Fans question

[Abz Hussain]

Can you use a 4 pin PWM fans with a 3 pin connector?
I want to use a 4 pins fan for all my cooling (watercooled), will there be any problems?
Thanks

 

[Abz Hussain]

Yes you can. PWM fans are just DC fans with some additional circuitry to allow for the fast on-off switching.

The only issue you may find is fitting the connectors together.

I bought some Akasa Viper 140mm 4 Pin PWM fans : http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FG-063-AK

They plug straight into my MSI Z68-G45(B3) 3 pin sockets with no issues. If you plug into 3 pin sockets i believe they will run at 100% all the time unless you use a fan controller.

Yes i will be using an as yet undecided controller, but i need 7 fans, and the ones i like, akasa apache, are 4 pin pwm and i wasnt sure if i could use them? I also need to connect them together in the following way:
1x3 fans for rad
1x 2 fans for rad
2x 1 for intake/exhaust.

 

[Abz Hussain]

As above, they will be fine, however they will run at full pelt unless you hook them up to a controllor of some kind (make sure the controllor supports 4 pin fans if you do this). I have 6 Vipers (4 pin fans) hooked up to this controllor:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BB-007-AK&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=189

aah, i didnt think of that - so i must make sure the controller i get supports pwm 4pin leads?

Sorry if this sounds noob but what i want to do is connect the 3 fans together for my 360 rad, so essentially i have one three piece fan, and then connect this three piece fan to ONE control channel on the fan controller. Can this be done?