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What are fan splitters

Tags:
  • Cases
  • Fan
  • Components
  • Motherboards
  • Fan Controller
Last response: in Components
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October 1, 2014 6:12:05 PM

I have heard about fan splitters before but never looked into them, now that i'm getting a new case I want to purchase more fans. Right now my motherboard can only have 3 fans plugged into it. So I would like to know how a fan splitter works and if it could use it in the way I intend to.

More about : fan splitters

a c 491 V Motherboard
October 1, 2014 6:15:53 PM

fan splitter is one plug on one end of the cable and two plus for fans on the other. the issue with fan spitters is your putting a lot of amps and voltage load on a singal fan port on the mb. most time people pick up a 5 channel fan controller for safty to run muilt case fans.
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a b V Motherboard
October 1, 2014 6:16:34 PM

a fan splitter just allows you to plug 2 fans into a single fan header. the mobo will recognise it as one fan and will control it still in the same way it would control a single fan.
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Related resources
October 1, 2014 6:20:22 PM

SR-71 Blackbird said:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/13977/cab-493/Bitfeni...
Bitfenix Alchemy Multisleeve 3-Pin to 3x 3-Pin Y Cable Splitter - 60cm - Black (BFA-MSC-3F33F60KK-RP


The only thing I don't like about that is it a 3-Pin not 4 and I would like to make my fans on quiet mode, and with a 3-Pin connector they would just run full RPM all the time
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a c 80 V Motherboard
October 1, 2014 6:21:37 PM

There are always limited fan headers on the motherboard.
It makes sense to run the CPU fan off the motherboard as this is controlled based on CPU temperature.
It is best to run other fans directly from the power supply, especially if you have a lot of them.
What you want is a cable that connects to a molex (4-pin) connector and gives you multiple fan power outputs.
Bitfenix makes some nice sleeved cables for this:
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_i...

You can buy these in a number of colours and they are widely available.
Here is their website:
http://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/products/premium-modd...

You want the "Molex to 3 fan adapter 12V".

They do make the fan splitter cables as well, but I wouldn't recommend these be attached to your motherboard as the fan header is only designed to power one fan.
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a c 1531 V Motherboard
October 1, 2014 6:23:09 PM

You can safely run 2 fans off one header.
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a c 80 V Motherboard
October 1, 2014 6:24:46 PM

SlimmerthanShady said:
SR-71 Blackbird said:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/13977/cab-493/Bitfeni...
Bitfenix Alchemy Multisleeve 3-Pin to 3x 3-Pin Y Cable Splitter - 60cm - Black (BFA-MSC-3F33F60KK-RP


The only thing I don't like about that is it a 3-Pin not 4 and I would like to make my fans on quiet mode, and with a 3-Pin connector they would just run full RPM all the time


Case fans are not usually PWM controlled (4-pin).
If you want quiet fans, Bitfenix make a 7V version of this cable to under volt the fans (works by using the +12V and +5V pins of the molex connection).
Other alternatives are to buy fans that run quietly at 12V or use a fan controller.
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