Question Best way to set up case fans for manual control?

[Kataklysmic]

I recently put together a new machine and have a few different fans inside the case, as well as a Corsair AIO. I don't really have a lot of experience with changing fan curves, but I'd like to set these a bit lower as they run at a higher speed most of the time even during idle. At the moment, I have a Corsair 4000D case with one Noctua NF-P12 (1700RPM max) fan mounted to the rear in exhaust, and two Noctua NF-P14s (1500RPM max) mounted to the top of the case exhausting as well. I have a Corsair H150i 360mm AIO mounted to the front with three 120mm fans on it in a push configuration. Corsair's ICUE software is currently controlling the AIO and fans on the radiator, but what I'd like to do is be able to set manual fan curves in the BIOS for the three Noctua fans. Right now, they're all three connected to a fan header that has a Y-splitter on it, so I can't control each individually. I'm not really familiar with fan controllers or how I need to set it up and get it configured in the BIOS once one is installed. I was wondering if anyone could offer some insight on what the best setup would be and possibly any recommendations on controllers that might fit my need.

 

[Eximo]

Your motherboard either has built in fan control or it doesn't. Any fan controller you add after the fact will have its own control software, or physical dials.

If you have a single header controlling three fans, then you just need to adjust the fan curve for that header. Most mid-high end motherboards allow for individual header control and you can tie the fan speed to a variety of temperatures the BIOS can read.

 

[scout_03]

name and model of your motherboard and 3 fans on the same header might be to much .

 

[Kataklysmic]

I'm using the above listed fans with an ASUS TUF Gaming X570-Plus (WiFi). Since the 140mm fans run slower than the 120mm, I was thinking maybe I can just take the 120 off the Y-splitter and run it to its own header on the motherboard, but leave the two 140s on another header on the splitter. Would that work?

 

[Paperdoc]

Your mobo has three CHA_FAN headers. See p. 1-14 of its general User Manual here

https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/..._TUF_GAMING_X570-PLUS_WI-FI_UM_WEB_060319.pdf

So you could connect each case fan to its own separate header. The small advantage to that is the you can see the speed of each fan individually. (When you use a Splitter, only ONE of its fans gets its speed reported.) Then you can configure each header exactly the same for identical performance, or differently if you wish. Details of how to configure in BIOS Setup are on p. 38 of the BIOS Manual here

https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/...ME_PRO_TUF_GAMING_X570_Series_BIOS_EM_WEB.pdf

You have not told us the full model name of those fans, but I can deduce from the RPM numbers you have the redux models. But further, do they have "PWM" on the end of their names or not? Older design fans have THREE wires from them ending in a connector with 3 holes. The newer design has FOUR wires and holes, and these are the 4-pin PWM fans.

In configuration options you need to set three items: MODE (the signal type used to control fan speed), temperature SOURCE (which temp sensor is used to guide it) and PROFILE (how the header decides what speed the fan should run).

MODE should be set to DC Mode for 3-pin fans, or PWM Mode for 4-pin fans.

Temperature SOURCE should be the general motherboard sensor for all your case fans.

PROFILE normally is set to "Standard" which will use a pre-set "fan curve" of speed versus temperature measured and automatically change the fans according to changes in heat removal required. Note that a FIXED speed arrangement can NOT give you ideal cooling under changing conditions. Also note that running a LOWER speed to make it quieter means you deprive your system of the cooling it normally needs.

You should be aware that fan SPEED is not what you really want. Fan AIR FLOW is what is important - that's what removes heat - but it is VERY hard to measure. Speed is easy so they tell you all about that. But if you look at the specs you won't be surprised to see that a larger fan blows more air than a smaller one running at the SAME speed. That is why those two fan sizes were designed with different max speeds. THEN recognize that the mobo headers do NOT care what speed the fan runs - they only manipulate the signal to the fans to ensure the TEMPERATURE at the sensor is on target. That signal sets (roughly) a "% of max power", and NOT a specified speed.

Go to p 10 and 11 of the BIOS Manual where it shows you the QFan Control screen. If you try out the PROFILE options across the bottom you will see they each provide a pre-set "fan curve". The LAST one ("Manual") allows YOU to set up that curve by dragging points to the speeds you want. You could set it to one speed for all temperatures, but you also COULD set it to speeds a bit LOWER that the default "Standard" curve. Just realize the quiet you get means your system has to run hotter.

Also in the General User Manual see p 3-18, heading 3.9.4 about Armoury Crate. This is a software utility on the CD with your mobo that you can install and run under Windows. Unlike the BIOS Setup system, this app is available at all times in normal Windows use and contains tools for MANY adjustments to your system, including how the fans and cooling are set.

 

[Kataklysmic]

Your mobo has three CHA_FAN headers. See p. 1-14 of its general User Manual here

https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/..._TUF_GAMING_X570-PLUS_WI-FI_UM_WEB_060319.pdf

So you could connect each case fan to its own separate header. The small advantage to that is the you can see the speed of each fan individually. (When you use a Splitter, only ONE of its fans gets its speed reported.) Then you can configure each header exactly the same for identical performance, or differently if you wish. Details of how to configure in BIOS Setup are on p. 38 of the BIOS Manual here

https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/...ME_PRO_TUF_GAMING_X570_Series_BIOS_EM_WEB.pdf

You have not told us the full model name of those fans, but I can deduce from the RPM numbers you have the redux models. But further, do they have "PWM" on the end of their names or not? Older design fans have THREE wires from them ending in a connector with 3 holes. The newer design has FOUR wires and holes, and these are the 4-pin PWM fans.

In configuration options you need to set three items: MODE (the signal type used to control fan speed), temperature SOURCE (which temp sensor is used to guide it) and PROFILE (how the header decides what speed the fan should run).

MODE should be set to DC Mode for 3-pin fans, or PWM Mode for 4-pin fans.

Temperature SOURCE should be the general motherboard sensor for all your case fans.

PROFILE normally is set to "Standard" which will use a pre-set "fan curve" of speed versus temperature measured and automatically change the fans according to changes in heat removal required. Note that a FIXED speed arrangement can NOT give you ideal cooling under changing conditions. Also note that running a LOWER speed to make it quieter means you deprive your system of the cooling it normally needs.

You should be aware that fan SPEED is not what you really want. Fan AIR FLOW is what is important - that's what removes heat - but it is VERY hard to measure. Speed is easy so they tell you all about that. But if you look at the specs you won't be surprised to see that a larger fan blows more air than a smaller one running at the SAME speed. That is why those two fan sizes were designed with different max speeds. THEN recognize that the mobo headers do NOT care what speed the fan runs - they only manipulate the signal to the fans to ensure the TEMPERATURE at the sensor is on target. That signal sets (roughly) a "% of max power", and NOT a specified speed.

Go to p 10 and 11 of the BIOS Manual where it shows you the QFan Control screen. If you try out the PROFILE options across the bottom you will see they each provide a pre-set "fan curve". The LAST one ("Manual") allows YOU to set up that curve by dragging points to the speeds you want. You could set it to one speed for all temperatures, but you also COULD set it to speeds a bit LOWER that the default "Standard" curve. Just realize the quiet you get means your system has to run hotter.

Also in the General User Manual see p 3-18, heading 3.9.4 about Armoury Crate. This is a software utility on the CD with your mobo that you can install and run under Windows. Unlike the BIOS Setup system, this app is available at all times in normal Windows use and contains tools for MANY adjustments to your system, including how the fans and cooling are set.

Hey, thanks for the advice and detailed instructions. I apologize for not providing more info on the fans but yes, you are correct, they are the newer redux fans that are PWM. What I ended up doing was moving my Y-splitter to a different location (previously had it on the CPU_OPT header as it was closest to the fans) since that header can't be controlled (wasn't aware of this). I moved the splitter to my chassis fan 2 header and connected both the 140mm exhaust fans that are on the top of the case to it. Then I unplugged the 120mm exhaust fan on the back of the case that was connected to the splitter and moved it directly onto the chassis fan 1 header on the board. I went into the BIOS settings and changed both headers to PWM and then set the curve to Standard and let it be. This has really quieted down the system since the fans aren't just blasting full-power all the time. Thanks for the help!

 

[Paperdoc]

What you did makes a lot of sense, and I'm glad to hear it has reduced your noise problem considerably. It will still provide good cooling to your system that way.