3-pin fan for CPU cooler

[Lord_Kitty]

Hello,


I've been looking for some Fractal Design Silent Series R2 120mm to use as an exhaust and another one to use as on a CPU cooler (most likely Hyper 212X/Evo). But those fans only come with a 3-pin connector.

My motherboard (Z77 Extreme3) has a 4-pin and 3-pin CPU_FAN connector.

I'm wondering if it will be less effective in controlling the fan speed. Should I favor a 4-pin PWM fan for a CPU cooler? I really like the aesthetics and quietness of those fans and would like to put them on the visible parts of my system.

 

[DireMe]

From what I've read, 4-pin will only give a CPU fan The ability to change speeds according to temperature, whilst 3-pin will satay at the same RPM (if you don't mess with it in BIOS etc...)

 

[ihog]

They're fine. You can control the fans through software.