Motherboard Fan Monitoring

[MEA707]

I'm planning on building a computer and I already got my case.

I'm planning on getting an Abit IS7 motherboard which is capable of monitoring 3 (excluding the chipset fan and CPU fan). My case can support 4 fans and my PSU comes with 2 fans built into it and comes with one 3-pin wire for the motherboard to monitor the fan.

Would you all recommend I plug in the PSU wire into my motherboard to monitor the PSU fan and plug in 2 of the 4 case fans for monitoring? Or would you all recommend I just forget about monitoring the PSU fans and just monitor 3 out of the 4 case fans?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[peterwilkes]

I would recomend that you monitor the PSU fan because this is a major part of the system. If the PSU fan failes it my possibly damage the PSU.

As for the other fans, you dont say where you are putting them in the case but I would connect the one at the front and one at the back. If you have a side fan blowing over the CPU etc I would monitor that one instead as this really helps keep the the CPU cool. (make sure it blows inwards)

Hope this helps.

[MEA707]

There is a place for the fan in the front, back, and on each side.

Regards

[JPMiller]

personally from what Ive heard and read...you want to have as little extra current having to run through the Mobo as possible.
you already have alot of juice powering mem, cpu, and video ...why stress it ...monitoring the PSU is one thing... case fans are overkill IMO

[Telexen]

Originally posted by JPMiller
personally from what Ive heard and read...you want to have as little extra current having to run through the Mobo as possible.
you already have alot of juice powering mem, cpu, and video ...why stress it ...monitoring the PSU is one thing... case fans are overkill IMO

Good note. You can however monitor the RPM speed of fans without powering it from the motherboard. The only thing you need going to the motherboard to monitor RPM is the yellow wire, which doesn't really send power, it just recieves impulses to calculate RPMs.

So you can just take the red and black wires (12v and ground) to a 4pin molex and connect them directly to the power supply, then use a 3pin for the yellow wire into the motherboard.

[JPMiller]

Good call...shoulda suggested that...good lookin out telexen!

[MEA707]

What case fans have the 2 wires?

[Telexen]

Originally posted by MEA707
What case fans have the 2 wires?

Ones that don't have the yellow wire for RPM monitoring. This is mosely case fans that originally came with a pair of 4pin molex connectors (one male, one female) ... they still run just the two wires into the molex though.