Member Avatar for eeh857

I just recently bought and assembled my new computer. I have a Aspire case with a 350W power supply and it came with 2 small cooling fans. These 2 fans are directly hooked up to the power supply. The motherboard I have is a MSI "K7N2 Delta-L" nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset and I know that there is one system fan port on it. Is there any way for me to hook up these 2 fans to the motherboard so that they can be controlled as to when they are on and off? Also, since there is only one port on the motherboard, is there some sort of splitter I can hook up to connect multiple fans to be controlled? Any ideas/suggestions would be great. I am pretty open to anything right now cause the 2 fans that came with the case are always on and not the quietest ones out there. Thanks a lot.

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Quick practical summary and next steps based on the thread: and were right to flag control units and power limits. For a quiet, reliable setup, separate power from control: keep most case fans powered independently of the motherboard and use either a powered fan hub or a small controller for speed management, while leaving the motherboard header for the CPU fan or a single monitored fan. Before tying many fans to one header, check the MSI manual for per‑header current specs.

Basic airflow and fan selection to apply immediately:

  • Create a clear intake→exhaust path (front/bottom intake, rear/top exhaust) and aim for slight positive pressure so filtered intake reduces dust.
  • Prefer larger, lower‑RPM fans (120/140mm) for quieter airflow; choose high static‑pressure models for restricted paths (radiators, drive cages) and high‑CFM models for open flow.
  • Use rubber mounts or silicone washers to reduce vibration; fit washable filters on intakes and clean them regularly.

Wiring and control options (safe practices):

  • A powered fan hub/controller that draws main power directly from the PSU preserves motherboard headers and still allows speed control. Some hubs provide a single RPM/tach feed to the board for monitoring while keeping power off the header.
  • Avoid passive splitters that force multiple fans to draw all their current through one motherboard header unless the manual explicitly allows it.
  • For automatic operation, use a controller or hub with thermal sensing or configure fan curves in BIOS/monitoring software for the one header the board controls.

Troubleshooting checklist: confirm fan orientation using the airflow arrow, bench‑listen fans for bearing noise before final mounting, test temperature delta after changes with a monitoring tool, and swap noisy fans for modern low‑RPM, fluid‑bearing models if quiet is a priority. This advice complements and and fits the single‑header setup mentioned by .

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Member Avatar for Catweazle

You can purchase quite inexpensive Fan controller units which are used to alter the speed of up to 8 fans. They can be obtained to fit a 3.5" or 5.25" drive bay, use one molex connector for all fans, and are the best choice to use.

You'll have to find a vendor near where you live, of course, but here's an example from my own local vendor:

http://www.pccasegear.com.au/prod647.htm

If at all possible, avoid running case fans off motherboard connectors, because the power in your motherboard is best left for vid card, RAM etc.

Member Avatar for alc6379

You can purchase quite inexpensive Fan controller units which are used to alter the speed of up to 8 fans. They can be obtained to fit a 3.5" or 5.25" drive bay, use one molex connector for all fans, and are the best choice to use.

You'll have to find a vendor near where you live, of course, but here's an example from my own local vendor:

http://www.pccasegear.com.au/prod647.htm

If at all possible, avoid running case fans off motherboard connectors, because the power in your motherboard is best left for vid card, RAM etc.

I concur.

Not only should you avoid running case fans off of the motherboard connectors because you need that power for the CPU, RAM, and vid card, etc, but some higher power fans draw more current than you should be pushing across your motherboard. Personally, I like fans like the Vantec Tornado. Granted, it's loud as a hair dryer, but it's got a 4-pin molex connector for power, but it's got the 3-pin header so you can still use the motherboard header for fan speed monitoring.

One of my favorite stores for PC cooling stuff is http://www.sidewindercomputers.com . They have pretty decent prices, and all of the stuff I've bought from them (rounded cables, thumbscrews, fans, fan guards) have been great. I'm thinking of eventually picking up some Artic Silver from them soon, as I'm going to be building a new box eventually, and I plan to redo the thermal paste on my current CPU as well. I just don't feel right using el-cheapo thermal goop on my Barton 2500 with a Swiftech MCX-462V...

Member Avatar for eeh857

Excellent. Thanks for the tips guys.

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