How Does a Case Fan Work

The fans on the front of your PC’s case are typically intake fans, drawing in the relatively cool air of the surrounding room to lower the temperature inside the case. Fans on the rear and of the case are usually exhaust fans, expelling the hot air warmed up by the components back into the room.

How is the case fan powered?

Fans are used to draw cooler air into the case from the outside, expel warm air from inside and move air across a heat sink to cool a particular component. … Computer fans are powered and controlled using 3-pin or 4-pin fan connectors.

How are case fans controlled?

Any fans connected to your PC’s motherboard are controllable according to temperature, but those connected directly to the PC’s power supply may run only at once fixed speed. … For fans with smaller three- or four-pin connectors which attach to the motherboard, these can be controlled by software, or in the BIOS.