Difference Between 3 Pin 4 Pin Cpu Fan

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.

Difference between 3 pin 4 pin cpu fan. 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. 3 pin connectors are usually used for the smaller chassis fans with lower power consumption. A 4 pin pwm fan connector will have four square holes on the front and four wires entering the back. The 3rd pin feeds rpm information back to the motherboard.

The 4th wire is pwm or pulse width modulation and it does a better job at reducing and controlling fan speed than reducing the voltage for a 3 pin fan. It will also have three square holes on the front and three wires entering the back. The 4 pin cooling fan is based on the 3 pin and has a pwm line pulse width modulation. Fans and on board fan headers are backwards compatible.

The pwm fan does not need to rely on the motherboard bios which is more convenient. A 3 pin cpu fan will work in a 4 pin cpu fan. 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. There is no disadvantage and depending on the board you can change certain fan headers to how they control the fan.

The 4th pin sends a signal to the fan to change speed allowing the fan to run slower and. Three wire and four wire fan connectors. 4 pin connectors are usually used by cpu fans with higher power consumption.