# Installing case fans



## Malihide (Aug 3, 2012)

Hey guys.

I recently got a new case- a Zalman Z11 Plus HF1. It has several fans pre-installed in it, but I'm not too interested on the side fans. There's a bit of inconsistency here, as two of the fans are 3-pin Molex KK (the tiny connection you might find on a CPU cooler) and the rest are 4-pin full size molex cables, with a round boarder around them. They don't fit into the PSU or the mobo anywhere, but I would love to install them because I love them LEDs.

My questions is are there special adapters I have to buy or am I overlooking something? Greatly appreciated :grin:


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## JMPC (Jan 15, 2011)

Can you post a picture of the connectors? Are they just regular 4 pin molex like a hard drive connector?

Does it look like this:


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## Malihide (Aug 3, 2012)

JMPC said:


> Can you post a picture of the connectors? Are they just regular 4 pin molex like a hard drive connector?
> 
> Does it look like this:


It looks like that but the edges of plastic around it are rounded.


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## Techtopus (Mar 29, 2012)

It's a molex connector. I'm not sure what you mean by rounded unless the male plug looks somewhat round to you but that is the connector as said by JMPC.

The only rounded connectors I ever remember seeing are the 3PIN Molex.


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## Malihide (Aug 3, 2012)

Techtopus said:


> It's a molex connector. I'm not sure what you mean by rounded unless the male plug looks somewhat round to you but that is the connector as said by JMPC.
> 
> The only rounded connectors I ever remember seeing are the 3PIN Molex.


The only reason I'm pointing out the roundness is because it doesn't look like it'll fit in anything. It's definitely a molex but my question is how do I plug it in?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

The pics posted by JMPC are standard 4-pin Molex connectors and are used by all 4 pin case fans that I have ever come across. Note that two of the edges are rounded and to correspond with the fan connectors. If your fans are different we would need to see a pic of them.


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## Malihide (Aug 3, 2012)

Tyree said:


> The pics posted by JMPC are standard 4-pin Molex connectors and are used by all 4 pin case fans that I have ever come across. Note that two of the edges are rounded and to correspond with the fan connectors. If your fans are different we would need to see a pic of them.


Wow, I must seriously be missing something here. To put it simply, the rest of my fans have small ends that look like this:










And the problematic fans have connectors that look like this:










With a female and a male side, which I'm assuming lets you stack them. It doesn't fit anywhere on my PSU or motherboard.


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

Top: Standard 3-pin female fan connector (to motherboard)
Bottom: Standard 4-pin female Molex. Connect the male side to your power supply.


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## Malihide (Aug 3, 2012)

gcavan said:


> Top: Standard 3-pin female fan connector (to motherboard)
> Bottom: Standard 4-pin female Molex. Connect the male side to your power supply.
> 
> View attachment 114404


Right, but there's no place to plug it in. I'm using a Rocketfish 700W. Is there an adapter I can buy that turns it in to a 3 or 4-pin connector that will hook in to my motherboard?


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

So you are saying your power supply does not have a spare molex available?


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## Malihide (Aug 3, 2012)

gcavan said:


> So you are saying your power supply does not have a spare molex available?


Nope. It doesn't have cables built into it like others I've seen, but it came with nice wrapped up cords and many places to plug them into on the PSU itself. There is nowhere to put this molex, but there are two spare 6-pins and two 4-pins.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Rocketfish PSU's are a very poor quality Best Buy house brand so it's not surprising it doesn't have the required/standard connections.


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## Malihide (Aug 3, 2012)

Tyree said:


> Rocketfish PSU's are a very poor quality Best Buy house brand so it's not surprising it doesn't have the required/standard connections.


Psh but the LEDs man!  

For reals though, it was more or less a hand-me-down and I plan on replacing it in the near future. Is there anything I can do, and also what is a good PSU you would recommend for me?

Running an i5-3570k and hoping to upgrade the GPU to a gtx 560 at the very least. Might even SLI in the future.


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

Even Rocketfish supply would have at least five or six 4-pin molex connectors. If your unit is a modular design, then the molex connectors would be some of those which plug into the supply. If you do not have them, ask the person from whom you inherited it.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Malihide said:


> Psh but the LEDs man!
> 
> For reals though, it was more or less a hand-me-down and I plan on replacing it in the near future. Is there anything I can do, and also what is a good PSU you would recommend for me?
> 
> Running an i5-3570k and hoping to upgrade the GPU to a gtx 560 at the very least. Might even SLI in the future.


All SeaSonic- All XFX- Most Corsair (not the CX-GS-M Series) are top quality.
650W minimum for a GT 560. I would strongly suggest reconsidering using two GPU's.
One better GPU is almost always the better option for improved graphics. Two GPU's cost more, require a bigger PSU, consume more power, add more unneeded heat inside the case and you get a small performance increase in the few games/apps that can utilize two GPU's.
The big winner for multiple GPU's is the manufacturers and retailers.


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## Malihide (Aug 3, 2012)

Tyree said:


> All SeaSonic- All XFX- Most Corsair (not the CX-GS-M Series) are top quality.
> 650W minimum for a GT 560. I would strongly suggest reconsidering using two GPU's.
> One better GPU is almost always the better option for improved graphics. Two GPU's cost more, require a bigger PSU, consume more power, add more unneeded heat inside the case and you get a small performance increase in the few games/apps that can utilize two GPU's.
> The big winner for multiple GPU's is the manufacturers and retailers.


I was on the fence about it too, but I don't know what card I'm going to need /for the future. Is there a good guide for this anywhere?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

There are no guarantees for future use in PC land. Get the best you can afford that suits your needs now and upgrade as needed.
Do you have a budget in mind for a GPU and PSU?
Brand & Model of you Mobo-CPU-RAM?


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## Malihide (Aug 3, 2012)

Tyree said:


> There are no guarantees for future use in PC land. Get the best you can afford that suits your needs now and upgrade as needed.
> Do you have a budget in mind for a GPU and PSU?
> Brand & Model of you Mobo-CPU-RAM?


CPU: i5 3750k (using OC genie, gets up to 4.2)
Mobo: MSI Z77A-G45
RAM: 4x 2GB DDR3 Transcend @ 666 mhz

For a GPU and PSU I'm looking to spend in the $400 range. I'm thinking a gtx 560 or a TI but I have a feeling it will be a very... temporary improvement? Nvidia cards are expensive but I'm looking for future 3D support. I mean, it's bound to put my 5670 to shame, but will it be able to run say BF3 maxed @ 1080p or Skyrim with all the nice shiny m0dz?


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## PoWn3d_0704 (Aug 17, 2009)

GTX 560Ti is a very capable card that can run BF3 at very high settings at 1080p.
However to max BF3 it takes a GTX 670/GTX680 and they run 400 minimum.

I would get a nice PSU and GPU for 400 bucks using the GTX 560 Ti.


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