CHA_FAN Headers

[Turbosound]

I have my AIO cooler going to the CPU_FAN header. I have my 3 case fans going to the CHA_FAN1, CHA_FAN2 and CHA_FAN3 headers.

The CPU_FAN header responds to my CPU temperature.

The problem is all the CHA_FAN headers respond to my MOBO temperature which never changes. There is no option to have the CHA_FAN headers respond to the CPU or GPU temperature in the BIOS. Therefore, my 3 case fans run at 600 rpm all the time which is only 40% of the max speed.

Should I run at least 1 case fan to my CPU_OPT header? How about running all 3 case fans to a fan hub and then to my CPU_OPT header? This way the fans will respond to my CPU temperature.

I guess the only other option would be to leave them connected to the CHA_FAN headers and run the fans at certain speed all the time. For example, I can set each fan to whatever speed I want in the BIOS. However, it won't be responding to any temperature, it will run at that speed all the time. If this is recommended, what is a good load, 60%? This would be 900 rpm for a fan with 1500 rpm max speed.

 

[hititnquitit]

Run all of them on a hub, off of your cpu fan header?

 

[pendragon1]

mobos fan control software cant change it?

 

[Nobu]

Really no reason to run case fans at variable speed -- their only job is refreshing the air inside the case, assuming they aren't on a radiator. Even on a radiator, there's not much sense in variable speeds, since the coolant temp will lag behind processor temp by minutes or hours.

If they aren't on a radiator, set one speed which works well to cycle the case air. If they are on a radiator, set two speeds, one which is comfortable for your hearing and keeps coolant temps reasonable while gaming, and another for when those temps get too high. If you can't measure coolant temps, set them as high as you are comfortable with and leave them -- if that's not enough, get better fans, more radiator, or a coolant temp sensor and a controller that can use it.

Good luck, and have fun!

 

[Araxie]

can you post a pic of your mobo BIOS ? and better yet which mobo model do you have. even the most basic motherboards nowadays have a software that can be installed in the OS to control everything related to temps and fans.

 

[Wade88]

mobos fan control software cant change it?

You can do this in the uefi of my crosshair viii dark hero and the b650 itx thing

 

[pendragon1]

You can do this in the uefi of my crosshair viii dark hero and the b650 itx thing

can on my b450/550 boards too, but his board doesnt seem to have it, or he hasnt found it. but as mentioned, even if the board bios doesnt support it usually the control program can, unless we're talking about a dell/hp/etc...

 

[Dan_D]

Every non-big box OEM motherboard I've seen can have their fans controlled via the manufacturer's motherboard software. You can also do this within the UEFI.

 

[Turbosound]

I have the Rog Rampage VI Extreme Omega. My 3 case fans are Noctua NF-A14 PWM (chromax black swap.) I have 2 case fans installed in the front of my desktop and 1 in the back. There is no radiator involved with my case fans. My NZXT AIO cooler connects to my CPU_FAN header, so end of story with that. I'm not familiar with any OS software for fan control and wouldn't want any if the same can be done in the BIOS. Either way, it doesn't change the fact that my CHA_FAN headers respond to the motherboard temperature. It would be cool if I had the option to have them respond to the CPU temperature instead. From what I understand, I have the 4 options below. What is most recommended?

1) I can connect 1 case fan to the CPU_OPT header and connect the other 2 case fans to the CHA_FAN headers. (Obviously, the fan connected to my CPU_OPT header will respond to my CPU temp and the other 2 fans won't.)

2) If possible, I can run all 3 case fans to a fan hub of some kind and connect the fan hub to the CPU_OPT header. This way, all 3 fans will respond to my CPU temp.

3) I can leave all 3 case fans connected to the CHA_FAN headers and leave them on the standard fan curve in the BIOS. (This results in all 3 case fans running at 600rpm/40% power all the time. Again, this is because my CHA_FAN headers respond to the motherboard temperature which never changes.)

4) I can leave all 3 case fans connected to the CHA_FAN headers and switch them to a manual fan curve in the BIOS. (Doing so, will allow me to run them at whatever rpm/power I want all the time.)

 

[Turbosound]

BIOS

 

[pendragon1]

put it into manual and change to the cpu?
the software will override those bios settings within windows.

 

[chameleoneel]

There is no option to have the CHA_FAN headers respond to the CPU or GPU temperature in the BIOS. Therefore, my 3 case fans run at 600 rpm all the time which is only 40% of the max speed.

Should I run at least 1 case fan to my CPU_OPT header? How about running all 3 case fans to a fan hub and then to my CPU_OPT header? This way the fans will respond to my CPU temperature.

I guess the only other option would be to leave them connected to the CHA_FAN headers and run the fans at certain speed all the time. For example, I can set each fan to whatever speed I want in the BIOS. However, it won't be responding to any temperature, it will run at that speed all the time. If this is recommended, what is a good load, 60%? This would be 900 rpm for a fan with 1500 rpm max speed.

BIOS

Changing it from "Auto" to manual or something like that, may reveal an option to set the fan to respond to the CPU temp.

Otherwise...

....Press F7 on the keyboard to see the advanced BIOS menu. Then show us pictures of the Fan options.

 

[LigTasm]

What motherboard is this? My q-fan control looks like this:

 

[Turbosound]

As I already mentioned, I have the ASUS Rog Rampage VI Extreme Omega. Yeah, my q-fan control is much more basic than yours. I wish I had those options.
Unfortunately, changing it to auto does not give me the option to select CPU.

Here are some pictures of the fan control in the advanced menu. The q-fan source is set to CPU by default for all the chassis fans. The default profile setting is for all the chassis fans is standard. I can change the profile to manual and then have more options.

I don't understand, there is NO way my chassis fans are responding to my CPU. All my chassis fans stay around the same speed all the time. I also don't understand how it's possible to change what motherboard fan headers respond to. Isn't this something that is hard wired into the motherboard? To be clear, I never installed temperature probes on my motherboard.

I take it the most ideal configuration is to have my chassis fans respond to my CPU or GPU temperature rather than run at a constant speed. I also take it that this can be done when the chassis fans are connected to the CHA_FAN headers. Please let me know if this is correct.

 

[GotNoRice]

I take it the most ideal configuration is to have my chassis fans respond to my CPU or GPU temperature rather than run at a constant speed. I also take it that this can be done when the chassis fans are connected to the CHA_FAN headers. Please let me know if this is correct.

What you can or can't do with each fan header is totally motherboard dependent, and varies heavily depending on motherboard model. Unfortunately this is one area that many board makers skimp on because it's not a key feature that many check for when making their purchasing decisions.

I really think that the best solution here is what was suggested in the very first reply. Simply buy a PWM fan hub. Example:

https://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-Case-Fan-Hub-Distributor/dp/B0887VG14J?th=1

Connect the input of the fan hub to the CPU FAN header. Connect ALL of your fans to the hub. As a bonus, it will power your fans using power from the SATA power cable instead of from your motherboard. The only thing the PWM hub splits is the PWM signal, which is what controls the fan speeds (assuming you have all 4-pin PWM fans).

 

[pendragon1]

your board uses ai suite 3, like mine, and it should hopefully give you full fan control in windows.

 

[kirbyrj]

I would put the AIO pump on one of the CHA headers and then set it to run at a constant rate in bios. Then have the AIO fans on the CPU fan header.

 

[chameleoneel]

As I already mentioned, I have the ASUS Rog Rampage VI Extreme Omega. Yeah, my q-fan control is much more basic than yours. I wish I had those options.
Unfortunately, changing it to auto does not give me the option to select CPU.

Here are some pictures of the fan control in the advanced menu. The q-fan source is set to CPU by default for all the chassis fans. The default profile setting is for all the chassis fans is standard. I can change the profile to manual and then have more options.

I don't understand, there is NO way my chassis fans are responding to my CPU. All my chassis fans stay around the same speed all the time. I also don't understand how it's possible to change what motherboard fan headers respond to. Isn't this something that is hard wired into the motherboard? To be clear, I never installed temperature probes on my motherboard.

I take it the most ideal configuration is to have my chassis fans respond to my CPU or GPU temperature rather than run at a constant speed. I also take it that this can be done when the chassis fans are connected to the CHA_FAN headers. Please let me know if this is correct.

To hear your chassis fans change speed in the BIOS, you will need to set the lowest temp setting to match or be less than the temp of the CPU while in the BIOS. According to your screenshot, that is 37C.

So if you set your lower temperature to 35c and your minimum duty cycle to 100%, this will garuntee that you hear your fan at max speed. You can then choose different fan speeds to see/hear what they sound like. And that will help you form your fan curve, to give you the noise level which you are ok with. For fans which reach about 2,000 rpm at max speed, I usually set 92% as my max duty cycle/max speed for the CPU cooler.

For case fans, I would set much lower. Probably something like 60% max. Intake is usually louder, BTW.

 

[Wade88]

can on my b450/550 boards too, but his board doesnt seem to have it, or he hasnt found it. but as mentioned, even if the board bios doesnt support it usually the control program can, unless we're talking about a dell/hp/etc...

I should have elaborated but I meant you can pick different temperature sensors to set fan curves by in the uefi a la GPU, mobo vrm, CPU, etc temperatures.

 

[pendragon1]

I should have elaborated but I meant you can pick different temperature sensors to set fan curves by in the uefi a la GPU, mobo vrm, CPU, etc temperatures.

it was clear enough. turbo (op) needs to try and flip to advanced mode or try ai suite 3 for in windows control. but his board should have it...

 

[toast0]

it was clear enough. turbo (op) needs to try and flip to advanced mode or try ai suite 3 for in windows control. but his board should have it...

Pretty sure the op posted some pictures from his bios with the setting showing. Just needs to go in there and do it.

 

[Wade88]

Aisuite is AIDS long live uefi.

 

[pendragon1]

Aisuite is AIDS long live uefi.

ai suite isnt armory crate...

 

[Turbosound]

Hey everyone,

I appreciate all your help but I'm not really getting anywhere. The CPU_FAN header is not an option and never will be. This is for my AIO cooler that NZXT told me I have to use. I can use the CPU_OPT header which is basically the same thing. Again, the issue here is that my 3 case fans run at 600 rpm / 40% all the time, no matter what I'm doing on my PC. Instead, I would like to get the most out of them by having them respond to my CPU/GPU temp or by running them at a constant higher speed. Out of these two very choices, what is most ideal for optimum performance?

Option #1
Connect all 3 of my case fans to my CPU_OPT header using a fan hub. (This will result in all my case fans responding to my CPU temp and therefore is a solution. The only possible downside of this is not having individual control of my 3 case fans.)

Option #2
Leave my case fans connected to the CHA_FAN headers if I there is a way to have them respond to my CPU/GPU temperature. (Apparently, this can be done either in the BIOS or by installing "ai suite 3" in Windows. I definitely would prefer this option over option #1. I also would prefer setting the fans in the BIOS instead of installing "ai suite 3" in Windows. I have provided pictures of the fan control I have in my BIOS, both in the simple and advanced menus. I don't understand how to make them respond to my CPU/GPU in the BIOS. If there is a way, please tell me. Like I said, I never installed temperature probes for my motherboard. Therefore, I don't even understand how it's possible to change what the CHA_FAN headers respond to. Since I did not install any temperature probes on my motherboard, is option #2 even possible?

Option #3
Leave my case fans connected to the CHA_FAN headers and set them at a higher constant speed in the BIOS. (I understand how to do this. This is done by changing each CHA_FAN headers profile from standard to manual. After changing the profile to manual and setting the fan curve, I can hear my fans run faster. If I choose this option, what speed do you recommend? I was thinking around 1200 rpm / 80%?)

 

[hititnquitit]

Dude, it's your rig. Pick the one that works best for YOU.

 

[chameleoneel]

Option #2
Leave my case fans connected to the CHA_FAN headers if I there is a way to have them respond to my CPU/GPU temperature. (Apparently, this can be done either in the BIOS or by installing "ai suite 3" in Windows. I definitely would prefer this option over option #1. I also would prefer setting the fans in the BIOS instead of installing "ai suite 3" in Windows. I have provided pictures of the fan control I have in my BIOS, both in the simple and advanced menus. I don't understand how to make them respond to my CPU/GPU in the BIOS.

You showed us screenshots for how to do it. You did it already, with the advanced F7 menu.

You simply need to choose temperature points and set your preferred fan speed for each temp.

 

[kirbyrj]

What do you have the AIO pump on? It looks like there is a dedicated pump header based on the pics. You don't really want that moving faster/slower based on temps. You want it running at a constant speed.

I don't see why you just don't adjust your case fans on the CHA headers based on either the temps (of any variety of different sensors) and/or a manual setting in bios. It's right there in your pics.

 

[Wade88]

ai suite isnt armory crate..

Armory crate is AIDS, stingrays, and diabeetus.

 

[chameleoneel]

What do you have the AIO pump on? It looks like there is a dedicated pump header based on the pics. You don't really want that moving faster/slower based on temps. You want it running at a constant speed.

Off topic but, I disagree. There are often large noise benefits from running the pump at low speeds when you are only using the computer for web browsing, watching video, etc. And the very very small amount of time it takes for the pump to respond and speed up due to gaming or multicore work-----its so fast, it doesn't affect temps in a meaningful way. Same with fan speeds.

 

[Dreamerbydesign]

Out of these TWO choices… lists 3 choices.

 

[kirbyrj]

Off topic but, I disagree. There are often large noise benefits from running the pump at low speeds when you are only using the computer for web browsing, watching video, etc. And the very very small amount of time it takes for the pump to respond and speed up due to gaming or multicore work-----its so fast, it doesn't affect temps in a meaningful way. Same with fan speeds.

I guess I would think of it more like the wear and tear from ramping up and down as opposed to running at a constant speed but I guess I could see the noise benefit.

 

[Dreamerbydesign]

I guess I would think of it more like the wear and tear from ramping up and down as opposed to running at a constant speed but I guess I could see the noise benefit.

Agreed. There is zero reason to have a AIO pump on a fan curve. Set it to max or near max (most pumps are still nearly silent) and just go from there. Most manuals I’ve seen for the AIo’s I’ve used state as much.

 

[pendragon1]

not that op is asking, but set it to 60-80% based on your noise/temp preference, and call it a day, for aio or custom pumps.

 

[Turbosound]

Out of these TWO choices… lists 3 choices.

If you actually read my message, I said the following which is TWO choices.
Instead, I would like to get the most out of them by having them respond to my CPU/GPU temp or by running them at a constant higher speed. Out of these two very choices, what is most ideal for optimum performance?

 

[Turbosound]

You showed us screenshots for how to do it. You did it already, with the advanced F7 menu.

You simply need to choose temperature points and set your preferred fan speed for each temp.

As I clearly explained, even though the source says CPU, the fans are NOT responding to my CPU temp. This is because the fans stay at the same speed all the time and there is no way my CPU stays at the same temp all the time.

 

[Turbosound]

What do you have the AIO pump on? It looks like there is a dedicated pump header based on the pics. You don't really want that moving faster/slower based on temps. You want it running at a constant speed.

I don't see why you just don't adjust your case fans on the CHA headers based on either the temps (of any variety of different sensors) and/or a manual setting in bios. It's right there in your pics.

There is only one connection made from my AIO cooler to a fan header. Therefore, the radiator fans and the pump are controlled together.

Thats what I've been asking all along. I like to get my fans to respond to my CPU temp with the default standard profile in the BIOS. However, they are not responding properly. For example, whenever I play a game or do anything that puts a load on my CPU, the fans stay at the same speed. I would hear them speed up if they were responding properly.

Since I can't get the fans to respond to my CPU properly in the BIOS, I guess the best thing is to have them run at a constant speed (faster than current) with a manual profile. I understand how to do this and have been asking if I go this route, what speed do you recommend running them at all the time? Currently, they run at 600rpm/40%power all the time.

 

[chameleoneel]

As I clearly explained, even though the source says CPU, the fans are NOT responding to my CPU temp. This is because the fans stay at the same speed all the time and there is no way my CPU stays at the same temp all the time.

If the fan "curve" which you used for this unresponsive behavior is the one in your screenshot: that's not much of a curve. The fans basically aren't set to do anything, until 70c.

Asus Bios do sometimes have buggy fan curves, where if curve points are too close together or two far apart, it won't do anything.

For an easy test, set your "lower temperature" to 42c. and a "minimum duty cycle" of hit like 35%.

"Middle temperature" 60c and "middle duty cycle" like 70%.

" Upper Temperature" 80c. and "Upper duty cycle" 92%.

This is a curve I would use for a CPU cooler. But, it should be noticeable if you run a benchmark or play a game.


If the fans don't respond, then I would see if there is a BIOS update (if you aren't already on the latest).


****oh yeah, its also worth checking: are your case fans 3 pin or 4 pin?

If they are 3 pin, they are not PWM and that would be why they don't change speed with the PWM setting in use. You would need to change to the other setting. Probably "DC" instead of "PWM".

 

[Turbosound]

If the fan "curve" which you used for this unresponsive behavior is the one in your screenshot: that's not much of a curve. The fans basically aren't set to do anything, until 70c.

Asus Bios do sometimes have buggy fan curves, where if curve points are too close together or two far apart, it won't do anything.

For an easy test, set your "lower temperature" to 42c. and a "minimum duty cycle" of hit like 35%.

"Middle temperature" 60c and "middle duty cycle" like 70%.

" Upper Temperature" 80c. and "Upper duty cycle" 92%.

This is a curve I would use for a CPU cooler. But, it should be noticeable if you run a benchmark or play a game.


If the fans don't respond, then I would see if there is a BIOS update (if you aren't already on the latest).


****oh yeah, its also worth checking: are your case fans 3 pin or 4 pin?

If they are 3 pin, they are not PWM and that would be why they don't change speed with the PWM setting in use. You would need to change to the other setting. Probably "DC" instead of "PWM".

I have the most up to date BIOS version. My case fans are PWM/4 pin and set to AUTO.

Okay, I will try the fan curve you suggested. If I don't hear the fans speed up when playing a game, I know it's not working, correct?

 

[kirbyrj]

I have the most up to date BIOS version. My case fans are PWM/4 pin and set to AUTO.

Okay, I will try the fan curve you suggested. If I don't hear the fans speed up when playing a game, I know it's not working, correct?

Hearing is subjective. Why don't you just use an app/program that monitors the RPM of your fans and the temperature of your components? Like HWiNFO or something.

 

[Turbosound]

I changed the profile from standard to manual for all the CHA_FAN headers. Then, I used a curve similar to the one you suggested which is shown in the pictures below. The maximum value I can choose for the upper temperature is 75. I can hear the fans speed up now at times, so there are working. I misunderstood, I didn't realize you can still have a curve when changing the profile to manual. For some reason, I thought the fans would run at a constant speed when changing the profile to manual.

I also tried HWINFO. I didn't realize my CPU temp is only in the 40's when playing games. I thought it would be much higher. Unless the curve I decided to use is really not recommended, I should be all set. Thank you!