Would a 3 pin CPU cooler work on a motherboard that has 4 pins?

[GayMD_]

My intel stock cooler broke after I tried uninstalling it and reinstalling it to change the CPU. I bought some thermaltake thingy to take its place. After getting it, I found out that it was supposed to be used with a 3 pin motherboard. My motherboard (intel dh55tc) had 4. After installing it, my PC didn't turn on. The CPU cooler and the power supply fans spun (i think the gpu fan spun too, im not too sure), and my hard drive clicked, but the motherboard didn't make the boot sound it usually makes, and there was no signal after several minutes. I suspect this might be a CPU issue, since I applied too much thermal paste on it, but I wanted to ask if this was a CPU issue or a CPU cooler issue. Do I need to get a new CPU or a new CPU cooler? Can a motherboard that has 4 CPU cooler pins work with a CPU cooler with 3 pins?

 

CPU: Core i3 550

Motherboard: DH55TC

CPU Cooler: Thermaltake gravity i2

[TheGlenlivet]

99% it's the CPU, not the cooler.  Pull it out and reseat it.  Make sure there are no damaged pins.

[GayMD_]

Just now, TheGlenlivet said:

99% it's the CPU, not the cooler.  Pull it out and reseat it.  Make sure there are no damaged pins.

Would the cooler work despite being designed for 3 pins instead of 4?

[TheGlenlivet]

Just now, GayMD_ said:

Would the cooler work despite being designed for 3 pins instead of 4?

It depends on the BIOS.

If the BIOS allows you to use voltage to regulate the fan speed you might be able to use it.  But I would return it and get one with a 4 pin.  

[SlayerOfHellWyrm]

You can use a TX3 (voltage controlled, non PWM, 3-pin header fan) on a 4-pin TX4 PWM header, yes. On some boards you may need to disable monitoring of that face, since TX3 doesn't report back like TX4 does. Something else is at play here. I highly suggest re-seating the CPU, and checking to make sure there's no bent pins in the socket or anything like that.