I'm building a system with 10 case fans, but my motherboard only has three chassis-fan headers. I'm considering an Arctic-style fan hub so I can connect everything without exceeding the current limit of the motherboard headers. The downside is that a hub may make fan management in the BIOS or Fan Control less convenient than connecting fans directly. Would a powered hub be the best option, or should I use splitters or daisy-chain the fans instead?
3 Answers
With 10 fans and only three headers, a hub or properly rated splitters would make sense. Most 120 mm fans draw around 0.26–0.33 A, but you should add up the actual ratings and compare the total with your motherboard’s header limit. Check the motherboard manual before connecting several fans to one header.
A powered hub is generally fine and keeps the wiring much cleaner. The common type is essentially an externally powered splitter: all connected fans usually follow the same speed signal, and the motherboard may only receive a speed reading from one fan. That’s still perfectly usable if you’re happy controlling groups of fans together.
The exact header limit depends on the board. Some newer motherboards allow more than 1 A per header, but don’t assume that without checking the specifications. A hub that has its own power connection avoids drawing the combined fan current through the motherboard header, which is the safer choice for a large fan count.
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