattios is wrong - connecting 2 fans to one mobo fan port using a splitter does not change the fan speeds.

Most mobo fan ports can supply enough current to support two fans, but more than 2 on one port is risky. But with several mobo ports, you can use up to 2 per port on all ports.

Since the fans you propose all appear to be used for case ventilation, you should be connecting them to mobo CHA_FAN ports. These are the ones that are guided (in the automatic fan speed control system) by a temperature sensor on the mobo. (The CPU_FAN port is guided by a temp sensor built into the CPU chip itself.) Now, your mobo's ports of that type may be both 3-pin and 4-pin. The best guide here is this: always use 3-pin fans on 3-pin ports, and 4-pin fans on 4-pin ports. An acceptable compromise is to use 4-pin fans on either port type. That will work with speed control, but the 4-pin fans on 3-pin ports will just act exactly like 3-pin fans. (This means you lose a couple of small advantages of the 4-pin design, but you may never notice that.) If you buy all 4-pin fans, buy also one or two 4-pin fan splitters. If you buy some 3-pin fans and want them on a splitter, either a 3-pin splitter or a 4-pin splitter will work for them. Just be sure to plug 3-pin fans into a 3-pin port, or you won't have speed control on them.

Thanx mate! I will try that

 

[4Ryan6]

I would like to get more airflow in my gaming rig.
I have 1 y splitter for my cpu cooling which came with the Corsair H75 hydro series. which is connected to the cpu fan header. The pump is connected cpu_opt header.

So that leaves me to 3 chassis fan connectors left


But i would like to add corsair AF140 2 top exhaust - 1 bottom intake - 2 side panels intake.

So setup would be like this:
Front+bottom
2x side panels
2x top



I have an asus z97 pro gamer would this strain my mobo or not?

Or do i need to go for the psu molex solution?

According to your manual, the ASUS Z97 Pro Gamers M/B CPU fan header is rated for 1A (amp) and 12W (watts), so it is an assumption that the chassis or accessory fan headers can handle the same load, because there is no direct specifications covering those headers.

Those specification ratings mean you do not want to add multiple fans that their combined power load overload those M/B fan header specifications.

Since your M/B manual fan header ratings specifically covers the CPU fan headers specs and does not say those specs cover the other headers besides the CPU, I suggest using Molex splitters and get the power for those fans directly from the power supply.

I never run splitters on M/B fan headers, ever, I would run a fan controller and power it directly from the power supply, I suggest you read your own M/B manual and if you do run fan header splitters make sure the fan load does not overload the fan header circuits.

Seeing as how you do not have specifications in your manual directly covering the 3 chassis fan headers power ratings, It is always better to be safe than sorry!

 

[4Ryan6]

I'd go molex, because although you can use splitters, the power going to each fan would reduce, therefore lowering their speeds.

Your statement regarding lowering the fan speeds is possible but only if the M/Bs fan header power circuit is overloaded, in which case lower fan speeds would be the least of his problems, as he would be well on his way of burning out the motherboards fan circuit pathways.

 

[4Ryan6]

And Mattios is wrong - connecting 2 fans to one mobo fan port using a splitter does not change the fan speeds.

Most mobo fan ports can supply enough current to support two fans, but more than 2 on one port is risky. But with several mobo ports, you can use up to 2 per port on all ports.

Mattios is not wrong and I've already covered that.

Your statement of "most mobo fan can supply enough current to support two fans," is not based on solid information if you do not take the time to check out the motherboard specifications and give a response related to that information.

Or else your answer is just a general assumption which may not be accurate.

You and Mattios need to be clearer on the information being provided, because you do not want your advice to be the reason another forum member has hardware failure.

I unselected your answer as best answer for that reason.

@ching88,
Personally I am not after a best answer I could care less regarding that, but the one you chose IMO is not the best answer, you should choose another.

 

[Paperdoc]

4Ryan6, your post says correctly that the spec given is for the current capacity of the mobo's CPU_FAN port, with no info on the CHA_FAN ports. Then you expand that to say that the limit you DO have applies to the sum total of ALL mobo fan ports! Hence you conclude that adding 5 fans with splitters could overload the mobo's fan port capacity. I don't agree with that logic. It is more likely (my opinion since, as you say, the specs don't exist) that EACH mobo fan port has a current limit similar to that of the CPU_FAN port, which is 1 amp. MAYBE it's only half that, but for EACH port.

Now, OP's post says he wants to add five Corsair AF140 fans in total. The Corsair website says those fans typically draw 0.1 amps. I assume that is running current, but starting current could be 2 to 3 times that for a couple seconds. So, connecting two of these via a splitter could produce a max current draw at start-up of 0.5 to 0.6 amps. I'm suggesting that the CHA_FAN ports on this mobo probably can supply that. Again, I DID say that no more than 2 such fans should be attached to one mobo fan header.

Other than a third-party manually-operated fan controller add-on, there is another route possible for OP. The AF140's apparently are 3-pin fans that operate in Voltage Control Mode, so their speeds cannot be controlled by a 4-pin fan port in PWM Mode. The dilemma and opportunity is that OP's mobo, the ASUS Z97 Pro Gamer, has three 4-pin mobo fan ports. The opportunity comes from the Phanteks PWM Fan Hub. This is an interesting accessory that differs from other 4-pin fan hubs in an important way. It connects to a mobo 4-pin port to get a PWM control signal and return one fan's speed signal. It also connects to a PSU SATA device power output connector to get power for all the fans connected to the hub, so it does not overload the mobo fan port's power limit. The unusual feature is that all of this hub's output ports are 3-pin and appear to operate in Voltage Control Mode. Apparently it uses the PWM signal from the mobo to create multiple Voltage Control Mode ports for fans. And don't forget, a 4-pin fan plugged into a 3-pin Voltage Control Mode port acts exactly like a 3-pin fan and is under speed control. The result is that this hub can "convert" one mobo 4-pin PWM Mode port into many 3-pin Voltage Control Mode ports to power many fans of either 3- or 4-pin design, and it does not overload the mobo fan port.

So, OP, if you are still concerned with excess load on mobo fan ports by using splitters, this Phantex PWM Hub can solve your problem. With it you could control all five of your added fans from one mobo 4-pin CHA_FAN port.

 

[4Ryan6]

4Ryan6, your post says correctly that the spec given is for the current capacity of the mobo's CPU_FAN port, with no info on the CHA_FAN ports. Then you expand that to say that the limit you DO have applies to the sum total of ALL mobo fan ports! Hence you conclude that adding 5 fans with splitters could overload the mobo's fan port capacity. I don't agree with that logic. It is more likely (my opinion since, as you say, the specs don't exist) that EACH mobo fan port has a current limit similar to that of the CPU_FAN port, which is 1 amp. MAYBE it's only half that, but for EACH port.

The underlined in your statement above referencing 4Ryan6 is false, I did not say that!

Anyone with even a semblance of intelligence can plainly read what I wrote!

 

[Paperdoc]

Well then, if you did not believe that 1 amp was the limit for the total, and only the limit for EACH mobo fan header, why did you conclude that using more than one fan on one header was risking overload? I am accustomed to seeing fan running current specs less than 0.3 amps. In this case, if you find the specs for OP's fans of choice (as you were careful to do for the mobo specs), the fan running current is 0.1 amps. Semblance of intelligence? Or just very cautious?