BIOS vs. Windows Software for CPU FAN CONTROL?

[phositadc]

I've got an i7-4770S CPU in an AsRock Z87E-itx motherboard. CPU cooler is a Noctua NH-L9i, which has a 4-pin fan that supports PWM. It is plugged into the 4-pin CPU fan header on the Z87E.

Amongst the experts on this board, is there a preferred way to control the fan speed? The Z87E bios has fan controls, as does the included Windows utility called AsRock Extreme Tuning Utility. Is BIOS or the Windows-based Tuning Utility generally preferred?

Also, I tried to use the BIOS settings to control the fan, but it seems to do essentially nothing. For instance, I set the fan to be running at 50% power if under 35C, which would theoretically have it at about 1250rpm, but it was still running at 1700rpm just as if I had left the BIOS setting to automatic.

However, if I use the AsRock Tuning Utility in Windows 8.1, I can successfully control the FAN speed as advertised.

Any thoughts why the Tuning Utility works but the BIOS does not?

Is it possible that the BIOS is trying to control the fan speed by regulating voltage, while the Tuning Utility is actually using PWM?

Any advice appreciated.

 

[Ed1]

I've got an i7-4770S CPU in an AsRock Z87E-itx motherboard. CPU cooler is a Noctua NH-L9i, which has a 4-pin fan that supports PWM. It is plugged into the 4-pin CPU fan header on the Z87E.

Amongst the experts on this board, is there a preferred way to control the fan speed? The Z87E bios has fan controls, as does the included Windows utility called AsRock Extreme Tuning Utility. Is BIOS or the Windows-based Tuning Utility generally preferred?

Also, I tried to use the BIOS settings to control the fan, but it seems to do essentially nothing. For instance, I set the fan to be running at 50% power if under 35C, which would theoretically have it at about 1250rpm, but it was still running at 1700rpm just as if I had left the BIOS setting to automatic.

However, if I use the AsRock Tuning Utility in Windows 8.1, I can successfully control the FAN speed as advertised.

Any thoughts why the Tuning Utility works but the BIOS does not?

Is it possible that the BIOS is trying to control the fan speed by regulating voltage, while the Tuning Utility is actually using PWM?

Any advice appreciated.

I can't help with Asrock bios but if you can get good fan profile from bios is always better .
no need for extra process to monitor fan profile in windows or worry if it gets utilized properly .
For GPU I use 3rd party software but not for CPU, case fans .

FWIW Asus bios works fine with fan proile , you have a min temp start slope and then a max temp value along with CPU min duty % .

 

[phositadc]

I can't help with Asrock bios but if you can get good fan profile from bios is always better .
no need for extra process to monitor fan profile in windows or worry if it gets utilized properly .
For GPU I use 3rd party software but not for CPU, case fans .

FWIW Asus bios works fine with fan proile , you have a min temp start slope and then a max temp value along with CPU min duty % .

Thanks for the input. I figured bios was probably preferable for that exact reason. Guess I'll keep trying to get it to work....

 

[Ed1]

Thanks for the input. I figured bios was probably preferable for that exact reason. Guess I'll keep trying to get it to work....

On my Asus Z77 the CPU fan header needs to be PWM fan . the chassis fan headers can do duty cycle fan speeds .
I assume you have the 4 wire PWM fan in the CPU fan header of MB .

 

[phositadc]

Yeah the 4pin fan connector is attached to the 4 pin CPU fan motherboard header. According to documentation that I can find, both the fan and the motherboard support PWM. And the fact that the software fan control works fine seems to confirm that.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

This topic had come up before in a thread that can't be more than a month or so old.

There is a corporate history between ASRock and ASUS. So you might think the two makes of boards incorporate similar features.

the ASUS software __ AI Suite (with Fan Xpert) -- works together with the BIOS (UEFI) configuration. The BIOS allows for choosing "fan profiles" that already exist: "Standard," "Turbo," etc. One of the BIOS options is "USER" or "User defined."

When you load the Windows AI Suite Fan Xpert software and create a "fan-curve" profile, it will be saved to disk. You only need to reboot, select the "User" option in BIOS, and the Fan Xpert profile will be loaded automatically.

I find this ASUS solution to be rather elegant yet simple. AI Suite has a lot of poop stains for people "dissing" the software, but it sure has improved since Pentium Northwood days . . .

 

[phositadc]

This topic had come up before in a thread that can't be more than a month or so old.

There is a corporate history between ASRock and ASUS. So you might think the two makes of boards incorporate similar features.

the ASUS software __ AI Suite (with Fan Xpert) -- works together with the BIOS (UEFI) configuration. The BIOS allows for choosing "fan profiles" that already exist: "Standard," "Turbo," etc. One of the BIOS options is "USER" or "User defined."

When you load the Windows AI Suite Fan Xpert software and create a "fan-curve" profile, it will be saved to disk. You only need to reboot, select the "User" option in BIOS, and the Fan Xpert profile will be loaded automatically.

I find this ASUS solution to be rather elegant yet simple. AI Suite has a lot of poop stains for people "dissing" the software, but it sure has improved since Pentium Northwood days . . .

Thanks for the info. Not at my computer right now so I can't check whether Asrock operates the same way, but I did notice that the fan profile that I set via the software tuning utility continued to work after I exited the software, so maybe it's similar to Asus.