Need help with my case fan setup

This is my setup that I've yet to build yet since I'm still waiting for some parts. Haven't chosen a GPU yet but I'm leaning towards something like a 270X or maybe a 750ti.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $299.99)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (Purchased For $37.68)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-AR ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (Purchased For $129.71)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (Purchased For $137.33)
Storage: Toshiba Q Series Pro 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For $117.71)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 Blackout ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $68.66)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $84.44)
Case Fan: Cougar Vortex PWM 70.5 CFM 120mm Fan (Purchased For $12.96)
Case Fan: Cougar Vortex PWM 70.5 CFM 120mm Fan (Purchased For $12.96)
Total: $901.44
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-17 14:53 EDT-0400


The R4 has a fan controller that accommodates up to 3 fans and it comes with 2 stock R2 140mm fans. I've also purchased 2 Cougar PWM 120mm fans.

My current plan is to put the 2 Cougar fans in the front for intake, one stock fan in the rear for exhaust and one stock fan in the top (back) for exhaust.

In the future, I may also add a 5th aftermarket fan in the bottom for intake but I'll stick with 4 fans for now.

My question is, should I use a PWM splitter or hub and have the two Cougar fans powered directly by the PSU or should I just plug them in the mobo PWM headers?

And should I have the back and top exhaust fans hooked up to the R4 fan controller or should I also plug them into a PWM splitter or the mobo for automatic control?

Those fans are pretty low power (but should be fine for your setup unless you're overclocking hard or have to deal with high ambients) and will do just fine plugged into the motherboard. If you're planning to upgrade to a SLI setup later on, it might make sense to start out with more powerful fans. The 750W PSU is definite overkill with one GPU.

NiHaoMike said:

Those fans are pretty low power (but should be fine for your setup unless you're overclocking hard or have to deal with high ambients) and will do just fine plugged into the motherboard.

Click to expand...

Since there's only two true PWM headers on my mobo, I bought a Swiftech PWM splitter.