System fan not spinning(?)

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lalaland1502

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Dec 6, 2014
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So I bought two more fans for my computer, I plugged one to System_Fan 3 and the other one to Pump_Fan. The reason why was that the other fan spots were taken and I did look up if I was able to hook up a fan to the Pump_Fan and it's fine. But ironically the System_Fan 3 isn't spinning at all.

These are my parts to my computer:
Motherboard: MSI Z370-A PRO
CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-8600K Processor
RAM: 16 GB [8 GB X2] DDR4-3000 Memory Module
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 - 8GB
PSU: 600 Watt - Standard 80 PLUS Gold
Drives: 1 TB Hard Drive, 250GB WD Blue SSD
CPU Cooler: DEEPCOOL Gammaxx 400 CPU Cooler
OS: Windows 10 Home

In total, I have about six fans that are hooked up to my motherboard and out of the six, only 1 doesn't work (System _ Fan 3 the one that I mentioned above). The fan itself is a 3-pin and that System_Fan 3 is a 4 pin, but that shouldn't matter since some of the other System_Fans are 4 pins and they are connected by a 3-pin and they are functionally fine. I also did check the BIOS to see if the motherboard did detect the fan or not and it did. The fan says that it's spinning at a certain RPM but when I see the fan, it's not spinning at all. I thought maybe it was a faulty fan at first, but I tried replacing the fan with another one and it still gives me the same result. Does anyone have a solution to this?
 
Solution
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Yes. You can connect two fans to a single SYS_FAN header with a simple Splitter. Virtually all common fans have low enough current requirements to allow that. You may find it hard to get a 3-pin Splitter, but a 4-pin one will do the job just fine.
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Paperdoc

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Go to manual p. 62 to review the fan configuration settings. Particularly note down how you have the CPU_FAN header set up in case you want to re-configure it the same way.

Now, click on the option about mid-screen to set ALL fans to Default settings. This will ensure that all are using automatic fan speed control (not any custom curve). Now, go though each fan header in turns and check its configuration. In each case it should be using the normal automatic control. For the CPU_FAN header, IF your CPU cooler is a 4-pin fan, set it to use PWM Mode. For the PUMP_FAN header, same thing - IF that fan is 4-pin, set the header to use PWM Mode; but IF the fan is 3-pin, set the header to DC Mode. Now, for all the other SYS_FAN headers is seems from your post that thyey all are of the 3-pin design, so set all their headers to use DC Mode. When finished, remember to SAVE and EXIT to save the settings and reboot.

If that one fan still does not work it is faulty. I do find it VERY puzzling that you say it is not running and yet its header claims to have a fan speed. Well, after those configuration changes, has anything changed?
 
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lalaland1502

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Thank you for your response, but unfortunately everything was all set to the settings that you've stated above and nothing. I tried setting everything to default first and then rebooting.Then I tried going to the BIOS and putting the settings that you mentioned and rebooted. Despite doing these steps the fan is still not running but in the BIOS it still reads the fan is spinning at a certain RPM.
 
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lalaland1502

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I tried plugging into a different fan header and ironically it works, but that one System_Fan 3 is being a pain right now. I don't believe the header is dead either since the motherboard is detecting it. The fan speed isn't set to an exact number, it fluctuates.
 
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Paperdoc

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So, one fan works OK elsewhere, and not on SYS_FAN3. And a DIFFERENT fan on SYS_FAN3 also does NOT work in the same manner. Surely that says the SYS_FAN3 header is faulty. Either that, or you have it configured oddly, although I cannot see how that would produce these symptoms.

Just to be sure, check how that 3-pin connector is plugged into the 4-pin header. The male header on the mobo has a plastic tongue sticking up alongside Pins 1-3, and Pin #4 is outside that tongue. The 3-pin female fan connector has ridges along one side that fit just outside the tongue as you plug in, so that you are only supposed to be able to plug in one way. This leaves mobo Pin #4 NOT used. Is that how you did it?
 
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Paperdoc

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Yes. You can connect two fans to a single SYS_FAN header with a simple Splitter. Virtually all common fans have low enough current requirements to allow that. You may find it hard to get a 3-pin Splitter, but a 4-pin one will do the job just fine.
 
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lalaland1502

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Thank you for your time for responding to this thread, I really do appreciate it. I just ordered a fan splitter from Amazon and it should be arriving tomorrow!
 
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cm9721593

Oct 11, 2018
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I have the same motherboard and issue. I bought a new fan and plugged it into System_Fan 1. After 10 minutes it just stopped working. I then plugged it into System_Fan 2, it worked for 2 months and then it just stopped for no reason. I feel like the motherboard is faulty because it works every time i move it to a new header and then later it just stops. The fan still has working rgb on it though.
 
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