Question about Fans, Fan Hubs, etc.
Question about Fans, Fan Hubs, etc.
Guys, I need some clarification. Since your fans are connected through SATA power and you want to control their speed, can you install two Thermaltake Commander FP hubs and ten NF-F12 PWM fans from Noctua on a 4-pin motherboard—whether it's a CPU, pump, or system fan header—without using the 4-pin cable or risking damage to the headers?
Yes. Only the 12V pins are utilized and SATA supports up to 4.5A in total.
Someone might obtain the accurate measurement, but motherboard fan headers can only handle up to 1A. As long as the combined current rating of the fans stays within this limit, you are free to connect as many as needed.
If the hub supplies power to the fans, this rule doesn’t apply because no current flows through the motherboard header.
Based on a general approach I've followed, I thought the maximum number of fans to be daisy chained directly from a fan header should be three. Most headers are 1A, and some, like the pump or aux header, are 2A. My experience with fan hubs suggests that usually one connection controls speed, with others following that setting if possible. I'm currently using an Arctic hub with five variable-speed fans and one fixed-speed fan, and everything is functioning properly. If my understanding is right, the fan connected to the first spot on the hub sets the speed for all.
Yes. Only the 12V pins are utilized and SATA supports up to 4.5A in total.