Noobies question about fans

[Renegade14]

Hello. I am planning to build my first system here in the next two months. I am very curious as to how fan installion works.

I want enough fans to be suitable for good cooling.

My question is where do the fans plug in at? Is it directly on the mother board? Or where? Also, how many fans can you usually plug in?

Thanks.

 

[WR2]

2 most common options for installing fans. Plug them into motherboard fan headers or directly into the power supply.

Most fans have 2 connectors. A big 4 pin Molex connector for connecting to the PSU and a smaller 3 or 4 pin connector for the motherboard fan header.

 

[Renegade14]

Right, thanks! but how many fans can you usually install??? 2-3?

 

[cjl]

Oh, quite a few more than that.

 

[LN2009]

How many fans you need depends on where the computer is, ambiant temperature, type of case, hardware etc.

Example, I live in a temperate (although bloody cold) Scotland. So ambiant temperature is around 10 C in my room.

I have two 120mm fans running at around 2.5k and they move the bad stuff out (hot air) and suck the good stuff in (cold air).

Your requirements might be different if you live in Thailand, where a similar system like my one kept cooking itself.

 

[Renegade14]

Ok what I am asking is... how many fans can you install.... What determines that... I understand that HOW MANY you install depends on what you need, I am asking how many can you install. Make sense?

 

[misry]

How many places to mount fans are in your case? I have 4 140mm and 3 120mm. CPU has a 92 and PS has 2 80's.

 

[WR2]

Actually, your question doesn't make sense. Size of case, layout of case, size of power supply are just some of the variables that prevent any one answer as being correct.
Some cases don't even have fans.

But you could install 48 fans if you wish. Of course they might have to be small like this 25mm 1.4 CFM. 48 of those would move air around at about 67.2 CFM.

Or you could install 2 of these 120mm 53CFM case fans that would move 106 CFM.

And depending on the case you might be able to mount one 250mm 105CFM fan that would - you guessed it -move 105 cubic feet of air a minute.