need new case fan

[AdasT]

hi i am looking for a new case fan at the back of my pc that is 120mm but i notice that i need a Fan Socket Adaptor Cable and i found Akasa 4-pin Molex to 4 x 3-pin but the fan that i want to buy has 4 pins will it work ?

 

[BonzaiDuck]

hi i am looking for a new case fan at the back of my pc that is 120mm but i notice that i need a Fan Socket Adaptor Cable and i found Akasa 4-pin Molex to 4 x 3-pin but the fan that i want to buy has 4 pins will it work ?

You could be describing a PWM fan, which has a 4-pin plug on its tail, but that's not "Molex" -- also a "4-pin" plug.

I never much thought about it, and I never tested it, but it might be possible a PWM fan would work on a 3-pin motherboard fan port. I don't see why not. But that's definitely not the best way to get the most from a PWM fan. You are advised to use a PWM fan on a motherboard PWM port.

I'm only guessing at this point. But are you familiar with motherboard thermal fan control? I'm actually wondering if you want to power this new fan directly from the PSU, since you mention the Molex-to-3-pin adapter.

When you power your fans directly from the PSU, be aware that they will always run constantly at full-bore and you cannot control them according to CPU temperature.