Chassis and cpu fans may use either 3 pin or 4 pin powerconnectors.
Can i connect 3 pin fan to 4 pin motherboard.
This is probably why they are not able to speed control your fan.
4 pin fan controllers hand off the pwm signal to the fan itself and these fan controllers supply an uncontrolled a 12vdc.
4 pin connectors areusually used by cpu fans with higher power consumption.
Desktop board has a 4 pin fan header.
3 pin connectors are usually used for the smallerchassis fans with lower power consumption.
Fans andon board fan headers are backwards compatible.
Even if you put a 3 pin fan into a 4 pin motherboard slot you still can control fan speed on whatever motherboard you have.
If you connect the 4 pin fan connector to a 3 pin header then the fan will run at maximum rpm.
You can plug a 3 pin fan into a 4 pin header just fine.
Proper fan connector placement is shown in the figures below.
Just slide the 3 pin and leave the extra pin.
Please note that 4 pin fans can also be connected to your mainboard s 3 pin fan headers though.
The cpu cooler fan i bought is a 4 pin.
Fan has a 3 pin power connector.
If you want to use the pwm function then the 4 pin fan must be connected to a 4 pin header on the motherboard.
Pwm fans come with a 4 pin connectors for fully automatic speed control via your mainboard s 4 pin pwm fan headers.
When using a 3 pin power connector with a 4 pin fan header the fan will always be on.
I have a hp z420 and wanted to replace the cpu cooler.
You can connect a 4 pin fan to a 3 pin or 4 pin header on the motherboard.
There is no fan control.
Is there a possible way to for this to work.
Fans and on board fan headers are backwards compatible.
3 pin fans will power up at 4 pin connectors but only at full speed.
My rig has 2 pairs of 3 pin fans phanteks ph140sp connected to two 4 pin motherboard headers asus z97m plus via basic y splitters and they work and control just fine.
When connected to 3 pin fan headers the fan will run at full speed unless the mainboard supports voltage based speed control.