testing new case and cooler

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Chad Hughes

Chad Hughes

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Aug 7, 2013
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so i just recently built a case into my desk and installed a new cpu cooler and more ram i wanna make sure im getting enough air flow and cooling what tests should i run and what temps should i have im using a GIGABYTE GA-970A-UD3P motherboard a fx8320 and a cryorig h7 cooler thanks in advance
 
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You can use something like HWMonitor for a complete overview of all the temps and all your fan rpms. You don't need intensive testing for just checking if your rig cooling is ok. Fire up a game, and play for 10 min. Should give you an idea about what you can expect from cpu/gpu temps.
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OK so from page 14 of your manual, actually only the cpu fan header is proper 4 pin and takes a pwm fan (what cpu coolers come with usually), and the rest of your fan headers, one system one is 4 pin and the other 2 are 3 pin but if I'm reading this correctly even the 4 pin one is actually voltage controlled. And unless I'm reading this wrong, it's the only system fan that can be speed controlled at all.
From https://www.gigabyte.com/MicroSite/369/images/system-tweaking.html
I can see the utility will allow you to control the cpu fan, and the sys_fan 1 somewhat according to system temp, but I don't think you have any measure of control of the other two (getting that from page 22/23 of the manual).
So in short, yes if you want to fine tune all fans, get a fan controller. The fan control offered by your board is very limited.
 
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To close the chapter on the fans, just check if your case fans are 3 pin or 4 pin (check their wires, if they have 3 or 4 little wires) and then buy appropriate fan controller.

Hm I like the look of the switches very much but...they're very different voltages. Not sure how to advise you which one to use. I know very little about switch modding but I can see you'd use something like http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/info_3330.html to connect it to the motherboard.
This guide uses the 12V one:
http://forums.kustompcs.co.uk/threads/lamptron-vandal-resistant-power-switch-connection-guide.26832/
and apparently diagram on how to connect is included. Make sure....these sites are all UK. Just..make sure power compliance wise it's ok for north american use. I don't know if that makes any difference or not, but I don't see why some switches are 3V and other 12V. I thought that really pertained only to lighting but I just haven't read enough about this, sorry.
If it was me building it, I'd probably get something already connected like:
https://www.amazon.com/uxcell-Desktop-Computer-Supply-Button/dp/B00HG7HO22/ref=pd_bxgy_147_img_2/145-3054171-2079620?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00HG7HO22&pd_rd_r=H746RF5GDKT8GMPJJ17D&pd_rd_w=1n65g&pd_rd_wg=eDulq&psc=1&refRID=H746RF5GDKT8GMPJJ17D
so I don't have to worry about it but it's probably not very hard to set up a custom switch either and connect the wire according to a supplied diagram 😛
 
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Here:
https://www.amazon.com/KNACRO-Chassis-Switch-computer-restart/dp/B01N4HZRWX/ref=pd_sbs_147_14?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01N4HZRWX&pd_rd_r=CFJAZDTVDHMZEG4WX3ZA&pd_rd_w=hcJt7&pd_rd_wg=QmNBV&psc=1&refRID=CFJAZDTVDHMZEG4WX3ZA
Like what you wanted but already connected.
But what about your front panel USBs and audio jacks? Oh...I guess:
https://www.amazon.com/UCEC-5-25-Inch-Front-Panel/dp/B00UBFXMXG/ref=pd_sbs_147_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00UBFXMXG&pd_rd_r=2M0PHKTYG8QT3F0308PF&pd_rd_w=f7sxk&pd_rd_wg=HFn59&psc=1&refRID=2M0PHKTYG8QT3F0308PF
or
https://www.amazon.com/2-Port-Microphone-Desktop-Connector-Adapter/dp/B01A5DGJQA/ref=pd_sbs_147_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01A5DGJQA&pd_rd_r=2M0PHKTYG8QT3F0308PF&pd_rd_w=f7sxk&pd_rd_wg=HFn59&psc=1&refRID=2M0PHKTYG8QT3F0308PF
though that's all a lot of space now to cut....
 
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origanally i was gonna use this for the front usb-- https://usb.brando.com/search.php?keyword=USB+3.0+20-Pin+Header+Male+to+USB+3.0+Dual+Type-A+Female+Cable&submit=

and 2 switches for power and reset that's it no audio as i have a pair of turtle beaches that are wireless now that my motherboard wont support me controlling my fans it throws a wrench in my plan\idea
 
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Hmmm. You could get around the fan controller like this. For the back fan you get a fan that's like 1000 rpm max or 1200 rpm. Something that won't bleed your ears sitting at max constantly. You set it to max (can plug it to one of the 3 pin headers or directly into PSU). All 3 fans should be 3 pin fans btw. I don't know what you have, but none of your case fans should be pwm for this to work.
Anyway, for the two front fans, you buy a y splitter. Since typically fan headers support up to 1A and fans draw 0.1-0.3 A, you could comfortably with the splitter mount the two front fans to your 4 pin voltage controlled fan header and control their speed with the gigabyte utility. They'll both spin at the same speed but that should be an ok limitation.
That way you can avoid the fan controller. It wouldn't give you many options if you decide to add more fans, but I don't think you plan on that anyway.
 
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Ok so from specs page of your fans, they draw 0.4A at max rpm which is kind of high. This will limit how you use the hub.
Basically in order to control the speeds of all fans, you'll have to plug the power cable (sata) of your hub into the PSU and then all your fans into the hub (including the cpu fan), and then the hub's cable will use the CPU fan header on the motherboard. That way the pwm signal will control both your cpu pwm fan and your voltage controlled fans somehow, psu will supply the power, and they'll all spin according to the cpu's temperature. What their speed is will differ slightly because the fan on the cpu cooler and your case fans will be different, but should be similar and should go up and down the same. It won't give you individual fan control but that's ok, you don't really need it.

There's another way to connect but because your fans draw high amperage at max do not do this or else you may damage things. The other way would have been to connect cpu cooler alone on cpu fan header, and connect case fans to fan hub, and then connect that to that one 4 pin header that's not a true pwm header, and voltage control fans that way. Problem is, that fan header is I'm assuming only 1A (doesn't say anything different in the manual) and 3 fans at 0.4A will overload it. If you plug in SATA cable into psu in that configuration, to supply power that way instead of through the motherboard, they'll just spin at max speed and so you have no speed control. So this configuration isn't an option.
 
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