Bad idea to plug fans into mobo?

[thelastmccabe]

I want to get new fans to replace the stock ones in my case, so I was trying to figure out what I need to get. On the building guide it says its ok to plug fans into mobo or into psu, as long as you don't plug 4 pin fans into the mobo with a 4 to 3 converter. Other people on here have said to never plug fans into the mobo but don't say why. Is that the case, and if so why? Thanks for any responses

 

[CheesePoofs]

I have one fan plugged into the mobo, the other three hooked up to the PS. They all seem to work fine.

 

[Navid]

If you replace a fan with one that draws SIGNIFICANTLY more current and you plug it into the motherboard, you risk damage to the tracks on the motherboard.

But, if the new fan draws similar amount of current, there should be no problem with plugging it into the motherboard.

The current draw is given on the fan sticker. If not, its power is given. Then, you can calculate the current by dividing the power by the fan voltage (12V). For example if the power is 1W, the current (at 12V) will be 1W/12V=0.083A=83mA.

 

[thelastmccabe]

Ok, thanks guys, that will make this much easier

 

[Zepper]

As long as the fans pull less than .5A (6 Watts) each, you should be OK. Over .5A should probably hook directly to PSU or add-on fan controller. Your mobo manual should give a limit spec. for the fan current or wattage.

.bh.