How many fans can I fit?

Xenoman

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Hello, http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ry7mMp this is my current build. As you can see, I added 2 fans on, along with the 2 fans that come with the case. As this is my first build, and I cant really get much information from the descriptions, can this motherboard have all 4 fans plugged in, along with the rest of the parts? Also, if you do decide to answer this, can you tell me how you figured out how many fans it can support as I'd like to be able to do this by myself in the future if needed.
Thanks in advance for any answers and replies to this.
 
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From what I can see in the top down picture (zoomed in) there is only a CPU_Fan1 header, and I don't see any case fan headers at all, though I would bet there is at least one. That is one of...

Zerk2012

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Other Connectors
1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
1 x CPU fan header
1 x system fan header

1 x front panel header
1 x front panel audio header
You can plug one fan into the motherboard the CPU fan header is for the processor fan.
You could use a splitter cable and run like 3 off of it or use the power supply Molex connector to plug in extra fans.
You would need a 3 way fan splitter to hook up the case fans and use a PSU Molex to power the other 2 fans you picked.
Using a 4690K processor you really should buy a Z97 motherboard.
 

gamertaboo

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From what I can see in the top down picture (zoomed in) there is only a CPU_Fan1 header, and I don't see any case fan headers at all, though I would bet there is at least one. That is one of the things you can expect going with a micro-ATX motherboard, they are so tiny and the ports are limited. Most of those motherboards have a link to their newegg webpage, and on newegg they have really nice high resolution top down pictures to see what's on them. You can also sometimes find things like how many fan headers there are by reading the specs on newegg, or the reviews, not always though.

If I may make a suggestion, it would be to change up your build a little. First and foremost with the GPU you are picking I imagine that you plan on gaming, you MUST buy an aftermarket CPU cooler, the stock cooler will not be good enough for anything more than light tasks, like web browsing.

If you can swing it financially, maybe something like this:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/LhcJ3C (your same build but with a CPU cooler and a different motherboard, full ATX, plenty of fan headers) Your motherboard is not something you want to skimp on, it's one of the main components.

Also, do you prefer AMD GPU's over Nvidia? Just wondering, either one is fine with me.
 
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Zerk2012

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I've never seen a motherboard on Newegg that did not list all that information in the specks , full size motherboards are not a must by and standards, the stock CPU cooler will work just fine if not overclocking.
The only reason I would change that motherboard is because he picked a K processor if he had a none overclocking processor then that board would perform just as good as any other.
 

gamertaboo

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Ok, but I disagree about the stock cooler being "just fine," though I do agree with changing the motherboard for overclocking as well as for more room for everything. Why are you trying to argue with me? I'm giving my opinions, and not contradicting anything you said.... Just trying to help :)
 

gamertaboo

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The stock Intel cooler being adequate for any intensive tasks is very debatable. They are very loud under load and the temps shoot right up. Add to that the heat coming off of an AMD R9 390 and there could be issues. I personally think that $25 is a great deal for the peace of mind a cool CPU gives you and I'd be willing to bet if OP doesn't buy one now he will have to in the future, overclocked or not.
 

Xenoman

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Alright, where do I start off? First, thank you so much for all the suggestions you gave, along with explaining how to find out how many fan headers there are. Also, the CPU cooler was a fantastic idea, after browsing abit, I now see how helpful aftermarket ones are. As for the motherboard, it look absolutely brilliant. It has 1 CPU fan connector and 3 other fan connectors. Despite my build having 4 (2 in with the case, 2 separate), I will buy both separate ones as the separate ones I see as most likely being better than the stock fans, and I will just not use one of the stock fans). As you said this is for gaming and I do plan on overclocking. As for your final question, I actually had almost a dozen builds before this (virtual, I have not built yet), all with 970s, until a few videos I stumbled across swayed me to my current one, so I have no real preference I just go towards the one I feel is the best performing for my price range. All in all, thank you so much for your suggestions (and for keeping it price reasonable) It is really cool to have people like you in this community.
 

gamertaboo

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It's really kind of tough right now to make that choice, a week or two ago I would have suggested the GTX 970 and not thought twice about it but with the possible future performance boost from DX12 that AMD might get, it's a tough call. I went with a GTX 970 myself and all I can say is it's awesome. It has great performance, the 3.5GB of vram stuff that you may read is just really not a huge issue unless maybe you go with two 970's in SLI and plan to play at 4k, in which case more Vram will probably be needed.

If it were me making the decision again today, I would still probably go with the Nvidia GTX 970. I don't have much against AMD, my last build was AMD, but I can say that in my experience AMD is lacking when it comes to optimizing their drivers, power consumption as well as heat output. Having said this it doesn't seem like the Maxwell GPU's are going to see quite as large a boost from DX12 whenever games start using it, but it is sort of annoying that AMD needs a better new API to unlock so much of their GPU's power in my opinion. Still, the R9 390 put directly up against the GTX 970 will show that you get quite a bit more for your money with AMD. I guess to sum it all up it will be a safe bet going with either in my opinion. Same price, different specs, they both will play new games very well, the R9 390 is a bit more powerful though.

As for the fans, like Zerk2012 said you can get splitters like these, personally I wouldn't suggest running more than two fans off of one header but I know some people run three or even more. I also read that the Corsair Graphite 230t might come with three case fans, is that possible? This guy said one rear fan and two front fans, maybe he added one of those himself, I don't know. There are also 3-pin to molex adapters, which would allow you to plug in some of the fans to your PSU directly, but they can't be controlled that way and will always run full speed and may be a bit noisy. You can also always go with a fan controller or a fan hub.
 

Xenoman

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Alright, I really see where you are coming from with alot of this, I may swap back to the 970 within the near future if I do change my mind. As for the case, I went to go the the build to see who was right, but you are right. https://gyazo.com/f9ac8b93e09e381f42fa585d79ae28f7 I must have been thinking of a different case in a past virtual build rather than this one, my bad. Again, this is my first build ever, and "DX12" greatly confuses me, is that a software related thing? If it is only in to-be-release models of graphics cards, my chances of getting one is 0. If it is a software driver type thing that I just update to my R9 390 than thats very cool. (Sorry for my lack of knowledge, up until last month when I got very interested in PC gaming, all I had knowledge of was that my laptop turned on, and that was that mattered) Even now, all I know is how to put it together and how to install an OS, still alot to learn. I know others suggested those adapters (thank you to all that did), I'm looking into those right now, though I'll probably just stick with the 3 that fit to my motherboard, and get an adapter after the build if I find it is needed.
 

gamertaboo

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DX12 is just a new version of Direct X, which is what many games are coded in. Nvidia's current GPUs can play DX12 games but don't see a huge boost from it, while AMD's hardware get a pretty substantial boost in DX12. It allows the developers to have greater control over how the hardware will run their game. It is brand new though so it will take a while before developers switch over to it most likely, and most games will still come out in DX11 for a while probably.

To be honest I'm almost talking myself into the R9 390 right now. If AMD had better drivers I swear I would be all over it lol.
Either one of those GPU's will give you a great gaming experience, they will both run DX12 when games start using it so no worries there.
 

Xenoman

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Alright, that is alot more simplistic than I though, thanks for the explanation, always good to expand my knowledge.
 

Karadjgne

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The amount of fans is only limited by ingenuity. If staying with the mATX board you can run any amount of fans you wish, all from the same header. Use PWM fans with a PWM-molex splitter, that powers the fans directly from the psu, but is controlled by the headers PWM signal. The drawback to this is that all connected fans run at the same speed. You can also use either electronic or manual fan controller, most designs able to handle 3-5 fans. Some are automatic, via temp sensors you place around the case, some are manual, so require user input when temps change.
As far as straight header connection via splitter, the max recommended amount of fans is 2 per header, but with good quality fans that have a low amperage draw 3 is possible. There are also fan hubs, which work in the same principle as the pwm/molex splitter.

It's all a matter of what you want vrs how far will you go to get it.

DX12 is/will be integrated into Windows 10. AMD cards are currently limited to dx12.0 in 3 tiers depending on card level, nvidia cards have full dx12.1 capability, with some affects limited by card level. Gtx970 and up will have no restrictions. Exactly how much bonus either amd or Intel will receive is a matter of debate as the differences between are considerable, and a lot will depend on the game, engine, optimization etc. Only thing for certain is both amd and Intel and nvidia will perform better.
 

Xenoman

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I think I'm going with just the 3 fans on the 3 fan headers on the motherboard (may change over time). Also, hearing about DX12.1 makes the Gtx 970 alot more tempting to get over the r9 390.
 

Karadjgne

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Google the differences between 12 and 12.1. Most of the differences are in shades and shadows, the shader lines in 12.1 will be a lot straighter etc. The graphics themselves will be very similar, the differences being as per normal between amd and nvidia.
 

Xenoman

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I did, http://pcpartpicker.com/p/24jfTW .This is my final build, I still really like the 390, and I plan on buying the build this weekend. The three fans were added on so I don't have to use the stock fans, and I am really happy with how this turned out. Again, a huge thank you to everyone who helped and suggested things on this thread, this build would not be where it is without you guys.