Best CPU fan control software?

[wsaenotsock]

Whats the best software to control CPU fan speed? Speedfan does not work for CPU fans, I think it has to be plugged into the mobo case fan plug to mess with it.

I was just wondering what everyone else uses.

wrong!!

Speedfan can alter any voltage or PWM of a fan -- IF the sensor chip supports it!!!!!!!

The big problem nowadays is so many mobo mfgrs are skimping on what used to be a very common feature -- allowing software to modify the voltage of a 3-pin header. If you get a good board that can do this, it means that you can software control fans by directly changing their voltage, without the 4-pin pwm. I have had systems before with 3-4 fans, 3-pin, entirely controlled by software cooling.

I found that the boards that came with a vendor supplied/advertised 'cooling software', such as ASUS generally had awesome support for changing 3-pin voltages via software. A board that isn't advertising software cooling might not have this feature and you are going to have to adjust the fans with a 'fanmate' resistor + dial device.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I have a Tyan S5211GNR socket 775 server motherboard with six fan headers, including the CPU. According to the Tyan manual:

System Management
- SMSC SCH5027 and EMC6D103 with hardware monitoring
- One (1) 3+1-pin CPU fan header with smart FAN control (by SCH5027)
- Five (5) 3+1-pin system fan headers with tachometer monitoring, three (3) of them support smart FAN control

I see the EMC6d103 chip in the Advanced configuration, but PWM 1 to 3 do not give me the option 'Software Control'. I see only:

On zone 1 auto
On zone 2 auto
On zone 3 auto
Always on full (this was set for all three)
Disabled
Controlled by hottest of zone 2,3
Controlled by hottest of zone 1,2,3
Manually controlled

 

[coffeejunkee]

Try manually controlled. Every i/o chip has it's own terminology. MrK6 has a Gigabyte board and has to choose 'software controlled', I have an Asus board and have to choose 'manual'.

 

[zgembo]

Can some one help???

 

[bgt]

SpeedFan is the best, you just have to set it up properly. Make sure you configure your PWM modes to software controlled, it's the most common error I see when people first set up SpeedFan:

I agree, best piece of SW for fanspeed.

 

[zgembo]

I set that no changes...

 

[dweiums]

You sir, a year and some months later, are the hero of the day. I have an old Medion with a Pentium 4 530 HT that sounded like a motorcycle and I couldn't get Speedfan to comply until I saw your screen grab. Whats that about a thousand words?
Many thanks.
dw

SpeedFan is the best, you just have to set it up properly. Make sure you configure your PWM modes to software controlled, it's the most common error I see when people first set up SpeedFan:

 

[jaxjanro]

SpeedFan is the best, you just have to set it up properly. Make sure you configure your PWM modes to software controlled, it's the most common error I see when people first set up SpeedFan:

Thank you for all the info that you posted on the forum. I have read what you said about speed fan... but when i want to change the PWM mode i do not have the setting "software controlled"... I only have:
-manual
-smartfan 3
-smartfan 4
-invalid
-thermal cruise
-and fan speed cruise.
What should i set for PWM mode 1 and 2, and at the 3rd i have all the settings from mode 1 and 2 plus "reserved" but no on/off.
I am asking you cause i want to be sure and not mess anything up...


I have an E7500 intel core 2 duo @ 2.93 GHz on 64 bit Win 7. Also i have installed speed fan 4.49.

PS: can i use speed fan to increase the speed of my GPU's fan also?

Thank's in advance

 

[Johnny4]

Try this from Intel to determine your fan speeds and CPU temps.

intel.com/design/motherbd/active.htm

Also check your bios settings.

 

[trylo]

Hi guys!

I'm trying to configure SpeedFan, but when I go to advanced and select different Chips all I see is temperature controls no fan control, also in main windows I only see temperatures no fan info. How can I set it up?
I'm trying this on Sony Vaio Tap 11 (model svT11215CXB).

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[coffeejunkee]

There's a good chance the io-chip in your laptop isn't supported. Please post some screenshots for more information (main window, fan tab, advanced tab with pulldown menu).

If the io-chip is indeed not supported you can try posting on Speedfan site, maybe the dev is willing to add support. Don't get your hopes up though, for many laptops it's just not possible to control fans manually.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I haven't had any problems at all with ASUS' Fan Xpert. I think it reverts any user customized configuration back to the default settings whenever you do a BIOS update, but it doesn't lose the settings. You just need to go back into the software and select 'User' for each of the fans.

People wrestle with SpeedFan. "Almico" or Alfredo Comparetti has a daunting job, keeping up with new motherboards and chipsets. It can be a useful tool.

That being said, it is "extra software." I've experimented with various fan controllers, "ESA-certified" with software, and the ASUS "Suites." This time around -- with my own P8Z68-V-Pro board I've had since mid-2011 -- I've "discovered" Fan-Expert in addition to the BIOS settings. Whether Gigabyte offers the same functionality, I couldn't say.

I think it's a good idea to avoid purchasing a "monster fan-controller" if you can, because the good ones can cost you $80+. I'd had my eye on the Aquaero 5 LT. For me, the key requirement is that the controller must communicate with the motherboard and read its thermal sensors. Otherwise, it's just a layer of additional "stuff" -- complexity -- and fiddling with analog sensor wires.

If you can do it from the motherboard fan headers without overloading them, things are simpler and more elegant. You can control several PWM fans off the CPU_FAN PWM header and power them directly from the PSU -- all controllable with one PWM signal. You would buy a splitter that costs from $4 to $10 -- I have my eye on the Swiftech 8W-PWM-SPL.

And you can choose your software -- SpeedFan works for a lot of people.

 

[trylo]

There's a good chance the io-chip in your laptop isn't supported. Please post some screenshots for more information (main window, fan tab, advanced tab with pulldown menu).

If the io-chip is indeed not supported you can try posting on Speedfan site, maybe the dev is willing to add support. Don't get your hopes up though, for many laptops it's just not possible to control fans manually.

Here are the print screens, what can be done?

 

[coffeejunkee]

Here are the print screens, what can be done?

At the moment not much I'm afraid. Speedfan just doesn't recognize your laptops io-chip.

You can open a support ticket at http://www.bugtrack.almico.com/ (have to register first) but I wouldn't get my hopes up. There are a few other requests for laptop support and none have been answered.

I think most vendors lock fanspeeds on laptops. They are more thermally sensitive than desktops and users messing with fanspeeds would probably increase returns under warranty.

 

[doyll49]

Phanteks will be selling their PWM controlled 3pin fan hub as an accessory soon. It's what we have in our Enthoo Primo cases and owners are begging for them.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Phanteks will be selling their PWM controlled 3pin fan hub as an accessory soon. It's what we have in our Enthoo Primo cases and owners are begging for them.

Is there any preview for that -- some article or review, circles and arrows etc.? I'd like to see what its possibilities are before I order a bunch of nickel-and-dime items to tweak my relatively small number of fans (four right now -- one PWM and three 3-pin.)

 

[doyll49]

The PWM hub makes it possible to control all the connected fans (also 3-pin fans) with PWM function through 1 PWM connector and create a better cable management.

PWM hub will enable PWM function to 3-pin fans. Fan 1 can only be connected to one fan and cannot be split. Fan 2 - Fan 6 can be split to multiple fans. Total of 11 fans can be connected to the PWM hub. All PWM functions will be controlled by fan 1.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

The PWM splitter function is fairly simple: You wonder why Swiftech even bothered to put the connections on a small circuit card -- similar items are simply cable patches.

But getting the PWM function applied to 3-pins -- that's just a bit more fo' da money. However, I"d suspect that the device varies the voltage of the 3-pin fans in response to the PWM signal.

I"ll have to watch for the release of the Phanteks device. Whether you call it a "fan splitter" or a "fan controller, seems hard to say. You can spend from $25 to $200 on a fan controller. I might bet that fans other than fan-1 cannot be monitored -- unless I missed something said in an earlier post. We'll want to wait and see.

 

[doyll49]

I think it qualifies as a "controller", "converter", or "adapter" rather than "splitter" because it allows speed control of 3-pin fan using PWM signal from motherboard and 12v power from PSU.

Switftech splitter hub and other PWM splitters with 3-pin fans run full speed on 12v lead from PSU.

I have a mate here in UK you makes "PWM to Analog converter circuits".. They are custom built to individual needs. Here's one for 8x 3-pin fans w/fine speed adjustment on each set of 4.

 

[Adam White]

SpeedFan is the best, you just have to set it up properly. Make sure you configure your PWM modes to software controlled, it's the most common error I see when people first set up SpeedFan:

Thanks mate, spot on!
I found it in: Configure - Advanced - Chip - PWM Mode 1 2 3 and 4

You can set each PWM mode to either: Manual, Smart Fab 3+, Thermal Cruise, or Fan Speed Cruise.

Thank you very much, this comment might of saved me giving up and going to buy a new quieter CPU fan for £35 in total with thermal paste remover and delivery costs

 

[Adam White]

SpeedFan is the best, you just have to set it up properly. Make sure you configure your PWM modes to software controlled, it's the most common error I see when people first set up SpeedFan:

 

[HerrKaLeu]

You guys got me curious. I used Fanspeed many years ago before MB manufacturer gave us real good tools (yes that many years ago, Athlon 1400 times) . At the time I was only able to read the speed since the MB didn't let me control it. but nowadays the MB has in BIOS (or with the MB windows software pretty good fan speed control and most MB have multiple headers (mine has 3). what would be the reason to use a 3rd party software nowadays? I assume the MB manufacturer will be up to date with software tailored for their chips. For a 3rd party like SF this will be hard to update.
I'm not trying to be a pain, really curious. I thought once MB came with decent fan control, that killed the external fan controls. Can fanspeed do something useful that the MB software can't? Yes it allows me to set more things, but does that really make my fans less noisy? I'm able to be noiseless with my MB.

On the PWM hub, is that just if you have really powerful fans that would overload the MB? I have two 140mm case fans on each of my MB headers with no problems. (my 120 mm fans are on 7V from the case fan controller) not sure if you really could overload the MB fan headers with just 2 fans. Most MB have 2 case fanheaders and 4 case fans is already a lot. Again just curious if that is actually needed or just a "nice thing to have".

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Now that I know how to properly use SpeedFan, I've played around with the temps a bit and I figured out why the fans would always creep back up to 100% even under practically no load - I had set the Desired temps too low. I have an i7 2600 in a Silverstone GD05B with a Galaxy 560 Ti, etc. This case is small, so there's not a whole lot of air flow. What I figured out is that I really can't get my CPU temps below 38*C, even with all of the fans at 100%, but my Desired temps set in SpeedFan were set to 32*C so the fans were working up to 100% without ever actually getting to that Desired temp. Now I have my Desired temp set to 45*C and not only are the fans running at super low speeds but my temps are still 38-43*C. It would be nice to have a lower ambient temp but I won't complain since it's not overheating and I can't even hear my PC anymore.

Speedfan is a b**** but OK if there's no other way with your particular board. But the first think I'd look at is the BIOS settings for fan control. the second thing I'd take for a cruise is the bundled motherboard software.

someone already said "Fan Xpert" is useless, but it isn't useless. On ASUS boards, it is just unnecessary unless you choose to use it so you can adjust fan curves in Windows without restarting and entering the BIOS directly. My ASUS board has 2 PWM CPU_FAN ports, 1 "Pump" port, 6 Chassis-fan PWM ports 2 "assistant" fan ports, and a few others. All the PWM ports can also accommodate 3-pin fans and configure as either PWM or voltage-control for each and every one. The software for Windows is "ASUS Suite 3," but custom-tailored to my Sabertooth Z170 S. The fan-control component is named "Thermal Radar"->"Fan control." This is really bloatware if you don't use the other features, but I don't run it at startup since the changes it makes affects the BIOS settings and -- once configured-- don't need the software. I just haven't bother to uninstall it yet, and it has an active process that grabs ~3% of the clock cycles even when the software isn't running in the system tray.

If you can't get decent fan control that way, your next possibility is likely SpeedFan, because it's been around for a long time and additions of additional sensors for motherboard and CPU are part of the developer's routine. It is likely the update additions for SpeedFan lag behind current gen motherboards to some degree, because I'd think that would be a daunting job.

And -- it's a b**** to configure, but I said that.

If you lack sufficient motherboard fan headers -- PWM or 3-pin -- to execute your plan, then the step after that involves examining some splitters like the 8-port Swiftech ($12 or so), wiring 3-pin fans in parallel or purchasing a splitter or bus for them.

And the last resort -- a 3rd party front-panel/bay or circuit-board controller with onboard processor and USB-to-motherboard connection and software, like the Aquaero models.

At least if you follow that sequence of priority, you'll avoid spending more than you need to.