Potentially daft question about PWM vs. three-pin fans

[Amazonwarrior]

Please can someone tell me what the deal is here? Are these two connectors relatively interchangeable? I ask because I'd like to replace the fan on my CPU heatsink when I get it, but the fan I want to use has a three-pin connector whereas the original fan is PWM. Any advice would be gratefully received!

 

[505090]

completely interchangeable there is a little tab on the MB connector to make sure you put it on right. The third wire is for the PWM only so you lose the speed control but it will run fine all day long.

 

[Amazonwarrior]

Fantastic! Thanks very much for your help!