Best mobo temp sensor to use for case fans

[zpimpekz]

Wanted to ask what is the best temp/thermal sensor on a mobo to monitor for custom fan curves for case fans? I've read a few places saying cpu, gpu or vrm mos? Vrm Mos kinda make sense to me cause it has a more steady temp increase under loads. Can anyone back this up also would love to hear peoples feedback, tips and suggestions. Many thanks in advance.

 

[Traditore]

I set it to PCH. It's close to GPU and it's temp rises when gaming and when temperature rises in the case. CPU is not an option because it's t rises and drops all of the time for a short time. GPU is not an option because... well does you motherboard even allow you to set case fan curve according to GPU? I doubt that.

 

[Paperdoc]

Do NOT use the sensor inside the CPU chip to guide the case ventilation fans. It is ideal to guide the CPU chip cooler, but not the rest of your system. (There are a few cases in which one is forced to use the CPU chip sensor for case fans, but they are uncommon.) Most mobos actually do NOT have access to the temperature of any graphics card components (unless they use a non-standard design) so you normally do NOT have any option to use GPU temperature sensors for case fans.

Many mobos have more than one temperature sensor on the mobo. There is always a "general one" located and intended by the mobo maker to be the best representation of ALL the heat removal needs of mobo components. Extra sensors are intended for use IF you have extra fans mounted and directed at particular mobo component locations (say, the VRM or North Bridge). For those particular fans you can use the special-purpose sensors, but you still should have SOME fans for general case ventilation that use the "general" sensor.

Graphics cards most commonly have their own cooling fan systems and always do their own management of those fans to keep the card's components cooled. The never let the mobo take control of graphics card cooling, and hence normally do not send any temperature info to the mobo. Actually, there is no "standard" way to do that, although many graphics card makers send out their temp info on some contact in the PCIe socket and use their own software utilities to let you "see" that info. SOME graphics cards also include "standard" 4-pin fan sockets on them. These send out to any fan connected the same fan control signals used by the on-card fans to cool the card. Now, the on-card fan draws air from its immediate surroundings to cool the card components. So IF you mount a fan in your case side that draws in outside cool air and directs it toward the graphics card to aid in its cooling efforts, then power and control of that particular fan is best done from the fan output on the graphics card. But that is NOT intended to be used for general case cooling.

 

[terry4536]

I have an ROG Maxima motherboard that allows me to add three additional temperature sensors (optional thermocouples). I've played around with the temperature sensors. In the end, I just left it linked to the CPU sensor. The temperature controller is more than fast enough to keep up with the CPU swings in temperature. And the temperature trend is more important anyway.

In other words try it yourself. It doesn't matter that much.

 

[Paperdoc]

OP, thanks for Best Solution.

Regarding add-on temperature sensors, I think they can be useful to gather information for you if you want it. But to use them for actual control has three problems. Firstly, where do you position them? That is, what heat sources need monitoring and control? Secondly, what temperature target should you set for those measurement points? Both of these questions are items that have been studied and answered (hopefully for the best) by the mobo designers when they set up their built-in automatic control systems. And lastly, there can be very practical problems when placing a sensor in how to ensure very good thermal contact for fast response to changes, AND how to ensure that this contact is maintained over time - that is, that it does not shake loose.