Pc Fans

ChopperOllie · February 7, 2022

I know this might be a stupid question but when I am plugging in computer fans in can i use this adapter

Amazon.com: ThreeBulls PWM Fan Hub, PC CPU Cooling 4 PIN/3PIN Fan Power Cable Hub Splitter Adapter Sleeved PWM Case Fan Splitter for 12V Desktop Computer Cooler Case Fans 1 to 5 Way (15.7 Inch) : Electronics

and plug the end into my CPU fan 2 spot(4pin) and they plug all my intake fans for my pc case into this and do the intake fans all need to be the same pin number?

RAS_3885 · February 7, 2022

Yes, you can use this if needed. Ideally you will want to use all 4-pin fans as they will then be controlled via PWM from the motherboard header. All fans will run at the same commanded speed. If you use a mix of 3-pin and 4-pin fans with the header in PWM mode, the 4-pin fans will run at the commanded speed and the 3-pins will run at full speed all the time.

Alternatively, if the motherboard header allows you to set it to DC voltage speed control (instead of PWM) you can use a mix 3-pin or 4-pin fans and still control the speed. Again, they will all run at the same commanded speed. This will only work if the fan hub passes the +12v signal directly through to the fans. It may also split the voltage across fans causing them to run slower than expected. Because of this I'd recommend sticking with all 4-pin fans in PWM mode.

Unless you already have the hub I'd suggest looking at one that is powered via a sata or molex power connection to the PSU. The one listed may work just fine, but depending on how powerful your fans are and how many you have plugged in you may end up overloading the header on the motherboard. Getting power from the PSU eliminates this.

ChopperOllie · February 7, 2022

So what if I were to use something like

Amazon.com: ARCTIC Case Fan Hub - 10-fold PWM Fan Distributor with SATA Power - Black : Electronics

and i still mixed 3pin and 4pin fans, how could I control them?

@RAS_3885

RAS_3885 · February 8, 2022

35 minutes ago, ChopperOllie said:

So what if I were to use something like

Amazon.com: ARCTIC Case Fan Hub - 10-fold PWM Fan Distributor with SATA Power - Black : Electronics

and i still mixed 3pin and 4pin fans, how could I control them?

@RAS_3885

What exactly are you trying to accomplish? Your motherboard already has connections for 5 4-pin fans.

That should be plenty for most any system. Unless you have some very specific use case where you need a fan hub I'd just plug the fans directly into the motherboard. If it's a cable reach thing then a simple splitter cable will suit you better than a fan hub.

The fan hub you linked will work fine for controlling 4-pin fans via PWM (again, all will run at the same speed) but will not work for a mix. Do you actually have a mix of 3- and 4-pin fans?

ChopperOllie · February 8, 2022

IDK whether this will help but, I purchased this pre-built 5 years ago and currently the CPU fan 1, System fan 1,3,4 is being used and all my fans are exhaust and I have noticed my pc getting hotter and I wanted to add some intake fans, so I only have access to 1Cpu fan and system fan port (pin4), I this case what should I do if I have 2 4pin ports available and Sata port's and I want to add 3 fans, What do you recommend for me to do in the situation?

@RAS_3885