BitFenix Spectre 120mm Case Fan and Asus z87pro pin issue

[bethy1234]

Hi Team,

I was recommended to buy some BitFenix Spectre 120mm Case Fans for my Asus z87pro board. The trouble is that the fans only have 3 pins and the mobo has multiple fan inputs setup to accept four pins.

My specific questions are: will i damage my mobo if I try to use these fans, and secondly, which of the four pins should i insert the three pins into?

Thanks for looking

 

[badger906]

the forth wire is for PWM fan speed control. It will work fine on a 4 pin header, on of the pins is slightly more offset than the rest, thats the one that you leave unplugged.
Some bios's you have to select voltage over PWM on the fan headers in order for it to work, but i think its mainly gigabyte ones. Not changing it will result in the fans running at 100% all the time.
Another alternative is a cheap fan speed controller, fits in a drive bay and gives you easy control over fans for around £10 ($10)

 

[Layback Bear]

The motherboard male connector should have a little barb sticking up that guides you to the proper connection method. On the wire connector their should be a little slot for the barb to fit in. Installing a 3 pin connector correctly on a 4 pin connection point for fans will not hurt your motherboard.