The fan is one of the important components in a computer system because it serves to cool the temperature of the processor, graphics card, and other components. Overheating fans can cause damage or decreased performance. Therefore, it is important to choose a fan that suits your computer’s needs and specifications.
One of the things to consider when choosing a fan is the type of connector. Two types of fan connectors are commonly used, namely 3 pins and 4 pins. These two types of connectors have differences in terms of function, features, and how to install them. This article will explain what is the difference between a 3-pin and 4-pin fan for a CPU, as well as how to connect it to the motherboard.
What are 3 Pin and 4 Pin Fans?
3-pin and 4-pin fans are fans that have different numbers of pins or legs on the connector. The pin is the part used to transmit signals and electric current between the fan and the motherboard. The number of pins on the fan determines the type of control the motherboard can exert over fan speed and temperature.
3 Pin Fan
A 3-pin fan is a fan that has three pins on its connectors, namely:
- Pin 1: Ground or ground, which serves as a path of reverse electric current.
- Pin 2: +12V or positive voltage, which serves as a power source to drive the fan.
- Pin 3: Tachometer or rotation sensor, which serves to send information about fan speed to the motherboard.
The 3-pin fan has a fixed speed, which is determined by the voltage exerted by the motherboard. The 3-pin fan speed can be adjusted using voltage control, which is by increasing or lowering the voltage provided by the motherboard. However, this method has limitations, because not all motherboards support voltage control, and the voltage range that can be set is also limited.
4 Pin Fan
A 4-pin fan is a fan that has four pins on its connectors, namely:
- Pin 1: Ground or ground, which serves as a path of reverse electric current.
- Pin 2: +12V or positive voltage, which serves as a power source to drive the fan.
- Pin 3: Tachometer or rotation sensor, which serves to send information about fan speed to the motherboard.
- Pin 4: PWM or pulse width modulation, which serves to control the fan speed by sending a pulse signal to the fan.
The 4-pin fan has a dynamically adjustable speed, which is adjusted according to the temperature and workload of the computer. The 4-pin fan speed can be adjusted using PWM control or pulse control, namely by changing the width or duration of the pulse signal sent by the motherboard. This method has advantages because it can adjust the fan speed with more precision, flexibility, and energy saving.
How to Connect 3-Pin and 4-Pin Fans with Motherboard?
To connect 3-pin and 4-pin fans to your motherboard, you need to know what types of headers or sockets are available on your motherboard. The header is the part on the motherboard that is used to connect the fan to the motherboard. Two types of headers are commonly used, namely 3-pin headers and 4-pin headers.
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3 Header Pins
A 3-pin header is a header that has three holes or slots corresponding to three pins on a 3-pin fan. 3-pin headers are usually marked with SYS_FAN, CHA_FAN, or CASE_FAN labels on the motherboard. The 3-pin header only supports voltage control to regulate fan speed.
To connect a 3-pin fan with 3-pin headers, you only need to connect the fan connector with the header, ensuring that pins 1, 2, and 3 on the fan match holes 1, 2, and 3 on the header. You also need to pay attention to the direction of the fan cable, so as not to interfere with other components or block the flow of air.
4 Header Pins
A 4-pin header is a header that has four holes or slots corresponding to four pins on a 4-pin fan. 4-pin headers are usually marked with CPU_FAN, CPU_OPT, or PWM_FAN labels on the motherboard. 4-pin header supports PWM control to adjust fan speed.
To connect a 4-pin fan with a 4-pin header, you only need to connect the fan connector with the header, ensuring that pins 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the fan match holes 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the header. You also need to pay attention to the direction of the fan cable, so as not to interfere with other components or block the flow of air.
Can I Connect a 3 3-pin fan with a 4 4-pin header or Vice versa?
The answer is yes, but there are a few things to note. 3-pin and 4-pin fans have cross-compatibility, which means they can be connected with headers with different pin counts. However, this will affect the type of control that the motherboard can exercise over fan speed.
3 Pin Fan with 4 Header Pins
If you connect a 3-pin fan with 4 header pins, you need to ensure that pins 1, 2, and 3 on the fan match holes 1, 2, and 3 on the header. Hole 4 of the header will be empty because the 3-pin fan does not have pin 4.
Thus, you cannot use PWM control to adjust the fan speed, but can only use voltage control. However, not all motherboards support voltage control for the 4-pin header, so you need to check your motherboard’s specifications first.
4 Pin Fan with 3 Header Pins
If you connect a 4-pin fan with 3 header pins, you need to make sure that pins 1, 2, and 3 on the fan match holes 1, 2, and 3 on the header. Pin 4 on the fan will hang because the 3 header pins do not have 4 holes.
Thus, you cannot use PWM control to adjust the fan speed, but can only use voltage control. However, this method is not optimal, because the 4-pin fan is designed to use PWM control, so you may encounter problems such as noisy, unstable, or malfunctioning fans.
Conclusion
3-pin and 4-pin fans are fans that have differences in terms of the number of pins, functions, features, and how to install them. The 3-pin fan has a fixed speed, which can be adjusted with voltage control. The 4-pin fan has a dynamic speed, which can be adjusted with PWM control. 3-pin and 4-pin fans can be connected to different headers by different pin counts, but this will affect the type of control that the motherboard can perform.
Hopefully, this article is useful for those of you who want to know what is the difference between a 3-pin and 4-pin fan for a CPU, as well as how to connect it to the motherboard. Thank you for reading this article, and see you in the next article.