Hey everyone! I recently built my first PC and I'm a bit confused about the best way to connect my AIO cooler. My motherboard is an MSI A520 Pro, which only has a CPU fan header and a system fan header. The AIO has its own hub where both of the fans are connected, but I noticed that it seems like the pump might not be running at full speed because it's linked to the fans, which aren't always at 100%. I want to know if it's better to connect the AIO pump to the system fan header and set it to run at 100%, while connecting the case fans to the CPU fan header. My case fans are 3-pin, and I'm wondering if I need to buy 4-pin fans to make this work properly. Any advice would be much appreciated!
2 Answers
On budget motherboards, you usually have to make do with the CPU fan or system fan headers for your AIO pump. Just connect the pump to either the CPU fan or system fan header and set the fan's maximum speed in the BIOS to 100%. It should work fine!
If you can separate the pump and fan connections, it’s a good idea to run the pump off the system fan header and keep the case fans on the CPU fan header. This way, the fans can adjust speeds based on CPU temperature, while the pump stays at a constant rate or you can set it to your preference. If you can’t separate them, then you’ll have to use the CPU fan header since it’s necessary for booting. Just ensure to set a minimum speed, maybe around 40%, and check your pump's manual for optimal PWM settings.
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