[SOLVED] Setting up custom fan profile - Need help

[katulen]

Hi,

TLDR: I am a rookie, and need some help setting up a proper fan profile for my system.

When I got my system back 10 months ago, there was already tinkered a bit with fan control.
I have since then updated BIOS and that have reset everything. I have tinkered a bit with CAM software myself, however, I have read that it is better to setup your fans through BIOS.
I had a look, and didn't exactly know what I was looking at. I have read that its best to use PWM mode, but it also means that the fan has to be connected with a 4 pin or such.

Anyway, I need some help setting up a good fan profile for my system, here is my specs:

i7 9700K
NZXT Kraken x72
Asus Strix Z390-F GAMING
Asus Strix RTX2070
Corsair Vengeance RGB 16GB: 2x8GB DDR4 3000MHz
Samsung 970 EVO Plus MZ-V7S500BW 500GB (NVMe) - M.2 Card
Toshiba P300 3.5´´ 2TB - 7200rpm 64MB SATA-600
Corsair RM750x
NZXT H series H700i Window Black

Intake: 3x 120 NZXT fans front.
Exhaust: 3x 120 NZXT fans on rad & 1x 140 NZXT back.

I noticed a few things in BIOS I didnt quite understand. Such as "Ext. Fans" & "Chassis Fans", which is which.
Also noticed WATER PUMP & AIO PUMP - Didnt know which to change settings of.

I prefer a fan profile which will support high temperatures under stress testing, but under gaming 45-65c have a decent noise level whilst still applying good airflow.

I also prefer that my fans have a "ramp up/down" period. So if the CPU hits high temperature for a few seconds and then ramp down again, I dont want my fans to instantly ramp up and down. I hope that make any sense.

Do I want my fans/pump to follow CPU temp, MB temp or Liquid is also another thing i am not quite sure of.

I hope someone will be able to assist me here.

Thanks in advance.

Best regards

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

I noticed a few things in BIOS I didnt quite understand. Such as "Ext. Fans" & "Chassis Fans", which is which.
Also noticed WATER PUMP & AIO PUMP - Didnt know which to change settings of.

these are the names of the individual motherboard fan headers.
there will be a diagram in your motherboard user manual showing all headers & ports and their names.

each header, and the fan attached to it, can have a different speed curve profile based on different system temperatures.
you will have to determine which fans are connected to which headers and set them up accordingly.

but, 3pin fans will run at a static speed. while 4pin fans will give you the PWM control to change the speed of the fans.

sometimes it is easier to use the motherboard system control software(in your case; ASUS AI Suite) to setup your fans rather than the BIOS.
and this way you can monitor and change profiles while using Windows, instead of logging out to the BIOS each time.

I prefer a fan profile which will support high temperatures under stress testing, but under gaming 45-65c have a decent noise level whilst still applying good airflow.

this will depend on the fans you use and the case noise dampening. you will have to experiment to see what is a good fan speed/noise ratio.

Do I want my fans/pump to follow CPU temp, MB temp or Liquid is also another thing i am not quite sure of.

the CPU cooler should be set based on CPU temps. but sometimes this will cause the fans to spin up/down constantly as a single core may reach higher temps for short periods.
if this is the case; set it based on liquid temps.

i usually also set all other fans based on CPU temps. but experimenting with these options can also provide you with a better temperature/noise ratio.

 

[katulen]

Thanks for your reply.

each header, and the fan attached to it, can have a different speed curve profile based on different system temperatures.
you will have to determine which fans are connected to which headers and set them up accordingly.

Isn't there a way to check what they are connected to, without actually going into the case etc?

And yeah, using AI Suite might be a better option, rather than going into BIOS everytime. Do you know if it support the exact same options as BIOS does?

the CPU cooler should be set based on CPU temps. but sometimes this will cause the fans to spin up/down constantly as a single core may reach higher temps for short periods.
if this is the case; set it based on liquid temps.

i usually also set all other fans based on CPU temps. but experimenting with these options can also provide you with a better temperature/noise ratio.

I saw some option in BIOS (Q Fan Controls), that you could change ramp up/down speed of the fan - I would assume that would help with the issue of ramping up & down as a core hits a higher temp just to go down again quickly - Or is that something completely different?

Also, a little test I've just done.
I am currently trying to get my 5.0GHz overclock stable again, and I use Prime95 v26.6 small ffts for thermal measures. Before I touched ANY fan settings, I consistently hit 97c MAX while using p95 small ffts.
For fun, I just changed my rad fans to follow CPU instead of Liquid, and that made my fans go to a 100%. That decreased my CPU Package from 97c (max) to 86c (max).

Mid-run, I changed the rad fans to follow Liquid, and the temperature instantly began rising to 92c before I turned it back to follow CPU and it began to decrease again.

Obviously I dont want my fans to be 100% when under gaming load (45-65c), but it just showed me how big influence the fan profile can have.

I was under the expression, that the higher fan speed, didnt nescessarily mean better temperature, because it all comes down to airflow. But 11c difference is quite amazing imo.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Isn't there a way to check what they are connected to, without actually going into the case etc?

...there will be a diagram in your motherboard user manual showing all headers & ports and their names....

I saw some option in BIOS (Q Fan Controls), that you could change ramp up/down speed of the fan - I would assume that would help with the issue of ramping up & down as a core hits a higher temp just to go down again quickly

usually this will have the effect you are looking for.

 

[katulen]

usually this will have the effect you are looking for.

Okay. I guess I will just have to tinker with that setting in order to find a sweet spot.

Also, how can I tell what is "Chassis Fans 1, 2, 3" and what is "Extension Fans 1, 2, 3" ?

How do I know which is my exhaust rad fans(3) and which is my front intake fans(3)?

For instance, I downloaded AI Suite as you suggested, and i put all chassis fans & extension fans to 100% regardless of CPU temp, and hit Apply - Didnt change my fan speed what so ever.
What am i missing here? :/

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

...how can I tell what is "Chassis Fans 1, 2, 3" and what is "Extension Fans 1, 2, 3" ?

and again

there will be a diagram in your motherboard user manual showing all headers & ports and their names.

it is an image of the actual motherboard showing the locations of all ports and headers with their names. CHA_FAN, SYS_FAN, CPU_FAN, etc.
you will have to determine which fan is attached to each individual header.

your CPU cooler fan's cables should be attached to the radiator, not motherboard headers. and then the radiator will have a single 4pin cable that attaches to the motherboard's CPU_FAN header. the AIO cooler's software should be controlling these fans separately.

if our case has a built-in fan hub, than your front intake fans are probably attached to it. these would normally be controlled by front panel case fan switches/buttons.
did you manually connect them to your motherboard or were they already setup connected to a case hub?

ASUS Extension Fan(s) usually pertains to a special ASUS proprietary EXT_FAN header on the motherboard. they have a card that attaches and adds additional fan headers.
regular fans will not attach here. so you can probably ignore this header and it's settings.

 

[katulen]

and againit is an image of the actual motherboard showing the locations of all ports and headers with their names. CHA_FAN, SYS_FAN, CPU_FAN, etc.
you will have to determine which fan is attached to each individual header.

your CPU cooler fan's cables should be attached to the radiator, not motherboard headers. and then the radiator will have a single 4pin cable that attaches to the motherboard's CPU_FAN header. the AIO cooler's software should be controlling these fans separately.

if our case has a built-in fan hub, than your front intake fans are probably attached to it. these would normally be controlled by front panel case fan switches/buttons.
did you manually connect them to your motherboard or were they already setup connected to a case hub?

ASUS Extension Fan(s) usually pertains to a special ASUS proprietary EXT_FAN header on the motherboard. they have a card that attaches and adds additional fan headers.
regular fans will not attach here. so you can probably ignore this header and it's settings.

Sorry for me being lazy here. I understood you loud and clearly - I guess I am just looking for an easy way of figuring this out, by tuning a fan setting to 100% to then determine its controlling this specific fan.

I did not build my system myself. It was build by the shop whom i bought it from.
So I am actually unaware if its connected directly to the motherboard or a case hub. I think there must be some case hub / smart device, since it can be controlled by CAM Software.

Here is a picture of my CAM:
https://gyazo.com/0af7c3227ac2725bd9913163fbca8402

The Kraken fan being the rad fans.

Smart device:
I assume Fan 1 is probably the 3 front fans and Fan 3 is most likely the back exhaust fan. But i am not sure at all.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

i've seen some NZXT cases advertising a "smart hub" that controls fan speeds & RGB options. so I would guess your fans & any LEDs are attached here and therefore showing in the NZXT CAM software.

while looking through the side window of the case and comparing to the motherboard diagram;
see which fan headers have cables attached. then by setting these headers to 100% in AI Suite > Fan Expert you should be able to determine which, if any, fans are being controlled by which motherboard header.

unless you have added any additional fans since purchase, they are probably all connected to this NZXT smart hub and not directly to the motherboard. so Ai Suite may have no control over any of the fan speeds. CAM would be handling this instead.

 

[katulen]

unless you have added any additional fans since purchase, they are probably all connected to this NZXT smart hub and not directly to the motherboard. so Ai Suite may have no control over any of the fan speeds. CAM would be handling this instead.

That make sense. So because all the fans are connected to the smart device / case hub, they cant be controlled by BIOS nor AI Suite, and therefor has no effect when changing settings within those.

So basicly, my fans can ONLY be controlled by CAM, unless I decide to connect them directly to the motherboard it self, yes?

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

So basicly, my fans can ONLY be controlled by CAM, unless I decide to connect them directly to the motherboard it self, yes?

a lot of fan hubs and case hubs have a PWM "out" cable that can be connected to a motherboard 4pin header and controlled via motherboard.
you'd have to check the NZXT hub for this option if wanted to use it.

the same with RGB headers. if the hub has an RGB "out" cable that can connect to a motherboard header, than you can sync all of the connected RGB devices to a motherboard controlled color/pattern setting.

 

[katulen]

a lot of fan hubs and case hubs have a PWM "out" cable that can be connected to a motherboard 4pin header and controlled via motherboard.
you'd have to check the NZXT hub for this option if wanted to use it.

the same with RGB headers. if the hub has an RGB "out" cable that can connect to a motherboard header, than you can sync all of the connected RGB devices to a motherboard controlled color/pattern setting.

I see. That make alot of sense. Thank you.

So, to get back to the topic, fan curve. I have read that normally higher speed doesnt nescessarily means cooler components, because it all comes down to good airflow.
But how come, changing the 3x rad fans to 100% during stresstest (p95 small ffts) resulted in -11c difference (97max to 86max) ?

I am not sure about this, but wouldnt you want to "sync" the speed of your intake with your exhaust fans to avoid turbolence inside the case ?

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

with your setup in particular;
the radiator has fans that are blowing air out through it, expelling that air from the case. this means that the heat from the CPU is getting blown out of the case away from components. so the faster that air is blown away, the more heat is essentially removed causing lower temps.

the same works with case airflow.
if you have faster fans with more air pressure, more cool air is being brought in and more warm air is being pumped out resulting in cooler components system-wide.

the only time fan speed wouldn't be a factor is in a closed environment where the heat is static and trapped. this only results in the same warm air being blown around with no exchange of cool air to take it's place no matter how fast the fans may be blowing.

I am not sure about this, but wouldnt you want to "sync" the speed of your intake with your exhaust fans to avoid turbolence inside the case ?

you always want slight positive pressure in your case(a bit more cool air coming in than warm blowing out).
this way pockets of air can be avoided because the cooler air has a bit more pressure and gets pushed into otherwise warmer pockets in the case resulting in this air getting cycled around and eventually out of the case.

 

[katulen]

with your setup in particular;
the radiator has fans that are blowing air out through it, expelling that air from the case. this means that the heat from the CPU is getting blown out of the case away from components. so the faster that air is blown away, the more heat is essentially removed causing lower temps.

the same works with case airflow.
if you have faster fans with more air pressure, more cool air is being brought in and more warm air is being pumped out resulting in cooler components system-wide.

the only time fan speed wouldn't be a factor is in a closed environment where the heat is static and trapped. this only results in the same warm air being blown around with no exchange of cool air to take it's place no matter how fast the fans may be blowing.
you always want slight positive pressure in your case(a bit more cool air coming in than warm blowing out).
this way pockets of air can be avoided because the cooler air has a bit more pressure and gets pushed into otherwise warmer pockets in the case resulting in this air getting cycled around and eventually out of the case.

Okay. I was just surprised how big of a difference it made, while doing stresstesting.
But it obv. make sense.

About positive pressure. So i basicly want my 3 intake fans to spin a little bit faster than my 4 exhaust fans?
Example: At CPU 60C, Intake is at 55% speed and Exhaust is at 50% speed - Would that be enough to create positive pressure?

Or perhaps because I've got 1 more exhaust than intake, I need a bigger difference on intake & exhaust, i.e. 60% intake & 50% exhaust speed?

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

considering all fans are the same size, same pressure, and same available RPM.
then taking into account that there is a radiator limiting the exhaust airflow of three fans.

i would set the radiator fan speed curve profile(all 3x fans) to run from 30% @ 30° > 90% @ 65°,
the rear fan ~25% @ 30° > 75% @ 65°,
and the front fans ~33% @ 30° > 85% @ 65°.
if the front of the case has sufficient ventilation this should result in slight positive pressure with decent noise and temps.

and try varying those % slightly up/down to see what kind of a difference in noise vs temps you get while idling and while under regular stress like gaming.

 

[katulen]

considering all fans are the same size, same pressure, and same available RPM.
then taking into account that there is a radiator limiting the exhaust airflow of three fans.

i would set the radiator fan speed curve profile(all 3x fans) to run from 30% @ 30° > 90% @ 65°,
the rear fan ~25% @ 30° > 75% @ 65°,
and the front fans ~33% @ 30° > 85% @ 65°.
if the front of the case has sufficient ventilation this should result in slight positive pressure with decent noise and temps.

and try varying those % slightly up/down to see what kind of a difference in noise vs temps you get while idling and while under regular stress like gaming.

Thank you.

In regards to size & pressure. The rear fan is 140mm, while every other fan is 120mm. So I guess the rear fan has lower RPM to produce the same pressure ?

If you take a look at this picture: https://gyazo.com/9ca9a3df8ecb75bc8e7d2cb18cc3f6e2
Kraken Fan = 3x Rad Exhaust Fans
Fan 1 = 3x Intake Fans
Fan 2 = Not used
Fan 3 = Rear Fan

The 3x Exhaust & 3x Intake fans run at same % speed but different RPM's.
I spoke with NZXT which said this: "That's because no two fans will ever perform the same, due to how factory tolerances work. ".
If that statement is correct, I do not know.

But in regard to your fan curve suggestion. 65C is around what I will max get whilst gaming. It will hover around 50-65C depending on game, load etc. Having 90% fan speed at 65C will be to noisy for me, I can confirm that after some testing today. However, the 50-65C gaming temp was when my 3x rad exhaust fans was following my Liquid temp and not CPU temp. So when CPU was 65C, liquid would only be max 40-42C and that would make my 3x Rad Exhaust Fans run at 40% according to the old profile.

So I guess with some customization, I can perhaps get my gaming temps a bit lower than what they were before, seeing the result earlier today with p95.

Also, I am only able to change my fan % in 5% increments, unfortunately. Cause that also kinda forces me to set my 3 rad fans to follow CPU and not Liquid.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

In regards to size & pressure. The rear fan is 140mm, while every other fan is 120mm. So I guess the rear fan has lower RPM to produce the same pressure ?

totally depends on the design of the fan. the rated specs(RPM, CFM, dB, ect) would be listed by the manufacturer on the packaging, on the manufacturer product page, and usually on any decent online retailer's site that carries them.

you can have 140 and 120mm fans that run at the same RPM, but if the blade design is more efficient the 120mm could have higher CFM(air pressure).

The 3x Exhaust & 3x Intake fans run at same % speed but different RPM's.
I spoke with NZXT which said this: "That's because no two fans will ever perform the same, due to how factory tolerances work. ".
If that statement is correct, I do not know.

the NZXT CPU cooler would have come with fans designed for radiators and heatsinks while case fans would be designed for chassis intake/exhaust.

the CPU cooler's fans would have a higher RPM & CFM than the others.

but even the exact same make/model fans will vary slightly. the RPMs are usually listed as "+/- ~5%".