Y splitter or Fan hub
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Aeacus
Titan
- Mar 21, 2015
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It depends on the amount of fans you plan to connect to your MoBo.
If your MoBo has 1-2 4-pin fan headers and you plan to connect 2-4 fans to it, then use Y-splitter by connecting 2 fans to one MoBo fan header. But if you have 6+ fans, use PWM fan hub.
It's simple how the PWM fan hub works.
1. It has separate power connection from PSU (molex or SATA).
2. It has PWM wire that goes from PWM fan hub to any MoBo 4-pin SYS_FAN header.
3. Connect fans directly to the PWM fan hub.
You can only read the RPM of 1st slot fan while the PWM signal is divided between all connected fans and all fans run in sync.
For controlling each fan separately, you need a fan controller, e.g:
internal - NZXT GRID+ v2, specs: https://www.nzxt.com/products/grid-plus-v2
external - NZXT Sentry 3, specs: https://www.nzxt.com/products/sentry-3
(Note: external fan controllers mount to the 5.25" bay and there's far wider selection of them than internal fan controllers.)
In my Skylake build (full specs in my sig), i have 7 case fans and external fan controller to give me absolute control over the 6 fans connected to there. Few pics too,
link: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-3272328/show-newest-system-upgrade-components/page-5.html#19565270
If your MoBo has 1-2 4-pin fan headers and you plan to connect 2-4 fans to it, then use Y-splitter by connecting 2 fans to one MoBo fan header. But if you have 6+ fans, use PWM fan hub.
It's simple how the PWM fan hub works.
1. It has separate power connection from PSU (molex or SATA).
2. It has PWM wire that goes from PWM fan hub to any MoBo 4-pin SYS_FAN header.
3. Connect fans directly to the PWM fan hub.
You can only read the RPM of 1st slot fan while the PWM signal is divided between all connected fans and all fans run in sync.
For controlling each fan separately, you need a fan controller, e.g:
internal - NZXT GRID+ v2, specs: https://www.nzxt.com/products/grid-plus-v2
external - NZXT Sentry 3, specs: https://www.nzxt.com/products/sentry-3
(Note: external fan controllers mount to the 5.25" bay and there's far wider selection of them than internal fan controllers.)
In my Skylake build (full specs in my sig), i have 7 case fans and external fan controller to give me absolute control over the 6 fans connected to there. Few pics too,
link: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-3272328/show-newest-system-upgrade-components/page-5.html#19565270
Aeacus
Titan
- Mar 21, 2015
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NZXT GRID is DC fan hub and not a PWM fan hub since it supports only 3-pin fans and not a 4-pin fans. While for you, it doesn't make any difference since Corsair AF series fans are 3-pin fans and only support DC (voltage) control. So, the NZXT GRID fan hub will do just nicely.
Though, Corsair AF series fans have poor performance and there are far better case fans available.
If you haven't bought your fans yet, i can suggest you better fans to go with. It helps to know if you want to have non-LED fans or LED fans. And if you want LED fans then what's the preferred color of LED?
Though, Corsair AF series fans have poor performance and there are far better case fans available.
If you haven't bought your fans yet, i can suggest you better fans to go with. It helps to know if you want to have non-LED fans or LED fans. And if you want LED fans then what's the preferred color of LED?
Oh ok now i get , a pwn fan hub can control fans while a non pwm fan hub cant control fans.
So does this mean that if a fan has 3pin connection i wont be able to control it in the mobo or any software?
I want non led fans, any suggestions?
Aeacus
Titan
- Mar 21, 2015
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Actually, DC and PWM both are fan control methods with a difference.
First off, fan pinout:
1st pin - +12V
2nd pin - ground
3rd pin - RPM read (missing from 2-pin fans)
4th pin - PWM control (missing from 2-pin and 3-pin fans)
DC control (aka voltage control) controls fan speed by reducing the input voltage for fans. Less voltage = lower spinning fan. All fans support DC control.
PWM control has more complex control method. With 4-pin fans, fan will receive full amount of power all the time (12V), while the PWM signal is used to control the fan speed. For 4-pin fans, the actual fan controller sits inside the fan.
All MoBos support DC control and for most MoBos, you can choose from BIOS if the fan header is in DC/voltage mode or PWM mode. Though, do note that not all MoBos that have 4-pin fan header support PWM control.
For non-LED 120mm fans, i suggest getting Arctic Cooling fans:
for 3-pin fan, an Arctic F12, specs: https://www.arctic.ac/eu_en/f12.html
for 4-pin fan, an Arctic F12 PWM, specs: https://www.arctic.ac/eu_en/arctic-f12-pwm.html
pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/2NcMnQ,HPZQzy,qCH323/
I have several Arctic F12 PWM fans in use and they are very quiet with good performance. Oh, Value Pack has 5x 4-pin PWM fans inside it.
Though, if you plan to get NZXT GRID DC fan hub then you need to go with 3-pin fans since 4-pin fans won't fit into it. Or you can go with Silverstone 4-pin PWM fan hub that supports 3-pin and 4-pin fans,
amazon: https://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-System-Cables-Black-CPF04/dp/B00VNW556I
First off, fan pinout:
1st pin - +12V
2nd pin - ground
3rd pin - RPM read (missing from 2-pin fans)
4th pin - PWM control (missing from 2-pin and 3-pin fans)
DC control (aka voltage control) controls fan speed by reducing the input voltage for fans. Less voltage = lower spinning fan. All fans support DC control.
PWM control has more complex control method. With 4-pin fans, fan will receive full amount of power all the time (12V), while the PWM signal is used to control the fan speed. For 4-pin fans, the actual fan controller sits inside the fan.
All MoBos support DC control and for most MoBos, you can choose from BIOS if the fan header is in DC/voltage mode or PWM mode. Though, do note that not all MoBos that have 4-pin fan header support PWM control.
For non-LED 120mm fans, i suggest getting Arctic Cooling fans:
for 3-pin fan, an Arctic F12, specs: https://www.arctic.ac/eu_en/f12.html
for 4-pin fan, an Arctic F12 PWM, specs: https://www.arctic.ac/eu_en/arctic-f12-pwm.html
pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/2NcMnQ,HPZQzy,qCH323/
I have several Arctic F12 PWM fans in use and they are very quiet with good performance. Oh, Value Pack has 5x 4-pin PWM fans inside it.
Though, if you plan to get NZXT GRID DC fan hub then you need to go with 3-pin fans since 4-pin fans won't fit into it. Or you can go with Silverstone 4-pin PWM fan hub that supports 3-pin and 4-pin fans,
amazon: https://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-System-Cables-Black-CPF04/dp/B00VNW556I
I have three things you need to note.
1. The NZXT Grid is their older fan hub, and it has mixed reviews regarding the output ports. BUT the main factor is this: it is a place that can supply a fixed 12 VDC supply to ALL its fans (10 of them), so that they all run at FULL SPEED ALWAYS. You have NO control of their speeds, no matter which type of fan you have.
2. Their newer model is the NZXT Grid+ V2, which DOES give you automatic speed control. It gets power for its fans from a Molex 4-pin power output from the PSU. It requires a connection (cable supplied) to a mobo USB2 port, and you must download free software called NZXT CAM and install that. This utility always runs, reads temperature sensors on the mobo, and takes over control of its fan speeds (does not have the mobo system do that). By default, ALL of its fan outputs are set to run based on CPU temperature only, whereas your case ventilation fans ought to be referenced to the motherboard temperature sensor, but you can (and should) change that configuration setting in CAM. You can create custom fan curves for each of its ports. This Hub has six 3-pin ports, and all of its control is done by Voltage Control Mode, which WILL control fan speeds for both 3-pin and 4-pin fans. Moreover, each of its six output ports is controlled individually by the CAM utility. The ports are recessed, and probably too narrow to allow you to plug in a 4-pin fan. However, the unit includes a splitter / adapter to allow you to plug a couple of 4-pin fans into one Hub port. For you, OP, if you are using only 3-pin fans this newest model will be just fine.
3. An alternative Fan Hub that would do what you want (probably - see following note) is the Phanteks PWM Hub. It specifically allows you to power AND control the speed of 3-pin fans from a mobo true 4-pin header that uses PWM Mode. (Normally, any 3-pin fan connected to a PWM Mode header only runs full speed.) The Phanteks Hub has six output ports, too, and comes with a couple of splitters that convert two of its ports into two each. You can use more if you need - Phanteks advises up to two fans per port, excluding the white Port #1. It also gets power from a Molex output of the PSU. The control system is a little different, though. It does not come with a software utility to take over fan control. It lets the mobo header you plug it into do all the control, and ALL of its fans are done the same way - there is no individual port customization. So, OP, if you have 3-pin fans and want all of them to do the same thing, this Hub will do that for you, and it is a little cheaper than the NZXT Grid+ V2. HOWEVER, it can ONLY be used if you connect it to a mobo header for SYS_FAN or CHA_FAN that actually uses PWM Mode for control. Just having 4 pins on the header does not guarantee that. So, if you want to investigate this option, post back here which mobo you have so we can look up its capabilities.
A true 4-pin fan hub has three types of connections. First, of course, it has output ports with 4 pins each. Of these, only ONE will actually forward its fan's speed signal back to the mobo header, because that header can only handle one speed signal This is always the way for proper Hubs or Splitters. It has one cable that goes directly to the PSU to get all the power for its fans, thus avoiding the current limits of a mobo header. That connector may be either a 4-pin Molex or a SATA Power output of the PSU. Lastly, it has a cable that must plug into a 4-pin mobo fan header that really is using PWM Mode to control fans. This cable has two functions. It picks up the PWM signal which the Hub then simply shares out to all its fans, but this does NOT overload the fan header. This means that this type of Hub can ONLY control 4-pin fans, since the control method it uses is the PWM signal. Then it sends to that header the fan speed signal from ONE of the Hub's output ports.
The Phanteks PWM Hub is different from most 4-pin Fan Hubs. Instead of just sharing the PWM signal out, it uses that signal internally to create its own 3-pin fan ports operating in Voltage Control Mode, which CAN control both 3-pin and 4-pin fans. The NZXT Grid+ V2 also has this type of output, although the details of how the control system works are slightly different, as above.
1. The NZXT Grid is their older fan hub, and it has mixed reviews regarding the output ports. BUT the main factor is this: it is a place that can supply a fixed 12 VDC supply to ALL its fans (10 of them), so that they all run at FULL SPEED ALWAYS. You have NO control of their speeds, no matter which type of fan you have.
2. Their newer model is the NZXT Grid+ V2, which DOES give you automatic speed control. It gets power for its fans from a Molex 4-pin power output from the PSU. It requires a connection (cable supplied) to a mobo USB2 port, and you must download free software called NZXT CAM and install that. This utility always runs, reads temperature sensors on the mobo, and takes over control of its fan speeds (does not have the mobo system do that). By default, ALL of its fan outputs are set to run based on CPU temperature only, whereas your case ventilation fans ought to be referenced to the motherboard temperature sensor, but you can (and should) change that configuration setting in CAM. You can create custom fan curves for each of its ports. This Hub has six 3-pin ports, and all of its control is done by Voltage Control Mode, which WILL control fan speeds for both 3-pin and 4-pin fans. Moreover, each of its six output ports is controlled individually by the CAM utility. The ports are recessed, and probably too narrow to allow you to plug in a 4-pin fan. However, the unit includes a splitter / adapter to allow you to plug a couple of 4-pin fans into one Hub port. For you, OP, if you are using only 3-pin fans this newest model will be just fine.
3. An alternative Fan Hub that would do what you want (probably - see following note) is the Phanteks PWM Hub. It specifically allows you to power AND control the speed of 3-pin fans from a mobo true 4-pin header that uses PWM Mode. (Normally, any 3-pin fan connected to a PWM Mode header only runs full speed.) The Phanteks Hub has six output ports, too, and comes with a couple of splitters that convert two of its ports into two each. You can use more if you need - Phanteks advises up to two fans per port, excluding the white Port #1. It also gets power from a Molex output of the PSU. The control system is a little different, though. It does not come with a software utility to take over fan control. It lets the mobo header you plug it into do all the control, and ALL of its fans are done the same way - there is no individual port customization. So, OP, if you have 3-pin fans and want all of them to do the same thing, this Hub will do that for you, and it is a little cheaper than the NZXT Grid+ V2. HOWEVER, it can ONLY be used if you connect it to a mobo header for SYS_FAN or CHA_FAN that actually uses PWM Mode for control. Just having 4 pins on the header does not guarantee that. So, if you want to investigate this option, post back here which mobo you have so we can look up its capabilities.
A true 4-pin fan hub has three types of connections. First, of course, it has output ports with 4 pins each. Of these, only ONE will actually forward its fan's speed signal back to the mobo header, because that header can only handle one speed signal This is always the way for proper Hubs or Splitters. It has one cable that goes directly to the PSU to get all the power for its fans, thus avoiding the current limits of a mobo header. That connector may be either a 4-pin Molex or a SATA Power output of the PSU. Lastly, it has a cable that must plug into a 4-pin mobo fan header that really is using PWM Mode to control fans. This cable has two functions. It picks up the PWM signal which the Hub then simply shares out to all its fans, but this does NOT overload the fan header. This means that this type of Hub can ONLY control 4-pin fans, since the control method it uses is the PWM signal. Then it sends to that header the fan speed signal from ONE of the Hub's output ports.
The Phanteks PWM Hub is different from most 4-pin Fan Hubs. Instead of just sharing the PWM signal out, it uses that signal internally to create its own 3-pin fan ports operating in Voltage Control Mode, which CAN control both 3-pin and 4-pin fans. The NZXT Grid+ V2 also has this type of output, although the details of how the control system works are slightly different, as above.
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