[SOLVED] Question on cooling configuration & motherboard support for fans

Feb 23, 2021
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Specs to note:
-Ryzen 5 3600x
-2060 S

-Asus prime b450m-K
-3x (Deep-cool RGB Fans) & 1x (Corsair SP120 RGB PRO)
-ML240L RGB (Liquid cooler)

I have a problem with connecting all the fan headers into the motherboard, there are 6 fans in total (Including the fans in the aio), and all of them have RGB header as well as power header, and the motherboard does not have a RGB header, and it only has 1 Chassis fan header. The case came in with fan & RBG Splitters for the front-3 fans (deep-cool), so I could use the splitters for those 3 fans for the Chassis header, but then I'll be left with 3 other-unpowered fans. Also the motherboard does not have a liquid cooler header, so should I switch to a new motherboard or switch to air cooling?, and even if I switched motherboards, I would need splitters for all the rgb fans in the case as well as the aio. Does anybody have a suggestion of what I should do?
 
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Thanks for that info. So the three front fans are of the newer 4-pin PWM type as far as their motors are concerned, and the cable for that from each of them will end in a "standard" fan connector that can plug into a mobo header. For the LIGHTS in each, they are of the more complex ARGB type (3-pin, 5VDC power). But the connector for that on their cables is an uncommon type of locking connector that DeepCool uses, I believe. That part does not matter a lot because the case comes with its own unit to power and control the lights in those fans AND the included light strip, and you really have NO other option but to use that, so it will all fit and work. That case-mounted system comes with a cable to connect to a mobo ARGB header you do...

Paperdoc

Polypheme
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You have a mixture of fans there, and that poses at least one problem. The case came with 3 fans from DeepCool, plus you have one SP120 RGB PRO from Corsair. You have not told us which model number of DeepCool fans you got. If you cannot find that on them, tell us three things about their connectors and labels:
(a) for the MOTOR connector, does it have three holes or four?
(b) for the LIGHTING connector, does it have four holes in a line, or three holes that look like it was four, but one is blocked off?
(c) what does the label on it say about the Amps or Watts the motor uses?

Next, if you look at the one Corsair fan, I bet its LIGHTING connector has four holes BUT it looks quite different from those on the DeepCool fans. That fan is intended to be used with another Corsair Accessory, their Lighting Node Core unit. For your purposes, it would be easier to get a different fan with "standard" cables. IF you do that, you should look for a fan with these two characteristics:
(a) the MOTOR connector should have the same number of holes as your DeepCool fans do.
(b) similarly, the LIGHTING cable connector should have the same configuration as your DeepCool fans do.

I have to presume that the case and fans from DeepCool included some means of powering and controlling their LIGHTS, perhaps through a lighting hub with a control button on the front. Assuming that Hub has only three output ports for the case fans supplied, we'd need to find a lighting Splitter that fits there to add a fourth fan's lights.

For power and speed control of the case fans, there are good ways to connect three or four of those to your single mobo SYS_FAN header. Details depend on what you tell us about those DeepCool fans.

For the CoolerMaster ML240 RGB AIO cooling system, you can do it all from the CPU_FAN header using a Splitter, although the instructions for that system show you using two mobo headers. To do that you will need a 4-pin fan SPLITTER with at least three outputs. Examples

https://www.amazon.com/Splitter-Com...1&keywords=fan+splitter&qid=1614136164&sr=8-4

That has three output "arms". Of those three, if you look closely at those arms, only one has all four pins, and the others are missing Pin #3. It may not seem right, but you use this by plugging into that one 4-pin output the cable from the AIO system PUMP unit that has only THREE holes. Then both rad fans plug into the other two arms. The Splitter input connector plugs into the mobo CPU_FAN header. In BIOS Setup see your mobo manual p. 2-3 for Advanced Mode, and choose the F6 key to get to QFan settings. Look for an option to choose PWM Mode or Voltage Control Mode (aka DC Mode), or Auto. Set this to PWM Mode, then go though the Exit Menu to Save and Exit. When you do this, the PUMP which is wired just like an older 3-pin fan will receive a constant 12 VDC power supply and always run full speed as it is designed to do. Further, its SPEED signal will be monitored by the header for pump FAILURE; if that ever happens, you will be warned immediately and the system MAY take its own actions to shut down and prevent overheating damage to the CPU. The rad fans will receive that same power, but also will receive the PWM signals they need to control their speeds automatically according to the CPU chip's internal temperature sensor. Note that, in BIOS Setup, it will show you the PUMP speed with the label CPU Fan Speed, and it can NOT show you the speeds of the rad fans at all.

Here's an example of a different design of Splitter that looks like a circuit board

https://www.amazon.com/Endlesss-Spl...1&keywords=fan+splitter&qid=1614136805&sr=8-5

If you get one of these, plug the PUMP into the output marked "CPU" - that's the only one that can send back to the header the pump speed - and plug the rad fans into other ports.

the combined power requirements of the pump and rad fans can be met from the single CPU_FAN header. Power and control of the case fans we can settle when you have told us exactly what case fans you have, as above.
 
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Feb 23, 2021
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  1. The model of the deep-cool fans are, CF120.
  2. And, there's 4 holes for the motor connector of the CF120 (I am not sure about B & C)
  3. I think the case is the Matrexx 55 v3 add-rgb 3f
What advice would you give now?, also does your advice for the aio stay the same?, let me know
 
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Paperdoc

Polypheme
Ambassador
Thanks for that info. So the three front fans are of the newer 4-pin PWM type as far as their motors are concerned, and the cable for that from each of them will end in a "standard" fan connector that can plug into a mobo header. For the LIGHTS in each, they are of the more complex ARGB type (3-pin, 5VDC power). But the connector for that on their cables is an uncommon type of locking connector that DeepCool uses, I believe. That part does not matter a lot because the case comes with its own unit to power and control the lights in those fans AND the included light strip, and you really have NO other option but to use that, so it will all fit and work. That case-mounted system comes with a cable to connect to a mobo ARGB header you do not have, so just ignore that cable. I expect it also has a cable to a PSU power output. When it's working, you use a button on the case top marked LED to select the display pattern.

There are two different types of devices used to connect several fans to a single mobo header. The simpler and less expensive is a SPLITTER as I described above. It gets all its power for fans from the host header, which is limited to 1.0 A max total load. Your fans are spec's to 0.11 A each, so there is NO problem connecting all three to your SYS_FAN header. In fact, if you do use a fourth fan, that can go there, too. You just need a Splitter type with at least four outputs, like the circuit board type I linked above. The other device type is called a HUB, but do NOT rely on the name the seller tells you - they confuse the devices. A HUB has an extra "arm" that must plug into a power output from the PSU for its fans' power. Do NOT get one of those. When connecting fans to the Splitter, remember to ensure that one of them is plugged into the output that is marked as the only one that sends its speed signal back. In BIOS Setup for the SYS_FAN header, IF there is a choice, set it to use the PWM Mode, not DC Mode.

The Corsair SP120 RGB fan has some problems. Its lighting connection, as I said, is unique to Corsair, so you really have no way to adapt that easily to the rest of your system. Its MOTOR connection MAY be a standard 3-pin one that COULD plug into your front fan Splitter. HOWEVER, connected that way, you can NOT control its speed - it always will run full speed. I don't know how you had planned to use it, but I suspect it was to be mounted at the rear as an exhaust fan. That plus the fans on the CoolerMaster AIO rad system blowing through the rad and OUT of the case at the top provide a good balance for the three front intake fans. IF that is your plan, I suggest you replace the Corsair fan with a NON-lighted regular 4-pin PWM style fan. That can be plugged into the Splitter and WILL have its sped controlled. You would just be missing lights on the back you may not see, anyway.

For the AIO system, I outlined earlier how to power and control the pump and fan MOTORS. For its lights, they are the OTHER type of RGB lights - NOT the same as your front fans' ARGB system. So you can NOT connect the two lighting systems together, and they will produce different displays. That AIO system came with a small box with three buttons that you connect the rad fans' lighting cables to. You will need access to that box to use the buttons to change display choices. It gets power directly from a PSU output. Nothing else in your system needs to connect to that lighting controller for the rad fans.
 
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