Software fan utility not working right.

[GeezerMan]

I’m working on a ECS A970M-A DELUXE v1.0 AM3 motherboard. The ECS “ECF fan utility” is a software based utility that works within Win 7 to control two fans : the 4 pin CPU fan, and the 3 pin system fan.

My understanding on how this works is that on a 3 pin fan a utility like this just varies the voltage. I can get the CPU 4 pin control to work fine using the utility interface , but the system fan control does nothing. I have tried several different fans. It reads the RPM, it just does not control it.

Any ideas? Buggy drivers?

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I’m working on a ECS A970M-A DELUXE v1.0 AM3 motherboard. The ECS “ECF fan utility” is a software based utility that works within Win 7 to control two fans : the 4 pin CPU fan, and the 3 pin system fan.

My understanding on how this works is that on a 3 pin fan a utility like this just varies the voltage. I can get the CPU 4 pin control to work fine using the utility interface , but the system fan control does nothing. I have tried several different fans. It reads the RPM, it just does not control it.

Any ideas? Buggy drivers?

Did you miss something in the windows software? I spent a lot of time on this issue earlier this year with my ASUS AI Suite "Fan Xpert" and P8z68 motherboard. The board actually has "mixed" fan ports. That is, the port can socket EITHER a 4-pin PWM fan OR a 3-pin fan and control either.

The mobo fan ports -- two for the CPU (CPU_FAN and CPU_FAN_OPT), and two CHA_FAN (1 and 2) ports -- are controlled according to CPU temperature but in two submenus of the Windows software: One for the CPU fan/pair, and the other for the CHassis fan/pair.

Also, try tweaking the BIOS menu for fan control. On my board, CPU and CHA_FAN menu items have two built-in profiles: "Turbo" and "Standard," but additionally a third -- "User." If the BIOS items aren't set to "User," the system won't read the profiles you created in the windows software.

You can also go to the mobo-maker's web-site and see if a revision to the fan-control software is available.

 

[GeezerMan]

This board is pretty bare bones. It only has a 4 pin CPU, a 3 pin Power fan, and a 3 pin System fan. The bios only has a setting to control the CPU fan.
The ECS fan utility only controls the system fan, and the CPU fan.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

This board is pretty bare bones. It only has a 4 pin CPU, a 3 pin Power fan, and a 3 pin System fan. The bios only has a setting to control the CPU fan.
The ECS fan utility only controls the system fan, and the CPU fan.

Well, I've been there before, and still deal with the limited features of some boards. For instance, Mom's computer upstairs was built with a $90 Gigabyte mATX unit, and probably has similarly limited fan control options.

If you have a problem with either noise or cooling, the solution will be a balance of both. The priority here would be controlling the CPU fan thermally.

If you don't mind in doing some shopping around and spending less than a US Grant on some fans, there are several PWM "splitters" you can buy for less than $10. Maybe you already have some replacement PWM fans.

I'd get the splitter even if you have to live with a mix of 3-pin and PWM (4-pin) fans. And I'd recommend the Swiftech 8W-PWM-SPL-ST.

Here's the way it works. It has its own power cable which likely fits either a Molex or an SATA power plug (thus, "ST"). There is a little plastic plate with eight sets of PWM pins. And there is a 4-pin wire and connection that you'd plug into the CPU PWM-fan port. You then plug whatever PWM fan you want to control AND monitor into the device's "white" port. You can now add an assortment of PWM devices -- fans or water-pumps -- to the other ports on the device. All these devices will be powered directly from the PSU, but controlled from the motherboard CPU PWM fan port.

If you can define a fan "profile" for the CPU fan -port according to temperature, all these fans (or pumps) of any size and amperage will be controlled and varied in speed as a percentage of "duty-cycle." But you can only monitor the first device or fan -- unless you want to make a DIY project of teasing apart the tach wire of other fans so you can connect those tach wires to available vacant fan ports -- of which you apparently have few.

Your problem then becomes that of choosing a mix of PWM and 3-pin fans, the latter which you may not be able to control thermally, or you may have to run them full-bore, except for one other option: a separate fan controller for 3-pin fans. Or you can simply choose your remaining fans by amperage (speed) and size, so they are noiseless at top-end speed.

 

[Drummerdude]

if all else fails, These little gems will do what you need, for cheap.

 

[GeezerMan]

Thanks for your help guys. I was browsing another higher end ECS motherboard manual, and I noticed the system fan on it was a 4 pin. Could it be that the ECS fan utility program only works with 4 pin PWM fans? This is a budget board, and maybe it just allows the adjustment of the one 4 pin fan, the CPU fan.

The ITE it8721f chip controls the fans on this ECS board, it's also used in the Asus M5A88-Evo board that does allow fan adjustment in their software fan utility of the 3 pin chassis fan.

I emailed ECS about it, but they are pretty slow to respond