What are the 4 wires on a CPU fan?
However, the 4-wire fan is a little different as it has the fourth ‘control’ wire to input a signal to the fan that commands it to speed up or speed down….4-wire fans explained.
| PIN | WIRE COLOR | FUNCTION |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black | GND (0V) |
| 2 | Yellow | +12V |
| 3 | Green | Sense/Tach |
| 4 | Blue | Control/PWM |
What are the 3 pins on a PC fan?
A three pin connector is basically power (5/12 volt), ground, and signal. The signal wire measures how fast the fan is moving without any controls for the fan’s speed. With this type, fan speed is typically controlled by increasing or decreasing the voltage over the power wire.
Why do computer cooling fans have 3 wires?
The third wire gives your computer a measure of control over that. It reports the speed of the fan back to the computer’s processors, which allows the motherboard to control the speed of the fan by raising the voltage – and speeding the fan – when the extra cooling is required, and lowering it when it’s not needed.
Do I need a 3 pin or 4 pin fan?
The significant difference in practice is that 4-pin fans allow for RPM to change based on the need for cooling temperature, this reduces noise and power consumption. While 3-pin can control the voltage, but the voltage can’t turn to change the fan RPM at all and accurate as much as 4 pin fans.
How do you connect a fan to a motherboard?
1. The fan connector will have two guides (1) and these will need to line up with the tab (2) that is on the motherboard fan header. 2. Next, press down until the fan connector is fully connected to the motherboard header. Please Note: You can connect a 4 Pin Fan to a 3 Pin or 4 Pin header on the motherboard.
How does a 4 wire fan work on a computer?
A 4-pin fan uses its first three wires the same way a 3-pin fan does. The fourth wire connects to a circuit on the main board that’s used to control the fan with precision. Instead of simple “speed up” or “slow down” controls, the fan can be set to specific fan speeds as the CPU gets hotter.
What are the colors of a fan wire?
3 pin and 4 pin Fan Wire Diagrams Pin Name Pin Name Color Color 1 Ground Black Black 2 +12v Red Yellow 3 Tach/Signal/Sense Yellow Green 4 Control/PWM Blue Blue
Can a 3 pin fan be connected to a 4 pin motherboard?
Installing a 3 Pin fan to the motherboard: Please Note: You can connect a 3 Pin Fan to a 3 Pin or 4 Pin header on the motherboard. The fan will function normally no matter type of fan header is used. 1. The fan connector will have two guides (1) and these will need to line up with the tab (2) that is on the motherboard fan header.