Controlling fans with only one PWM header

[CU]

I am modding my case to hold two F140MP's (pwm) up front. The cpu heatsink is an Corsair A50 (not pwm). My MB only has one PWM header for the cpu. Another thing, I don't believe neither the cpu header nor the two system headers support DC control. Bios is limited to pwm for cpu and speedfan cannot seem to control any of the current 3pin fans on any header.

So, I thought about moving the A50 fan to a system header and using the cpu PWM header with a PWM splitter to drive the F140MP's with speedfan set to control them based on the cpu and gpu temps. I have also thought about getting a F120MP to replace A50 fan and having it controlled with the 140's. Would that fan work for a cpu heatsink or should it have even higher static pressure. Also, not sure if the header would support 2 140's and 1 120, might would have to get power from the psu. No exhaust fan is planned right now except for the PSU fan, could add a 120 if needed though. Oh, and nice fan controllers don't really seem worth it as the rig is old and it will be replaced some day. Then a better MB will be used to control what ever I have.

Thoughts or suggestions.

P.S. System is in my sig.

 

[ao_ika_red]

Something like this?

Link.

 

[CU]

Yeah. Although if I just power two fans I would just need a 1 to 2 splitter.

Has anyone here linked case fan speeds to the CPU and/or GPU instead of system temperature? How did it work out?

 

[ClockHound]

Most of my rigs use PWM intake fans connected to a PWM hub controlled by the CPU PWM header. I really like it, because at idle the system is quieter - at load it's a little noisier, but since it's doing real work, I don't mind much. And it runs cooler at load when the intake fans spin up to feed the cooler fans.

On rigs with hot GPUs, have run a PWM splitter off the GPU header to control the intake fans near the GPU. Works well too.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

The unit posted by ao_ika_red looks very similar to the more expensive Swiftech 8W-PWM-SPL- 8-port splitter.

You can use PWM devices of various 12V specs -- pumps or fans -- on the same splitter. You can only monitor one of those devices on a marked port of the Swiftech splitter, and I wouldn't expect any different capability for the one our colleague posted. If you use the same fan-spec all around for the Swiftech splitter, you wouldn't much care but to monitor the speed of one of the units; you would simply do a periodic spot check inside the case to assure that all the devices are running. They would all get the same percentage throttle determined by the CPU thermal sensor (if the splitter is so connected).

Some motherboards like my Sabertooth Z170 S allow BIOS configuration of fan-curves for each mobo fan port according to any of several onboard sensors and a handful of add-on sensors with two-pin connections that you can tape to hardware. I can, for instance, control a 40x10mm Noctua PWM fan according to the nearby VRMs and their sensors -- independently.

Do I use a splitter like the Swiftech or the one posted, when I have two CPU fan-ports, a pump-port and about six "system" or "chassis" fan-ports? Abso-freakin'-lutely, I do.