Wondering what the difference between all those devotee headers on your motherboard is? Marvel No longer.

Imagine this.

You'atomic number 75 building your PC, You have your CPU, your ice chest, and the motherboard in your PC-Caseful.

All you ask to arrange now is to plug that little connector from your CPU Cooler into the Motherboard. You ask the telegram and go to plug it in.

And then you see this:

CPU FAN and CPU OPT Headers on Motherboard

Picture Quotation: modders-inc.com

Which unitary do you choose? CPU_FAN or CPU_OPT?

What is CPU FAN (CPU_FAN)?

CPU_FAN, standing for "CPU Fan", is the briny heading exploited by the motherboard, and the BIOS and any other software (SpeedFan, HWMonitor, NZXT CAM, etc), to regulate and control the CPU's thermals depending on the load by controlling the fan(s) speed (if you're using some sort of splitter).

It is scathing that you make sure to plug your CPU cooler fan into this header arsenic nearly motherboards worth the name would not permit you to boot the system otherwise.

Also, if the system is already running somehow, it will safely shut up IT down if it detects that the CPU has no cooler or that the fans are defective and/or not spinning (when they are supposed to).

What is CPU OPT (CPU_OPT)?

CPU_OPT, standing for "CPU Optional", is mostly used when you suffer more than peerless sports fan connected your cooler/radiator and you need someplace to hack it in.

Information technology's basically CPU_FAN without the "not booting if aught is contiguous to information technology" part.

It can also be used by both AIO/liquid cooling solutions as a power source for things like water-cooling pumps and other things that might require power but is non important or power-hungry enough to reroute power directly from the power render.

SYS_FANS, CHA_FANS, etc

System Fan Header on the Motherboard

Pictur Credit: ofcomp.ucoz.Ru

Chassis FAN Header on the Motherboard

Image Credit: ofcomp.ucoz.ru

And piece we're at it, we might atomic number 3 well destination these as well.

I'm sure you've already figured it outgoing from the name. These are the headers you connect your caseful fans to and are meant for differentiating rooter-control.

They're look-alike CPU_OPT, simply non connected to the thermals of the CPU. So you'Ra free to tinker with them and increase or decrease them according to your GPU thermals, CPU thermals, Encase thermals, Beaver State whatever you wish.

And there are a wide variety of such headers on red-brick motherboards—generally focused on helping water cooling. Lease's rejoice that the days of plugging in 20 different things to one or two headers are thankfully over.

In Summary

Use cases for a fan hub

If you deficiency to connect fans from your C.P.U. cooler or radiator, use the CPU_FAN header (With a splitter/hub if you have a great deal of fans).

If you only have a two winnow cooler, e.g., you hindquarters just use CPU_FAN for one devotee and CPU_OPT for the other.

If you have a radiator with a battalion of fans or just a mountainous turn of fans in general, you can suss out getting a lover divider / sports fan hub to hold them.

For representative, you can use something like that to plug all three fans (or six if you have fans on both sides) of a 360mm radiator to the CPU_FAN header.

Operating theater you can retributive start a Y splitter (two female connectors, same male) and plug one of the fans into CPU_FAN and the other two into the splitter, and so that into CPU_OPT.

You can do the same thing with your case fans as well. Case fan into hub/splitter, hub/splitter into type fan heading.

FAQ

  • Can I stopper a fan hub into CPU_OPT Oregon CPU_FAN?
    • Yes. But I'd recommend you use CPU_OPT or a case fan header and continue CPU_FAN just for the CPU.
    • And piddle sure that you're not powering a lot of fans from one lintel. Headers can run hot when there's a lot of power going through them.
    • Puzzle out one that takes in outward power from the baron supply rather.
  • Where do you plug PWM fans?
    • If you deprivation to use any of the PWM functionality, you need to plug the 4-oarlock PWM connective into other 4-pin header alternatively you will lose that functionality.
      3 pin vs 4 pin connectors
  • Can you plug a 4-pin fan into a 3-PIN? And vise versa?
    • Yep. 4-pin fans hindquarters also be contiguous to your motherboard's 3-pin fan headers impartial pulverised. But you have to keep in mind that when connected to a 3-pin sports fan header, the sports fan will run at full speed unless your motherboard has voltage-based pep pill control.
  • What is the difference between DC and PWM fans, and which is advisable?
    • Eh, it depends. District of Columbia is old and has been used since the times of the dinosaurs. It has a 3-pin connexion and it kit and caboodle swell, but if you privation more control over how fast your fan spins, you want PWM.
    • PWM allows you to have got finer control over your speeds and allows you to reliably attend lower speeds.
    • Generally any fan meriting its slant in salt comes with a 4-pin PWM connexion these years.

That's around information technology from America! Need help with assembling your PC? Let America know in the comments or our Forum.

Can I Us M2 Fan Header for Chasis Fan Asus

Source: https://www.cgdirector.com/cpu-fan-vs-cpu-opt/