Not enough Fan Headers?

[Kareeser]

Hi everybody, I've got a little dilemma that I hope you guys can help me with.

I have an Intel D945PVS Motherboard, inside of an Antec Sonata II case.

The Sonata II comes with 3 optional fan mounts, aside from the included exhaust fan.

The motherboard comes with four fan headers, configured thusly:
Fan 1: Power Supply Fan
Fan 2: Empty
Fan 3: Front Intake Fan
Fan 4: CPU Fan

I currently have four fans installed (counting the power supply and the HSF)

I'm considering adding two (as per the Sonata II air duct has two fan mounts, to cool the CPU and Graphcis Card) fans, but I was wondering if I was going to run out of fan headers on the motherboard!

My question is, do I need to plug the fan into the fan header for it to operate, if it has an optional molex connector?

An example here would be my intake fan which came with an attachment that turned the three-pin connector into a three-pin + Molex connector arrangement. Using it caused my fan to run much faster. So my problem also is that I am uneducated as to the function of the header. Is it just to report the fan speeds to the motherboard, or does it also provide power, and how much power?

If I'm asking too many questions, feel free to ask me to clarify

[doctorgonzo]

In general, you don't want to run fans off of the motherboard. It is better to run them directly off of the PSU by using a Molex connector. Of course, the processor fan and the chipset fan are going to have to be run off of the motherboard, but for other fans, it's better to get power directly from the PSU than to go through the motherboard, which can provide less power.

Sure, you will give up fan speed monitoring if the fan has it, but that's hardly a big deal for case fans.

[Kareeser]

Alright, that makes sense.

My front intake fan has (as mentioned above) a connector that turns the three-pin header to a three-pin + Molex connector. If the Molex connector is plugged in, do I have to plug in the three-pin fan connector as well?

[doctorgonzo]

No, you don't need to plug anything else in if the fan is plugged into a Molex connector.

[Kareeser]

Alright, thanks for your reply, Doc

[blue60007]

Also, I don't think your power supply fan is being powered by the header. If your SP-II is the same as my TP-II, it just has one wire, which is for fan monitoring only. It gets internal power. You could unplug that for another port.

But, as Dr. G said, you should really power case fans directly off the power supply. Also, look at the power rating for the fan. A small amount might be OK, but it wouldn't be a good idea to power a Tornado fan which draws over an amp off the 12V rail from the mobo.

[Kareeser]

Hi Blue,

The wire coming from the PSU to the header consists of two wires, a blue one, and a black one.

I was only wondering about the headers, as an 80mm Zalman fan that I bought did not contain any adapters to convert the three pins into a 4 pin Molex connector.

[blue60007]

Actually, mine has two wires as well now that I look. I mentioned that because you could unplug that wire to free up a header. Mine isn't plugged in and the fan on the PSU works. I have a couple 3-4 pin adapters that have a single wire 3 pin adapter to provide RPM monitoring even though it is powered through the PSU.

[Alaron]

The 2 wire from the psu fan is for RPM monitoring. The blue wire carries the data, while the black is just a ground.

[Kareeser]

Ah, thanks for the reply. I suppose I'll unplug that wire when the last fan arrives.

I guess I did go a little overboard in the fan department, but I don't really feel like changing my HSF

I do have an Asus 6600 Silencer (which has no fan, only a heatsink), which is why I wanted some cooling options in that section of the case.