CPU cooling fans, psu or mobo and settings

[Erothes]

So I have the i7-6700k, 1060 6 gb xtreme gaming and z170 pro gaming mobo.
I am using the fractal design define r5 case which comes 2 140 mm fans, one on the back and one on the front.
And now, should I connect them to the mobo for more control or let them be connected to the psu?
I have the tx3 evo as the cpu cooler set to ca. 1117 rpm on 0-40 degrees, then it goes to 1880 rpm from 41 and starts going gradually up from 41 til 70 which then it hits 100% which is 2500 rpm's and continues like that.
Not sure if I were to connect the 140mm to the mobo and being able to control them if I would be able to get better cooling, as of right now I am getting around 53-59 (around 57-65 after using it for a while) degrees when gaming (currently mostly playing WoW on full setting with 70 fps set as max fps) with those settings on the cpu cooler and the 2 140 mm running (not sure at what speed) connected to the PSU.

 

[n0ns3ns3]

better to connect them to the MB

 

[synphul]

Controlling the fans if they're connected to the motherboard wouldn't mean better cooling, it would be for quieter cooling by reducing fan speeds when they don't need to run as fast. Connecting to the power supply will cause the fans to run 100% all the time, no fan control at all that way (outside of voltage reducers, low noise adapters). 100% speed would be the 'best' in terms of cooling though if not needed will also be the loudest.

 

[gedwards913]

Connecting them to the motherboard would allow more control and allowing you to run profiles. You can absolutely do more with this to achieve your preferred case air pressure, automatic ramp up/down based on temperature, and some monitoring programs even record statistics. I know that with my MSI motherboard/command center program there is a place for me to place my fan positions in relation to the motherboard and use the Fan Tune feature to automatically optimize the smart fan setting.

Connecting them to the PSU will do nothing but run them at max rate, which depending on your setup can allow more dust if you're pressure is negative. But how would you adjust that without controls?

I hope this helps you out. Let me know if you have any further questions!

 

[Erothes]

Controlling the fans if they're connected to the motherboard wouldn't mean better cooling, it would be for quieter cooling by reducing fan speeds when they don't need to run as fast. Connecting to the power supply will cause the fans to run 100% all the time, no fan control at all that way (outside of voltage reducers, low noise adapters). 100% speed would be the 'best' in terms of cooling though if not needed will also be the loudest.

Connecting them to the motherboard would allow more control and allowing you to run profiles. You can absolutely do more with this to achieve your preferred case air pressure, automatic ramp up/down based on temperature, and some monitoring programs even record statistics. I know that with my MSI motherboard/command center program there is a place for me to place my fan positions in relation to the motherboard and use the Fan Tune feature to automatically optimize the smart fan setting.

Connecting them to the PSU will do nothing but run them at max rate, which depending on your setup can allow more dust if you're pressure is negative. But how would you adjust that without controls?

I hope this helps you out. Let me know if you have any further questions!

The ''they will be louder because they run at 100% connected to PSU'' is false in my case, I have them connected to the PSU and it does not seem like they are running at 100%, they are both as mentioned before 2 140mm fans that came with the fractal design define r5 case and they make no noise

 

[Zerk2012]

First you need to dump the CPU cooler settings and just let the motherboard do it normally.
I wouldn't wait for 70C for the fan to be full speed.
You need to download OCCT and stress test the processor to ensure your cooler is mounted right and adequate.
For the case fans directly to the PSU is fine those are very good fans and what I recomend for case fans when not using LED fans.

 

[Erothes]

First you need to dump the CPU cooler settings and just let the motherboard do it normally.
I wouldn't wait for 70C for the fan to be full speed.
You need to download OCCT and stress test the processor to ensure your cooler is mounted right and adequate.
For the case fans directly to the PSU is fine those are very good fans and what I recomend for case fans when not using LED fans.

I have a ASUS mobo so I am using the al suite 3 program, and fan xpert 3, I did so it auto sets the settings for the cpu cooler and adjusted them a bit myself so it fits my usage.
I know i7 6700k can go up to even 100 degrees before they start to really throttle badly

PS: I do not overclock anything and I am not planning to for a long time, the CPU isnt overclocked at all and the GPU is default factory OC

 

[synphul]

Well unless there's an issue with the fans, if they're connected to the psu directly they're getting full 12v which means they're running full speed. Whether they're loud or not is another matter and can be subjective. If they were running with a voltage reducer (7v etc, lna) they would run slower and therefor quieter than they are at full speed.

If the fans themselves are maxed out, quiet, but not moving enough air then it's highly possible the fans themselves can only spin so fast. That's the fan's limitation, not where they're getting their power from. You asked if you should connect the fans to the mobo for 'full control', the only control you will have of fans on the mobo vs run at full speed from the 12v of the psu is to make them slower. They can't go any faster than max.

According to fractal's website they're using gp14 fans which only have a max speed of 1000 rpm, that could be why you think they're not spinning fast enough. Max noise level is rated at 18.9dba which is pretty low, due to the slower rpm compared to other fans. Long story short, no you're not going to get better cooling as I stated above. A fan designed for low noise with a low max speed is only going to produce x amount of air and being connected to the psu directly, you're getting all the performance they can give.

If you want more airflow, consider something like a noctua redux p14s 1500rpm, nf-a14 industrial 2000 or 3000rpm fans or similar. The fans that came with the case you're using max at 68cfm, the redux p14s 1500 will push 78cfm, the industrial 2000rpm pushes 107cfm and the 3000rpm variety pushes 158cfm. Just keep in mind the higher the rpm, the more cfm, the louder they get. It's not surprising the case fans at 19db don't seem loud, a 3000rpm noctua industrial at 41dba you'll notice for sure.

Case airflow will reach a point of diminishing returns rather quickly where more fans or faster fans will only reduce cpu temps a little bit. Your temps aren't that abnormal for an i7 6700k under load, if you want better cpu temps you may consider a better cooler. You didn't mention which cooler you're using, that will have a more direct impact on cpu temps though than case fans unless you have a real case cooling issue.

 

[Erothes]

Well unless there's an issue with the fans, if they're connected to the psu directly they're getting full 12v which means they're running full speed. Whether they're loud or not is another matter and can be subjective. If they were running with a voltage reducer (7v etc, lna) they would run slower and therefor quieter than they are at full speed.

If the fans themselves are maxed out, quiet, but not moving enough air then it's highly possible the fans themselves can only spin so fast. That's the fan's limitation, not where they're getting their power from. You asked if you should connect the fans to the mobo for 'full control', the only control you will have of fans on the mobo vs run at full speed from the 12v of the psu is to make them slower. They can't go any faster than max.

According to fractal's website they're using gp14 fans which only have a max speed of 1000 rpm, that could be why you think they're not spinning fast enough. Max noise level is rated at 18.9dba which is pretty low, due to the slower rpm compared to other fans. Long story short, no you're not going to get better cooling as I stated above. A fan designed for low noise with a low max speed is only going to produce x amount of air and being connected to the psu directly, you're getting all the performance they can give.

If you want more airflow, consider something like a noctua redux p14s 1500rpm, nf-a14 industrial 2000 or 3000rpm fans or similar. The fans that came with the case you're using max at 68cfm, the redux p14s 1500 will push 78cfm, the industrial 2000rpm pushes 107cfm and the 3000rpm variety pushes 158cfm. Just keep in mind the higher the rpm, the more cfm, the louder they get. It's not surprising the case fans at 19db don't seem loud, a 3000rpm noctua industrial at 41dba you'll notice for sure.

Case airflow will reach a point of diminishing returns rather quickly where more fans or faster fans will only reduce cpu temps a little bit. Your temps aren't that abnormal for an i7 6700k under load, if you want better cpu temps you may consider a better cooler. You didn't mention which cooler you're using, that will have a more direct impact on cpu temps though than case fans unless you have a real case cooling issue.

I did mention which cpu cooler I am using, in the beginning I clearly said I am using the tx3 evo from cooler master and cooler master IC essential E1 thermal paste

 

[synphul]

Sorry I missed where you said tx3. Given the cooler I think your temps are pretty decent. The tx3 is a fairly low budget cooler, it can only cool so much with only 3 heat pipes and a 92mm fan (which also means a smaller tower, less cooling fins etc). Compared to say the 212 evo, another budget cooler but it has a 120mm fan, more cooling fins and more surface area along with 4 heat pipes. For a lower budget cooler it's not performing half bad.

 

[Zerk2012]

Thats why I said I would run OCCT just to make sure.

 

[Erothes]

Thats why I said I would run OCCT just to make sure.

What about lets say for example prime95? OCCT seems to be a program that is more focused towards overclocking and checking for instablitity within your computer be it the ram, cpu or gpu

 

[Zerk2012]

Prime 95 is not a good test OCCT will tell you if your cooling is good enough when the processor is under full load.

 

[Erothes]

Prime95 puts them under 100% load,
I find Prime95 to be easier to operate.
With the CPU cooler runing at around 1850 rpm's it seems to be keeping the temperature at around 57-66 under 100% load with 1 degrees rising every 1,5-2 minutes.

 

[Erothes]

max rpm on the cpu fan gives me a ton degrees lower average between the 8 cores
went from 66-70 to 57-65