Hey everyone, I need some advice on hooking up my 8 ARGB fans to just one 3-pin 5V ARGB header on my motherboard. Each fan requires about 0.84A according to the specs, and my header can safely handle up to 3A max. I’ve grouped my fans into clusters of 3, 3, and 2, and I’m looking for the best way to connect them without exceeding current limits.
Here are a couple of options I’m considering:
1. Using a 2:1 splitter from the 3-pin 5V header to connect two ARGB hubs: one hub would power the 3- and 2-fan clusters, and the other hub would handle the 3-fan cluster. Both hubs would get SATA power.
2. Connecting all three clusters directly into one ARGB hub powered by SATA. My concern here is that the hub manufacturer warns of a max of 1A per header, even though SATA can supply up to 4.5A. Would this overload the hub or cause issues?
Also, would daisy-chaining 3 fans into a single hub header be problematic? Looking for insight on safe wiring setups and how to keep everything controlled without frying components.
2 Answers
For full individual control of all 8 fans, a dedicated individual channel controller like the Nollie 8 (or equivalent) would be ideal. It lets you manage each fan’s ARGB and PWM signals separately.
However, since your fans snap together with their own PWM and ARGB daisy-chain connectors (sort of like Lian Li’s setup), you might not get per-fan independent lighting even with a single header. The chain usually mirrors the ARGB signal across all fans connected.
So if you’re okay with synchronized lighting and fan speed per cluster or overall, your current daisy chain to a hub powered by SATA is likely fine as long as the power limits are respected.
If you have only one ARGB header available, you’re right that you’ll have just one control signal for all the fans connected. So using a dedicated ARGB hub or controller is typically the way to go for managing multiple fans efficiently.
About SATA power: it can provide up to 4.5A per rail, but you have different voltage rails (12V, 5V, 3.3V). Usually, ARGB controllers draw power from the 12V rail, and they step down voltages as needed for fans. So even though your 8 fans together pull more than 3A at 5V, the setup is generally safe because the controller’s power draw and distribution keep it within limits.
Just make sure your hub specs are clear, and don’t exceed their maximum current per header, as that can damage the hub itself, not just overload power from the PSU.
Got it, so the hub’s max 1A per header means I shouldn’t put too many fans on a single hub port even if the total SATA power seems sufficient?
Thanks! So without something like the Nollie 8, I won’t be able to set different lighting effects on each fan individually, just the whole chain together?