How to test cpu fan and case fans without motherboard

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elo408

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 15, 2009
Messages
170
Hey guys,

The title says it all. Is there anyway to test the fans without the motherboard? Maybe I did something wrong but I just plugged them to the psu and it does not turn on. Can anyone help me or is this even possible without the motherboard?
 
Use the "paper clip trick" (you can Google that for pictures etc.) to make the PSU come on. Basically you use a paper clip as a jumper on the PSU main ATX connector to jumper pin14 Green wire to any close black wire.

This forces the PSU "power good" signal to ground and makes the PSU start up. It thinks there is a mb present. This will not hurt the psu. So find the green wire, there should be only one and short it to ground.
 
You have to take your 24 pin atx connector and short the green wire and a black ground wire. A paper clip is handy for this.
 
Short it? So after i touch the green wire with the clip, then i put the other end on the case? Then I put the end on a black? I'm scared I might mess up, but I just received my Noctua heatsink.
 
No stick one end of the paperclip into the slot on the connector for the green wire and the other end into one of the black wires next to it.
 
By the way, my noctua fan comes with Low-Noise-Adapters and ultra low noise adapters. What does that mean?
 
if i had to guess... its probably a resistor to drop the RPMs, ergo the fan makes less humming noise...
 
Oh ok! So, if I wanted less rpm which equals less noise, then i just switch to those. They are quiet already aren't they?
 
Hey guys,

The trick worked! Thanks!

Weird that my leds do not light up, but fan works? Maybe I'm doing something wrong. My heatsink fan for the Noctua U12P does not havethe 4 pin connector but a small 3 pin connector. It looks like it goes to the motherboard. How do I even test the fans out? I have 2 of them that I want to test
 
I actually just rewired a junk 'throwaway' PSU from a POS chassis permanently jumping the black and green wires for fan/watercooling system testing, since I build so many systems at a given time. It just makes things easier in the long run. It makes things even easier if the PSU has a toggle switch on it so you ca just leave it plugged in all the time, for the truly lazy. ;)

For easy testing of 3-pin fans, a 4-pin to 3-pin adapter can be used. They're generally put in with a majority of fans sold, and if not can be had for a couple dollars if you look around.
 
elo408 said:
Hey guys,

The trick worked! Thanks!

Weird that my leds do not light up, but fan works? Maybe I'm doing something wrong. My heatsink fan for the Noctua U12P does not havethe 4 pin connector but a small 3 pin connector. It looks like it goes to the motherboard. How do I even test the fans out? I have 2 of them that I want to test
Click to expand...

You'll need one of these:http://www.frozencpu.com/products/7...Cool_120_x_25mm_Chassis_Fan.html?tl=g36c15s60

Notice off the side of this fan is a 4 pin molex plug, wired to the 3 pin fan plug.
Almost every fan made has these adapters sent out with them.
If you don't have any, ask your friends........somebody will have one.
 
elo408 said:
Ahh ok. LEDs only work if there is a motherboard?
Click to expand...

No. the LEDs are wired to the fan, when the fan is on so are the LEDs.....unless you have a wierd fan with a little switch somewhere, but I have never seen that.

Chances are the LEDs are FUBAR'd.
 
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