Best way to connect new fans for H100?

I have ordered two Noctua NF-F12's for my H100 and I was wondering about what the best way is to connect them.

 

1. Should I just plug them boh into the H100 pump itself as I have now with the stock fans? I don't know if this is the best solution since the fan control stuff in the H100 is designed for the stock fans?

 

2. Another option is to use the PWM Y-splitter supplied with the Noctua fans and connect them with to a 4pin chassis fan header on my mobo (got 4 of those headers on it)?

 

3. Or instead of using a chassis fan header in the previous possibility, I could maybe just plug in the fans to the cpu fan header? Or is that a bad idea considering the pump won't be connected to the mobo in this case?

 

What do you think is best?

 

Thanks.

I would leave the pump plugged into the CPU header. I can't speak for the Noctua, but when I hooked up my Cougar PWM fans to the the pump the fans would make a pulsing sound you could hear and feel then my hand was on the case. When I switched to a PWM Y-splitter into another header that went away. My mobo (ASUS) has a CPU Opt header for a secondary fans that I plugged into. Plus the software that came with the mobo had a fan control application.

I actually have a CPU Opt header too, it's also an Asus mobo, so that could be an option - do you know what the difference is between CPU Opt and a chassis fan header? (On my mobo all fan headers are 4 pin).

 

I have read that the primary reason that the H100 is connected to the cpu fan header is just to avoid getting the cpu fan error, so it doesn't seem so necessary to have the H100 connected there, but I'm not sure :)

CPU_OPT means an optional fan can be plugged on to the port and be controlled with the CPU_FAN.

 

The H100 3-pin connector is should only plug into the CPU_FAN header to prevent the CPU_FAN error.

Toasted: Thank you - if I understood you correctly then there's no problem if I don't connect the H100 to the CPU_fan header assuming that I connect the two Noctua fans for the radiator to the CPU_fan and CPU_Opt headers (so I shouldn't get a cpu fan error)?

 

Can I then connect the H100 pump to a chassis fan header just to get the rpm reading? It's maybe not necessary but I guess it's nice to see it's running as it should.

Yoiu won't get a CPU_FAN error if you plug ther Noctua fans in.

 

Yes, you can connect the H100 pump to a chassis fan header for the RPM reading.

Awesome, thanks - I guess it won't be a problem that I use all of the fan headers on the mobo (going to hook up 3 pwm case fans as well)? I assume that's what they're for :D

Since you have an ASUS mobo and if you have installed the software that comes with it. Under the AI Suite>Tools there is a FAN Xpert app that will show you any PWM fans you have and let you setup the fan speeds manually or you can select from a few predefined profiles.

 

In my case the only PWM fans I have are the Cougars so I can control those through the app. However it will show the other 3pin fan speeds.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/7880817776_ce6cd398a3.jpg