Hey everyone! I'm in a bit of a bind with my PC setup. I built this machine back in 2012, and it's been running smoothly until recently when my PSU finally gave out. I decided to swap in a new Be Quiet Dark Power 14 1200W PSU, as I'm planning a new build next year. After I got rid of all the dust and installed the new PSU with the necessary cables connected to the motherboard, GPU, and storage drives, the system booted up without any issues. However, I've noticed that two of my chassis fans—the front and top ones—aren't spinning at all.
From what I can tell, these fans connect to a male Molex connector. The setup consists of three female Molex connectors, one of which has a four-pin plug that could fit onto a fan header on my motherboard. The other end has a six-pin plug (with four wires) that I believe was originally connected to the old PSU. The problem is that my new PSU lacks a six-pin socket. I assumed the motherboard could supply power to the fans, but when I connect the four-pin plug to the designated chassis fan header (CHA_FAN2), nada. I've even tried all three of the available three-pin fan headers, but none seem to make the fans come to life, even though my side fan works perfectly. I did check the BIOS settings, and everything appears activated.
I suspect the old PSU used to power the fans directly and that's why they ran on full blast before. I'm just looking for any advice on how to get these fans functioning again, as I thought it would be a straightforward fix. I'd really appreciate any help! To clarify my setup: I'm using a Thermaltake VO200M1W2N REVO Full Tower case and an ASRock X79 Extreme9 motherboard. Thanks!
2 Answers
It sounds like your case might have a built-in fan controller that previously powered the fans via Molex, while the RPM signal was sent to the motherboard. Check if you can disconnect the fans from this hub; otherwise, you might be stuck with them until you get an adapter or new fans. You could look into getting a fan controller that connects to your motherboard, which would allow you to manage fan speeds properly. And yeah, a 1200W PSU is definitely overkill for a single GPU setup unless you're going all-out!
I can relate, dealing with old setups can be tricky! If you're trying to connect that six-pin plug to an eight-pin socket, be very cautious about the pin assignments. There are adapters available, but you’d need to know which wires correspond to which pins to avoid potential damage. If you're not comfortable with that, just upgrading the fans might be the easiest route in the long run, especially since you're planning on a new case soon anyway.
Good point! I’ll look for an adapter and check the pin assignments before trying anything drastic. I appreciate your help and might just go with newer fans if all else fails!
Thanks for the insight! I'll definitely check to see if I can detach the fans from that hub. It seems like that might be the key to getting them running again. I'll also consider the fan controller option to manage everything better.