PC Case Fan working only on 500RPM

[AbyssD]

Hey guys, i bought this case fans https://www.arctic.ac/eu_en/arctic-f12-tc.html

From the start they are only working on 500RPM no less no higher than that.. I have installed them directly to the motherboard but still can get them to work on higher RPM than 500, are they broken or im doing something wrong?

 

[cryoburner]

From the page you linked to...

"The temperature sensor is on a 40 cm cable and can be placed in the warm areas of your computer. This assures temperatures no higher than 38 °C anywhere in the case and supports the cooling of your CPU or graphics card. On the other side this fan keeps the noise level absolutely minimal and only increases the speed if necessary."

These are apparently temperature-controlled fans. The sensor should adjust the fan speed based on the air temperature. If the air temperature is under 32C at the place where you positioned the sensor, then the fans should remain at their minimum speed.

 

[AbyssD]

I cut the the temperature sensors since i found them useless and they were getting in my way.. I think i should get something better for fans those are useless..

 

[Paperdoc]

I agree. Those fans are designed for use in a system that can NOT use mobo automatic control, and they attempt to replace that function. They are NOT suitable for a common system.

Now, you really need to pay attention to your mobo's specifications in choosing new fans. Their type (3-pin or 4-pin) needs to match the method your mobo's fan headers use for control. And unfortunately, the number of pins on the mobo header does NOT tell you the whole story.

To get it right, post back here the maker and exact model number of your mobo. Also tell us what you are using for the CPU cooler, and how many case ventilation fans you plan to use. With this we can look up the details of your mobo and advise what fan type to buy.

 

[AbyssD]

I agree. Those fans are designed for use in a system that can NOT use mobo automatic control, and they attempt to replace that function. They are NOT suitable for a common system.

Now, you really need to pay attention to your mobo's specifications in choosing new fans. Their type (3-pin or 4-pin) needs to match the method your mobo's fan headers use for control. And unfortunately, the number of pins on the mobo header does NOT tell you the whole story.

To get it right, post back here the maker and exact model number of your mobo. Also tell us what you are using for the CPU cooler, and how many case ventilation fans you plan to use. With this we can look up the details of your mobo and advise what fan type to buy.

i have the Asus Maximus Vii Hero in Corsair Carbide 300R, i have 5 working fans in my case, the 2 top ones are on the same header with splitter. the cpu cooler its the Raijintek themis evo thank you for your assistance

 

[Paperdoc]

You don't say, but I believe the fans that came pre-mounted in that case are of the 3-pin design. I will assume that all your case ventilation fans - five total - will be 3-pin. The CPU cooler fan is 4-pin true PWM type, so plugging it into the mobo CPU_FAN header is correct.

The four CHA_FAN headers on your mobo each can be configured to use either PWM Mode or DC Mode to control fans. Your 3-pin fans will REQUIRE using DC Mode. Further, the handiest way to connect those 5 fans will be to use Splitters. It does not matter whether the Splitters are 3-pin or 4-pin design because either will work for you. You already have one Splitter for the two at top. Get two more 2-output Splitters, or maybe one 3-output Splitter, to accommodate the rest. Connect each Splitter to a CHA_FAN header.

Now to configuring those headers in BIOS Setup - see manual p. 3-41 and 3-42. The CPU one is straightforward. It should be set to use PWM Mode and "Standard" Fan Profile. For each of the CHA_FAN headers you are using, set them to DC Mode, the "MB" source for temperature measurement, and "Standard" Fan Profile. Remember to SAVE and EXIT to save your new settings.

 

[AbyssD]

You don't say, but I believe the fans that came pre-mounted in that case are of the 3-pin design. I will assume that all your case ventilation fans - five total - will be 3-pin. The CPU cooler fan is 4-pin true PWM type, so plugging it into the mobo CPU_FAN header is correct.

The four CHA_FAN headers on your mobo each can be configured to use either PWM Mode or DC Mode to control fans. Your 3-pin fans will REQUIRE using DC Mode. Further, the handiest way to connect those 5 fans will be to use Splitters. It does not matter whether the Splitters are 3-pin or 4-pin design because either will work for you. You already have one Splitter for the two at top. Get two more 2-output Splitters, or maybe one 3-output Splitter, to accommodate the rest. Connect each Splitter to a CHA_FAN header.

Now to configuring those headers in BIOS Setup - see manual p. 3-41 and 3-42. The CPU one is straightforward. It should be set to use PWM Mode and "Standard" Fan Profile. For each of the CHA_FAN headers you are using, set them to DC Mode, the "MB" source for temperature measurement, and "Standard" Fan Profile. Remember to SAVE and EXIT to save your new settings.

I was considering to buy a fan hub like NZXT Grid 10 do you recommend? This or Fan controller.

Thank you very much for your help

 

[Paperdoc]

I am not a fan of third-party fan controller modules. These are items that you mount in a front panel slot to give you control over your fans. First, virtually NONE of them can do "automatic" control of fans guided by an actual temperature measurement. All allow you to set a fan speed MANUALLY and it won't change until you adjust the setting. This means YOU are the controller with all the brains. YOU must decide what is the correct speed for each fan - based on what criterion? And when conditions change, you have to take a moment or two to go change all your fan settings. A better Fan Controller also will display for you the speed of each of its fans, which is something a Hub or Splitter cannot do. (A Hub or Splitter can feed back to a mobo header for display only the speed of ONE of the fans connected to it.) The fanciest Controllers (well over $50 usually) claim to be able to do their own automatic control, but the temperature sensors they use are separate probes you must install in whatever YOU decide is the correct spot and try to keep them installed securely.

A mobo has two automatic temperature control systems usually - one for the CPU chip, and a second for the case ventilation. Each uses a different temperature sensor: the CPU system uses a sensor built into the CPU chip itself, and the case system uses a sensor built into the mobo. SOME mobos allow some of their case ventilation headers to use alternative sensors for particular preferences. All of these systems really are TEMPERATURE control systems, even though we talk about "fan speed control". Each has a target for the TEMPERATURE of the component being cooled, and a sensor of the actual temperature. Each control system manipulates a source of cooling (the speed of a fan) to keep the temperature on target. We speak of a fan speed control because that is the variable that is manipulated, but the TARGET of all this is the temperature of a device that needs cooling. That is why manual "Fan Controllers" cannot do what an automatic mobo-based system can.

So, I prefer that all fans be controlled automatically by mobo headers. For the CPU, this ALWAYS means that its cooler should be plugged into the mobo CPU_FAN header. For the case as a whole, one or more CHA_FAN headers are the places for fan connections. The trick in the latter cases is that each mobo header can only supply up to 1 amp in total for all the fans connected to that header, and that normally means no more than 3 or 4 "normal" fans (no high-power, an no LED fans) per header. If you need to do more than that, you need a HUB. BUT the only Hubs that can work are those that MUST have a connection to a mobo header that actually uses PWM Mode as its control method, and (with one exception) must be powering true 4-pin PWM fans.

That NZXT Grid Hub is NOT a "Hub" in my view. It does NOT get any control signal from a mobo header. It does get power from the PSU via a Molex output, but then all it does is provide that full voltage at all times to all the fans plugged into it. Thus there is NO control of the fan speeds.

For your purposes - connecting many 3-pin fans to mobo-based automatic control - there is one Hub that CAN do the job. Get the Phaneks PWM Hub for this - maybe, see below. This hub is unusual in that it converts from PWM control method to Voltage Control Method (aka DC Mode) so that it CAN control the speed of 3-pin fans. It requires a PWM signal from a mobo header to do this, and your mobo's four CHA_FAN headers can be set to use PWM Mode. It does get all fan power from the PSU using a SATA power output (not Molex) so it is not limited by the 1 amp limit of a header. Thus you could use it with one mobo CHA_FAN header to power and control many 3-pin fans for case ventilation.

BUT you don't actually need it. Your mobo has four CHA_FAN headers, each of which can be configured to use DC Mode. You have five case fans, and already have one Splitter to connect two of them to a single mobo header. You could simply connect each of the other three to their own individual CHA_FAN header, or you could follow my earlier suggestion and get one or two more Splitters to connect them to CHA_FAN headers. No splitters, or one or two, will be cheaper than a Phanteks PWM Hub.

 

[Paperdoc]

Thanks for Best Solution. Have fun and enjoy using your system.

 

[AbyssD]

Thanks for Best Solution. Have fun and enjoy using your system.

I am the one to thank you! The information you provided really helped me and solved my questions You are amazing!