Stupid question about fans.....

**BlIsTeRpAcK** · February 10th, 2003, 02:01 PM

Ok Im about to buy a case with support for 8 80mm fans, thing is what fans do I buy? Do I get 3 pin or 4 pin fans- Which type will I be able to connect more of into my computer basically?

Please help as I havnt got a clue about fans!

P.S I have a ECS L7VMM Mobo if that helps.

**Dr.Gibbs** · February 10th, 2003, 02:06 PM

Either one is fine, but 3-pin connectors are probably the best to use... it's a little easier to find connectors for them. Look here for some examples of the types of power accessories you can buy:

http://www.lastar.net/product_list.asp?cat_id=604

**SuperSparks** · February 10th, 2003, 02:30 PM

Most fans will come with a converter to run them off the Molex connectors if you don't have enough mobo headers. The headers on the mobo are normally 3-pin (2 power, 1 RPM sensor). You'd probably be safest getting the 3-pin as you can always use the adaptors if necessary (but you won't be able to read the fan speed of any that are connected directly to the PSU like that).

**Ridgerunr** · February 10th, 2003, 04:19 PM

Only other suggestion i'd make is to check the required amperage of the fan. Then check the mobo specs to be sure the onboard connector will support the amps needed by the fan...

**BlIsTeRpAcK** · February 10th, 2003, 05:49 PM

Thanks for the replies.

Ive just cracked open the case and found out that I have no 3 pin mobo headers left, so I plan to get the 4 pin fans and some 4 pin Y-splitters, is this a decent option?

Hmmmm things are going to be very busy inside this new case, 8 fans, Y-power splitters and a ATI radeon 9700 pro to wire up as well as the usual DVD, CD-RW, HDD and floppy!!!

**Webshark2000** · February 10th, 2003, 06:06 PM

Just make sure your power supply is up to snuff with 8 fans. They'll be draining quit a bit of power and if you have a Radeon 9700 it'll be eating up the energy as well. Enermax makes excellent power supplies if you're ever in need.

**BlIsTeRpAcK** · February 10th, 2003, 06:29 PM

Will do Webshark. Im pretty sure than my PSU is around the 400watt mark, however im not totally sure. Is there any software that can check the wattage of my PSU (fat chance) ? This isnt a homebuilt PC so I dont know the exact ins and outs of it and without taking the PC apart I cant tell the voltage or the manfacture of the PSU... which to be honest I dont really want to do because ,hey, im lazy!

If I do have any problems once my new setup is assembled i'll know its the PSU. Just to be on the safe side I plan to only install three\four fans at the start and carry on adding.

**MACH2** · February 10th, 2003, 06:36 PM

Yeah I'd check the powersupply for output specs. Generally you can probably get away with the upper tower and lower tower fans. perhaps 3-4 if you're going light and you place is cool. Thing I do is to split the channels i.e. all the drives on one channel all the fans on the other. Only run the cpu, or other mobo immediate fans off the mobo. This takes a lot of load of the mobo amperage wise.

**BlIsTeRpAcK** · February 10th, 2003, 06:50 PM

Hey I live in England- Of coarse my place is cool! In fact it's absolutely Bloody Freezing!

**Ridgerunr** · February 11th, 2003, 12:06 AM

Your going to be pulling the cover off anyway. There should be a sticker visible on the power supply with it's specs...

**BlIsTeRpAcK** · February 11th, 2003, 08:29 AM

I had a look for the specs while I was looking in the case, but the sticker wasn't visable without me unscrewing and taking the whole PSU unit out....

**gleasondl** · February 11th, 2003, 11:01 AM

This is from experience with "Questionable" PSU's. The pre-installed PSU's on a lot of cases that aren't built by PSU suppliers may have a 400w PSU, but they perform about like a 250w from Antec, Enermax or PowerCooling. There are a lot of things the PSU guys can play with to make them cheaper. I have switched over to the Antec PSU and am getting more than I need. I learned the hard way when I bought a 400w case from CompUSA and it wouldn't carry the load as I upgraded things.

Best PSU prices I have found are at www.compuplus.com

**K G G** · February 11th, 2003, 11:41 AM

Couple of tips for FANS:

- look for ball bearing type vs. sleeve bearing --> longer lasting and quieter

- SUNON and THERMALTAKE brands, both make great fans

- with 8 fans total (or more), look for some with speed control (manual or sensor) --> allows you to reduce noise if less load on the system and thus less cooling is required

- finally, I'd never connect fans to the MOBO anymore, rather go direct of the PS; also I actually cut the Molex's of when combining 2 or 3 fans, that allows for cleaner connection and less clutter inside the case (not to mention airflow improvement)

KGG

**SuperSparks** · February 11th, 2003, 12:43 PM

A very interesting article about PSU's and their real output as opposed to that claimed is here:

http://www4.tomshardware.com/howto/20021021/index.html

**BlIsTeRpAcK** · February 11th, 2003, 02:57 PM

Ok so I accept that my PSU is probably rubbish so I've had a look around and have found a nice Enermax 460 watt unit here . If someone knows where I can get it cheaper please tell me (bare in mind that I live in the UK).
Im not on a massive budget so do you think that this PSU is up to the task of running:
- AMD Athlon xp 2100+
- ATI Radeon 9700 pro (overclocked)
-512mb DDR RAM
-80Gb HDD
-ECS L7VMM Mobo
-The usual CD-ROM\DVD\Floppy gubbins.
-8 fans (9 if you include the CPU fan)
-Fluorescent lights

Heh, I like the look of that Q-tec 550watt PSU for £22

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