[SOLVED] New First Built PC- Issues with Fans spinning excessively and continue to do so

[neymarvin]

Hi everyone,

I am not much of a PC person. My friends got me a brand new custom PC and we built it together. However, the person who really helped me out that the fans were funny.

This PC seems to be very powerful, though i am very new to all of this.

Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3600x 6- Core processor

Ram: 16gb

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super

Motherboard: Gigabyte Tech, B550 Gaming X

I have a coolermaster mesh case with 3 front fans. All the fans in my computer spin excessively (even the two that are attached which are the Pure Wings 2 "be quiet!" ones).

The temperature is not an issue. We see that the games I play don't make the computer that hot at all (maybe around 40C max) The big issue is when after I am done playing, the fans continue to spin like crazy. As I am typing this only 3% of the CPU is being used and 1% of the GPU. We tried adjusting things in the BIOS settup but it seems nothing is working (unless someone wants to suggest certain settings)
please help if possible!

 

[kurdtnz]

Do you know if the case fans are PWM?

 

[neymarvin]

Do you know if the case fans are PWM?

Yes they are (from my knowledge)
Thanks for the quick reply.

EDIT
I was wrong, sorry Kurdtnz

 

[Paperdoc]

I suspect strongly the problem is the fan TYPE at the front (and maybe the back). The website for the Cooler Master Mastercase H500P Mesh White case says it includes two front fans described as 200 mm size, max speed 800 RPM. The photos show colour displays indicating plain RGB, not ARGB lights. From the Cooler Master fan list, this means they are Masterfan MR200R RGB fans, and they are specified a 3-pin fans. That is the older design, NOT the new PWM fans that use FOUR pins on the fan connector. OP, you can check this yourself - look at the cable coming from each front fan to a mobo header. I bet it has THREE holes in it, and when fit onto the mobo header, it leaves the last pin unused. So NOTE which mobo header(s) are used for these two fans. For locations, see the mobo manual on p. 12, three items code 4. Now see p. 31 for the configuration options for fan ports in general. You need to go into BIOS Setup and get to the Smartfan 5 pages where each fan header can be configured separately. For EACH of the headers involved with these 3-pin fans, go to it and change the Fan Control Mode item to Voltage. While you're at this, you should check the cable from the REAR fan, also. If it, too has a 3-pin connector, change its SYS_FAN header to Voltage Mode. If it is a 4-pin fan, set that to PWM instead. When you have all these ports re-adjusted, use Esc to return to the Main Menu, and then F10 to get to the Exit Menu (p.36) and choose Save and Exit Setup. This will save your changes and reboot. When set this way, your mobo headers will be able to controll the speeds of the 3-pin fans.

 

[jasonf2]

Everything that Paperdoc just said is probably correct but it may be even a little simpler than that. Make sure that you look at your fan control curves and that they are not set at a flat high RPM. Most bios will have a "silent" control mode with default being a little loud. You may have to do a fan tune to set it up as I am not familiar with your board but it isn't unusual for the stock RPMs to default high.

 

[neymarvin]

I suspect strongly the problem is the fan TYPE at the front (and maybe the back). The website for the Cooler Master Mastercase H500P Mesh White case says it includes two front fans described as 200 mm size, max speed 800 RPM. The photos show colour displays indicating plain RGB, not ARGB lights. From the Cooler Master fan list, this means they are Masterfan MR200R RGB fans, and they are specified a 3-pin fans. That is the older design, NOT the new PWM fans that use FOUR pins on the fan connector. OP, you can check this yourself - look at the cable coming from each front fan to a mobo header. I bet it has THREE holes in it, and when fit onto the mobo header, it leaves the last pin unused. So NOTE which mobo header(s) are used for these two fans. For locations, see the mobo manual on p. 12, three items code 4. Now see p. 31 for the configuration options for fan ports in general. You need to go into BIOS Setup and get to the Smartfan 5 pages where each fan header can be configured separately. For EACH of the headers involved with these 3-pin fans, go to it and change the Fan Control Mode item to Voltage. While you're at this, you should check the cable from the REAR fan, also. If it, too has a 3-pin connector, change its SYS_FAN header to Voltage Mode. If it is a 4-pin fan, set that to PWM instead. When you have all these ports re-adjusted, use Esc to return to the Main Menu, and then F10 to get to the Exit Menu (p.36) and choose Save and Exit Setup. This will save your changes and reboot. When set this way, your mobo headers will be able to controll the speeds of the 3-pin fans.

Thanks for all of this, you were correct about the front fans (which I have 3 of) being a 3 prong. I changed it to voltage, and my other fans were PWM (4 prongs).

Everything that Paperdoc just said is probably correct but it may be even a little simpler than that. Make sure that you look at your fan control curves and that they are not set at a flat high RPM. Most bios will have a "silent" control mode with default being a little loud. You may have to do a fan tune to set it up as I am not familiar with your board but it isn't unusual for the stock RPMs to default high.

Also, thanks for this. I set up in my BIOS for my fans to go on silent when it comes to the front 3 and for the rest to be normal since I don't play many intensive games. Anything else I should be aware/ take note of?

Thanks to both of you on this quick solution. Hoping for the best.

 

[jasonf2]

Thanks for all of this, you were correct about the front fans (which I have 3 of) being a 3 prong. I changed it to voltage, and my other fans were PWM (4 prongs).



Also, thanks for this. I set up in my BIOS for my fans to go on silent when it comes to the front 3 and for the rest to be normal since I don't play many intensive games. Anything else I should be aware/ take note of?

Thanks to both of you on this quick solution. Hoping for the best.

If they are tuned "silent" is ok for all of your fans under normal conditions. Basically what it does is reduce the fan speed based off of the temperature sensors on various components. Most of the time as your computer is pretty much idle the passive cooling capacity of the case itself provides most if not all of the cooling necessary to keep the case internal temps pretty close to ambient. Silent mode just backs the fans down (or shuts them off) during this cooling need. When your parts start to heat up the motherboard ups the fan speeds accordingly. So even in silent mode you will hear fans as they spin up and down. When you play games or other intensive tasks they will ramp up and then ramp back down when the cooling need isn't there. I run all of my fans on silent mode. The only one you don't want to mess with is if you have water cooling and a pump header. You need to run your pump all of the time, and I suggest that you do it at full RPM. The cooling fans on the radiator can be throttled to the CPU but the pump needs to run constantly. Most high end boards let you tweak the temp to rpm curve and if you have a particular part getting hot I will usually only mess with one or two fans if needed.

 

[Paperdoc]

There's a modest error above, and I'll add a comment.

One needs to grasp the distinction between fan PROFILE and fan MODE setting in BIOS Setup. The Profile setting (options like Standard, Turbo, Quiet, Custom) is the strategy for how the mobo decides to "translate" the current reading of temperature from its sensor into a fan speed signal. The Standard Profile uses a pre-set "curve" of fan speed versus measured temp. Turbo is fixed full speed, Quiet is fixed low speed (and Quiet does not reduce this even further at very low temps) and Custom or some such allows YOU to specify your own version of the automatic control "curve". The Mode setting is the type of control signals sent out to the fan to achieve the speed setting that the Profile has decided to use. The ONLY way to control the speed of a 3-pin fan is to reduce its voltage from 12 VDC (max speed) down to some lower value - 5 VDC is usually the minimum to avoid causing the fan to stall. For a 4-pin fan, however, it gets a constant 12 VDC power supplied on Pin #2, and the additional PWM signal on Pin #4. Inside the motor is a small chip that uses the PWM signal to modify the flow of current from that 12 VDC supply line through the motor windings to change fan speed. If you plug a 3-pin fan (has no such chip) into a header using the new PWM Mode, there is NO speed control and that fan will always run full speed. So with that setting, even if you choose the Quiet setting for Profile, the fan still runs full speed.

When you choose the Quiet profile, you lose some noise, but you also lose any ability for the mobo to adjust itself to changing workloads. At some moderate workload the fans are providing adequate cooling; less workload and they are over-cooling (not a big problem, I suppose). But if your workload goes higher, the fans are not allowed to speed up, so you are now UNDER-cooling. On the other hand, if you choose the Standard Profile, at low workloads the fans will slow down to the minimum necessary to keep cooling on target, and for many that means the noise is very low and entirely acceptable. If you do a heavier workload task, the fans will speed up to keep temps from rising too high, then slow down when you ease up on workload. If you STILL find that noise level too high, one option is to use the Custom Profile and set the fans to run slower than "Standard" would have done at all conditions. BUT with this choice you need to recognize that you are forcing the system to run your components hotter than optimm for the sake of less noise. A better choice for lower noise under all contitions MIGHT be to replace the fans with other models that generate less noise for the same air flow values.

 

[neymarvin]

There's a modest error above, and I'll add a comment.

One needs to grasp the distinction between fan PROFILE and fan MODE setting in BIOS Setup. The Profile setting (options like Standard, Turbo, Quiet, Custom) is the strategy for how the mobo decides to "translate" the current reading of temperature from its sensor into a fan speed signal. The Standard Profile uses a pre-set "curve" of fan speed versus measured temp. Turbo is fixed full speed, Quiet is fixed low speed (and Quiet does not reduce this even further at very low temps) and Custom or some such allows YOU to specify your own version of the automatic control "curve". The Mode setting is the type of control signals sent out to the fan to achieve the speed setting that the Profile has decided to use. The ONLY way to control the speed of a 3-pin fan is to reduce its voltage from 12 VDC (max speed) down to some lower value - 5 VDC is usually the minimum to avoid causing the fan to stall. For a 4-pin fan, however, it gets a constant 12 VDC power supplied on Pin #2, and the additional PWM signal on Pin #4. Inside the motor is a small chip that uses the PWM signal to modify the flow of current from that 12 VDC supply line through the motor windings to change fan speed. If you plug a 3-pin fan (has no such chip) into a header using the new PWM Mode, there is NO speed control and that fan will always run full speed. So with that setting, even if you choose the Quiet setting for Profile, the fan still runs full speed.

When you choose the Quiet profile, you lose some noise, but you also lose any ability for the mobo to adjust itself to changing workloads. At some moderate workload the fans are providing adequate cooling; less workload and they are over-cooling (not a big problem, I suppose). But if your workload goes higher, the fans are not allowed to speed up, so you are now UNDER-cooling. On the other hand, if you choose the Standard Profile, at low workloads the fans will slow down to the minimum necessary to keep cooling on target, and for many that means the noise is very low and entirely acceptable. If you do a heavier workload task, the fans will speed up to keep temps from rising too high, then slow down when you ease up on workload. If you STILL find that noise level too high, one option is to use the Custom Profile and set the fans to run slower than "Standard" would have done at all conditions. BUT with this choice you need to recognize that you are forcing the system to run your components hotter than optimm for the sake of less noise. A better choice for lower noise under all contitions MIGHT be to replace the fans with other models that generate less noise for the same air flow values.

Hi there Paperdoc.
I've changed my settings to match the Voltage setting as stated and realized what 3 pin and 4 pin fans I had. There is something still odd about my computer and not sure if you can help with this (everything so far has been great information- forum is very helpful).
I've adjusted the curves of my fan RPM when reaching x temperatures and it seems to be fine. When it heats up from a game it does the job and ramp up which is perfect (it used to just ramp up on very low temps alongside programs/games that were not demanding at all).
HOWEVER- After the game ends the fans are still the same and not decreasing, even after 20-30 minutes (on a game where it would be surprising for it to heat up to that level and be so demanding). I forgot to mention (because I thought it was all in my head) that I would stick my hand inside the computer when this happened and my fans would slow down back to normal. My friend did the same too when the issue first came up and we thought it was just luck, but then I've done it about 3-5 times after finishing up a game since it never slowed down. We never end up touching a thing inside when this is going on.
I would like to add that when it ramped up while gaming I proceeded to stick my hand inside the computer area after 15 or so minutes and then it would ramp back down while the game was on.
Not sure if you could help with this or if I should make a different post or look elsewhere. Once again, thanks for all the help. A brand new PC is something I never thought I'd be getting anytime soon so I'm still a newbie.

 

[Paperdoc]

The fan speed behaviour you describe certainly is not normal. It should change speeds according to the measured temperatures, and one would expect those to alter according to workload. But another possibility occurs to me. When you stick your hand into the case and cause the fans to slow down, does this mean you have to open the case to stick your arm in? If you do that, there may be a sudden inflow of cooler room air causing the temps to drop inside. If THAT is what happens, it suggests strongly that the case is NOT being cooled sufficiently when it is closed up, and that will need some investigation.

 

[neymarvin]

The fan speed behaviour you describe certainly is not normal. It should change speeds according to the measured temperatures, and one would expect those to alter according to workload. But another possibility occurs to me. When you stick your hand into the case and cause the fans to slow down, does this mean you have to open the case to stick your arm in? If you do that, there may be a sudden inflow of cooler room air causing the temps to drop inside. If THAT is what happens, it suggests strongly that the case is NOT being cooled sufficiently when it is closed up, and that will need some investigation.

Yes the case is open. I tested it out while it was open (so if I gamed for 1 hour it would be open, fans turn intensely then I stick hand in and it would slow down)
Thank you again. Hopefully I get it figured out.

 

[jasonf2]

Most of your fan profiles are going to be tied to the CPU temp unless custom configured. One thing that I would look at is the directional flow of the case fans. The front two should be drawing air in, blowing twards the back of the case and the back one should be exhausting air out. Make sure they are not all pushing air in or trying to pull air out. If they are not correct the solution is just to unscrew and flip the fans over. If the case is open during the whole test are you touching anything when you put your hand inside, or are you running closed case then opening to put hand in? Also did you seat and thermal paste your own CPU / Heatsink? If so please detail what you used for thermal paste and your cooler.

 

[Paperdoc]

As an experiment, do this again with your case closed up normally. Do the fans still run full speed all the time? And then slow down quickly when you open the case and stick in a hand? I'm wondering if the open case is re-routing air flow badly.

Here's another item to check in BIOS Setup. Like most, your mobo will have at least two different temperature sensors used by the different fan headers for guidance. The CPU_FAN and CPU_OPT headers both will always be tied to the sensor built into the CPU chip. But the three SYS_FAN headers (which is where your case ventilation fans should be plugged in) normally should be using the sensor on the motherboard, not the one inside the CPU chip. See your manual p. 31, and check each of those three headers. For each, check the item Fan Control Use Tempereature Input. For each ensure it is set to motherboard sensor. IF you have to change any, ensure you use ESC back to Main Menu, then F10 to get to the Exit menu and choose to SAVE and EXIT.