PWM or NON-PWM 2 FANS

[sobo15]

Hello.
Recently I've bought a PC and I have MotherBoard GIGABYTE B360M HD3 .
I want to put 2 more fans on my Genesis Titan 660 Plus Case(both on the floor of the case) but I don't know which fans: PWM or NON-PWM. Can I put for example 2 PWM fans?
What do you recommend for my motherboard? For 2 fans

Also, what means PWM fans? Are automatically controlled?


Thanks.

 

[clutchc]

PWM = Pulse Width Modulation. 3-wire "DC" controlled fans' speed is controlled by raising/lowering the voltage. PWM fans are always +12v and their speeds are controlled by 'pulsing' the 12v to the motor. Most modern boards now allow speed control by either method. The main benefit of PWM is that lighting on the fans do not dim when speed is reduced. So, if there is no lighted fan to consider, it really doesn't matter which you use. Both PWM (4-pin) fans and DC (3-pin) fans work on either 4-pin or 3-pin headers. Obviously, PWM fans won't be PWM controlled when connected to the 3-pin header and will work as 3-pin fans.

 

[sobo15]

Thank you so much. My question now is if I can put 2 PWM Fans by having that Motherboard and that case.
Does someone know? I don't know a lot about fans at all

 

[The Paladin]

the real question between those the is simpler in one way than the real question your looking to ask;

1) 3 or 4 wire will be defined by your motherboard headers, and how you can add 2 more fans will be defined by how many your motherboard can sustain and how many you already have connected to the motherboard. So I ask, what is the make and model of your motherboard.

2) I believe your asking if you should get a High Static Pressure Case fan (SP Fans) versus Air Flow (AF fans), for a case generally I would use it especially from bottom static pressure fan, why, because it will keep pushing air into the case (fresh air) and let the front and back fans perform the air flow around the components. while the top and bottom be pressure fans. But that is my way, is there a right and wrong way, I'll let others debate that.

Finally I ask, what is your case your using , and what fans you currently have connected to it?

 

[sobo15]

This is the case: http://genesis-zone.com/en/product/titan-660-plus-gaming-pc-case/
INSTALLED FANS
2x front: 120mm/ 1x rear: 120mm/ 1x top: 120mm
MOTHERBOARD is : GIGABYTE B360M HD3

So, I want to put 2 more fans on the floor of the case because it supports them both. I don't know what to choose from PWN or NON-PWN(tbh, I don't know if PWN are compatible or not).

 

[The Paladin]

according to the manufacturer of your motherboard's manual: http://download.gigabyte.us/FileList/Manual/mb_manual_b360m-hd3_1001_e.pdf

on page 13 : itr doers indicate all fan headers on your motherboard are 4 pin fan headers.

but I also noticed that you only have 2 fan headers on that motherboard and very curious how you are controlling currently 4 fans (ie where are they connected)
on page 3 of the manu shown with red arrows are you only 2 fan headers....

edited reload page

 

[Paperdoc]

A few corrections. 3-pin and 4-pin fans require different Modes of control. Older 3-pin fans need Voltage Control Mode (aka DC Mode); 4-pin fans are best done with PWM Mode, but can be controlled also the DC Mode. Your mobo's only SYS_FAN header can be set in BIOS Setup to use either Mode, so normally you would set that according to the type of fan you have plugged in there. If you mis-match fan type and control Mode, here's what happens: a 3-pin fan plugged into a header using PWM Mode will always run full speed, so you get good cooling but no speed control; a 4-pin fan plugged into a header using DC Mode WILL have its speed controlled, even though technically this is not the ideal control Mode for it.

Now, you already have 4 fans supplied with the case, but I cannot find any specs on the case website for which type they are. So you have to look for these things:
1. For each fan, how many wires comes from the fan motor to a connector on the end - 2, 3, or 4?
2. Those connectors. They could be one of three types. A 4-pin Molex Male is about 3/4" wide with space for four round pins in a line inside a plastic shroud, although there may be only 2 pins installed. A standard 3-pin fan female connector is smaller - about 3/8" wide - with three holes in a line, and two ridges on one side of the connector body. A standard 4-pin fan connector looks VERY much like the 3-pin one, except it is a little wider and has 4 holes, with the extra one beyond the ridges. So, which do you have on your fans? Oh, by the way, SOME fans come with both a 3-pin standard fan female and a 4-pin male Molex on their wires, and you plug in ONE of those two connectors for each fan.
3. Where are they plugged in? I suspect strongly that none of them is plugged into the mobo SYS_FAN header. Are they all plugged into some front panel module? Or, are the wires for all of them plugged into a power output from the PSU?

You should be aware that any common mobo fan header can supply up to 1.0 A current max to the total load of all fans connected to it. Connecting several to one header is possible using a Splitter - in fact, that's almost the only way to power and control several 3-pin fans from a mobo header. Many of today's fans run on 0.1 to 0.2 A max, so four together fits within that limit, but five might or might not. If you can see the label on one of those fans, see if it specifies it Amp rating.

If you can answer those questions above we can provide more detailed info on what can be done, and how.