Antec Kuehler 920 fan question on Maximus VI Hero

[BrzIROG]

The two fans that come with the device have 3 pin connectors that use a Y-splitter that ends up connecting a 3-pin connector into the CPU_FAN header.

I am thinking of replacing the two fans with two Noctua NF-F12 premium fans. They also connect via a Y-splitter to the CPU_FAN header but using 4-pin connectors all the way.

Benefits as I see it:
PWM control from the ROG fan calibration utility.
Better/quieter fans

Potential issues:
Will it affect the water pump performance if the 920 does not detect any fans attached to it ?

Opinions / suggestions welcome

Thanks

...starting my build tonight....antseeeeeee 🙂

[Chino]

BrzIROG wrote:

Will it affect the water pump performance if the 920 does not detect any fans attached to it ?

No, it won't. The pump speed for the Kuhler 920 cannot be adjusted. It will always run at 100%. Thus installing aftermarket fans will have no effect on its performance.

[BrzIROG]

That is good news. So I would like to connect the fans directly onto the MB CPU_FAN header. In that case the only connection between the cooler and the PC will be the USB connector....Will that be suffcicient to power up the water pump ?

Reason I ask is that I read a review where the reviewer said power to the device is provided via the fan connectors - does not make sense to me....

Thanks

[Chino]

As far as I know, the pump gets its power from the 3 pin fan cable. So as long as that cable is plugged into the motherboard header, your pump will work as normal. The header has more than enough power to support your pump so you should have no problems with that.

[BrzIROG]

So I can plug the pump into a case fan header and use the MB CPU_FAN header for the fans. That sounds like good way to go.

Thanks

[Chino]

Yeah, you can use the CPU_OPT header that's right beside the CPU_FAN header.