Fan control issues.

[Haldrik]

Hi All,

I just purchased an ASUS CrossHair IV formula and an AMD phenom II 1090T. I've been attempting overclocking but I am having issues getting the fans go any faster.

My CPU fan is a Noctua nh-d14. I have both fans plugged into a Y and then the fan is plugged onto the motherboard CPU pin. They are 3 pin connectors.

The fan does not go above 1300 RPM and generally sits between 1000-1300. I have tried adjusting the Q-fan settings in the bios and this does nothing. I set the 100% duty whenever the CPU is below 40C. Currently the CPU idles at 41C. So obviously that fan control is not working.

I also cannot control any of the case fans connected to the motherboard through the bios either. I attempted to use SpeedFan but it could not even see the fan speeds.

I'm pretty much completely lost on how to increase the speed of the fans. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[COLGeek]

The Y splitter adds to confusion for the mobo's fan control as a result of 2 fans reporting on a single connector. Did you plug them into the CPU fan header or to the case fan header?

 

[Haldrik]

The Y splitter adds to confusion for the mobo's fan control as a result of 2 fans reporting on a single connector. Did you plug them into the CPU fan header or to the case fan header?

Hi,

I plugged the Y splitter into the motherboards CPU fan header. I also have 3 case fans plugged into 2 chassis heads and 1 optional header.

The RPM readings from the bios and ASUS PC probe report 1000-1300 RPM while SpeedFan is giving some strange readings (running in admin.)

I followed a speedfan guide and attempted to adjust the speeds that way with a no go. I also attempted to change the fan speeds via bios controls, using manual and then attempting to overclock. And then also using the "turbo" fan setting.

Neither setting result in any change to my fan speeds.

 

[COLGeek]

Remove the splitter and connect one fan only, as an experiment, to see if that helps. Regardless, you should be fine in terms of heat management with all of the fans you have.

 

[Haldrik]

Remove the splitter and connect one fan only, as an experiment, to see if that helps. Regardless, you should be fine in terms of heat management with all of the fans you have.

I will try that when I get home from work. But I don't think I'll see any difference. If my motherboard cannot control the other fans that are plugged into the other headers, why would it be able to control this one? I feel like there is some other issue going on...

Also my heat management is not fine if I want to overclock. (Hence why I posted in the overclocking forums.) Overclocking to 3.8 brings my CPU temperate to 58 and 4.0 brings it to 60 at which point I turn off Prime.

The CPU idles at approx 40C. Those temperatures seem pretty high to me.

 

[COLGeek]

The splitter confuses the speed sensors, that is what you are checking. Also, with 3 case fans (even at low speeds) you should be fine UNLESS you have very poor airflow.

As a general rule (assuming a PSU that exhausts hot air out the rear):
- Front fans suck cool air INTO the case
-Top/Rear fans suck hot air OUT of the case
-Side fans suck cool air INTO the CPU/GPU area

Are yours configured that way? Also, check you cable placement and remove as many obstructions as possible (the magic of cable ties).

Last, is your BIOS up to date? Shouldn't matter, but just checking.

 

[Haldrik]

Ok, that will definitely be the first thing I check. There is a PSU fan header next to the CPU. Will there be any issues plugging 1 CPU fan into CPU header and the 2nd into the PSU header? (push/pull method on cpu)

I'm running the Corsair 600T case right now. It has a front fan sucking air in. A top / rear fan pulling air out.

My concern for the chasis heat is that I'm running 2x 6950(6970 bios) with stock coolers that are producing a lot of heat. I have an omega claro soundcard stuck in the middle of them due to space issues. I want to get as much air in that area as possible to reduce heat.

As the case fans/cpu fans are virtually silent right now, I really think increasing the fan speed will help quite a bit.

My other option is the Corsair case comes with a fan controller, I opted to skip this as I thought the mobo could controll the fan speeds based on the temperate where as the fan controller is static.

I also flashed the bio a few days ago with ASUS's most up to date bios. (Just built the system)

Thanks COLGeek, I appreciate you taking the time to reply.

 

[COLGeek]

The PSU header won't power your fan (I think not anyway). It is for PSUs with sensor connectors. You can try, but I have my doubts.

Now I understand why your system is so hot (GPUs and soundcard).

I suggest you look at the manual for the fan controller and go that route. You will have much better control than with the mobo anyway.

Good luck! Glad to help!!

 

[Haldrik]

Oh, I forgot to mention the Corsair has amazing cable routing. Nearly everything is behind the motherboard.

I was hoping I could use the motherboard temperature sensors and have them adjust the fan speed based on ambient sensors.

The Corsair case has a knob that you can turn to increase fan speed. But I find it a bit silly to change the knob from low to high when system is idle/full load. And this doesn't solve the CPU RPM issue. I'm assuming I would want to run the CPU higher then the chasis fans.

I suppose it's too much to ask for w/o a third party fan control system.

Although I think speedfan would be awesome but its so ungodly complicated and doesn't seem to pick up all the fans on my motherboard. Not to mention I couldn't get it to work.

 

[Xplode]

Hi,

I have the same Noctua CPU cooler, I have had both of the fans connected seperately to my motherboard, and I have also tried them on a fan controller, they have been running for a solid 6 months now, and never had an overheating problem, I did some research and found that those particular Noctua fans are rated for a maximum speed of about 1100-1300RPM, they are also some of the highest performing fans I have been able to find, the airflow they provide is pretty much unmatched by any other fan that I have seen.

If you are getting a solid 1200-1300rpm from your cpu fan, then dont worry about it, that is the maximum you will get from those fans.