Cpu Fan 3 Pin Vs 4 Pin

Three wire and four wire fan connectors.

Cpu fan 3 pin vs 4 pin.

Hey guys on todays episode we learn about the difference between 3 pin and 4 pin fans and whether one or the other performs better for cpu cooling. The pwm fan does not need to rely on the motherboard bios which is more convenient. A 3 pin fan connector will be smaller in size than the 4 pin pwm fan connector. A 3 pin cpu fan will work in a 4 pin cpu fan.

A motherboard controls speed by intermittingly sending a current pulse to the fan. It will also have three square holes on the front and three wires entering the back. A four pin connector is a little different than the three pin connector since it has the extra fourth wire used for controlling and sending signals to the fan which likely has a chip on it that tells it to slow down or speed up in addition to the other wires the three pin connector has. A four pin connector is a little different than the three pin connector as it has the extra fourth wire for control to send a signal to the fan which likely has a chip on it that tells it to slow down or speed up in addition to the other wires just as the three pin connector has.

Most motherboards have 4 pin for the cpu. The so called pwm line uses the pwm mechanism to adjust the fan speed and the fan voltage is constant avoiding the control voltage to shift. The only difference is that the cpu fan will not have the smart fan option uses the 4th pin so your fan will go at full speed instead of being able.