Fan Connection

[sk-jb93]

im mid way through a pc build and im wondering if i can plug a 3 pin fan (cpu or case) into my motherboards 4 pin connector

 

[etk]

Yes, not a problem. The connection should only let you plug it into the proper 3 pins.

 

[delluser1]

Yes

2 seconds too slow

 

[nebun]

why don't you try it and see if it works...most likely it will

 

[Paperdoc]

Yes, it works. But you'll have to see what kind of fan speed control you can get. 3-pin fan ports achieve speed control by supplying to the fan a variable voltage. 4-pin fan ports supply a fixed full 12 VDC to the fan, and then add a PWM signal on the fourth line that the fan uses (via its own built-in circuitry) to slow the fan down to the right speed. So a 3-pin fan on a 4-pin port will run all the time at full speed.

The exception to that is that some mobo's have a BIOS option for their 4-pin fan ports that allows you to tell it to change to 3-pin control mode and use the variable-voltage system instead. Some may even do this automatically. But some cannot, and you get full-speed fan at all times. Works, and cools well, but a little more noisy than a speed-controlled fan.

 

[sk-jb93]

Best answer selected by sk-jb93.