• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

4 pin AIO MB connector for fan AND speed control?

Joined
Sep 23, 2023
Messages
558 (1.21/day)
MB I ordered has an aio connector thats 4 pin. can I connect a regular 140mm fan and are these normally configurable to run at a speed or do they just run at full speed?

I dont mind a fan runs at either 50% or full speed. better then the up and down throttling which is terribly annoying and distracting..

and how many watts/fans can you run off 1 fan connector safely?
 

Ruru

S.T.A.R.S.
Joined
Dec 16, 2012
Messages
13,056 (2.97/day)
Location
Jyväskylä, Finland
System Name 4K-gaming / console
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X / Intel Core i7-6700K
Motherboard Asus ROG Crosshair VII Hero / Asus Z170-K
Cooling Alphacool Eisbaer 360 / Alphacool Eisbaer 240
Memory 32GB DDR4-3466 / 16GB DDR4-3000
Video Card(s) Asus RTX 3080 TUF OC / Powercolor RX 6700 XT
Storage 3.3TB of SSDs / several small SSDs
Display(s) Acer 27" 4K120 IPS + Lenovo 32" 4K60 IPS
Case Corsair 4000D AF White / DeepCool CC560 WH
Audio Device(s) Sony WH-CN720N
Power Supply EVGA G2 750W / Fractal ION Gold 550W
Mouse Logitech MX518 / Logitech G400s
Keyboard Roccat Vulcan 121 AIMO / NOS C450 Mini Pro
VR HMD Oculus Rift CV1
Software Windows 11 Pro / Windows 11 Pro
Benchmark Scores They run Crysis
Depends of the board. Usually the (AIO) pump connector is configured at full blast at stock but it's manually configurable.

And depends of the connector, check the motherboard manual to be sure. Some are spec'd for 1A/12W and others are 2A/24W or even 3A/36W.
 
Joined
Jul 25, 2006
Messages
13,372 (1.99/day)
Location
Nebraska, USA
System Name Brightworks Systems BWS-6 E-IV
Processor Intel Core i5-6600 @ 3.9GHz
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 Rev 1.0
Cooling Quality case, 2 x Fractal Design 140mm fans, stock CPU HSF
Memory 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4 3000 Corsair Vengeance
Video Card(s) EVGA GEForce GTX 1050Ti 4Gb GDDR5
Storage Samsung 850 Pro 256GB SSD, Samsung 860 Evo 500GB SSD
Display(s) Samsung S24E650BW LED x 2
Case Fractal Design Define R4
Power Supply EVGA Supernova 550W G2 Gold
Mouse Logitech M190
Keyboard Microsoft Wireless Comfort 5050
Software W10 Pro 64-bit
MB I ordered has an aio connector thats 4 pin. can I...?
You tell us. You didn't even tell us the brand, let alone model number of the board. :(

Ruru is right. It depends on the specific board. So here's a concept that's, sadly, foreign to many - RTFM!

I frequently recommend to users of all experience levels (including myself), after selecting and ordering our parts, download the user manual and read it to become familiar with the layouts and features while we are waiting for the parts to be delivered. In many cases, it is wise to do this even BEFORE we have decided on which components we want to buy. This is nice if undecided as we may learn facts about one device that make it look more (or less) attractive than the competition - helping us to narrow down our options to the best choice for us.

So I recommend you download the user manual for this motherboard and see what the manufacturer says about that header, its capabilities and what it supports. Then do the rest of us a nice service and let us know what you have learned. That IS what forums are all about, after all, learning and sharing what we have learned.

Note a side benefit to downloading the manual now is the on-line version is frequently updated/more current than the printed one in the box. In fact, a growing trend lately is to just include a "quick start" guide in the box with instructions to visit the site and download the full user guide.
 

Ruru

S.T.A.R.S.
Joined
Dec 16, 2012
Messages
13,056 (2.97/day)
Location
Jyväskylä, Finland
System Name 4K-gaming / console
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X / Intel Core i7-6700K
Motherboard Asus ROG Crosshair VII Hero / Asus Z170-K
Cooling Alphacool Eisbaer 360 / Alphacool Eisbaer 240
Memory 32GB DDR4-3466 / 16GB DDR4-3000
Video Card(s) Asus RTX 3080 TUF OC / Powercolor RX 6700 XT
Storage 3.3TB of SSDs / several small SSDs
Display(s) Acer 27" 4K120 IPS + Lenovo 32" 4K60 IPS
Case Corsair 4000D AF White / DeepCool CC560 WH
Audio Device(s) Sony WH-CN720N
Power Supply EVGA G2 750W / Fractal ION Gold 550W
Mouse Logitech MX518 / Logitech G400s
Keyboard Roccat Vulcan 121 AIMO / NOS C450 Mini Pro
VR HMD Oculus Rift CV1
Software Windows 11 Pro / Windows 11 Pro
Benchmark Scores They run Crysis
Note a side benefit to downloading the manual now is the on-line version is frequently updated/more current than the printed one in the box. In fact, a growing trend lately is to just include a "quick start" guide in the box with instructions to visit the site and download the full user guide.
Yeah, and that's with many other products as well. My old aircooler didn't have a paper manual at all, just had a QR core to scan with a phone and it directs to the installation manual. Worked fine but still that's too much savings of not having any kind of a paper manual.
 
Joined
Nov 16, 2023
Messages
1,502 (3.67/day)
Location
Nowhere
System Name I don't name my rig
Processor 14700K
Motherboard Asus TUF Z790
Cooling Air/water/DryIce
Memory DDR5 G.Skill Z5 RGB 6000mhz C36
Video Card(s) RTX 4070 Super
Storage 980 Pro
Display(s) Some LED 1080P TV
Case Open bench
Audio Device(s) Some Old Sherwood stereo and old cabinet speakers
Power Supply Corsair 1050w HX series
Mouse Razor Mamba Tournament Edition
Keyboard Logitech G910
VR HMD Quest 2
Software Windows
Benchmark Scores Max Freq 13700K 6.7ghz DryIce Max Freq 14700K 7.0ghz DryIce Max all time Freq FX-8300 7685mhz LN2
4 pin is always PWM&DC and are controllable. Even 3 pin DC fan headers can be controlled as long as the option to do so exists in the bios. Doesn't matter which board it is.

I run 1.6a Delta case fans on fan headers, most are 2a and up. I've had the fans 10 years and never have broken a fan header fuse. Yes, the circuit is fused.
 

Ruru

S.T.A.R.S.
Joined
Dec 16, 2012
Messages
13,056 (2.97/day)
Location
Jyväskylä, Finland
System Name 4K-gaming / console
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X / Intel Core i7-6700K
Motherboard Asus ROG Crosshair VII Hero / Asus Z170-K
Cooling Alphacool Eisbaer 360 / Alphacool Eisbaer 240
Memory 32GB DDR4-3466 / 16GB DDR4-3000
Video Card(s) Asus RTX 3080 TUF OC / Powercolor RX 6700 XT
Storage 3.3TB of SSDs / several small SSDs
Display(s) Acer 27" 4K120 IPS + Lenovo 32" 4K60 IPS
Case Corsair 4000D AF White / DeepCool CC560 WH
Audio Device(s) Sony WH-CN720N
Power Supply EVGA G2 750W / Fractal ION Gold 550W
Mouse Logitech MX518 / Logitech G400s
Keyboard Roccat Vulcan 121 AIMO / NOS C450 Mini Pro
VR HMD Oculus Rift CV1
Software Windows 11 Pro / Windows 11 Pro
Benchmark Scores They run Crysis
4 pin is always PWM&DC and are controllable. Even 3 pin DC fan headers can be controlled as long as the option to do so exists in the bios. Doesn't matter which board it is.

I run 1.6a Delta case fans on fan headers, most are 2a and up. I've had the fans 10 years and never have broken a fan header fuse. Yes, the circuit is fused.
Some older boards had "fake PWM" connectors, looked like PWM connectors but they weren't true PWM. Luckily I didn't stick Corsair ML fans to those since they need constant 12V input.
 
Joined
Nov 16, 2023
Messages
1,502 (3.67/day)
Location
Nowhere
System Name I don't name my rig
Processor 14700K
Motherboard Asus TUF Z790
Cooling Air/water/DryIce
Memory DDR5 G.Skill Z5 RGB 6000mhz C36
Video Card(s) RTX 4070 Super
Storage 980 Pro
Display(s) Some LED 1080P TV
Case Open bench
Audio Device(s) Some Old Sherwood stereo and old cabinet speakers
Power Supply Corsair 1050w HX series
Mouse Razor Mamba Tournament Edition
Keyboard Logitech G910
VR HMD Quest 2
Software Windows
Benchmark Scores Max Freq 13700K 6.7ghz DryIce Max Freq 14700K 7.0ghz DryIce Max all time Freq FX-8300 7685mhz LN2
Some older boards had "fake PWM" connectors, looked like PWM connectors but they weren't true PWM. Luckily I didn't stick Corsair ML fans to those since they need constant 12V input.
Ok, but we are not generally dealing with that on common modern motherboards. Or we could talk about 2 pin fan headers as well haha.

Some fans are just junk. It's why I buy expensive Delta fans. They last year's and years and respond to any input. Have all the sound ranges you could desire from just a few decibels to over 110db!!! But moves the air to prove it.
 
Joined
Jul 25, 2006
Messages
13,372 (1.99/day)
Location
Nebraska, USA
System Name Brightworks Systems BWS-6 E-IV
Processor Intel Core i5-6600 @ 3.9GHz
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 Rev 1.0
Cooling Quality case, 2 x Fractal Design 140mm fans, stock CPU HSF
Memory 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4 3000 Corsair Vengeance
Video Card(s) EVGA GEForce GTX 1050Ti 4Gb GDDR5
Storage Samsung 850 Pro 256GB SSD, Samsung 860 Evo 500GB SSD
Display(s) Samsung S24E650BW LED x 2
Case Fractal Design Define R4
Power Supply EVGA Supernova 550W G2 Gold
Mouse Logitech M190
Keyboard Microsoft Wireless Comfort 5050
Software W10 Pro 64-bit
Yeah, and that's with many other products as well. My old aircooler didn't have a paper manual at all, just had a QR core to scan with a phone and it directs to the installation manual. Worked fine but still that's too much savings of not having any kind of a paper manual.
I like how these companies just assume everyone has a cell phone and enjoys reading a 20 page document on it. :rolleyes:
 
Joined
Sep 3, 2019
Messages
3,608 (1.86/day)
Location
Thessaloniki, Greece
System Name PC on since Aug 2019, 1st CPU R5 3600 + ASUS ROG RX580 8GB >> MSI Gaming X RX5700XT (Jan 2020)
Processor Ryzen 9 5900X (July 2022), 200W PPT limit, 80C temp limit, CO -6-14, +50MHz (up to 5.0GHz)
Motherboard Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro (Rev1.0), BIOS F39b, AGESA V2 1.2.0.C
Cooling Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420mm Rev7 (Jan 2024) with off-center mount for Ryzen, TIM: Kryonaut
Memory 2x16GB G.Skill Trident Z Neo GTZN (July 2022) 3667MT/s 1.42V CL16-16-16-16-32-48 1T, tRFC:280, B-die
Video Card(s) Sapphire Nitro+ RX 7900XTX (Dec 2023) 314~467W (382W current) PowerLimit, 1060mV, Adrenalin v24.12.1
Storage Samsung NVMe: 980Pro 1TB(OS 2022), 970Pro 512GB(2019) / SATA-III: 850Pro 1TB(2015) 860Evo 1TB(2020)
Display(s) Dell Alienware AW3423DW 34" QD-OLED curved (1800R), 3440x1440 144Hz (max 175Hz) HDR400/1000, VRR on
Case None... naked on desk
Audio Device(s) Astro A50 headset
Power Supply Corsair HX750i, ATX v2.4, 80+ Platinum, 93% (250~700W), modular, single/dual rail (switch)
Mouse Logitech MX Master (Gen1)
Keyboard Logitech G15 (Gen2) w/ LCDSirReal applet
Software Windows 11 Home 64bit (v24H2, OSBuild 26100.2605), upgraded from Win10 to Win11 on Jan 2024
MB I ordered has an aio connector thats 4 pin. can I connect a regular 140mm fan and are these normally configurable to run at a speed or do they just run at full speed?

I dont mind a fan runs at either 50% or full speed. better then the up and down throttling which is terribly annoying and distracting..

and how many watts/fans can you run off 1 fan connector safely?
My board has all fan connectors 4-pinned, PWM capable.
AIO manual said I can plug it to the CPU fan header with PWM.
So I did... and pump didnt work. Got 102C CPU temp while in BIOS... ouch!
Switched to CPU_OPT header and it worked as it should.

Every fan/pump header can support a single fan at least and can be configured from BIOS to constant speed or with a temp/% curve (PWM or voltage) target.
As for how many fans you can run form 1 header you need to dive into the board specifications for each fan header voltage/current capability as @Ruru said.
 
Joined
Sep 23, 2023
Messages
558 (1.21/day)
manual doesnt note about the AIO connector. I looked at all the pages 36. nothing there. it shows it in the diagram and notes it in the specification list. so nothing to "read in the fecking manual"

I wont mention the MB as Im embarassed as the vendor is on my never buy again list but I had no choice as I wanted to spend the least amount for my needs. i was looking for an x570 but still only having 1x16 and 1x4 when u use 2 pcie slots makes it worthless to me so no need to spend more.

its not so much an issue, even though only 3 fan headers (I is cpu). I have 7 fans and I can get a splitter (and use extension cables for neatness) that gives extra power to via a sata power cable
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jul 25, 2006
Messages
13,372 (1.99/day)
Location
Nebraska, USA
System Name Brightworks Systems BWS-6 E-IV
Processor Intel Core i5-6600 @ 3.9GHz
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 Rev 1.0
Cooling Quality case, 2 x Fractal Design 140mm fans, stock CPU HSF
Memory 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4 3000 Corsair Vengeance
Video Card(s) EVGA GEForce GTX 1050Ti 4Gb GDDR5
Storage Samsung 850 Pro 256GB SSD, Samsung 860 Evo 500GB SSD
Display(s) Samsung S24E650BW LED x 2
Case Fractal Design Define R4
Power Supply EVGA Supernova 550W G2 Gold
Mouse Logitech M190
Keyboard Microsoft Wireless Comfort 5050
Software W10 Pro 64-bit
I wont mention the MB as Im embarassed as the vendor is on my never buy again list
Then I don't see what you are expecting from us.

Also, I don't see what difference it makes. You just told us this was on your never buy again list, then went ahead and bought anyway. The model number is just a minor detail at this point.
 
Top