[SOLVED] safe to use 2 x 0.18A fan on 1A Mobo heads?

[apuity]

I did some research and it says fans can use 2-3 times the stated power sometimes.

If I have two 0.18A fans connected through a splitter, that is 0.36A... And 0.36 x 3 > 1. Is that a problem? What would be the worst outcome from this? I fry my motherboard?

 

[Does it work]

Can use a molex adapter, if you are really worried. The 2-3 is on startup when the fans max out for that split second. 2 should be fine though

New motherboards are starting to use hybrid headers though, which are capable of up to 2amps and have over-current protection, so those would most certainly be fine. Two 0.18 fans should pose no problems even on 1A headers.

 

[Rob_91]

What I would use is a PWM controlled fan box. It is a little box you can plug 8 fans into, and only one header runs to your motherboard for PWM control. It is powered by the SATA rail also. And all your fans will spin identical. I use one it is great. AnD CHEAP.

 

[Karadjgne]

2x 0.18A fans is fine. You can use 3x 0.18A fans with no issues. A 0.18A fan might use slightly more amperage at startup, but nowhere near double its rated running amperage. Not sure exactly where you found that a fan can use 2-3x it's rated power, but if that was the case then every motor running any kind of fan, like your air-conditioning, microwave, pc etc would be in serious trouble.

Years ago, most fans were not as energy efficient as pwm fans are now, it wasn't uncommon for fans to be rated at 4-6w, or 0.3A-0.5A, and some fans were rated as high as 0.8A alone. A 0.8A fan at 3x its solo power would be 2.5A, which would definitely fry a mobo, yet none of them did.

The most you could ever reasonably expect from a fan draw would be @ 25% higher than rated, and thats still huge and over-estimated, but even then it's still just 0.23A per fan.

No worries. Quit stressing.