Can i control fans that are connected to a PWM Hub?

[NiftyNiller]

Hey, i bought this case: Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX which has a built in PWM with it, so my question is can i control the speed of the fans if they are connected to the PWM Hub?

And if yes, can you name a software?

 

[the nerd 389]

Short answer is yes. You plug a 4-pin PWM port on your motherboard into the 4-pin connector on the fan hub. Then settings for the motherboard's port will control the hub.

I usually use BIOS to set up the fan speeds, but some motherboards let you set the fan speeds through a driver from Windows. Otherwise, changing the settings usually needs a reboot.

You could also use Speedfan.

 

[NiftyNiller]

Short answer is yes. You plug a 4-pin PWM port on your motherboard into the 4-pin connector on the fan hub. Then settings for the motherboard's port will control the hub.

I usually use BIOS to set up the fan speeds, but some motherboards let you set the fan speeds through a driver from Windows. Otherwise, changing the settings usually needs a reboot.

You could also use Speedfan.

Im getting the Asus Prime z270-a which has a program called Fan Xpert 4, can i control my fans through that?

 

[the nerd 389]

Fan Xpert 4 will let you control the fans.

Asus is one of the few motherboard brands that you can use any fan port to control the hub. With other brands, you are often limited to the CPU_FAN, CPU_OPT, and PUMP connectors.

With any brand, you may still need to go into BIOS to set them up the first time.

 

[NiftyNiller]

Fan Xpert 4 will let you control the fans.

Asus is one of the few motherboard brands that you can use any fan port to control the hub. With other brands, you are often limited to the CPU_FAN, CPU_OPT, and PUMP connectors.

With any brand, you may still need to go into BIOS to set them up the first time.

I just researched a little and found out the PWM hub that comes with the case only has 3 pins on it, will i still be able to control them? im gonna use x3 Corsair ML120 PRO LED. Also the PWM hub will be going in the CPU_FAN ive read but my Corsair h100i v2 will be using that same header?

 

[the nerd 389]

Those fans can be damaged if used with a 3-pin header or an improperly implemented 4-pin header. Some people have questioned the legitimacy of that statement, so I confirmed this with Corsair engineers to make sure that that is correct. It is.

The fan hub in that case will damage the bearings of ML series fans. That said, if you were to use the fan hub in spite of this, the hub would allow you to control the fan speed. You'll just break the fans in the process.

 

[Paperdoc]

Yes, this will work. The Phanteks PWM Hub is different from other 4-pin fan Hubs in a way that is important to you. It REQUIRES a PWM signal to do its job, but then it uses that internally to create its own group of six 3-pin fan ports that use Voltage Control Mode (aka DC Mode) to control its fans. This method is the ONLY way to control 3-pin fans. But it also works fine for 4-pin fans because of a backwards compatibility feature in the design of 4-pin fans. For a 4-pin unit, this is not perfectly ideal, but it works very well, so you can use any mix of 3- and 4-pin fans on that Hub's ports.

Just be SURE to plug one fan into the Hub's white Port #1. That is the only port on the Hub that will send its speed signal back to the mobo header. If there is no fan on that port, the mobo header will believe that the fan plugged into it has failed and send out warnings.

The instructions for the Hub tell you to plug it into the CPU_FAN header, and then plug the actual CPU cooler system into the Hub's white Port #1. You do NOT need to do this. That advice is given only because there are many mobos now that use 4-pin CHA_FAN headers on the mobo but actually operate them as 3-pin headers that fail to provide the PWM signal. However, your mobo DOES provide that signal the Hub needs. So, plug your CPU cooling system into the CPU_FAN header directly. (See below for more). Plug the cable from the Hub that ends in a 4-pin female fan connector into one of the mobo's CHA_FAN headers. Connect a cable from the Hub to a SATA power output connector from the PSU. Then plug all your case ventilation fans into the Hub's ports, ensuring one of them is on Port #1.

To be sure this will work, check a setting in BIOS Setup. See your mobo manual on p. 3-7 where the fan headers are configured. Select the header you have used for the Hub connection and verify that, at top right, it is set to use PWM Mode. IF you have to change that, remember to SAVE and EXIT out of BIOS Setup.

Regarding the H100i V2 installation, follow its instructions. The fans on its radiator need to be plugged into the two connectors on the end of a cable coming from the pump unit. A cable needs to be connected from a socket on the pump to a mobo USB2 header. There is a cable from the pump unit that plugs into the mobo CPU_FAN header. Finally, you need to download and install the free utility from Corsair, Corsair Link. This utility takes over control of the H100i system to control the CPU cooling, and uses that cable from the USB2 header to communicate its orders to the pump unit and its fans. The utility MAY also give you a way to check and control the case ventilation fans connected to the Hub.

If you don't use the Corsair Link utility for case vent fan control, that Fan Xpert 4 utility that comes with the mobo (on its CD) will do it nicely. It runs under Windows so you can examine and adjust the fan systems. I advise you NOT to use it for CPU cooling control - let Corsair Link do that job.

With this set-up you can monitor and control all your case ventilation fans, whether 3- or 4-pin, through the included Hub. You should be aware, however, of a normal limit on such systems. A mobo header can accept a speed signal for display from only ONE fan. So any proper Hub or Splitter will send to its mobo header only ONE fan's speed signal, and all the other fans on the hub will have their speed signals ignored entirely - you will never see them.

 

[NiftyNiller]

Those fans can be damaged if used with a 3-pin header or an improperly implemented 4-pin header. Some people have questioned the legitimacy of that statement, so I confirmed this with Corsair engineers to make sure that that is correct. It is.

The fan hub in that case will damage the bearings of ML series fans. That said, if you were to use the fan hub in spite of this, the hub would allow you to control the fan speed. You'll just break the fans in the process.

So should i go with a Y splitter then? Or can you link something i can use cause i would like 3 fans but my motherboard only has 2x 4 pin fan headers. Or should i find some other Fans?

 

[the nerd 389]

Yes, this will work. The Phanteks PWM Hub is different from other 4-pin fan Hubs in a way that is important to you. It REQUIRES a PWM signal to do its job, but then it uses that internally to create its own group of six 3-pin fan ports that use Voltage Control Mode (aka DC Mode) to control its fans. This method is the ONLY way to control 3-pin fans. But it also works fine for 4-pin fans because of a backwards compatibility feature in the design of 4-pin fans. For a 4-pin unit, this is not perfectly ideal, but it works very well, so you can use any mix of 3- and 4-pin fans on that Hub's ports.

Just be SURE to plug one fan into the Hub's white Port #1. That is the only port on the Hub that will send its speed signal back to the mobo header. If there is no fan on that port, the mobo header will believe that the fan plugged into it has failed and send out warnings.

The instructions for the Hub tell you to plug it into the CPU_FAN header, and then plug the actual CPU cooler system into the Hub's white Port #1. You do NOT need to do this. That advice is given only because there are many mobos now that use 4-pin CHA_FAN headers on the mobo but actually operate them as 3-pin headers that fail to provide the PWM signal. However, your mobo DOES provide that signal the Hub needs. So, plug your CPU cooling system into the CPU_FAN header directly. (See below for more). Plug the cable from the Hub that ends in a 4-pin female fan connector into one of the mobo's CHA_FAN headers. Connect a cable from the Hub to a SATA power output connector from the PSU. Then plug all your case ventilation fans into the Hub's ports, ensuring one of them is on Port #1.

To be sure this will work, check a setting in BIOS Setup. See your mobo manual on p. 3-7 where the fan headers are configured. Select the header you have used for the Hub connection and verify that, at top right, it is set to use PWM Mode. IF you have to change that, remember to SAVE and EXIT out of BIOS Setup.

Regarding the H100i V2 installation, follow its instructions. The fans on its radiator need to be plugged into the two connectors on the end of a cable coming from the pump unit. A cable needs to be connected from a socket on the pump to a mobo USB2 header. There is a cable from the pump unit that plugs into the mobo CPU_FAN header. Finally, you need to download and install the free utility from Corsair, Corsair Link. This utility takes over control of the H100i system to control the CPU cooling, and uses that cable from the USB2 header to communicate its orders to the pump unit and its fans. The utility MAY also give you a way to check and control the case ventilation fans connected to the Hub.

If you don't use the Corsair Link utility for case vent fan control, that Fan Xpert 4 utility that comes with the mobo (on its CD) will do it nicely. It runs under Windows so you can examine and adjust the fan systems. I advise you NOT to use it for CPU cooling control - let Corsair Link do that job.

With this set-up you can monitor and control all your case ventilation fans, whether 3- or 4-pin, through the included Hub. You should be aware, however, of a normal limit on such systems. A mobo header can accept a speed signal for display from only ONE fan. So any proper Hub or Splitter will send to its mobo header only ONE fan's speed signal, and all the other fans on the hub will have their speed signals ignored entirely - you will never see them.

This is technically correct. The hub will control the ML series fans. However, this is the correspondence I've had with Corsair:

Me:
"I'm trying to find out what, if any, compatibility issues exist when trying to use speed control with the ML series fans.

I understand that magnetic bearings can be damaged by modulating the 12 volt power to the fans. Is this correct?"

Corsair (Arturo TS):
"That is correct, they can be damaged if not used with PWM."

 

[the nerd 389]

Those fans can be damaged if used with a 3-pin header or an improperly implemented 4-pin header. Some people have questioned the legitimacy of that statement, so I confirmed this with Corsair engineers to make sure that that is correct. It is.

The fan hub in that case will damage the bearings of ML series fans. That said, if you were to use the fan hub in spite of this, the hub would allow you to control the fan speed. You'll just break the fans in the process.

So should i go with a Y splitter then? Or can you link something i can use cause i would like 3 fans but my motherboard only has 2x 4 pin fan headers

The fan headers have enough power to support two ML series fans each. Using two 2-way Y splitters would work, and would not damage the fans if you set them up for PWM speed control.

 

[NiftyNiller]

So my last question is will this Y splitter cable work? https://www.newegg.com/global/au/Product/Product.aspx?Item=2BJ-000W-00007&cm_re=bluray_burners-_-2BJ-000W-00007-_-Product

And can i choose not to install the PWM Hub?

 

[the nerd 389]

Those splitters will work.

I believe the hub comes installed in the case already. I'll check the manual now to be sure.

If it comes preinstalled, you should be able to remove it. If it doesn't, you don't need to put it in the build.

UPDATE: The hub appears to come preinstalled. It is held in place with what appears to be a single #2 Phillips head screw. You'll probably need a #2 screwdriver to build the computer anyways, so it should be pretty straightforward to remove the hub.

 

[NiftyNiller]

Those splitters will work.

I believe the hub comes installed in the case already. I'll check the manual now to be sure.

If it comes preinstalled, you should be able to remove it. If it doesn't, you don't need to put it in the build.

UPDATE: The hub appears to come preinstalled. It is held in place with what appears to be a single #2 Phillips head screw. You'll probably need a #2 screwdriver to build the computer anyways, so it should be pretty straightforward to remove the hub.

Thank you for everything

 

[Paperdoc]

If you don't chose to use the PWM Hub, you can remove it. BUT you also can simply ignore it and not connect it to anything. Then use those Splitters, and they will work just fine, as the nerd 389 has said.