I have a doubt about my CPU fan

[k3vin_diaz]

Hello, cyber-friends. Im new to the tom's hardware community. My goal is to find help about anything about computers and try to help other people in the community.

I have quite some doubts about my CPU fan. When i have the smart fan function enabled, the RPMs lower almost to the 1000rpm range and the CPU (the whole thing, NOT individual cores) starts heating up -_- (around 40ºC) AND, the fan wont kick in when temperature in the cpu begins to rise (that smart fan thing isnt so smart lol). i disabled the smart fan to make it work at 100% all the time. When its disabled, fan runs at 2000rpm. and its okay (cpu temperature lowers to the ambient temperature almost) This happens when the cpu is in IDLE. when i start playing games on the pc, the cpu starts to heat up (we all know its normal), but i would like the fan to speed up the rpms to cool the cpu better. when gaming, cpu (package) rises to almost 40ºC and individual cores get up to 50ºC more or less.

Ive tried a program that came with the motherboard to control the cpu rpms, but at 100% it only works @2000 rpm (sometimes it rises up to + or - 2100 rpm). also, i cant see how to control this through the BIOS, it only lets me activate or deactivate the smart fan thing. ive also tried Speedfan (which everyone recommends) and it doesnt work for me ive seen all the tutorials and videos about how to use speedfan and i cant control the cpu fan with speedfan, so for me its useless.

NOW, my questions are: what can i do to control the cpu fan without using speedfan? is there another similar (and user-friendly) software to control the CPU fan speeds?

im not a professional in the computer hardware subject, but i know some stuff.

A little help would be appreciated thanks

P.S. here are some specs of my PC, if it helps in anything. my pc is custom built by the computer shop where i bought it, and i added some extra things to it

Motherboard: Foxconn H61MXV (came with the computer)
Processor: Intel Core i5 2400 @3.1Ghz with turbo boost up to 3.4 Ghz (quad core) (stock also)
PSU: 600W cooler master
BIOS: American Megatrends AC3F1P02
GPU: nVidia Geforce GTX 550Ti 192bit 2GB GDDR5
RAM: 8GB
i have 4 fans in the PC: One 120mm intake fan in the side, 80mm fan for exhaust, and the CPU and PSU fans of course.

 

[socialfox]

Hi there Kevin,

Welcome to the forum! Your CPU temperatures are well within the safe boundaries of your processor, if memory serves me well your processor's max safe temperature is 72 degrees. You well below that so you have no need to worry about temperatures. On the other hand a more user friendly way to alter fan speed (but not software related) is to buy a fan speed controller like this:

http://dx.com/p/3-fan-cooling-fan-variable-speed-controller-for-pc-13987?item=1

With it hooked to your fan and then into the motherboard header you can simply just turn the knob to increase fan speed within a second. Typically Speedfan is used to increase fan speed but if you cannot increase it anymore it means you are already at 100% of its maximum RPM.

-Socialfox

 

[k3vin_diaz]

Hi there Kevin,

Welcome to the forum! Your CPU temperatures are well within the safe boundaries of your processor, if memory serves me well your processor's max safe temperature is 72 degrees. You well below that so you have no need to worry about temperatures. On the other hand a more user friendly way to alter fan speed (but not software related) is to buy a fan speed controller like this:

http://dx.com/p/3-fan-cooling-fan-variable-speed-controller-for-pc-13987?item=1

With it hooked to your fan and then into the motherboard header you can simply just turn the knob to increase fan speed within a second. Typically Speedfan is used to increase fan speed but if you cannot increase it anymore it means you are already at 100% of its maximum RPM.

-Socialfox

thnx God the cpu is in the safe temperature i was starting to get a little worried. i will still continue monitoring the temperatures just in case. ill also consider that fan control u suggested me, but later, when i see that my cpu starts to heat up more than the usual, even under load.

thanks for answering my questions blessings

 

[socialfox]

No problem Kevin, glad I was able to help. Drop a private message if you need any other assistance and cannot afford to wait for a reply in your thread. I will reply promptly as soon as I receive the message.

Goodbye for now,

Socialfox

 

[k3vin_diaz]

No problem Kevin, glad I was able to help. Drop a private message if you need any other assistance and cannot afford to wait for a reply in your thread. I will reply promptly as soon as I receive the message.

Goodbye for now,

Socialfox

hi socialfox i managed to fix my problem on monday.. i bough a new aftermarket cpu and heatsink fan, lol. because it has a 3-pin connector, and mobo slot is 4-pin, it will always be running at 100% (around 2600 ±10% rpm, compared to the 2000 of the stock cooler), so im happy . i applied a ceramic-based thermal paste btw. i read on the internet that metal-based pastes are better thermal conductors (which makes sense), but i also read that i can conduct electricity, so i decided to go for the ceramic paste.
when im not using the a/c, the cpu temperature soars to 41-43ºC when gaming and sometimes 45-47 in a very hot day (i live in a tropical country, btw) and cores around 55-58 degrees or so. when i pause a game and go to another application, the temperatures lower to around 30ºC package and 40 something on cores almost instantaneously. i think its an improvement, because that rapid lowering of the temperature never happened before, it took some time.. maybe a minute or two.
When the a/c is on (it makes my room a freezer lol), loaded temperatures are around 36-38 package and maybe around 47-53 for individual cores.

tell me what's ur opinion now would appreciate it

 

[marshal11]

hi socialfox i managed to fix my problem on monday.. i bough a new aftermarket cpu and heatsink fan, lol. because it has a 3-pin connector, and mobo slot is 4-pin, it will always be running at 100% (around 2600 ±10% rpm, compared to the 2000 of the stock cooler), so im happy . i applied a ceramic-based thermal paste btw. i read on the internet that metal-based pastes are better thermal conductors (which makes sense), but i also read that i can conduct electricity, so i decided to go for the ceramic paste.
when im not using the a/c, the cpu temperature soars to 41-43ºC when gaming and sometimes 45-47 in a very hot day (i live in a tropical country, btw) and cores around 55-58 degrees or so. when i pause a game and go to another application, the temperatures lower to around 30ºC package and 40 something on cores almost instantaneously. i think its an improvement, because that rapid lowering of the temperature never happened before, it took some time.. maybe a minute or two.
When the a/c is on (it makes my room a freezer lol), loaded temperatures are around 36-38 package and maybe around 47-53 for individual cores.

tell me what's ur opinion now would appreciate it

hey! first of all i'd like to welcome you to tomshardware. i love this website and i'm sure you will too. there is tons information on here, everything you need to know about computers and other cool stuff. it's always great to see people wanting to learn and help others.

your temps are perfect. you shouldn't worry at all. you can chill out and play games all you want because your CPU temps are well within the safe limit.

have a great day!

 

[k3vin_diaz]

hey! first of all i'd like to welcome you to tomshardware. i love this website and i'm sure you will too. there is tons information on here, everything you need to know about computers and other cool stuff. it's always great to see people wanting to learn and help others.

your temps are perfect. you shouldn't worry at all. you can chill out and play games all you want because your CPU temps are well within the safe limit.

have a great day!

thanks marshal11 im feeling better xD. maybe im being paranoid.. im like that cuz when i first bought the pc (being stock) the psu came damaged and made my computer restart randomly, changed it under warranty and worked great (was a 450 watt PSU). when i installed the gpu, everything was running okay until it restarted when i was watching the end of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood -_- (never played it, so i downloaded it ) and i couldnt see the scene again.. i believe the psu wasnt powering the accesories well or the cpu began to overheat. after that, never happened again, but i thought it was time for some more upgrades to prevent the situation, so i modded the pc to the specs posted above and everything runs good up to now

 

[marshal11]

yeah, i really wouldn't recommend buying computers from a store. especially not gaming computers you seem to know enough to build your own, it's really easy. and if you have any doubts, newegg has a full tutorial on how to build a PC on youtube. building PCs are lots of fun, and i recommend that you build your next gaming machine. the hardest part is choosing the parts to buy. the building part is usually very easy.


i'm still paranoid about my gaming rig. i just finished building my brand new one. i had a gtx 680 by EVGA and it wouldn't overclock at all and it ran really hot and the fan made lots of raddling noises and was just generally loud, so i'm currently sending it back, even though it costs 100$ because of the restocking fee and return shipping fee to do so. i just finished buying my MSI gtx680 lightning which costs 40$ more than the EVGA 680, so now i'm down 140$. just because my computer wasn't 100% PERFECT. being paranoid is normal, it's just like how mothers get paranoid about their kids, where men get paranoid about their gaming rigs. :lol:

 

[k3vin_diaz]

yeah, i really wouldn't recommend buying computers from a store. especially not gaming computers you seem to know enough to build your own, it's really easy. and if you have any doubts, newegg has a full tutorial on how to build a PC on youtube. building PCs are lots of fun, and i recommend that you build your next gaming machine. the hardest part is choosing the parts to buy. the building part is usually very easy.


i'm still paranoid about my gaming rig. i just finished building my brand new one. i had a gtx 680 by EVGA and it wouldn't overclock at all and it ran really hot and the fan made lots of raddling noises and was just generally loud, so i'm currently sending it back, even though it costs 100$ because of the restocking fee and return shipping fee to do so. i just finished buying my MSI gtx680 lightning which costs 40$ more than the EVGA 680, so now i'm down 140$. just because my computer wasn't 100% PERFECT. being paranoid is normal, it's just like how mothers get paranoid about their kids, where men get paranoid about their gaming rigs. :lol:

wow ur pc should be awesome would u share some of the specs and a pic? im just curious
btw, my pc isnt like an all-in-one or stuff like that.. this one is built by the store, all of its components are aftermarket and the people from the store are professionals in the topic of building PCs (i can be sure of it by experience). the one i chose was the second most powerful of their selection of built PCs (the most powerful had an i7 processor and the GPU i bought), and i wanted something to start with. Now that im learning more about the world of builing PCs, i may consider to build my own PC from scratch. For now i will use the one i have for some time.. maybe 5 years or when it decides to fail

 

[marshal11]

wow ur pc should be awesome would u share some of the specs and a pic? im just curious
btw, my pc isnt like an all-in-one or stuff like that.. this one is built by the store, all of its components are aftermarket and the people from the store are professionals in the topic of building PCs (i can be sure of it by experience). the one i chose was the second most powerful of their selection of built PCs (the most powerful had an i7 processor and the GPU i bought), and i wanted something to start with. Now that im learning more about the world of builing PCs, i may consider to build my own PC from scratch. For now i will use the one i have for some time.. maybe 5 years or when it decides to fail

i sure can!

CPU: i7 3770k

RAM: Corsair vengeance 2x4 GB http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345

Motherboard: MSI Z77A GD55 http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130644&Tpk=z77a%20gd55

GPU: MSI GTX 680 lightning http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127693

HDD: Western Digital 500GB RE4 http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136697

SSD: Samsung 830 128GB http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=74132&vpn=MZ-7PC128B%2FWW&manufacture=Samsung%20Memory%20%26%20Storage

PSU: Rosewill Lightning 800W PSU .jpg]http://www.rosewill.com/products/1663/productDetail.htm#/Mgnt/Uploads/ImagesForProduct/ImgPrd-1663-Cm[c1761296a5654a468c410a6efcd4d397].jpg (look at 3rd picture )

Case: Rosewill Blackhawk http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147107

i think that's it for the build. i might of forgot a piece or two i can PM you pics later if you want me to. i don't have any up-to-date pictures at the time. i should have them tomorrow. i put blue LED fans in all the fan mounts of my case and the case looks so much better than it does in the newegg pictures.

even if the people who built the PC are professionals, they sometimes purposely buy cheap parts for the PC to save money and sell the system at a higher price. thats why it's a good idea for you to pick out the specific parts yourself to make sure it has good reviews.

 

[k3vin_diaz]

i sure can!

CPU: i7 3770k

RAM: Corsair vengeance 2x4 GB http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345

Motherboard: MSI Z77A GD55 http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130644&Tpk=z77a%20gd55

GPU: MSI GTX 680 lightning http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127693

HDD: Western Digital 500GB RE4 http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136697

SSD: Samsung 830 128GB http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=74132&vpn=MZ-7PC128B%2FWW&manufacture=Samsung%20Memory%20%26%20Storage

PSU: Rosewill Lightning 800W PSU .jpg]http://www.rosewill.com/products/1663/productDetail.htm#/Mgnt/Uploads/ImagesForProduct/ImgPrd-1663-Cm[c1761296a5654a468c410a6efcd4d397].jpg (look at 3rd picture )

Case: Rosewill Blackhawk http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147107

i think that's it for the build. i might of forgot a piece or two i can PM you pics later if you want me to. i don't have any up-to-date pictures at the time. i should have them tomorrow. i put blue LED fans in all the fan mounts of my case and the case looks so much better than it does in the newegg pictures.

even if the people who built the PC are professionals, they sometimes purposely buy cheap parts for the PC to save money and sell the system at a higher price. thats why it's a good idea for you to pick out the specific parts yourself to make sure it has good reviews.

wow ur pc should be a beast .

i actually noticed that part of using cheap parts. For example the mobo of my pc, was a 60 dollar one lol, but for now im okay with it. and the RAM were Super Talent, cheap also.. and ive had bad experience with them.. for some reason they always burn and i have to replace them.. i swapped those for some good kingston RAMs (i have never had problems with Kingston memories, and they are a world leader in the memory manufacturing segment) and... well i think thats pretty much it. im still satisfied, ive only had the psu issue (easily fixed). and at the end, the pc i bought was just a more powerful PC than the normal ones, not a gaming PC, so....

btw, im not like a full PC gamer, i tend to download older games i could not play in the past (like AC:B and MW2). my main gaming hardware is my ps3 so for now ill leave the pc with the mods i made and it should work just fine . my next PC will be built from scratch.

 

[k3vin_diaz]

Best answer selected by k3vin_diaz.