New rig, questions about features

[tstng]

Just upgraded my pc and did a bunch of firsts so i'm a bit out of the loop about certain options/settings/features.

Upgarded from amd to intel (and it's been a while since my last intel cpu & mb), first UEFI mb and first Asrock mobo. From AMD Phenom II X3 to i5-2500k, Asus 785G mobo to Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3.

Just skimmed through the UEFI settings, not going to mess with anything yet, as there are a lot of settings i'm not familiar with, but one things is really bothering me. With my previous Asus 785G mobo my cpu fan speed would go up/down based on cpu temps but with this new rig the fan is always at a fixed speed. I can adjust the speed manually but it won't change according to cpu temps. I know amd chipsets well but i'm cluless when it comes to sandy bridge.

So is it a missing option on the asrock board, or the chipset (because i'm not familiar with z68 chipset) or a settting i don't know about being enabled/disabled?

 

[Chicano]

The processor fan speed control is in the BIOS, but you can control the speed with an application such as SpeedFan, if you'd rather have more direct control. Check the guide for more information on the subject.

PC Fan Speed Control Guide
http://www.a3webtech.com/index.php/pc-fan-speed-control-guide.

SpeedFan to automatically control your PC’s fan speeds
http://unitstep.net/blog/2007/11/02/using-speedfan-to-automatically-control-your-pcs-fan-speeds/

 

[tstng]

The processor fan speed control is in the BIOS, but you can control the speed with an application such as SpeedFan, if you'd rather have more direct control. Check the guide for more information on the subject.

PC Fan Speed Control Guide
http://www.a3webtech.com/index.php/pc-fan-speed-control-guide.

SpeedFan to automatically control your PC’s fan speeds
http://unitstep.net/blog/2007/11/02/using-speedfan-to-automatically-control-your-pcs-fan-speeds/

Speedfan is pretty much the only software i have found that could automaticaly control fan speeds but it's way to complicated for the simple job i'm trying to do (unlike MSI Afterburner which does this extremely easy, but it's only for gpu fans). And it seems odd to me that a more advanced mobo can't do something an old mobo with 785g chipset can do by default.

 

[Chicano]

Just found a PDF manual for your Motherboard and BIOS...

Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 User Manual,
http://download.asrock.com/manual/Z68 Extreme3 Gen3.pdf

So search in the BIOS in: "Advanced \ CPU Fan 1 & 2 Setting". Click on the link to open the PDF User Manual and save a copy to your Hard Disk Drive and look for the UEFI BIOS image and instructions in page 69.

BTW... all PC motherboard BIOS settings I have checked, had the CPU Fan Speed in constant speed, so you have to manually set the variable speed setting.

 

[tstng]

Just found a PDF manual for your Motherboard and BIOS...

Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 User Manual,
http://download.asrock.com/manual/Z68 Extreme3 Gen3.pdf

So search in the BIOS in: "Advanced \ CPU Fan 1 & 2 Setting". Click on the link to open the PDF User Manual and save a copy to your Hard Disk Drive and look for the UEFI BIOS image and instructions in page 69.

BTW... all PC motherboard BIOS settings I have checked, had the CPU Fan Speed in constant speed, so you have to manually set the variable speed setting.

That was the first thing I checked, the problem is there are only 2 options: Full On or manually select 1 speed level (which is a fixed speed, not a variable one). My old 785g mobo had the option to set initial speed and the temp at which it would reach max speed, and the fan would automatically speed up or slow down as necesary. Dont know how to set that kind of behavior in this mobo though.

 

[Chicano]

That was the first thing I checked, the problem is there are only 2 options: Full On or manually select 1 speed level (which is a fixed speed, not a variable one). My old 785g mobo had the option to set initial speed and the temp at which it would reach max speed, and the fan would automatically speed up or slow down as necesary. Dont know how to set that kind of behavior in this mobo though.

The PDF Manual says: "CPU Fan 1 & 2 Setting. This allows you to set the CPU fan 1 & 2 speed. Configuration options: [Full On] and [Automatic Mode]. The default is value [Full On]".... so you need to change from Full On (or default) to Automatic Mode. The fan speed may seem fixed low or high but when the processor is under load and heats up, the fan should automatically speed up... I don't think the Automatic Mode designation is there in vane... so you may have to run the processor under under different loads to notice any automatic speed variation if you havent already done so... if you have and you're convinced it doesn't have a variable speed setting,.. you may want to buy an aftermarket fan with heatsink that includes a speed controlling chip.

Fans & Heatsinks
http://www.newegg.com/Store/Category.aspx?Category=11&name=Fans-Heatsinks

Check the Zalman details, this one includes a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) chip
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118003

How to Create a Three-Speed Fan Control Without Spending a Dime (just an idea, not that I expect you to modify your hardware but this would be an alternative to buying an aftermarket cooler).
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/496

 

[tstng]

After some more googling, testing and observing I found out how this thing works. Basically i can have only 2 speeds for my fan. The minimum which I set when in automatic mode and full speed when the temps reach the target value. Since my cooler does a stand up job at keeping my cpu cool, it never reaches the target temp, so it always stays at the selected value.
It's a shame that there's no incremental increase though.