I'm building a PC with a B650 Micro-ATX motherboard and a Cooler Master MasterBox 350 Elite case. The case came with three front fans and one rear fan, but none of them are running. The motherboard only seems to have two 4-pin chassis-fan headers, and I can't find matching fan cables from the case or the 750W Cooler Master Gold power supply. What should these fans connect to, and do I need a splitter or fan hub?
1 Answer
First, check what connectors are actually attached to the fans. They may use 3-pin or 4-pin fan plugs that connect to the motherboard headers, or they may connect to a small hub in the case. If all four fans need to use the two motherboard headers, you can use PWM fan splitters or a powered fan hub. Make sure the hub receives SATA power from the PSU and that its control cable connects to a motherboard fan header. Don’t force a plug into a header or leave the fans connected only to an unpowered hub.
The power supply usually won’t have fan-header sockets directly. Look inside the case for a SATA or Molex power lead, a fan hub, or loose fan connectors tucked behind the motherboard tray.