Can I lock the CPU fan ? (AsRock)

[aakerman]

Hi

I have an X58 SuperComputer + i7 920.

My issue is the CPU temperature - as soon as I boot up the pc, it climbs to around 60 degrees celcius. When it hits 65 degrees, the CPU fan automatically goes to the max level and makes a hell of a noise. I have enabled cool n quiet etc. in the bios.

If I stay below 65, the pc is totally quiet. So for windows use I am fine - as soon as I play Diablo 3 for however, just as an example, the temperature goes to 66 degrees - which kicks in the loud fan noise.

Is there any way to lock the CPU speed at setting 5 for instance? Even if the temperature is above 65 degrees, which AsROck apparantly has set as the limit?

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Change it in the BIOS or you can just change out the fan (if it an aftermarket heatsink)

 

[aakerman]

There is no option in the BIOS to do that. It's either automatic (Which I have now) or max fan speed all the time.

It's the box i7 cooler I have.

 

[lehtv]

Just an idea: does this work with your board? http://www.asrock.com/feature/OCTuner/#sh

Under the CPU Quiet Fan chapter, the Target Temperature and Target Speed will show the default settings of your system.

 

[aakerman]

Yes that utility works, but it doesn't have any purpose. It just enables you to set your fan speed at the desired level, but ONLY if the temperature is below 65 degrees. As soon as it goes above 65, it pushes the fan speed to max, regardless.

It's so frustrating, because I am only 1 or 2 degrees above 65 when I play... if there was some way to increase that trigger to 70 degrees for instance, then it would be perfect.

 

[lehtv]

How's your case cooling?

edit: of course, you can fix that issue with an aftermarket cooler, e.g. hyper 212+ for $20 AR

 

[sm625]

It's so frustrating, because I am only 1 or 2 degrees above 65 when I play...

The reason you are only 1 or 2 degrees above 65 is because the fan is running full blast. If the fan speed did not jump to fall blast (ie in a nonlinear fashion), chances are your cpu temp would actually be well into the 70s if not over 80C. So no small amount of tinkering is going to fix the problem. No matter what you do (undervolt, disable HTT, etc) the fan is still going to get loud because the chip is going to run hot with the stock HSF.

Get a real cooler. If the sound bothers you then you have to drop the coin in slot to make it go away.

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus is under $20 with rebate right now at newegg. It has 5 eggs and over 3000 reviews.

 

[aakerman]

Well I'm in Europe, so can't really order from Newegg. Anyway the price is not the issue, its more the fact that I don't want to tinker with the cpu/cooling unless I really have to. If there was some program that could enable me to set the cpu fan level, then the problem would be solved - but I guess that just doesn't exist

My case is an nxzt quiet case, which has a front case cooler as standard - I've added a rear case cooler also, so really it should not run hot at all.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Well I'm in Europe, so can't really order from Newegg. Anyway the price is not the issue, its more the fact that I don't want to tinker with the cpu/cooling unless I really have to. If there was some program that could enable me to set the cpu fan level, then the problem would be solved - but I guess that just doesn't exist

My case is an nxzt quiet case, which has a front case cooler as standard - I've added a rear case cooler also, so really it should not run hot at all.

The problem is the stock heat sink. Its not made to run quietly.

 

[sm625]

If there was some program that could enable me to set the cpu fan level, then the problem would be solved

You might be able to find something that will do that for you, but as I've tried to explain, it most likely wont help. You can cut open the fan's power line and insert a potentiometer (or resistor) in series and that will slow it down. But if you cut the fans speed down low enough to make it quiet I bet the load temperature will be over 85C on a stock HSF bloomfield.

 

[mfenn]

Well I'm in Europe, so can't really order from Newegg. Anyway the price is not the issue, its more the fact that I don't want to tinker with the cpu/cooling unless I really have to. If there was some program that could enable me to set the cpu fan level, then the problem would be solved - but I guess that just doesn't exist

My case is an nxzt quiet case, which has a front case cooler as standard - I've added a rear case cooler also, so really it should not run hot at all.

As has been explained, the fan speed is a just a symptom of the true problem. If you capped the fan speed, you would just raise the CPU temperature until the machine forcibly throttled itself to keep it from burning itself up. There's no replacement for displacement, and the stock Intel CPU cooler just doesn't have very much.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Like everyone else has said, you want quiet, get another (bigger) cooler, with a (bigger) fan.