Fan Confusion -- Why all the Connectors?

[Caveman]

Setting up my first system and am electrically challenged... Each of my case fans and the CPU fan have 2 connectors, 1 male and 1 female. To make the fan run, do I plug in each connector or one or the other...? As for choosing the mating connector to the PSU, just pick one that the ppins match right??? Or... Am I missing something? Almost seems too easy...

 

[bustone]

i might be misreading what you said, but one of them connects to the power supply, the other is for attatching another fan. im not too good at wording sh!t, but hopefully you know what i mean

 

[Caveman]

Okay... Lets pretend the PSU is plugged into the wall and I just want to do a "quick test" to see if a fan functions at all... Can't I just plug in a "free" 5V line (with 4 pins) to one of the connectors coming off the fan? Then, just plug in the PSU and watch the fan turn? Am I missing something... Cause I just did this and the fan didn't turn... What am I doing wrong?

 

[Caveman]

To make the "circuit", do I have to have the main power connector (20 pin ATX) plugged into my MoBo? Or can I just do the fan test as described above without having the 20 pin connector plugged into the MoBo?

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

the mobo must give a signal to the PSU to turn on, thats why the power switch plugs into the mobo not the PSU.

it's easy, there are 3pin plugs and 4pin plugs.

3 pin go in mobo, and if they have a yellow wire then you can monitor their speed w/ another program like motherboard monitor.

4pin plug into PSU power plugs. the reason your fan has a 4 pin female and a 4 pin male is so that it doesnt steal a plug, you can still plug a drive or something else into it. also called pass-thru plug.

 

[Caveman]

Thanks. i think I'm getting it about the fans and multiple connectors... But... You're saying that I have to have the main power (20 pin) connector from the PS plugged into the MoBo AND the power switch on the case plugged into the MoBo (and presumably in the ON position) before I can watch a fan turn?

 

[Caveman]

I got it working! Thanks!

 

[bustone]

glad everything worked out for ya. assuming your building what's in your sig, that's an awfully nice system