[SOLVED] Need help with case fans

[Sukkui]

I want to add two fans to my case since it only has a stock fan at the rear but my motherboard (MSI 970) only has 2 4-pin connectors. So, would I need a splitter to connect the two fans? I want them to have the speed control.
Also, I was looking to buy the Noctua NF-P12 since it looks great and is cheap but any recommendations are appreciated.

 

[Furzumz]

You would need a fan splitter for extra fans

As far as the fan speed control goes that's a bit more tricky with a fan splitter

I would recommend reading the highlighted solution in this thread for the fan speed control:

controlling fan speeds with fan splitter

I have a fan splitter that has a 4pin to MB and 3 peripheral fan connection one is 4 pin the others are 3 pin and has one molex that I assume is for power only....I have five case fans and am trying to keep them quiet... not sure how this device will work I think that all fans connected to this...

forums.tomshardware.com

 

[Sukkui]

You would need a fan splitter for extra fans

As far as the fan speed control goes that's a bit more tricky with a fan splitter

I would recommend reading the highlighted solution in this thread for the fan speed control:

controlling fan speeds with fan splitter

I have a fan splitter that has a 4pin to MB and 3 peripheral fan connection one is 4 pin the others are 3 pin and has one molex that I assume is for power only....I have five case fans and am trying to keep them quiet... not sure how this device will work I think that all fans connected to this...

forums.tomshardware.com

So i would need a 4-pin fan hub instead

 

[Karadjgne]

A hub and a splitter are intrinsically the same thing. 1 wire from motherboard for controlling multiple wires output to fans.

The problems come with the fans themselves. A 3pin fan is controlled by it voltage. They generally run 7v-12v, but the better fans can drop as low as 5v. This means powered splitters and most powered hubs will not work for more than a few fans, because power is a constant 12v. The fans will run, but only at max speed.

So you'd need an unpowered hub or splitter but must be careful as a header can only supply upto @ 1A or 12w, and if the total of the 3 fans power draw adds up to more than that, you can burn out the header.

4pin PWM are different. They use a 12v source, but it's controlled by the pwm signal, so you can use upto 10 fans on a powered hub, and the only thing the header supplies is the pwm signal.

You can't mix the 2 designs. If the case fan is 3 pin, that's what the 2 other fans will need to be. A better idea will be to replace all 3 fans with 4pin PWM, then a simple powered splitter or hub will have no issues keeping control of all 3 from a single header.

 

[SkyBill40]

I recently picked up a Corsair Commander Pro which will control both three and four pin fans with voltage. It allows for customizable fan profiles and comes with four temperature sensors so that you can actively see where you stand in terms of temps. best $75 I've spent in a while.

 

[Karadjgne]

Yes, those are very nice. Premium price though. With the CP, it's like they took the old 5¼ automatic 3pin fan controllers and just moved it inside. But thats a long way from a $6 4way powered splitter.

 

[SkyBill40]

True. It is a way off from the low budget solution he's after, but it also offers a far greater measure of control and adds some nice extras to go along with those 6 voltage controlled fan headers. I don't have a case with a clear side panel but if I did, I could have some RGB goodness if so desired.

Meh. To each their own.

 

[Karadjgne]

Meh. To each their own

LOL, well said.

Back a few years ago (in the dark ages of pc's), analog fans were most definitely far cheaper and more abundant than pwm. This was in the hay-day of full towers, ATX a fledgling standard. Everybody had 2-9x 5¼" external optical slots. So analog controllers for fans reaching 25-30w per channel molex powered were all the rage. You could find them anywhere. But it took a bay that large to contain the power delivery components, rheostats etc.

Today, pwm rules. It's far simpler, easier, more flexible than analog, you don't need any power delivery apparatus, just a 12v source, all you need is a pwm signal and you can use 10 fans easily. A 2"x2" circuit board that'll hide anywhere and you are in business, since finding a case with optical slots is getting problematic, this is great.

That's where the Commander Pro comes in. It's the new gen way of dealing with old school needs. But you also need to be very attached to your current fans, as the CP isn't cheap. It costs far less to simply replace the fans with something like Arctic F12's or beQuiet silent wings pwm series and a splitter.

 

[SkyBill40]

The point about being attached to your fans is what stands out most. I have bought several Corsair AF line fans and they're all three pin and I wasn't about to ditch them. That's my reasoning for the CP. Now, if I were going all in with a brand new build which involved a new case, I might not have bought it seeing that many newer cases come with fan controllers built in.

PWM are handy and are all the rage as you said. As for finding cases with optical slots, there are still some good ones out there but they are getting less plentiful. I am still using my Corsair Obsidian 550D and will probably do so for the foreseeable future. I've looked at a couple with no opticals and I will just have to buy a portable drive for things on discs. I'll probably turn this one into a HTPC at some point.

 

[Karadjgne]

Yeah, pc cases are getting rediculous. There's a rash of a single design basically started with the H440 and then a single side of tempered glass just wasn't enough. I retired my CM 690 II (awesome airflow case) and am about to retire a flawless R5 Window (another great case) because it's simply too large, almost the size of some full towers. New case is a ncase m6.1, size of a shoebox. And my first personal optical-less case. I too prolly have to invest in a decent optical drive, or convert my BD Burner to usb.

This is a decent option to the Commander Pro
http://www.phanteks.com/PH-PWHUB_02.html