Types of fan power plugs

  • Thread starter Thread starter Robert Bindler
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Robert Bindler

Are there different types of fan power connectors? If so, which is the
standard?

Here's my situation: I have two Zalman fans (CPU + case) which each have a
way of adjusting voltage, thus adjusting speed and ultimately noise level.
However, It's pretty inconvenient to open up my case every time I want to
adjust them, which I do often.

I've been looking at some fan speed control panels, and I've found one which
seems to suit my needs. However, it is quite generic, and I can not find
any info on the type of fan connection that is required. Both of my fans
have three holes for three pins, and they have a small ridge for a clip to
attach.
 
Are there different types of fan power connectors? If so, which is the
standard?

Here's my situation: I have two Zalman fans (CPU + case) which each have a
way of adjusting voltage, thus adjusting speed and ultimately noise level.
However, It's pretty inconvenient to open up my case every time I want to
adjust them, which I do often.

I've been looking at some fan speed control panels, and I've found one which
seems to suit my needs. However, it is quite generic, and I can not find
any info on the type of fan connection that is required. Both of my fans
have three holes for three pins, and they have a small ridge for a clip to
attach.
Click to expand...

That type of connector is standard for motherboard fan headers. The
other, more common type in a PC is a case fan with a 4-pin molex connector
(like what a hard drive uses). There are other connector types more
commonly found on video cards or power supplies but for the fan controller
you'd almost always have the motherboard type, or rarely the case 4-pin
type. Visably there's a vast difference in the size of those two types so
if you see a picture of the top or rear of the fan controller it should be
obvious which it uses.
 
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