Need Help with Fans/Hub/MoBo connections!

Mar 15, 2018
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I'm building my first pc coming up here shortly and need help with regards to the fan connections.
Case: Corsair 570x
Mobo: Asus ROG Maximus X Hero
CPU Cooler: Kraken x72
GPU: EVGA 1080ti ftw3 Hybrid

I'm going to be using a total of 9 fans (all 4pin pwm):
6 Corsair ML120's in front (push/pull) for x72 radiator. The 3 front (push) fans will be RGB and the 3 inside (pull) fans will just be regular non-RGB ML120's
2 ML140's (non-RGB) up top as exhaust
1 ML120 (non-RGB) in rear as push exhaust for the hybrid GPU radiator

I've tried to do a lot of my own research to figure this out but it just led to more confusion.

Ideally I'd want as few connections to the Mobo as possible for a cleaner look, maybe using a Silverstone pwm fanhub for 8 of the fans, however I'm unsure as to how the control of these fans will work since I've never done it before. Ideally I'd want to be able to control them all in software or bios (or some software that someone recommends; where they'll react to cpu or gpu temperatures), but don't know what the best approach is in terms of where on the Mobo or external devices to connect them all to (the 9 fans, as well as the cables for the CPU pump/rad and the GPU hybrid pump/rad).

Is anyone able to help me clear this up and figure out where on the Mobo to connect them to??? As well as how they'd be controlled/software? Thank you!

**Side note: If I can just use the 3 stock RGB SP120 fans that come with the 570x case as my 3 front/push radiator fans and still be able to control them then I'd do that and wouldn't purchase the 3 ML120 RGB fans. I wasn't sure though since I believe the stock SP120 RGB's that come with the case are 3 pin and I didn't know what or how this would affect it.
 
Solution
You'll have an interesting mix with several control systems operating. I'll suggest a good arrangement.

1. The Kraken X72 liquid cooling system wants to control its own fans its own way and this requires a particular set of connections. However, it is designed, I believe, to handle four fans, and you plan six in a push-pull arrangement. You might be able to do that using a Hub between the Kraken pump unit and its six fans, but I suggest you not do that. Instead, do it this way. First, when you buy the Corsair ML120 Pro RGB fans, buy the three-pack that includes their Lighting Node Pro / Hub system. This is the way to control their LED's using the Corsair Link software utility. Mount those fans in front of the radiator as its intakes so...

Paperdoc

Polypheme
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You'll have an interesting mix with several control systems operating. I'll suggest a good arrangement.

1. The Kraken X72 liquid cooling system wants to control its own fans its own way and this requires a particular set of connections. However, it is designed, I believe, to handle four fans, and you plan six in a push-pull arrangement. You might be able to do that using a Hub between the Kraken pump unit and its six fans, but I suggest you not do that. Instead, do it this way. First, when you buy the Corsair ML120 Pro RGB fans, buy the three-pack that includes their Lighting Node Pro / Hub system. This is the way to control their LED's using the Corsair Link software utility. Mount those fans in front of the radiator as its intakes so the LED's are visible. Each of the fans has TWO cables coming from it: one for LED's that plugs into the Corsair Hub, and one for the fan that plugs into a fan header. So you connect the LED cables from each of these to the Corsair Hub, following their instructions carefully about which ports to use. The Hub requires its own power supply by plugging into a SATA power output from the PSU. Then there's another module, the Lighting Node Pro, that connects by cable to the Hub; it has another cable that also plugs into a PSU SATA power output, and a cable to connect it to a mobo USB2 port. When it's all set up, you download and install the free Corsair Link software and use that to control the LED's. Now for the FAN cables of those three, they will connect to the pump of the Kraken x72 unit. That pump unit has several cables to go places, and one of them has four 4-pin fan outputs for the fans on the radiator, so just plug the ML120 PRO RGB fans into that. The pump needs its own power connection to another PSU SATA output, a connection to another mobo USB2 port, and a connection to the mobo CPU_FAN header. Then you must download and install the Kraken CAM software utility. This takes over control of the Kraken CPU cooling system, so that's the software tool you will use for that.

Next, install the three non-RGB Corsair ML120 fans as pulls on the radiator back. Get a fan SPLITTER with three outputs like this:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812423163&cm_re=coboc_fan_splitter-_-12-423-163-_-Product

and use it to plug those three into the mobo CPU_OPT fan header; the fans each pull 0.22A, so this header can handle 3 fans easily. Normally this header uses the temperature sensor inside the CPU chip to guide it speed.

Now we have the other three case ventilation non-RGB ML140 and 120 Pro fans. For the top 140's buy a 2-output SPLITTER like this

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812423161&cm_re=coboc_fan_splitter-_-12-423-161-_-Product

and use it to plug those fans into either the CHA_FAN2 or CHA_FAN3 header.

Lastly, you plan a ML120 PRO mounted on the radiator of the EVGA graphics card as additional airflow through that rad. (Is that right - do you plan to use BOTH this ML120 fan and the one that comes with the video card on that rad?) This get a little tricky for control because I can't get good info on how that card controls its own radiator fan. It does have at least one fan header on it for its rad fan, but I cannot tell whether it also has a second header able to control a second fan, and whether those fan headers are standard 4-pin ones using PWM Mode for control, or something else. You need to contact EVGA Tech Support and get them to tell you how to use two fans with this rad IF that is your plan. In anticipation, I'll outline three alternatives.
(a) Only one fan (the one supplied with the EVGA board, OR your ML120 Pro IF it can use the card's fan header). In this case, mount the fan on the radiator normally and just plug it into the EVGA card's fan header. Use the EVGA card's software utility to monitor and control all sorts of things on the card, including its temperatures and fan cooling strategy.
(b) Two fans, with both of them plugged into fan headers on the EVGA card. In this case, just use that same software to control both fans as if they were one.
(c) Two fans, but only one plugged into the EVGA card's fan header and controlled there. Plug the other fan into you mobo's CHA_FAN1 header near the rear edge, and let that header's automatic system control that fan.

So far, you will need to use three SATA power output connectors to supply power the front fans and LEDs. If you run short of SATA power outputs, get a splitter for those to convert one output into two. Then you will need two slightly different Splitters to connect five other fans to two mobo headers. In total you will have four or five separate cooling control systems plus a LED control system.
1. Control of the three intake RGB fans will be done by the Kraken X72 CAM software.
2. Control of the three pull fans on the back of the radiator will be done by the mobo's CPU_OPT header. See the mobo manual, p. 3-7. Note that configuration of each fan header is done separately. For the CPU_OPT header, set it to Standard Profile. If there is a place to choose the temperature sensor this header uses, ensure it is set to the sensor inside the CPU chip, and not to one of those on the mobo. Then verify that the header is set to use PWM Mode for control, since all your fans are 4-pin.
3. Control of the top exhaust fan pair is done by CHA_FAN2 or 3, depending where you plugged them in. This header also should be in Standard Profile and PWM Mode. but its temperature sensor should be one of the three choices on the mobo. The manual does not clarify where those are, but the website says it has three sensors to choose.
4. Control of the EVGA card cooling will be done using its own software utility.
5. IF your set-up uses a second fan on the graphics card radiator that is plugged into the mobo CHA_FAN1 header, set it to Standard Profile and PWM Mode, and choose a mobo temperature sensor near the EVGA card location.

Remember also that the Corsair Link software will be used to control the RGB LED's of the front intake fans.

A note of info. Any standard fan header can accept and display for you the speed signal coming back to it from ONE fan only. So when you use a Splitter to connect more than one fan to a header, it will send back only one fan's speed signal, and the others on that Splitter will be ignored. In the case of the Kraken X72 system with its three fans, I don't know whether it can deal with all three fans separately, or will only display one fan speed.
 
Solution
Mar 15, 2018
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Wow this is perfect and detailed, thank you so much!

As for the GPU, I do not plan on two two fans for the gpu radiator, rather just replacing the stock fan with a ML120 (option a). Thank you!!!!
 

Paperdoc

Polypheme
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Thanks for Best Solution.

I forgot to mention something. For any mobo fan header you can configure it in BIOS Setup, but that only works when you are NOT running in your OS. However, I am sure that the CD that comes with the mobo has a utility on it for monitoring and configuring many mobo parameters. It is an app that runs under Windows, so you can use it during normal operations to check stuff like temps and fan speeds.

Just ask EVGA Tech Support whether the fan header on their board is a standard 4-pin one that can control a 4-pin PWM fan. With that in mind, you should know also that a 3-pin fan header using the older Voltage Control Mode CAN power and control a 4-pin fan, as long as the video board header socket is wide enough to accept the 4-pin fan connector.