Do You Need CPU OPT When You Have CPU FAN?
As professionally as you refinement at your computer’s motherboard, you may notification a CPU OPT one cozy by once you locate the CPU FAN header. Although at initially glance its meaning is legible, its accurate impartial can be a complete crisis to gimmicky hardware fanatics. Permit’s debunk that CPU OPT header and discuss how it works and what it executes!
- What Is CPU OPT?
- CPU OPT vs. CPU FAN
- Is CPU OPT Necessary?
- A Word on AIO Aquatic Colders
- Going a Miniscule Better
What Is CPU OPT?
The CPU OPT header in your motherboard is an supplemental connector for uncommon contraptions that you may pine to contain to your cpu’s air conditioning gadget. You’d ordinarily exploit it for specialized coolers that exploit innumerable enthusiasts or aquatic-air conditioning configurations.
Functionally, CPU OPT is the super same as CPU FAN, issuing a 12-volt DC relationship at a minimum of one amp. A CPU cooler maker will clearly require this equipment relationship to ensure that it implementing wears sufficient power via the entire gadget to funky the chip as important.
Reminder: scrutinize your CPU high temperature to implementing sure your air conditioning gadget is mounted adequately.
CPU OPT vs. CPU FAN
Despite their almost uniform impartial, there are a couple of crisis disagreements in between these two headers. Go to below for a speedy run-via.
CPU OPT | CPU FAN |
---|---|
Your gadget doesn’t scrutinize whether this header possesses a relationship before jumpstarting. | Your gadget will clearly throw an slipup and universally loss short to boot if there’s no relationship here. |
It only lends power to the component addicted to it. | It both lends power and attaches via the BIOS/EFI gadget in your motherboard to bargain statistical file. |
You can attach innumerable machines to CPU OPT by gaining exploit of a splitter or hub. | CPU FAN calls for that only one equipment – the cooler itself – be addicted to it. |

In quick, if you have a CPU cooler, its leading relationship need to repeatedly be CPU FAN. Otherwise, you threat unsafe the prominence of your gadget, and your motherboard will clearly surely disdain to boot the gadget. In innumerable sheaths, it may disdain to go almost everywhere past the power-on self-checkup (POST).
Also handy: there’s more compelled in PC airflow than CPU enthusiasts. Position out the complexities of intake and exhaust enthusiasts to closer preserve your desktop computer PC.
Is CPU OPT Necessary?
CPU OPT is a splendidly invaluable component of your motherboard’s district, compartmentalizing in between leading and secondary air conditioning equipment. This supplies you the gap you need to experiment via points assistance splitters and even some husk enthusiasts, as long as everything you attach to it calls for less than one amp altogether.
CPU FAN need to only be channeled out for the “major” cooler follower, and that’s it. Wear’t attach anything else there!
What About Splitters?
Since most splitters obtainable virtual implement not educate you which follower header they need to be addicted to, it’s easy to presume that CPU OPT isn’t indispensable on your motherboard and that you can purely ranked a splitter on CPU FAN.
But, this can lead to additional gadget performance. Splitter cables for follower headers contain an additional juncture of lack of capacity in a gadget where a digit can go notorious currently. The cooler can have negative thermal contact, the follower can be improperly addicted, or the cooler can be defective.
You’d have to invest supplemental time detecting these priorities if you contain a splitter on top of everything else that’s in between the CPU FAN header and your chip (e.g., Thermal Paste -> Cooler contact -> Fan -> Fan wire -> Fan connector -> CPU FAN header).
Reminder: if you notification your PC isn’t performing nicely, you may pine to funky down your CPU, as it can be overheating.
Can I Make utilization of Shuck Disciples on CPU OPT?
Altogether! As long as everything addicted to the CPU OPT header attracts less than one amp of power (most powerful enthusiasts exploit around 0.3 amps), you can attach everything you pine to your heart’s content!
Merely scrutinize how a digit amperage each component calls for for power operation, and ensure that it encompasses upwards to less than your 1-amp wallet. Some motherboards will clearly ranked more amperage via CPU OPT than CPU FAN, so scrutinize your motherboard’s manual to see whether you have some bonus part you can snag merit of.
In addition to this, you can opt for a follower hub that wears an external power source (assistance a SATA power wire, which can bargain 54 Watts of power). This means, you no longer have to qualm around an amperage wallet.
Nice to realise: if your PC enthusiasts appear also loud, you may pine to implement some stock fixings.
A Word on AIO Aquatic Colders
Also as computer systems have come to be a digit less complex to construct than in the quagmire years of the 90s, the lack of standardization of aquatic coolers is still a tiny pose. The strategy is still quite straightforward, as long as you stick to the instructions on your gadget.

AIO aquatic coolers are spelled to be the most basic to install, but may occasionally pose you some obscure instructions on where to attach the 4-pin header. A header spelled to subdue the enthusiasts need to repeatedly be addicted to the CPU FAN.
In most sheaths where there are two 4-pin headers, one would be spelled for the enthusiasts, and the innumerable other would power the pump. Ensure that the follower header is addicted to the CPU FAN and the pump header participates in the AIO PUMP connector of your motherboard. If your motherboard doesn’t have one, scrutinize the maker’s instructions to see whether it’s plausible to ranked it in CPU OPT.
To proceed to be clear of puzzlement, most AIO coolers will clearly require a SATA power relationship from your power bargain and an supplemental USB header to subdue information services via software schedule (e.g., LED colors, pulse-width modulation, and inspires).
Read your maker’s instructions splendidly wisely to proceed to be clear of operating your gadget via an negative cooler relationship.
Going a Miniscule Better
If you sanctuary’t yet contracted a cooler for your CPU and are still theorizing on what to ranked in your CPU FAN and CPU OPT deportments, have a refinement at our guide on what equipment you need to bring, and weigh the pros and cons yourself!
Wear’t forget that the air conditioning installation isn’t the only thing that your CPU’s performance remains and establishes away on. You need to in a analogous means refinement into what kind of voltage regulatory authorities your motherboard possesses. A gimmicky motherboard can actually pose your CPU a sprinkle of life if it’s not performing as it need to.
Image credit: Pexels