I need help regarding the case fans

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SlenderMRS

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Aug 31, 2013
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Hi guys,

So i've ordered my new build today and it will take a few days till they arrive and i wanted to know before i start assembling a pc for the first time.
-The case i chose is Zalman Z9 Neo White which has 5 fans include.

-The PSU is Corsair CX450M.

As my motherboard doesn't have enough fan System controllers,i-ll be connecting them to the PSU.
The questions are: How do i know if the case fans has 3pins or 4pins? If it has 4pins,do i need an adapter or i can connect the fans to the molex? Can i connect more fans to 1 molex?

 
Solution
coozie7
Yep, it's exactly what he says.
Odd, pretty well every case I've used for ages has used 3 pin connectors for its built in fans.
Looks like you'll have no option but to connect the top/front fans directly to the PSU Molex lines with the rear fan running off a motherboard header...Unless you change the fans, that is.
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coozie7

coozie7

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Exactly what are the full specs? The PSU is of pretty low output and quality, not something I'd recommend for a fairly high specced gaming rig.

It's possible to run more than one fan off each motherboard connector by using a 'Y' splitter like this: https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=fan+y+splitter&view=detailv2&qpvt=fan+y+splitter&id=CA93B91C25B3AF97F81759A44FE726D0587D4B33&selectedIndex=5&ccid=9kRi3jQO&simid=608037022360473218&thid=OIP.Mf64462de340ec79ff0c18e3051b2d533o0&ajaxhist=0
Unless you plan on cramming the case with some very hot gear I suggest you only run 4 fans anyway: Two front as intake with the rear fan and one top fan as exhaust.
It's perfectly safe to run two fans off one header, and by doing so you'll have fairly good control of them by setting their speed through BIOS, running them directly off the PSU means they'll always run at full speed.
The Zalman fans are all 3 pin BTW.
 
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SlenderMRS

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Aug 31, 2013
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Hi man and thank you for your answer.

The specs are: i5 6500
Rog strix rx 480 8gb
16gb ddr4
Msi b150hm pro-vdh.
Uv400 120gb Kingston ssd
1TB wd blue HDD.
As my budget was very tight,i had to make sacrifices. Regarding the build i asked several questions on more forums and i ordered the best result in my budget.
Back to the topic: Well,if the case fans are 3 pins,i-ll need an adaptor,right? Or can i connect them directly to molex? Can you tell me how one looks?
Edit: Does the case fans have molex Power connection ?
Thanks
 
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coozie7

coozie7

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Case fans universally have either the 4 pin or 3 pin connectors so you'll need molex/3 pin adaptor/s if you want to connect them directly to the PSU.
However, the motherboard has two 4 pin headers, you can connect your fans to them using the 'Y' splitters I linked earlier. Really, you won't need more than 4 fans for that setup, and it's perfectly safe to connect 3 pin fans to 4 pin headers, the fourth pin is only used for the PWM signal that the motherboard uses to automatically control the fan speed according to temperature.

Off topic: If you can, drop the RAM to 8Gb and use the money saved to upgrade the PSU quality do so, if the parts are already purchased well, the 'CX' series aren't a huge risk, but there's better available.
 
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SlenderMRS

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Hi again and thanks for the reply.

I-ll be sticking to 16gb and cx450m cuz i won't cross-fire or overclock în The future,so i guess i-ll be fine.
if i want to connect the fifth 3pin fan to psu,can i connect it directly to the molex on the PSU cable,without an adaptor?

 
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coozie7

coozie7

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You'll have to use a molex/3 pin converter like this for one fan: https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=molex+to+3+pin+fan+connector&view=detailv2&qpvt=molex+to+3+pin+fan+connector&id=6721F47264E4E4A255D9966B1A7ABC1EF7CF530E&selectedIndex=26&ccid=SduJadU3&simid=608002907431569125&thid=OIP.M49db8969d5373c2ea996f8023b4f3efao0&ajaxhist=0
Or this for several: https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=molex+to+3+pin+fan+connector&view=detailv2&qpvt=molex+to+3+pin+fan+connector&id=A4648A69BF1A6A25AC9F0D8C0D13126433DC8799&selectedIndex=5&ccid=b8iJGV17&simid=607991761989798322&thid=OIP.M6fc889195d7bd9cef23aea2c3c620e05o0&ajaxhist=0

Bear in mind, if you use molex/fan converters the fans will run at full speed all the time, using 'Y' splitters and connecting to the motherboard headers will allow you to control the fan speed through BIOS.
 
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SlenderMRS

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Hi man.I was looking around for info about my case and i found this. https://youtu.be/7X2p1HE4_Xo .At around 6:48 he is specifying that the top and front case fans has molex connection,so i guess only the back fan is connectable to mobo?
 
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coozie7

coozie7

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Jun 2, 2007
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Yep, it's exactly what he says.
Odd, pretty well every case I've used for ages has used 3 pin connectors for its built in fans.
Looks like you'll have no option but to connect the top/front fans directly to the PSU Molex lines with the rear fan running off a motherboard header...Unless you change the fans, that is.
 
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