Should I get a Fan controller for my system or use the motherboard

[Hank Crocker]

Hey guys. I'm building a new system and I need advice. The system I'm making is going to have 5-6 fans. 2 are going to be outtake fans for the radiator on my h100i and the other 3-4 are case fans. 2 of them are ML120s for my radiator and 2 of them are the stock fans from the h100i (I think SP120Ls?) acting as case fans. My question is do I need a fan controller with the amperage I'm dealing with or can I plug all of them into my motherboard and be done with it? The ML120s are PWM fans btw and the other 4 fans including the SP120Ls and the case fans are 3 pin

My motherboard the is an ASUS Z370 E GAMING.

 

[chegalhavara]

You can connect all of them to the mobo as long as you have free fan connectors, but the ones on your H100 should be connected to the H100 controller.

 

[Barty1884]

The board has:
1x CPU_Fan
1x CPU_Opt
1x M2_Fan
2x Cha_Fan
1x 5pin EXT_Fan.

AFAIK, the EXT_Fan is not compatible with regular case fans. It's was an ASUS (proprietary?) add-in card that never really got adopted.
The M.2_Fan, I can't tell if it's 3 pin or 4 pin.

So you're left with:
1x CPU_Fan
1x CPU_Opt
2x Cha_Fan

Your pump should be connected to the CPU_Fan header directly.
The 2x fans for the H100i could run via a splitter, both from the CPU_Opt header.
Each of the CHA_Fan headers could run 2x fans via a splitter*

So, that gives you support for 6x fans + Pump. Although you'd only be able to "control" them in pairs, so best to group your intakes together and exhausts together.

Sounds like you have *just* enough, although the M.2_Fan might be an option too, I can't find many details on it.
If you want more independent control over each fan, or want to run more fans, you'll need to look into a controller.

*Assuming the headers are 1A and you're running "normal" fans that require in the 0.3A range.

 

[geofelt]

What is a list of your other parts?
What are you trying to accomplish.
What is your tolerance for noise?
A fan controller can be static, where you manually control the speeds.
Or, it can be dynamic based on motherboard sensors.
A common use would be to increase fan speeds(and noise) when the pc is working harder to keep temperatures in check,
I find a constantly changing fan noise to be annoying.
My preference is to set the fans at a constant drone.

Just because a case has room for 5-6 fans does not mean that you should populate all of them.

A case with two 140mm front intakes and a single 120mm rear exhaust can provide sufficient airflow to cool a hot overclocked cpu and graphics card.
Even with an air cooler.

 

[Hank Crocker]

Motherboard:
ASUS ROG STRIX Z370-E GAMING LGA1151 DDR4 DP HDMI DVI M.2 Z370 ATX Motherboard with onboard 802.11ac WiFi and USB 3.1 for 8th Generation Intel Core Processors
Processor:
Intel Core i7-8700K Desktop Processor 6 Cores up to 4.7GHz Turbo Unlocked LGA1151 300 Series 95W
Cooler:
CORSAIR HYDRO SERIES H100i v2 AIO Liquid CPU Cooler, 240mm Radiator, Dual 120mm PWM Fans, Advanced RGB Lighting and Fan Software Control
Memory:
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3000MHz C15 Desktop Memory Kit - Black (CMK16GX4M2B3000C15)
Case:
CORSAIR CARBIDE SPEC-02 Mid-Tower Gaming Case, Red LED Fan
OS:
Microsoft Software | Windows 10 Home 64 Bit System Builder OEM | PC Disc

PSU:
CORSAIR RMx Series, RM750x, 750 Watt, Fully Modular Power Supply, 80+ Gold Certified
GPU:
ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING GeForce 11GB OC Edition VR Ready 5K HD Gaming HDMI DisplayPort DVI Overclocked PC GDDR5X Graphics Card

Seagate Barracuda 2 TB HDD
ASUS DVD Drive

I wanted to ensure good airflow from bottom/front to top/back hence why I wanted 5-6 fans. Im going for a balanced air pressure airflow setup which is why I'm doing it this way. The ML120s are being used to replace the stock h100i v2 fans and I was going to use those stock fans as case fans.

 

[geofelt]

The case specs list H55, H60, H75, H80i as compatible corsair coolers.
You might double check if the H100i is supported.
I would mount it to exhaust to the outside.
I would opt for two front 140mm fans as intake and a positive pressure setup.
That will keep your parts cleaner since all intake will be filtered.

Corsair spec-02 is a nice case with the unfortunate design limitation of 157mm max cooler height.

 

[Hank Crocker]

Okay for my case the setup might be different than intended. I've read you can remove the HDD cage on the bottom front and install the h100i that way. I'm probably going to and up installing the cooler that way in order for it to fit in the case. Only other way is for me to send the case back and Id rather not.

https://m.imgur.com/gallery/esYEd
Someone managed to get it in the case through a front configuration in a carbide spec 02. I'm gonna try this out for my build. Any cons to this setup?

 

[geofelt]

Okay for my case the setup might be different than intended. I've read you can remove the HDD cage on the bottom front and install the h100i that way. I'm probably going to and up installing the cooler that way in order for it to fit in the case. Only other way is for me to send the case back and Id rather not.

https://m.imgur.com/gallery/esYEd
Someone managed to get it in the case through a front configuration in a carbide spec 02. I'm gonna try this out for my build. Any cons to this setup?

I see a plus in that you will retain the filtering benefits of a positive pressure airflow.
Whatever air comes in through the radiator will exhaust somewhere.
Do not be too strong on exhaust. If an exhaust fan is too strong, it will draw in unfiltered air from adjacent openings.

 

[Hank Crocker]

Okay for my case the setup might be different than intended. I've read you can remove the HDD cage on the bottom front and install the h100i that way. I'm probably going to and up installing the cooler that way in order for it to fit in the case. Only other way is for me to send the case back and Id rather not.

https://m.imgur.com/gallery/esYEd
Someone managed to get it in the case through a front configuration in a carbide spec 02. I'm gonna try this out for my build. Any cons to this setup?

I see a plus in that you will retain the filtering benefits of a positive pressure airflow.
Whatever air comes in through the radiator will exhaust somewhere.
Do not be too strong on exhaust. If an exhaust fan is too strong, it will draw in unfiltered air from adjacent openings.

Okay. The ML120s are gonna go in the front for the Radiator and I was gonna have the SP120L that came with the Watercooler as Exhaust fans on the roof of the case. I also have some SP120 regulars that I was going to use for the one intake and outtake fan slots that I have unless I should balance more towards Positive Air Pressure