First let me correct some information. This all pertains to control of the speed of fans by the motherboard, and NOT to control by a separate third-party Fan Controller module, and not to fans connected directly to the PSU.
Automatic control of fan speeds by the mobo is always based on measured temperatures. In fact, these systems really are TEMPERATURE CONTROL systems - they only control the TEMPERATURE as measured by a sensor. They do that by manipulating the speed of the fan that cools that thing. They do NOT actually use the speed of the fan for control - they will change the fan speed to whatever it takes to get the target temperature at the right point. For a different purpose, the mobo does monitor the speed signals to detect FAILURE of a fan, and it can also display those speeds for you.
Any mobo has two main types of fan headers with associated automatic control (based on software in the BIOS). First there is one system for cooling the CPU chip, and it is guided by a sensor built into the CPU chip itself, with its signal sent out on one chip pin. The CPU_FAN header always uses this signal to govern its operation. On most mobos, the system ALSO does extra monitoring of the fan connected to this header to be SURE it never fails. If it does, the system usually will take quick action to prevent overheating that might damage the CPU. So it is important to plug your CPU cooler of whatever type into this header.
The second type of system is the SYS_FAN or CHA_FAN headers, used for your case ventilation fan(s). These headers all use a different sensor built into the mobo (some mobos have several to choose from).
There are now two main designs of fans: 3-pin and 4-pin. The newer 4-pin type was designed with backwards compatibility features, so you can plug either fan type into either 3-pin or 4-pin mobo headers and they will work. (However, for the specific case of 3-pin fans on a true 4-pin header, the fan will always run full speed.) The major difference between the two fan designs is in the way that a header controls the fan speed. The 3-pin system varies the voltage supplied to the fan. The 4-pin system supplies a fixed full 12 VDC to the fan, plus a new PWM signal on Pin #4 that the fan itself uses (there's a little chip in its case) to modify that power supply and control fan speed.
The Phanteks PWM Fan Hub is a device designed to help with two things that might be a problem. First is whether or not you have enough mobo fan headers to plug in all your case ventilation fans. If not, the Hub can provide six headers for fans, all sharing the control signal from a single mobo SYS_FAN or CHA_FAN header. Second is the case of mis-match of fan design. Almost all Fan Hubs are built to work only with 4-pin fan headers and 4-pin fans. But very often peop0le are using 3-pin fans, especially if the fans came pre-installed in the case. The Phanteks PWM Hub does it differently, using the PWM signal from a proper 4-pin fan header on the mobo to create its own group of six 3-pin fan ports that use the older Voltage Control Mode. This method of control is NECESSARY for all 3-pin fans, and it can control 4-pin fans because of their backwards compatibility design.
This (and other Hubs) also solves another problem. Most mobo fan headers can supply up to 1.0 amps current in total to all the fans connected to that header. If you use Splitters with today's common fans, that can handle 3 or 4 nomral fans, but perhaps only 2 if they have LED's in them. But a Hub does it differently. It gets all the power for its fans from a direct connection to the PSU (in the case of this Phanteks Hub, it uses a SATA power output connector from the PSU), thus avoiding that 1.0 amp limit. Most Hubs, as I said, then take the mobo PWM signal and just share it to all the fans, so they MUST be of the 4-pin design. The Phanteks Hub does it differently, as i said - it "converts" to 3-pin control system.
The restriction on using a fan Hub is that it MUST receive a PWM signal from the mobo SYS_FAN or CHA_FAN header. On some mobos, only the CPU_FAN header can be guaranteed to provide that. That's because some mobos use 4-pin fan headers for the case fans, BUT only put out 3-pin system (Voltage Control Mode) signals on them. That makes those header types able to control a single fan of either design, but they can NOT provide the PWM signal needed for 4-pin Fan Hubs. For that reason, Phanteks advises you to plug their Hub into your CPU_FAN header because that assures having a PWM signal. BUT if your mobo does provide that signal on a SYS_FAN or CHA_FAN header, you don't have to do that.
So, OP, you have some choices. They depend on what mobo you have, what fan(s) you have, how many of each, and what you want to do. For the most part, this is relevant only to your case ventilation fans. We'll assume you will use some cooling system for your CPU chip and plug that into the CPU_FAN header. For the case fans, IF you have enough mobo fan headers to plug each case fan into its own mobo header, you don't need the Hub at all. That is, IF those mobo headers can be configured to match the fan design you have. But there are three good reasons for using the Hub. One is if you need extra places to plug in too many fans. Another is if the fan design does not match the header capabilities, and you need that "conversion" feature of the Phanteks Hub. And the third is what you personally prefer for where your fans plug in and where the wires go.
To get exact details, post some more info back here.
1. What is the maker and exact model number of your mobo?
2. What is the cooling system on your CPU?
3. How many case ventilation fans do you have?
4. What is the maker and exact model number of your fans? If there is more than one type, tell us all the details with a count of each type.
With that info we can look up exactly what your mobo fan headers can do, and what your fans require, so you can get them all under automatic control by the proper mobo signals.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram