Need help about fans =P

MelodiuM · Member Joined: 10 Feb 2009 Posts: 1

Hi everyone

Pretty new to computers. know some but not alot. anyway, i bought a new computer and now want to add some extra fans and was wondering. is there a limit to how many u can have in a motherboard. (i have http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=N7AD-SLI ) atm ive only got 1 and would like to add 2-3. are there limited connectors or something, how do i identify a fan connector, do i have to buy something extra?. anyone know any guide to this or could write a little line to help.

Thanks in advance

fackamato · Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 12:52 pm Post subject:

Delph1 · Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2009 6:48 pm Post subject:

Or you get fans with molex-connectors instead of 3-pin connectors. Smile

Welcome!

//Andreas
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theredhairball · Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 3:21 am Post subject:

I highly recommend a fan controller like fackamato suggested. You can run silent for normal usage and full speed for games etc.

As for fan connectors, there are basically three types: 3-pin molex, 4-pin PWM, and 4 pin molex. The 3 pin are the most common and are what you plug into your motherboard. (or a fan controller) It looks like this:
http://www.cable-trader.co.uk/images/Internal%203%20pin%20fan%20power%20extension%200.3m.jpg
Sorry about the bad picture, that was all I could find.

The 4 pin PWM are most common on CPU heatsinks. These fans have an extra cable so your motherboard can automatically control the speed, making the fan run at low speeds at idle and speed up during load. they look just like the 3 pin molex but have an extra slot on the connector.

4 pin molex connectors are ones that plug directly into your power supply. A 4 pin molex cable is the type you use to power IDE hard drives or IDE DVD drives, like this:
http://www.hardwarezone.com/img/data/articles/2004/1215/tutorial-4pin_molex_power_conn.jpg

Just another heads up: fans are rated in 3 ways. Size, (in mm) CFM, (cubic feet per minute, how much air they move) and dB or sonnes (how loud they are). when looking for fans, go for high CFM with low dB!

Hopefully that helped!
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