On a motherboard, the number of fan headers is limited. The number of fan headers on your case may be significantly less than the number of CPU fans. So, how to connect multiple fans to motherboard? If you’re a PC gamer or a perfectionist, you’ll want to add additional fans to your system’s motherboard.
You can acquire a Y splitter that allows several fans to be connected to a single fan header or a Fan Hub that requires a separate power supply if you want to add extra fans to your motherboard. However, most headers are limited in terms of how much power they can deliver. A fan header is usually rated at 1 amp.
Verifying the fan amperage is essential because it’ll determine how many fans you can run from the motherboard and splitter.Read on if you want to know how to connect multiple fans to motherboard?
Types Of Fans
Fan connections on motherboards provide modest amounts of electricity to keep fans spinning and, in certain circumstances, allow for user control of fan speed. On the motherboard, there are three different types of Fan Headers:
- CPU Fan Header
- System Fan Header
- Power Fan Header
The ONLY type of header suitable for case fans, splitters, and PC fan hubs is the System Fan Header.
Also Read: Why Is My Laptop Fan So Loud All Of A Sudden?
DC VS PWM Fans:
Cooling fans are an essential aspect of computer hardware since they cool the CPU and ventilate the case, allowing for active cooling. As one of the legal cooling systems for processors, all computers include built-in fans. Computer fans draw cool air from the environment and exhaust warm air outside. They also help heat sinks perform better by dispersing air across them.
There are two types of computer fans available:
- Dc fans
- PWM fans
Dc fans
DC fans are commonly utilized as box fans because of their low power consumption. DC electricity is delivered to them. These fans are also known as 3-pin fans since they have three pins. The supply pin, ground pin, and signal pin are the three pins.
The power supply for DC fans might come from a regulated DC source or the motherboard header pins. Even when there is no speed control, the signal pin captures information on the fan’s rotation speed. Some computers keep an eye on the signal pin and send out a warning if the fan stops working.
PWM fans
DC fans that have an extra wire for PWM are known as PWM fans. PWM fans are 4-pin fans with a PWM signal sent to the fan motor through the fourth wire. The PWM signal is the PWM fan’s control input. And control input is a 5 V or 3.3 V pull-up open-drain or open-collector output.
The PWM control signals are high-frequency square waves, usually 25kHz or higher, that raise the fan noise over the human hearing level. Motors can be started or stopped using the PWM signal, based on its high and low states. The motor operates when the PWM signal is high; the motor is immobile.
How do LED and RGB fans differ?
We can’t change the color of the LED fans because they only come in one. As a result, the RGB control application will not operate with these fans.
RGB fans, unlike LED fans, display three distinct colors: red, green, and blue. We can modify the color of RGB fans using the RGB control application, even though they are static. We can’t, however, adjust the RGB of each LED light separately.
How To Connect Multiple Fans To Motherboard?
So, how to connect multiple fans to motherboard? You could find it difficult to connect an extra fan to a motherboard. Our step-by-step instructions will show you how to complete the process quickly and easily.
We’ll also talk about using a PC hub to connect numerous fans. So, without further ado, here is how to attach additional fans to the motherboard. Extra fans can be connected to your motherboard in two ways:
- Using a Y Fan Header Splitter
- Using a Fan Hub for a Computer
Method #1
Using a Y Fan Header Splitter
The simplest and cheapest way to attach more fans to your motherboard header is to use a fan header splitter. The maximum number of fans connected via splitter is determined by the amperage of the fans and the motherboard header.
Typically, a motherboard fan header is rated at 1 Ampere. When adding the ratings of all of your fans connected to a single fan header, you need not cross the 1 Ampere mark for safety and performance reasons.
Assembling the Fan Header Splitter
The setup is quite simple. The female end of the splitter connects to the motherboard’s fan header. The case fans are attached to the male ends of the splitter.
The price of a splitter depends on the Y splitter configuration. However, they are often very inexpensive. The splitters can be used with both 4-pin PWM and 3-pin DC fans.
Splitter Control – NOT Individually Controlled
Splitters frequently have only one-speed control. To put it another way, the speed of one Master Fan determines the rate of all connected PC fans.
You can’t control the speed of each fan separately. The motherboard sees all the fans connected to the splitter as a single unit.
Method #2
Using a Fan Hub for a Computer
If you wish to connect numerous fans to your motherboard, a PC fan hub is a great option. Connect the female end of the fan hub to your motherboard header to complete the installation. Connect your fans to the hub’s male headers next.
A fan hub can usually link up to ten three and 4-pin fans. However, they require an additional power source, so ensure the computer power supply unit has a spare SATA port.
Conclusion:
We reviewed the specs you should examine before purchasing a new fan in our article about connecting extra fans to the motherboard. We also discuss connecting numerous fans to the motherboard using a PC fan hub.
We hope that by following this advice, you can complete the task without difficulty and that your system is now working better than ever thanks to the new cooling modification. We hope now you know how to connect multiple fans to motherboard?
If you are looking for the best RAMs, please check this article: Best RAM for Ryzen 9 5950X
Frequently Asked Questions
How many fans can be connected to a motherboard?
If desired, case fans can be connected to the two chassis fan headers and the PSU fan. Each header can power at least two or three current fans when split. A splitter cable that accommodates five fans and uses Molex power from the PSU is also included.
Is it possible to run three fans from a single header?
Almost all ordinary fans today draw between 0.1 and 0.25 amps. Therefore three fans can be run on a single header. If you have more than that, you must determine the maximum current spec for each and combine them – do not exceed 1 A. Lighted fans were the first type of fan.
Is it possible to run four fans on a single header?
It has no other power source; the power for ALL of the fans on a splitter must come from the fan header, which is limited to 1.0 A.
Do all four-pin fans use PWM?
PWM is not available on any of the four-pin fan headers. The use of 4-pin headers has grown commonplace in recent years, yet Asus, for example, claims that its 4-pin headers are NOT PWM.
Which is better, PWM or DC?
PWM fans are more efficient and use less power than DC fans because of their work. Take a look at the duty cycles of PWM fans. When a fan is set to a 40 percent duty cycle, it only uses electricity for 40% of the time. On the other hand, the DC fans will operate at a little lower voltage.
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