3pin fan w/ 4 pin header on MOBO?

What happens if you have a fan with a 3pin connector and your mobo has a 4pin fan header? Does it work?

Also, what happens if the heatsink has an option for mounting another fan, and you only have 1 fan header on the mobo?
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    eMachines ET 1161-05
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ 3.0 GHz AM2 Dual Core
    Memory
    3gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Galaxy GeForce GT 430 - 1gb DDR3 - 128bit Memory Interface
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 23" LED, 1920 x 1080 resolution
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    160gb Seagate
    PSU
    Cool Master Extreme Power Plus - 500watts
    Case
    APEVIA X-Trooper Case w/ Side Window-Blue
    Cooling
    4, 120mm fans. 1, 200mm fan. Sunbeamtech Rheobus-Extreme
    Keyboard
    Logitech k800 Wireless Illuminated Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech
    Internet Speed
    150mbps
    Other Info
    Linksys WUSB100
    Insignia 2:1 Sound system.
Yes, the fan will work. It will not be able to alter its speed though, as the 4th pin is for the pulse-width modulation feature of suitable fans (the other 3 pins being +12V, Gnd, and rpm sensing).

You can either use a splitter cable and attach both to the same header, or you can use an adapter to connect the other fan to a spare molex connector.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dwarf Dwf/11/2012 r09/2013
    CPU
    Intel Core-i5-3570K 4-core @ 3.4GHz (Ivy Bridge) (OC 4.2GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M
    Memory
    4 x 4GB DDR3-1600 Corsair Vengeance CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B (16GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GeForce GTX770 Gaming OC 2GB
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition on board solution (ALC 898)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic VA1912w Widescreen
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    OCZ Agility 3 120GB SATA III x2 (RAID 0)
    Samsung HD501LJ 500GB SATA II x2
    Hitachi HDS721010CLA332 1TB SATA II
    Iomega 1.5TB Ext USB 2.0
    WD 2.0TB Ext USB 3.0
    PSU
    XFX Pro Series 850W Semi-Modular
    Case
    Gigabyte IF233
    Cooling
    1 x 120mm Front Inlet 1 x 120mm Rear Exhaust
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Comfort Curve Keyboard 3000 (USB)
    Mouse
    Microsoft Comfort Mouse 3000 for Business (USB)
    Internet Speed
    NetGear DG834Gv3 ADSL Modem/Router (Ethernet) ~4.0 Mb/s (O2)
    Other Info
    Optical Drive: HL-DT-ST BD-RE BH10LS30 SATA Bluray
    Lexmark S305 Printer/Scanner/Copier (USB)
    WEI Score: 8.1/8.1/8.5/8.5/8.25
    Asus Eee PC 1011PX Netbook (Windows 7 x86 Starter)
Thank you for the reply.

Will the 3 pin fan run at full RPM since it doesn't have the pin for the pulse-width modulation feature?

Do all 4 pin fans have the PWM feature? I don't know if mine has that feature......
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    eMachines ET 1161-05
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ 3.0 GHz AM2 Dual Core
    Memory
    3gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Galaxy GeForce GT 430 - 1gb DDR3 - 128bit Memory Interface
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 23" LED, 1920 x 1080 resolution
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    160gb Seagate
    PSU
    Cool Master Extreme Power Plus - 500watts
    Case
    APEVIA X-Trooper Case w/ Side Window-Blue
    Cooling
    4, 120mm fans. 1, 200mm fan. Sunbeamtech Rheobus-Extreme
    Keyboard
    Logitech k800 Wireless Illuminated Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech
    Internet Speed
    150mbps
    Other Info
    Linksys WUSB100
    Insignia 2:1 Sound system.
Yes, the 3 pin fan will run at full speed.

Generally speaking, most fans with 4 pins will have the PWM feature and, with the exception of certain manufacturers who use proprietary hardware (Dell, for example), these are interchangeable providing that they physically fit.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dwarf Dwf/11/2012 r09/2013
    CPU
    Intel Core-i5-3570K 4-core @ 3.4GHz (Ivy Bridge) (OC 4.2GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M
    Memory
    4 x 4GB DDR3-1600 Corsair Vengeance CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B (16GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GeForce GTX770 Gaming OC 2GB
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition on board solution (ALC 898)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic VA1912w Widescreen
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    OCZ Agility 3 120GB SATA III x2 (RAID 0)
    Samsung HD501LJ 500GB SATA II x2
    Hitachi HDS721010CLA332 1TB SATA II
    Iomega 1.5TB Ext USB 2.0
    WD 2.0TB Ext USB 3.0
    PSU
    XFX Pro Series 850W Semi-Modular
    Case
    Gigabyte IF233
    Cooling
    1 x 120mm Front Inlet 1 x 120mm Rear Exhaust
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Comfort Curve Keyboard 3000 (USB)
    Mouse
    Microsoft Comfort Mouse 3000 for Business (USB)
    Internet Speed
    NetGear DG834Gv3 ADSL Modem/Router (Ethernet) ~4.0 Mb/s (O2)
    Other Info
    Optical Drive: HL-DT-ST BD-RE BH10LS30 SATA Bluray
    Lexmark S305 Printer/Scanner/Copier (USB)
    WEI Score: 8.1/8.1/8.5/8.5/8.25
    Asus Eee PC 1011PX Netbook (Windows 7 x86 Starter)
Can you get a 3pin to 4 pin adapter?
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    eMachines ET 1161-05
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ 3.0 GHz AM2 Dual Core
    Memory
    3gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Galaxy GeForce GT 430 - 1gb DDR3 - 128bit Memory Interface
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 23" LED, 1920 x 1080 resolution
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    160gb Seagate
    PSU
    Cool Master Extreme Power Plus - 500watts
    Case
    APEVIA X-Trooper Case w/ Side Window-Blue
    Cooling
    4, 120mm fans. 1, 200mm fan. Sunbeamtech Rheobus-Extreme
    Keyboard
    Logitech k800 Wireless Illuminated Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech
    Internet Speed
    150mbps
    Other Info
    Linksys WUSB100
    Insignia 2:1 Sound system.
Yes, the fan will work. It will not be able to alter its speed though, as the 4th pin is for the pulse-width modulation feature of suitable fans (the other 3 pins being +12V, Gnd, and rpm sensing).

You can either use a splitter cable and attach both to the same header, or you can use an adapter to connect the other fan to a spare molex connector.

there is sometimes a setting in the bios for (3-Pin) mode... Which is actually linear voltage control. If his particular mobo supports it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Amd Phenom II x4 965 BE rev.C2
    Motherboard
    MSI ms-7599
    Memory
    A-DATA DDR3-1600G PC3-12800 4GBx2
    Graphics Card(s)
    Biostar NVIDIA GeForce 9400GT mn: VN9402THG1
    Sound Card
    Creative SoundBlaster Audigy 2 Zs
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Compaq FS7550 (D-SUB)
    Screen Resolution
    1600*1200
    Hard Drives
    Western Digital WD10 EADS-00L5B1 SATA (1TB) (Main drive)
    Hitachi HDS721010CLA332 SATA (1TB) (Secondary drive)
    Samsung HM250HI SATA (250GB) (Music and swap)
    Western Digital WD800BB-75CAA0 IDE 133 (80GB) (misc)
    PSU
    RAIDMAX RX-850AE 850 Watt 12x4 rail 80plus gold PSU
    Case
    Cooler Master RC-430-KWN1 (elite 430)
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro Series H50 (*120mm (x1))
    Keyboard
    Standard Microsoft (500)
    Mouse
    I Home Lazer
    Internet Speed
    around 4 Mb a sec
    Other Info
    CD-rom's TSSTcorp CDDVDW SH-S223L SATA (Samsung)
    HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GH22NS40 SATA (LG)
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