ASRock X99 Extreme4 motherboard and case fan connections

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ualdriver

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I fall somewhere between novice and intermediate and I am building a (mostly) new computer. I tried searching the forum before asking these questions but didn't find what I was looking for.

I have a ASRock x99 Extreme4 Motherboard. In the MB layout diagram in the instruction manual it shows 4 fan connectors labeled:

Power Fan Connector (PWR_FAN1) 3 pins
Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN1) 4 pins
Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN2) 3 pins
Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN3) 3 pins

The 4 fans that came with my Rosewill Thor case all are 3 pin female plugs.

**What is the difference between the Power Fan Connector (PWR_FAN1) plug and the other Chassis Fan Connectors above (CHA_FAN1,2,3)?

**Why does Chassis Fan Connector (CHA_FAN1) have 4 pins and the others 3?

** I can plug my 4 case fans directly into these 4 Power Fan/Chassis Fan plugs and they'll be controlled by the MB, correct?

Thanks for your time.
 
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thor220
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thor220

thor220

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I have an x99 extreme4 but I'm not entirely sure it can control 3 pin fans. Many of the new motherboards don't support 3-pin voltage control because it isn't as good as PWM.

You can plug them in and the worst case scenario is they'll run at 80% all the time.

By the way, the Extreme4 comes with 7 fan headers on the motherboard. You missed 3, all of which are 4 pin.

There is no difference between any of the fan connectors other than the number of pins they have. The different names are merely for the sake of labeling. If you go into the bios you can setup fan control setting and the fan names help you do that.

 
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ualdriver

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thor220....thanks for answering so quickly.

Yikes. I'm looking at the diagram of the MB and the description of each of the 31 labeled items and I only see 6 labels with the word "fan" in it......the 4 I mention and the 2 CPU Fan Connectors. I'll get the flashlight out and see what I can find directly on the MB.

If I may indulge....My Rosewill Thor case has 4 fans, each with 3 pins. The case also has a rheostat type controller that allows one to control up to three fans and their speed with each rheostat knob.

Should I plug the fans into the MB, or should I plug the fans into the rheostat controllers on the case or does it matter? I assumed the MB controlled the case fan speed automatically to maintain temperature, hence the connections, but apparently one has to have PWM? (will google that).

Thanks again.

 
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thor220

thor220

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You can plug 3 pin fans into 4 pin slots.

I'd go ahead and plug those 3 pin fans into the case's fan controller. The case was designed to use those fans with the included fan controller so there's no question that it'll work. Even if the motherboard could control the 3 pin fans, it would be very limited control through voltage. The fan controller is going to be your best option.

I think I have something like 11 PWM fans in my system. Have all the motherboard headers full plus a good part of an extra 8 way fan splitter and the motherboard can control them all. PWM is pretty great.
 
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ualdriver

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Thanks very much!

 
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