Insufficient cooling is one of the main causes of the slowdown in computers, especially those that have to deal with an intensive load of gaming. As a result, many people come to the solution of installing extra case fans, yet finding the task a little too tricky.
If this is your case, team Digitalne.tv here to help!
Not bushing about the bush or containing full of computer jargon that may drive you crazy, this short and sweet guidance will guide you on how to connect case fans to power supply in the simplest way. Read on!
How to Connect a Case Fan to PSU
Typically, things are just a piece of cake if you intend to install only one extra fan. See the connector with 3 pins on your Mobo? Yes, just plug the fan in it, and you are done. Slowdown reduced in a single step.
Simple enough, right? Unfortunately, it is not usually the case. If your computer has to handle a heavy load of gaming, more than one extra fan would be needed, and, likely, your motherboard doesn’t have enough fan headers for all.
In this case, connecting fans to PSU can be hard. But don’t worry. Below, we will present how to connect multiple fans to your PSU.
How to Connect Multiple Case Fans to Power Supply? – Step by Step
Step 1: Make sure you have all the necessary connectors and adapters
To connect extra fans to a power supply, first, prepare yourself with 4-pin Molex connectors and 3-pin Molex adapters, which are available in stores at an affordable price.
Bear in mind that your PSU may or may not have 4-pin Molex connectors, and the number of fans must equal that of the adapters. So, if you are installing more than one fan, you must at least have two adapters.
Step 2: Connect the fans, adapters and power supply
The 3-pin Molex adapters will have two ends. The 3-pin end (female) is to connect the fan and the 4-pin end (male) is supposed to connect the power supply, via the PSU’s 4-pin Molex connector (which has four holes).
At this step, what you have to do is to simply plug the first extra fan into the 3-pin end of an adapter. Then, connect the 4-pin end of the adapter to a power supply’s 4-pin connector. That’s all for the first fan. To the rest, you just connect them to the PSU in an exactly similar fashion.
Sometimes, your fans may have a Molex power instead of a 3-pin input, in which case you don’t need any adapters and can plug them directly to the power supply.
See? It’s simple!
FAQs
Question 1: Should you connect case fans to PSU or Mobo?
If possible, we recommend connecting extra fans to your motherboard. This way, you can control fan speed and some other factors according to the situation as well as your need. You also need no adapters as the fans will be plugged directly to your Mobo.
However, most motherboards do not have enough fan headers for more than two fans, and connecting them to the PSU is somehow inevitable for intensive users such as gamers.
On the other hand, the only problem of connecting case fans to the PSU is that the fans will always run at their maximum speed. If controlling fan speed is not much of your concern, then this just does not matter either.
In short, if you have only one extra fan, plug it in your Mobo. Otherwise, connecting fans to the PSU is not a bad choice at all.
Question 2: How many case fans do I need?
The answer to this question varies. The number of case fans needed would depend on multiple factors including your computer’s index and brand, not to mention how intensive you use it. While most people are comfortable with two cooling fans, some intensive users recommend three at least (one front-mounted intake fan, one rear-mounted exhaust fan, and one customized to the user’s needs).
This is also a factor to take into consideration when purchasing a computer case. If your computer does not have multiple case fans, at least be sure that it leaves space for you to install extra ones by yourself.
Conclusion
Above is how to connect case fans to power supply and answers to some frequently asked questions around the task.
Connecting extra fans to PSU can be regarded as a tricky thing to do, especially if you are not knowledgeable about hardware and computers.
Yet with this simply-explained guidance, we hope the task will not trouble you anymore. Read this carefully, and good luck!
