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HSF... 3/4pin difference?

S

seriouscat

Member
Using a Thermalright Ultra Extreme with a 120mm fan thats 3pin. Just wondering if a 3 or 4pin fan makes a difference to the mobo and how it controls the fan?

Would the mobo control the speed of a 3pin fan?

Also, does speed control not matter with 120mm cpu fans since they are quieter anyway when compared to stock?

Lastly, since I use a 3pin fan, does it matter if I connect it to the CPU fan or Chassis Fan connectors on my mobo?

 
4 pin fans are pwm fans that the cpu header can control, 3 pin fans require voltage adjustments to control them or a different form of fan control, some motherboard don't play nice if you don't have the CPU fan connected so It would be a good idea to just use it even w/ a 3 pin fan and not use the chassis fan instead.
 
Originally posted by: Arcanedeath
4 pin fans are pwm fans that the cpu header can control, 3 pin fans require voltage adjustments to control them or a different form of fan control, some motherboard don't play nice if you don't have the CPU fan connected so It would be a good idea to just use it even w/ a 3 pin fan and not use the chassis fan instead.
Click to expand...

Cheers. Is there a disadvantage with PWM vs Voltage Adjustment Fans?

Anyone know of any recommendations of a 4pin 120mm x120mm x 25mm PWM fan for the TRUE cooler?

(non-overclocked Q9540)

Cheers.
 
I'd suggest a sythe Sflex E 1200 rpm fan, its 3 pin but you can just run it at full blast and not have to worry about having it adjust
 
Most mobos can adjust the CPU fan (must be connected to the CPU_Fan header) in a few steps if voltage control (3-pin) or over a range with a PWM fan (4-pin). They should also support the voltage control of a few step for a 3-pin fan connected to a 4-pin CPU_Fan header. In general you need to have a fan connected to the CPU_Fan header that has a working speed sensor as most mobos these days have a CPU protection system (perhaps mostly AMD CPU mobos) that will not boot if they don't detect a working CPU fan (via the speed sensor lead). To boot after a boot failure, you have to clear the CMOS. Once you get a good boot on these mobos, you can often disable the CPU protection in the BIOS setup if you want to - I never do unless I choose to control the CPU fan myself which I am doing right now with my fan controller.

.bh.
 
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