help with fans

[QueBert]

I ordered a new case + 4 120MM fans today. My ITX MB has 2 fan headers, and one's for the CPU. Would running a 4 head splitter to the fan header be too much? I ordered a Molex splitter with 4 connectors on it, but I'd like to control the fans with Speedfan. They're Fractal Design GP-120, so maybe even at full speed they'll be quiet enough where I won't care about ramping the RPM's down, I dunno. Just curious about the splitters though.

And am I right in assuming using a molex to 3 pin adapter I wouldn't be able to control the fan speeds at all?

 

[QueBert]

I Googled and went ahead and ordered a NZXT Grid+ V2.

 

[ClockHound]

Uh-oh...Now you will have too much control and will be checking your smartphone every 5 minutes to monitor fan rpm when you could be doing more important stuff like taking selfies. ;-)

 

[QueBert]

Uh-oh...Now you will have too much control and will be checking your smartphone every 5 minutes to monitor fan rpm when you could be doing more important stuff like taking selfies. ;-)

That's a possibility, I also ordered the NZXT Hue+, which really really looks like it could be a time killer for someone who likes needless mods like lighting and stuff. On a sour note, from Googling it looks like a bunch of people can't get the software to work properly in Windows 10. And while I've never dealt with them, I'm not seeing a ton of shining comments on NZXT's customer support.

Both the Grid & Hue look awesome when they work, one thing I didn't even think about. Both use the USB header on the MB, my MB has 1 front header, which I currently use for my case. I could unhook that, but that would still leave me with both of my new toys needing a USB header to function. Any one who reads this and has a suggestion for me, please let me know

 

[ArtForz]

Something like a NZXT IU01?

 

[QueBert]

Something like a NZXT IU01?

holy crap NZXT makes some cool stuff, I would have never thought about this, I've had PCI USB cards in the past, but my MB has no free slot since it's ITX. This is awesome and cheap, I shall be ordering it today thank you!

 

[aigomorla]

Uh-oh...Now you will have too much control and will be checking your smartphone every 5 minutes to monitor fan rpm when you could be doing more important stuff like taking selfies. ;-)

ROFL... i almost choked on my morning coffee at this comment because i know people who ended up like this when given too much control.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Quite a few recent threads like this.

Those are 3-pin fans. On ASUS boards, those could be controlled using the ASUS "combo" plugs which work with 4-pin PWM fans and 3-pin voltage-controlled fans as well.

Further, the fans run at less than 0.20A amperage @ 12V. Therefore, you can wire all four in parallel for a total amperage of ~0.80A, run the tach-wire from ONLY one fan to the mobo fan header, and control them all from that header. Alternatively, you could wire them in pairs (in parallel) and run each pair from each of the two fan ports with the single tach wire for one fan of each pair. Can you solder wire splices neatly?

The NZXT Grid and later fan control products are a good choice, but you really don't need them. I also don't see why you chose to buy 3-pin fans when you might have bought PWM's. With the PWMs, you'd only need a Swiftech 8-port splitter to do the job, allowing you to monitor one of the four fans. I'd want to know more detail about your ITX motherboard, who makes it, what model etc. Usually, mobos come with bundled software that allows you to set fan profiles, and you don't need the software -- or you don't need to "run" it -- once the profiles are set. You shouldn't need SpeedFan if the bundled software includes that feature.

 

[QueBert]

My MB is an Asrock z77e, there could be some sort of Asrock utility to control fans I should maybe Google and see lol. Any ways, since I have an ATX case now I'll be upgrading my MB+CPU soon. Kind of leaning towards the Gigabyte Phoenix SLI, which has some fan stuff in the BIOS and I'm sure Gigabyte has some windows software. I just got the Grid+ set up, didn't need it, and don't think I'll really be messing with it much. But when I do feel the desire to tweak it the CAM software looks really nice. I <3 the Hue+, now that's something I'll probably waste a ton of time jacking around with. As to why I went with 3 pin instead of 4, I really don't know outside of I liked how they looked, and I didn't honestly put much thought into 3 or 4 pin. I've used Speedfan as to control my fans as long as I can remember. I can't honestly recall the last 4 pin fan I owned.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

My MB is an Asrock z77e, there could be some sort of Asrock utility to control fans I should maybe Google and see lol. Any ways, since I have an ATX case now I'll be upgrading my MB+CPU soon. Kind of leaning towards the Gigabyte Phoenix SLI, which has some fan stuff in the BIOS and I'm sure Gigabyte has some windows software. I just got the Grid+ set up, didn't need it, and don't think I'll really be messing with it much. But when I do feel the desire to tweak it the CAM software looks really nice. I <3 the Hue+, now that's something I'll probably waste a ton of time jacking around with. As to why I went with 3 pin instead of 4, I really don't know outside of I liked how they looked, and I didn't honestly put much thought into 3 or 4 pin. I've used Speedfan as to control my fans as long as I can remember. I can't honestly recall the last 4 pin fan I owned.

Well, let me correct myself a bit. If the motherboard software bundle works with CPU and MB thermal sensors to allow creation of "set-it-and-fahget-it" fan-curves in two and sometimes three groups, Use it. If you have trouble finding it, go with Speedfan -- and especially go with Speedfan considering your familiarity or whether Alfredo has updated to include your chipset if not mobo-model.

I think the NZXT devices were not very expensive in a range of your possibilities. Depending on the device, they may do the same thing as you do with parallel wiring, but probably they could do more. I still have a Silverstone Commander in my parts locker. In conjunction with NVidia, it was a project to develop fan control software for it -- still downloadable from NV. I could never do more with it than set fan percentages as fixed values, but I could set them separately for each of some several fans. I think it still works for you using an NV GPU card. I could sell it for chump change.

[minutes later . . ] I remember now. There was supposed to be a standard promoted by NVidia called "ESA." The Silverstone was made for that. I really don't see a lot of hope for using that controller in the future. I also don't see a lot of need. But it was a slick product -- just a flat/semi-gloss black plastic faceplate, trim and unassuming but neat. And you could put the circuit-board anywhere else by itself without taking up a drive bay. That was also an advantage for the Aquaero 5 basic unit.