Question Server Fan for normal pc

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austiny20

Apr 9, 2024
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I understand that server fans draw extreme amounts of power and are extremely loud, and are completely unnecessary for something like my build.
However, I still would like to have one in my system just for the funnies. I'm most likely going with a delta fan that draws 12VDC with PWM support, so 4 terminating leads. How would I hook this fan up?
 
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I understand that server fans draw extreme amounts of power and are extremely loud, and are completely unnecessary for something like my build. However, I still would like to have one in my system just for the funnies.
Simple answer = Bad idea.

Make and model of your motherboard and the fan in question? If your motherboard is unable to deliver 2A worth of power off one fan header, then you can study PWM fan splitters that rely on supplemental power from a SATA/molex connection. Meaning you provide power from the PSU's side(instead of the motherboard) and you derive PWM signaling from the fan header off of your motherboard.
 
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OP asked, "How would I hook this fan up?" First thing to understand is that the newer design of PWM fans for computer cases is a particular version of fans that require particular things from their power supply. The normal SYS_FAN or CHA_FAN header on any modern mobo will do exactly that, so THAT is how how you "hook them up".

Most computer case fans need power at up to 12 VDC, and consume current at 0.10 to 0.25 A max. Higher-power fans from computers may use closer to 1 A max. Now, any mobo header for fans can deliver power to a fan at up to 1.0 A max current (a few can do 2.0 A - check the specs in your mobo manual), so normally you can hook up ONE fan to a header with no issue. If you are trying to connect MORE than one fan to a header, or IF you have a fan with REALLY high max current, then this requires a fan HUB that gets its power directly from another source, the PSU, as Lutfij says above.
 
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Lutfij said:
I understand that server fans draw extreme amounts of power and are extremely loud, and are completely unnecessary for something like my build. However, I still would like to have one in my system just for the funnies.
Simple answer = Bad idea.

Make and model of your motherboard and the fan in question? If your motherboard is unable to deliver 2A worth of power off one fan header, then you can study PWM fan splitters that rely on supplemental power from a SATA/molex connection. Meaning you provide power from the PSU's side(instead of the motherboard) and you derive PWM signaling from the fan header off of your motherboard.
Click to expand...
Ah i forgot to provide specs, sorry.
I have the MSI B650 Pro Wifi, and the fans I'm looking at draws 7 amps..
 
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Do you really mean 7 amps or .7 amps. Are you talking about those 40mm fans that run at high rpm and noise. Although you likely could power most from a motherboard header a lot of these are designed to only run at full speed. You are better off just getting some kind of power adapter and running them off the power supply directly. You don't see molex connections on power supplies as much but there were a lot of fan adapters that came with molex connections.

I find the pitch of these type of fans extremely irritating.

If you really have a 7 amp fan your only option is to power it off the power supply. Not sure how you would control the speed even if the fan supports it. Most fan controller can not pass that much power.
 
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Yeah, I have never seen ANY computer cooling fan that draws 7 A. Not even server fans. Check again. ALSO check the Voltage rating and the SIZE. Computer fans are square and the SIZE is the width of one side of that square. What Air Flow rating does the fan you are considering have? Most common 120 mm computer case fans are rated about 50 to 60 CFM. Noctua's highest-flow IndustrialPPC line has one at 108 CFM and consumes 0.30 A at 12 VDC for full speed. So why do you need vastly more than that?
 
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Paperdoc said:
Yeah, I have never seen ANY computer cooling fan that draws 7 A. Not even server fans. Check again. ALSO check the Voltage rating and the SIZE. Computer fans are square and the SIZE is the width of one side of that square. What Air Flow rating does the fan you are considering have? Most common 120 mm computer case fans are rated about 50 to 60 CFM. Noctua's highest-flow IndustrialPPC line has one at 108 CFM and consumes 0.30 A at 12 VDC for full speed. So why do you need vastly more than that?
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I don't really need it, I just want it to have it. Also, I have changed my mind and decided to go with this listing:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1639491906...Nn5j95Imob3m2Lrl5XXSP/e0/g==|tkp:BFBMtOG-ipJl
 
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I see that fan does deliver high air flow for an 80mm size fan, and needs 3.3 A max current (not 7, but MUCH more than 1). It is not clear from the photos, but its wires MAY have a standard 4-pin female connector on the end. The fan specs indicate normal wire functions and colour coding to a 4-pin PWM fan. So your original query is the main point: how to connect. And the answer, as Lutfij said, is a fan HUB. Sellers mix up use if the labels Hub and Splitter so beware. A HUB has THREE types of connections. It has one cable going to the mobo host fan header; it has several output connectors for fans to plug in; and it has one cable that must go directly to a SATA or 4-pin Molex power output connector from your PSU. The hub gets the PWM speed control signal from Pin #4 of the host header and returns to that header the fan's speed signal on Pin #3, but it takes NO power from the header. It gets power direct from the PSU. That latter connection can supply up to 4.5 A current if it is by SATA power output, or more if by Molex. That is certainly enough for your one new fan. An example of a Hub


That's a 2-pack of Hubs hat look like just collected cables with outputs on the end of wires. NOTE you should connect your fan ONLY to the output with all FOUR pins in it. Only that output can return the fan's speed signal to the host header.


That one looks like a circuit board you need to fasten down. Power input is by an edge connector on one end for 4-pin Molex, but others similar may have a SATA edge connector. On this type, you must plug you fan into the only output socket that is marked (in this case, red) and able to return the speed signal to the mobo.
 
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austiny20 said:
I don't really need it, I just want it to have it.
Click to expand...
You are almost as bad as the guys over at linux tech tips. They at least try to make money buying stupid stuff by recovering it though youtube views. They have number of videos where they put large fans on computers...yours does not even come close to what they have done.

I suspect once you get it you will change your mind. Those 80mm fans are extremely loud and you don't use them unless nothing else will fit....like in a server rack case.
 
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Paperdoc said:
I see that fan does deliver high air flow for an 80mm size fan, and needs 3.3 A max current (not 7, but MUCH more than 1). It is not clear from the photos, but its wires MAY have a standard 4-pin female connector on the end. The fan specs indicate normal wire functions and colour coding to a 4-pin PWM fan. So your original query is the main point: how to connect. And the answer, as Lutfij said, is a fan HUB. Sellers mix up use if the labels Hub and Splitter so beware. A HUB has THREE types of connections. It has one cable going to the mobo host fan header; it has several output connectors for fans to plug in; and it has one cable that must go directly to a SATA or 4-pin Molex power output connector from your PSU. The hub gets the PWM speed control signal from Pin #4 of the host header and returns to that header the fan's speed signal on Pin #3, but it takes NO power from the header. It gets power direct from the PSU. That latter connection can supply up to 4.5 A current if it is by SATA power output, or more if by Molex. That is certainly enough for your one new fan. An example of a Hub


That's a 2-pack of Hubs hat look like just collected cables with outputs on the end of wires. NOTE you should connect your fan ONLY to the output with all FOUR pins in it. Only that output can return the fan's speed signal to the host header.


That one looks like a circuit board you need to fasten down. Power input is by an edge connector on one end for 4-pin Molex, but others similar may have a SATA edge connector. On this type, you must plug you fan into the only output socket that is marked (in this case, red) and able to return the speed signal to the mobo.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much!
 
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Paperdoc said:
I see that fan does deliver high air flow for an 80mm size fan, and needs 3.3 A max current (not 7, but MUCH more than 1). It is not clear from the photos, but its wires MAY have a standard 4-pin female connector on the end. The fan specs indicate normal wire functions and colour coding to a 4-pin PWM fan. So your original query is the main point: how to connect. And the answer, as Lutfij said, is a fan HUB. Sellers mix up use if the labels Hub and Splitter so beware. A HUB has THREE types of connections. It has one cable going to the mobo host fan header; it has several output connectors for fans to plug in; and it has one cable that must go directly to a SATA or 4-pin Molex power output connector from your PSU. The hub gets the PWM speed control signal from Pin #4 of the host header and returns to that header the fan's speed signal on Pin #3, but it takes NO power from the header. It gets power direct from the PSU. That latter connection can supply up to 4.5 A current if it is by SATA power output, or more if by Molex. That is certainly enough for your one new fan. An example of a Hub


That's a 2-pack of Hubs hat look like just collected cables with outputs on the end of wires. NOTE you should connect your fan ONLY to the output with all FOUR pins in it. Only that output can return the fan's speed signal to the host header.


That one looks like a circuit board you need to fasten down. Power input is by an edge connector on one end for 4-pin Molex, but others similar may have a SATA edge connector. On this type, you must plug you fan into the only output socket that is marked (in this case, red) and able to return the speed signal to the mobo.
Click to expand...
https://drive.google.com/file/d/132jb3NzSyyfNREL3rBS9fIGCvQXRlS9V/view?usp=sharing


That is a photo of the fan hub that I have lying around. Do you think that one would work for me? I believe it matches the 2nd type of fan hub. Since it is slightly blurry, it is powered by sata and has a 3 pin argb and a 4 pin pwm coming out.
 
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Yes, that Hub will work for what you are doing. Ignore the ARGB side unless you need it. Plug your high-current fan into the WHITE output port. I suggest you do not plug in a lot more fans, but one or two "normal" ones with max current rating of 0.1 to 0.2 A each would be no problem.
 
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Paperdoc said:
Yes, that Hub will work for what you are doing. Ignore the ARGB side unless you need it. Plug your high-current fan into the WHITE output port. I suggest you do not plug in a lot more fans, but one or two "normal" ones with max current rating of 0.1 to 0.2 A each would be no problem.
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Ok, thank you very much kind sir
 
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I have that fan--it is quieter than a hairdryer but has a similar tone. And should be very good against high static pressure because if you look at the design, it's actually a single-stage axial-flow compressor complete with moving rotor blades and a ring of fixed stator blades in the opposite direction like a jet-engine. Has that characteristic jet-engine whine too.

But 2.75A continuous is only 33w (3.3A is the peak) so hardly counts as a high-powered fan. If you want that, a 120v leafblower is suggested--7A model would be 840w and 12A 1440w. You could use a smart power strip to turn it on with the PC (iVac Pro set would be the best as then you could plug the PC and fan into separate 15A circuits so wouldn't be limited by their combined wattage)
 
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BFG-9000 said:
I have that fan--it is quieter than a hairdryer but has a similar tone. And should be very good against high static pressure because if you look at the design, it's actually a single-stage axial-flow compressor complete with moving rotor blades and a ring of fixed stator blades in the opposite direction like a jet-engine. Has that characteristic jet-engine whine too.

But 2.75A continuous is only 33w (3.3A is the peak) so hardly counts as a high-powered fan. If you want that, a 120v leafblower is suggested--7A model would be 840w and 12A 1440w. You could use a smart power strip to turn it on with the PC (iVac Pro set would be the best as then you could plug the PC and fan into separate 15A circuits so wouldn't be limited by their combined wattage)
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You're talking about the fan I linked?
I have a question about it; does the model in that particular picture actually spin 9k rpms 132 cfm? Its lable says PFC0812DE, and under it there is a "-9L81."
I want to make sure im buying the correct one.
Also
Lmao leafblower
That prolly blow all the dust off lol
 
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Oh yes, if it says 3.3A on the label it's definitely a 9,000rpm version.

A 60mm variant was the infamous screaming Delta fan that everyone put two of on their Alpha P3125 or P7125 heatsinks (one for people with slockets who could only use a PEP66) back in the day. Those were 10,000rpm and two of them together were quieter than this one 80mm fan. I think it was these Deltas and the YS-Tech fans that first got people interested in silent PCs back in ~2000, because even at lower speeds these all produced a high-pitched whine.
 
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BFG-9000 said:
Oh yes, if it says 3.3A on the label it's definitely a 9,000rpm version.

A 60mm variant was the infamous screaming Delta fan that everyone put two of on their Alpha P3125 or P7125 heatsinks (one for people with slockets who could only use a PEP66) back in the day. Those were 10,000rpm and two of them together were quieter than this one 80mm fan. I think it was these Deltas and the YS-Tech fans that first got people interested in silent PCs back in ~2000, because even at lower speeds these all produced a high-pitched whine.
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Oh man now im tempted to buy 8 120 mm deltas and slap them on to everything else
and 2 140mms for my cpucooler
gonna take off..
But thanks so much!
Oh and also can I see the label of your fan? Thanks!
How many fan blades do you have on it?
Sorry for asking so much, I just want to be sure as there are so many different offers that look the same on ebay
 
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It's this fan. It has 9 blades and to be honest, I haven't used it in decades. The PC that I used it in still has the made-in-Germany metal-frame EBM-Papst fan that I replaced it with back then.

Fans were not as consistent as they are today and people would buy multiple samples to pick the one they liked best, even with something like made-in-Japan Panaflos. So someone selling a bunch of NOS fans may be selling ones that were binned as noisier or higher vibration examples long ago. Note also that just dropping a ball-bearing fan can noticeably change its sound characteristics, perhaps from something in there getting dented.
 
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BFG-9000 said:
It's this fan. It has 9 blades and to be honest, I haven't used it in decades. The PC that I used it in still has the made-in-Germany metal-frame EBM-Papst fan that I replaced it with back then.

Fans were not as consistent as they are today and people would buy multiple samples to pick the one they liked best, even with something like made-in-Japan Panaflos. So someone selling a bunch of NOS fans may be selling ones that were binned as noisier or higher vibration examples long ago. Note also that just dropping a ball-bearing fan can noticeably change its sound characteristics, perhaps from something in there getting dented.
Click to expand...
I have seen people mentioning that the PFC and TFC series have inverted pwm signals. Is that truely the case?
 
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