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Last Updated on October 9, 2022 by Editor Futurescope
Yes! If you connect a 4-pole connector to your motherboard’s 4-pole header, then the PWM controller will automatically adjust the speed of the fans accordingly. However, if you connect a 3-pole connector to your main board’s 3- pole header, then you won’t get any speed adjustment.
A three-wire (3-pwm) case fans can easily be connected to four-pins connectors on motherboards. The fourth pins are simply left empty in this connection. Most motherboards allow you to change the operating mode of the fans via software. You should check if the manufacturer provides an application for controlling the fans. For example, you could download the program “CPUID” from www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpuid_download.html. Then you would find out how to select the desired operating mode.
Can You Plug a 3 Pin Fan Into a 4 Pin
A 3-wire (3P) or 4-wire (4P) connector may be used to connect a single-speed or variable-speed motor to an air conditioning system. The power supply for the motor can either be connected directly to the terminal block or through a relay. In the case where the power supply is not connected to the terminal block, the relay must provide isolation between the power source and the terminal block.
A 3-wire (or three wire) electrical connection uses direct current (DC) power for operation; whereas a 4-wire (four wire) electrical connection uses alternating current (AC) power for operation. Three-wire connections include a positive (+), negative (-), and neutral (N) wires. Four-wire connections include a hot line (+), a neutral line (N), and two return lines (R).
You can see that there are three positions for the four wires (P1, P2, P3) on a four wire plug. They can be used as a three position switch by using a three position fan instead of a four position one.
Can I PWM control 3 pin fans?
No. Controlling the RPM with a 3-wire (power, ground, and tachometer) is not possible. If a mother board has no connection to the PWM outputs then it cannot be controlled by them.
HOW TO CONNECT A 3 PIN OR 4 PIN FAN TO THE MOTHERBOARD
Identifying Fan Type (3 Pin or 4 Pin PWM):
Please note that some fans may have a 4-pin connector but only three wire connections going into the rear of the connector. This would be considered a 3-pin connection.
- A 4-pin PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) speed control voltage regulator will have four pins on the front and four pins on the back.
- A 3-pin PWM speed control voltage regulator will be smaller in size compared to the 4-pin PWM speed controller. It will also have only three pins on the front and three pins on the back.
Installing a 3 Pin fan to the motherboard:
Please Note, If you use a 3 pin fan, you can connect it to either a 3 pin or 4 pin fan connector on the motherboard. It will function normally regardless of which one you choose.
- You’ll need to use the guide on the backside of the motherboard and align it with the tab.
- Now, connect the power supply to the motherboard.
Installing a 4 Pin fan to the motherboard:
Please note: You can use either a 3 pin fan connector or a 4 pin fan connector.
To use the PWM feature, the 4 pin connector from the 4 pin header must be connected to one of the four pins on the motherboard.
To get the best performance from a four pin connector, you must use a three pin female socket. You may want to refer to the following image for guidance:
Connect the power supply to the motherboard using the supplied cable.
Also check our article, Are 3 Pin Fans Controllable?
Summary
If you plug a 3-pronged adapter into a 4-pronged socket, be careful not to overload the socket. Also, make sure the motherboard has enough power to supply from both headers.
