Need to know how many fans my motherboard can support

[Anton Grier]

I want to maximize the cooling in my system, so i need to know what the maximum amount of case fans the Asrock h97 pro4 can support. On the specifications page of the motherboard it lists this:

2 x CPU Fan Connectors (1 x 4-pin, 1 x 3-pin)
2 x Chassis Fan Connectors (2 x 4-pin)
1 x Power Fan Connector (3-pin)

Together this would mean that it supports 5 case fans, but of course i'd need to connect my CPU cooler fan, so that leaves me with 4, but i don't know if the case fans would actually work with a CPU fan connector, and a power fan connector.

Can someone please explain this to me, about if the fans can connect to these connectors, and the differences between these connectors, so that in future i'd know straight away.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Many fans connect directly to your PSU, and you can also get fan controllers.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

OK. Case fans can be connected to the two chassis fan headers and the PSU fan too if you want to. Each header can split and power at least two or three modern fans. There is also a splitter cable that handles 5 fans and uses Molex power from the PSU. you can install a fan controller which will handle 4 - ??? fans from a single header.


The 4 pin connectors are PWM which allows the computer to adjust the fan speed on need. The three pin fans use two for power, and the third is a sensor so we know what speed they are running.

Unless you are doing something exotic, you should have plenty of headers, one for case fan(s) built in, one for exhaust, and one to provide air for GPU. I have tow here, running off one header using a splitter,
It's easier to look At it the other way. You tell us what fans you want to run, ands we'll advise you how to do that best.

You can also connect fans directly to the PSU, but then they are on full-bore all the time.

 

[Anton Grier]

OK. Case fans can be connected to the two chassis fan headers and the PSU fan too if you want to. Each header can split and power at least two or three modern fans. There is also a splitter cable that handles 5 fans and uses Molex power from the PSU. you can install a fan controller which will handle 4 - ??? fans from a single header.


The 4 pin connectors are PWM which allows the computer to adjust the fan speed on need. The three pin fans use two for power, and the third is a sensor so we know what speed they are running.

Unless you are doing something exotic, you should have plenty of headers, one for case fan(s) built in, one for exhaust, and one to provide air for GPU. I have tow here, running off one header using a splitter,
It's easier to look At it the other way. You tell us what fans you want to run, ands we'll advise you how to do that best.

You can also connect fans directly to the PSU, but then they are on full-bore all the time.

I will have 6 fans in total. 2 already come with the case, buy i like to keep my components cool. 1 fan will be at the front of the case for intake, 2 at the top, and 1 at the back for exhaust, and 2 more fans mounted to the sidepanel for more intake, overall 3 intakes, and 3 exhausts.

I'm not sure how to power them all, i guess 2 of them from the chassis fan headers, but the rest... I thought of using that molex cable to just bring 1 or 2 of them, to power all the rest of the fans, but i don't know how these molex cables work. There are absolutely no guides that explain this properly, i think the molex connects to the psu to the 6 pin jack, or the hole with 6 holes on the psu, and then fans connect to the other end, but i don't see how they can connect to that.

How can these fan connectors connect to this:?

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Please explain this to me, very simply

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Some fans come with the four-pin peripheral connector. I know Antec had a line that they called TriCool; don't think they still make them, but there's almost certainly others.

Many high-end cases come with a fan controller that has 1x four-pin peripheral connector (or SATA power on newer ones), a bunch of sockets for the three-pin fans, and a speed controller.

You can also buy aftermarket adapters.

 

[Anton Grier]

Some fans come with the four-pin peripheral connector. I know Antec had a line that they called TriCool; don't think they still make them, but there's almost certainly others.

Many high-end cases come with a fan controller that has 1x four-pin peripheral connector (or SATA power on newer ones), a bunch of sockets for the three-pin fans, and a speed controller.

You can also buy aftermarket adapters.

My case doesn't have a fan controller, and i'm very sure i can't get one out here where i am

 

[DonkeyOatie]

This adaptor gives from Molex to fan http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812201009

This splits one header into two, a Y splitter http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812119148&cm_re=fan_y_splitter-_-12-119-148-_-Product

This uses Molex power to run 5 fans off one PWM header http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812311001

This is a really good fan controller. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811997078&cm_re=fancontroller-_-11-997-078-_-Product

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Something like this, then: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812423171

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Something like this, then: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812423171

SNAP: Beat you to it

 

[Anton Grier]

Thanks guys, i wish i can choose you both for the best solution, but sadly only one can make it 😀
Anyway, as i said i can't get these adapters here, so i solved the problem in a different way. I will get a different case, that comes with 5 fans preinstalled, and which are molex powered, although only 3 molex connectors come with my PSU, so i'll buy 2 other fans, plug them into my motherboard, and whoala, done!

 

[Anton Grier]

Also guys, my new case will have 5 fans, 2 in front, 2 at the top, and 1 at the back. How should i set these up? Should i have 3 intakes and 2 exhausts, or 2 intakes, and 3 exhausts? Or maybe i should just ditch one fan and even it out? What's your take on this?

 

[DonkeyOatie]

You want more intake than exhaust. This will keep air pressure in the case, called positive pressure, and it help keep dust and crud out.

 

[Anton Grier]

You want more intake than exhaust. This will keep air pressure in the case, called positive pressure, and it help keep dust and crud out.

Ok, i'll do that, although there's a little problem, i have 2 groups of fans, 1 group consists of 2 fans in the front, and i want to use them an intake, the second group consists of 3 fans, 2 at the top, and 1 at the back, if i want positive pressure, i'd need 3 intakes. But if i have one of the fans at the top intake air, the other one will exhaust air, that will make it so that the warm air blown out of the case, will be taken in right away by the fan next to it. In this case should i then have 4 intake fans, and one exhaust. will that be fine for cooling? Or should I not bother, and just have one of the fans at the top intake air?

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Make the fan at the back intake and exhaust through the top. One top intake and one top exhaust is very inefficient.

How are the fans set up when you get them? Are all the fans the same size and type?

 

[Anton Grier]

Make the fan at the back intake and exhaust through the top. One top intake and one top exhaust is very inefficient.

How are the fans set up when you get them? Are all the fans the same size and type?

They are all going to be 120mm
there are going to be 2 different types of fans though, 3 will be the ones that already come with the case (and i don't know any info about them, the case that the fans come with is the Deepcool Kendomen if you're interested) and the other 2 will be aftermarket fans from cooler master.

 

[Anton Grier]

Make the fan at the back intake and exhaust through the top. One top intake and one top exhaust is very inefficient.

How are the fans set up when you get them? Are all the fans the same size and type?

also, there isn't a fan filter for dust at the back, there is everywhere else though, just not at the back...

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Back is usually exhaust. The dust won't travel up through a stream of moving air; it's only the intakes that need filters.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Back is usually exhaust. The dust won't travel up through a stream of moving air; it's only the intakes that need filters.

That's true, but I suggested using the rear as an intake to get positive pressure. with 5 identical fans, two on the front and two on the top and one on the rear it's a challenge;

OP

In this review http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?290355-DeepCool-Kendomen

it says that the Kendomen comes with five fans. Two at the top and two at the front for intake, and the one at the rear for exhaust, so that's the way the case is designed to be used. It also mentions a two channel fan controller which will control both the pairs of intake fans.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Rear fan as intake is generally a bad idea... all intake means you just get lots of static pressure and no airflow. Lots of dead zones.

 

[DonkeyOatie]

That's true too, but I was not suggesting all intake. Looks like the case is supposed to run four intake and one exhaust. The OP should try that first.

 

[Anton Grier]

I've decided that i'll just test out a few configurations, with things like the air pressure, and dust intake in mind, and see what the best configuration is.
Anyway thanks a lot guys, you're very helpful!