4-pin fans to 3-pin case fan control panel?

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qwertynosik

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Jan 4, 2017
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Hello! I have case with preinstalled fan control panel, it supports up to 6 case fans (and 4 led strips), I attach picture with this panel:
s11_2.png
In case there are 3 preinstalled fans with 3 pins connectors, so you can easily connect it to this panel to 3 of 6 fan inputs, like in the picture. I bought 3 additional fans(different to stock preinstaled case fans), but new fans have 4 pin outputsm so, how should I conect it to this panel in order to have all 6 fans works together in same RPM (max RPM of new and stock fans are different, so I mean that all fans should work with same percent of their max RPM)? Or should I connect all three new 4-pin fans to 4-pin motherboard inputs instead of this panel? Sorry for my English.
 
Solution
raisonjohn
Short answer: Plug the 4-pin outputs to 4-pin PWM fan headers/inputs of your motherboard.

Long answer:

You can still plug in a PWM fan's 4-pin output/connectors on the 3-pin inputs/headers of your MasterCase Maker 5 fan controller like this:
connector_mbfanpwm_4to3pin.png


Doing this means that the 4-pin PWM fan will function as a DC fan wherein its speed will change via variable voltage supplied in the 2nd pin. It's not advisable to run 4-pin PWM fans as such though.

Moreover, as you mentioned, the max. RPM's of your 3 pre-installed fans and your new 4-pin fans are different (they have different fan design). So, you can not actually make both sets of...
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raisonjohn

raisonjohn

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Feb 22, 2015
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Short answer: Plug the 4-pin outputs to 4-pin PWM fan headers/inputs of your motherboard.

Long answer:

You can still plug in a PWM fan's 4-pin output/connectors on the 3-pin inputs/headers of your MasterCase Maker 5 fan controller like this:
connector_mbfanpwm_4to3pin.png


Doing this means that the 4-pin PWM fan will function as a DC fan wherein its speed will change via variable voltage supplied in the 2nd pin. It's not advisable to run 4-pin PWM fans as such though.

Moreover, as you mentioned, the max. RPM's of your 3 pre-installed fans and your new 4-pin fans are different (they have different fan design). So, you can not actually make both sets of unidentical fans match their speeds (it's going to be by percentage). For example, if the 3 pre-installed fans have a max. 1500rpm, while the 3 PWM fans have a max. 1000rpm, running them at a given temperature at, say, 60% would make the 3 pre-installed fans run at 900rpm while the 3 PWM fans at 600rpm.

It's highly recommended to plug the PWM fans on a PWM (4-pin) header as the fan is designed to run in constant +12V and adjust its speed via variable current thru the PWM signal transmitted on the 4th pin.

Assuming your motherboard has 3 available 4-pin PWM headers, then, you can simply plug each of the 4-pin fans on each of the motherboard's header. If your motherboard has an option to change the header to PWM-mode or DC-mode, make sure you have PWM-mode selected. Set each header's fan curve to match the speed of your 3 pre-installed fans.

Assuming your motherboard has only 1 available 4-pin PWM header, you can use a 3-way PWM fan splitter such as this: https://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-Technology-Sleeved-Splitter-CPF02/dp/B00HJOJS9O or this: https://www.amazon.com/Phobya-3-Way-Splitter-Single-Connection/dp/B004CLFOK4 and plug all 3 PWM fans on that single 4-pin PWM header. In this scenario, make sure the amp draw rating of all 3 fans is around 0.75A or less (as typical mobo headers only have a 1A max. current rating). As above, make sure the header is in PWM-mode and set the fan curve of such header to match the speed that you want.
 
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