• Welcome to Overclockers Forums! Join us to reply in threads, receive reduced ads, and to customize your site experience!

3 wire or 4 wire connector?

Overclockers is supported by our readers. When you click a link to make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn More.

noob_123

Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2003
Location
NY
i am going to buy the Sunon 92mm standard fan from sidewindercomputers.com it asks me if i want a 3 wire or 4 wire connector not sure which i need..plz help thx
 
how many watts does it draw? The 3 wire connector on motherboards usually is only good for 3 or 4 watts. I prefer to have no fans powered off the mobo to leave all the juice to the cpu. If you still want to be able to monitor fan speed from software, i'd get the three wire one, and clip off the red and black wires (on the plug side) and wire those up to a molex (4 wire) connector. I'm pretty sure i've seen adapter cables that have all this done already. If its going to be used as a case fan, i'd deff go with the four wire, as a heat sink fan, i'd go with the three and modify it or get an adapter.
 
92x92x25mm, 44 CFM @ 2500 RPM, 33 dBA, 2.0 watts, .16 amp, 12v DC, 3-pin or 4-pin Molex connector.
 
thats well within the limits of a motherboard fan header, so you can plug it into the motherboard. The rest is up to your personal preference. Where is the fan going? If its going on the case and its not the only case fan then i'd say go for the 4 wire molex. If it is going on a heatsink, then i'd go for the 3 wire connector.
 
"and wire those up to a molex (4 wire) connector. I'm pretty sure i've seen adapter cables that have all this done already." Y would i want this?
 
Last edited:
For those overclockers whom are really nuts about every last mhz, sometimes the voltage regulators on a motherboard are giving every last drop of juice to the cpu. Without the fan connected to the motherboard, you are lightening the load slightly, but its not going to make a big difference. Heavily overclocked cpu's can draw in the neighborhood of 100 watts (tbred b's draw about 82 at stock) and the 2 watts of that fan wouldn't make a noticable difference. Usually under 4 watts is safe for a motherboard fan header.
 
on the 4 wire connector, only two of the wires are used.. +12v and a ground for return. ON the motherboard, you have those two, plus a yellow wire to tell the computer how fast the fan is spinning. Then you can use a program such as MBM5 to see how fast your fan is spinning.
 
Back