I *finally* got a round to replacing my two case fans (window fan dead/porthole fan dying) in Olde Reliable (my Lian-Li ATX mid-tower from 2004). Only the window fan was a lighted fan (an at-the-time bright blue). When I replaced the two fans, since I couldn't get both in blue, the one fan I *did* find in blue went to the window, while the other (white) fan went to the porthole.. Both fans work fine - however, I HAVE noticed that, if anything, the new fan is brighter than the old fan ever was. (The window fan connects via Molex, while the porthole fan connects to the motherboard via CHA_FAN.) I'm thrashing both fans via RealTemp to get an idea of how well they cool under real-world conditions. Still, I'm curious, exactly what has changed in terms of built-in fan lighting since 2004? (Both are MassCool 42mm case fans - only the blue one lights up. Oddly enough, I got these at the local computer show for $2 each.)
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Changes in How Case Fans Are Lighting Things Up
- Thread starter PGHammer
- Start date
It's because it's hooked up via Molex. More power = brighter LED.
The fan it replaced was also Molex-connected )although to a weaker (at the time) PSU -400W then vs. 600W today. The porthole fan is connected to CHA_FAN.
Ah, I misread your post.
Do you still have the old fan? You should be able to look at the sticker covering the bearing and find the amperage of it, then compare with the new fan and see if the new one draws more power. Also, are you using the same Molex > Fan connector adapter? If not, it's possible the new Molex adapter is wired to use the red wire (5V) instead of the yellow wire (12v).
It also could be that the new fan just has higher rated LEDs.