Is there a fan hub that has the option to controll both 3 and 4 pin fans?

zlee314

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Nov 3, 2017
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I have a mb with a case fan port that you can switch between pwm and voltage mode. My case fans are 3 pin, but if I do replace them, I would probably replace them with 4 pin fans. I recently found this fan hub:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811984004
it uses a pwm cord from the motherboard and turns the pwm signal into different voltages so it can control 3 pin fans. However I don't think it works with and/or can control the speed of 4 pin fans. Is there a fan hub like this that works (works as in being able to let the mb control fan speed and not just run full speed all the time) with 3 and 4 pin fans?
 
Solution
That Phanteks PWM Hub is one of the few that WILL do what you want.

All Fan Hubs get all the power for their fans from a connection directly to a PSU output (either 4-pin Molex or SATA). The vast majority of them get a proper PWM signal from a mobo header that really is using PWM Mode for control (many do not, even though they have 4 pins) and simply share that out to all their fans for the fan's use. That means those Hubs can only control 4-pin fans that know how to use that signal.

The Phanteks PWM Hub does it differently. I still requires that PSU power and PWM signal. But internally it uses that signal to create its own group of 6 ports that use the older Voltage Control Mode, rather than PWM Mode. This is the only mode that CAN...

Paperdoc

Polypheme
Ambassador
That Phanteks PWM Hub is one of the few that WILL do what you want.

All Fan Hubs get all the power for their fans from a connection directly to a PSU output (either 4-pin Molex or SATA). The vast majority of them get a proper PWM signal from a mobo header that really is using PWM Mode for control (many do not, even though they have 4 pins) and simply share that out to all their fans for the fan's use. That means those Hubs can only control 4-pin fans that know how to use that signal.

The Phanteks PWM Hub does it differently. I still requires that PSU power and PWM signal. But internally it uses that signal to create its own group of 6 ports that use the older Voltage Control Mode, rather than PWM Mode. This is the only mode that CAN control 3-pin fans. But it also CAN control 4-pin ones. Why? It's a backwards compatibility feature of the 4-pin design. Inside a 4-pin fan there's a small circuit board with several functions. One is speed control. It uses the PWM signal provided from Pin #4 of the mobo header to modify the power supplied to it from Pin #2 of the header. A header that actually uses PWM Mode sends out a fixed +12 VDC on Pin #2, and the fan's internal chip modifies the flow of current from that source through the motor windings to reduce the motor speed. But what if you plug that fan into a header that uses Voltage Control Mode? Well, first of all there is no PWM signal (often, there is no Pin #4), so the internal chip cannot modify the current flow from the source. Secondly, the header using Voltage Control Mode does not send out a fixed +12 VDC on Pin #2. It sends out a DC voltage ranging from +12 to +5 VDC. (Any lower might allow the fan to stall and fail to re-start.) So this un-modified voltage is sent through the motor windings, and that DOES control the speed. It is not quite as good as using PWM Mode for this 4-pin fan, but it does work.

The net result is that the Phanteks PWM Hub can control the speed of any mix of 3-pin and 4-pin fans attached to its six ports.

I'll add a small note of capacity limits. Most mobo fan headers can supply up to 1.0 amps current to all the fans attached to that single header. Now many current fan designs use only 0.1 to 0.3 amps, so Splitters can allow you to attach 3 or sometimes more to a single header. However, many of the popular fans that include LED's in them use over 0.3 amps each. Phanteks supplies two Splitters with that Hub (each Splitter converts one Hub port to 2 outputs) and recommends that you CAN use Splitters to attach up to TWO fans to each of the Hub's ports (except, only one to Port #1, the white one), for a max total of 11 fans. But there's also the limit that the total load on the Hub should not exceed 30W - that's 2.5 Amps current max.

A further note on the Hub's use. The instructions with it say you should connect its fan cable to the CPU_FAN header, and then plug your actual CPU cooler into the Hub's Port #1 (the white one). IF you do that, be sure to plug the CPU cooler into Port #1 as it says. That is the only Hub port that can send its fan's speed signal back to the mobo header. BUT the reasons behind connecting the Hub's input cable to the CPU_FAN header specifically is that not all mobos with 4-pin CHA_FAN or SYS_FAN headers actually use PWM Mode for control, and the Hub MUST receive a PWM signal from the host's header. Some such headers use PWM Mode, some use only Voltage Control Mode, some allow you to set the control Mode, and some claim to figure it all out and set themselves. Figuring out which way YOUR mobo's CHA_FAN headers do it can be tricky. OP, if you want help with that, tell us the exact maker and model number of your mobo. We can look up its manual and help decipher the specs. Why would you care? Well, the mobo normally has two (sometimes more) fan control systems. One controls the speed of the CPU fan, and is based solely on a temperature sensor inside the CPU chip. The other(s) are designed to control case ventilation fans and are based instead on a different temp sensor built into the mobo (some mobos have more than one sensor to choose). So, IF your mobo's CHA_FAN headers (that use the mobo temp sensor) can do PWM Mode control, you are better to connect your Phanteks PWM Hub to one of those and use it only to control your case fans. In that situation, you would leave the CPU cooler as the only item plugged into the CPU_FAN header.
 
Solution

Paperdoc

Polypheme
Ambassador
An alert for you. On that mobo, ONLY the CPU_FAN header has the automatic self-detecting system for fans. The two CHA_FAN headers can be set MANUALLY to the correct configuration, and by default they are set to DC Mode. You will need to CHANGE that to PWM Mode to ensure that your Hub receives a PWM signal from the CHA_FAN header you use. Then there's another change. See manual p. 2-40 under "Chassis Fan 1/2 Q-Fan Source", The default setting is to use the internal CPU chip temp sensor. Change that to use the Motherboard sensor to guide the case cooling fans connected to the Hub.

I think there's a more complex Hub from NZXT that can do a similar thing, but it is designed to do many other functions and requires using a custom application to take over all cooling systems. The Phanteks Hub appears simpler, and maybe less expensive.

Thanks for Best Solution. Have fun!