How to increase cooler speed above maximum. How to choose a fan speed controller
Almost every user wants their computer to always remain quiet and cool, but to achieve this, it is not enough to simply clean it from dust and debris in the system. There are a large number of programs for adjusting fan speed, because the system temperature and operating noise depend on them.
The Speedfan application is recognized as one of the best for these purposes. Therefore, it is worth learning how to change the cooler speed through this program. Well, let's see how to do this.
Before adjusting speeds, you must first select which fan will be responsible for which part of the system unit. This is done in the program settings. There you need to select a fan for the processor, hard drive and other components. It is worth remembering that the last fan is usually responsible for the processor. If the user does not know which cooler belongs to what, then you need to look in the system unit itself for the connector number and which fan is connected to it.
Speed change
You need to change the speed in the main tab, where all system parameters are indicated. After selecting each fan correctly, you can observe how the temperature of the components will change due to the adjustment of the fans. You can increase the speed to a maximum of 100 percent, since this is exactly the level that the fan can produce at maximum settings. It is recommended to set the speed within 70-8 percent. If even the maximum speed is not enough, then you should think about buying a new cooler that can produce more revolutions per second.
You can change the speed by entering the appropriate number of percentages or switching using the arrows.
Changing the fan speed in the Speedfan program is very simple, it can be done in a few simple steps, so even the most insecure and inexperienced user can figure it out.
SpeedFan 4.52 is a good set of functions for monitoring and managing some PC performance. In particular, this software product allows you to monitor the temperature indicators of the processor, power supply, system unit, hard drive, etc., provided that there are appropriate tracking sensors on the computer components. However, the main function of the SpeedFan program is to regulate the rotation speed of coolers depending on the corresponding temperatures, which allows you to reduce power consumption and background noise during low use of computer resources. In this case, adjustment is possible both automatically and manually. Another feature of SpeedFan is the ability to automatically regulate the frequencies (clocks) of the internal processor bus and the PCI bus (but this should be considered as a bonus).
Key features of the SpeedFan program:
– Fan speed control.– Implemented support for SMART technology.
– The user is given the opportunity, at his own discretion, to specify the temperature and voltage limits. In this case, you can set options for the program to act when these limits are reached: launching an external program, displaying a message, sound warning, sending a message by e-mail.
– Changing the system bus frequencies on motherboards equipped with frequency generators supported by the program.
– Statistics of the parameters taken and recording them in the log.
– Plotting graphs of changes in temperatures, voltages and fan speeds.
– Support for working with HDDs on EIDE, SATA and SCSI interfaces.
– Conducts a web analysis of the status of hard drives using data from S.M.A.R.T. using the online database.
Russification of the SpeedFan program:
1. Install the SpeedFan program and run it.2. In the main window (Readings), click on the Configure button, select the Options tab, enter the Language selection list and select Russian.
3. Now SpeedFan will be in Russian!
A fan or cooler (as it is also called) is designed to cool computer parts that heat up during operation. However, it happens that overheating of parts is not observed, but the cooler works too actively, causing too much noise. The opposite situation also happens: when the PC is heating up, but the fan does not want to work at all. In this article we will figure out how to increase or, conversely, decrease the rotation speed of the cooler on a laptop.
You can increase or decrease the fan speed programmatically
The fan rotation speed itself is determined by the motherboard based on the settings in the BIOS. It just so happens that these settings are not always optimal, and this, in turn, leads to the fact that the laptop either makes noise as if it is trying to take off, or gets so hot that you can get burned. You can solve this problem directly in the BIOS or using third-party programs. Let's consider all the methods.
Setting up through the BIOS may not seem very convenient, since this method does not always work as well as we would like. And if you need to configure everything manually, on the fly and quickly, then the BIOS is not a help at all. If you do not have a laptop, but a desktop computer, then the cooler may not be connected to the motherboard, which makes configuration via the BIOS completely impossible.
The most convenient option is to use special software to adjust the fan speed. There are plenty of similar software products, there are even plenty to choose from.
A simple, good, and most importantly, free program, Speedfan, perfectly solves the problem; in this article we will analyze this utility in more detail because of its convenience and popularity. Its interface is quite simple to understand, and therefore even the absence of Russification is unlikely to create any difficulties when working with it.
The Speedfan installation is standard, we won’t dwell on it. Immediately after installation, the utility will collect all the necessary information about the fans installed on the computer and show it to you in the form of a list.
Areas that you should pay attention to are highlighted in red. The top block indicates the rotation speed of each cooler in RPM (revolutions per minute), and the bottom block shows their parameters, which can be adjusted. As for the top block, CPU Usage shows the processor load level (a separate scale for each core). If you check the Automatic fan speed checkbox, the rotation speed will be set automatically. It is not recommended to use this function due to its ineffectiveness. In the end, the program was installed not for automatic, but for manual configuration. The window may also look like:
If the fan is connected not to the motherboard, but to the power supply, then the values will not be displayed. This is not your fault, it was done this way by default. If you want the parameters to be displayed and all coolers to be detected, you will have to reconnect them to the motherboard.
You can adjust the rotation speed of each fan in the Speed parameters block. Just use the arrows to set the percentage values. It is highly not recommended to turn off any coolers, as this can lead to overheating and damage to the laptop.
In the event that you do not know which cooler is working incorrectly, you need to change the Speed value for each until you notice the difference by ear. Please note that the percentage value you set will be constant, that is, it will not change depending on the load level.
A separate story is the video card fan. It is this part of the laptop that often heats up the most, which means that the correct operation of the cooler is especially important here. The MSI Afterburner program is well suited for setting up the fan on a video card. It works with all video cards, which makes it very convenient. This utility has automatic speed adjustment enabled by default. This feature should be disabled.
Use the slider to set the required speed value. The graph next to it will display all changes in work. Thanks to this, it will be convenient for you to choose the optimal settings.
The high performance of modern computers also has a downside: increased heat generation from chips installed on the motherboard, video adapter, and even in the power supply. That is why almost every PC is equipped with a fairly powerful cooling system. The most inexpensive, simple and common option is to cool devices using radiators installed directly on the chips and fans that cool them.
But three or more installed fans make quite a lot of noise. It is impossible to turn off the coolers, as the computer will overheat with all the ensuing troubles. But how then to deal with the noise, which becomes stronger over time due to wear and tear of the mechanical part of the fan and the production of lubricant? There is only one answer: take control of your computer fans into your own hands. Our publication will discuss how to achieve this.
Ways to solve the problem
Today, all motherboards, chipsets, video adapters and central processors are necessarily equipped with temperature sensors, thanks to which you can control the temperature of these elements using PC hardware or software. By reducing the speed of the coolers, preventing overheating of the processor and the system as a whole, you can effectively combat the noise generated by the fans.
There are several other ways: replace the fans with quieter ones, or upgrade the entire PC cooling system by installing the existing Peltier elements. You can purchase expensive liquid nitrogen refrigeration by investing a fairly large amount of your hard-earned money into this enterprise. Next, we will talk about the simplest and cheapest way - controlling the speed of the processor cooler and other elements of your PC.
There are several options to control your PC's fans:
- Use special software.
- Adjust fan speed from BIOS.
- Use a device under the incomprehensible name “Reobas”.
- Reduce the supply voltage of coolers artificially.
Which fans are adjustable?
Before you start choosing a specific method for controlling fans, you should know that you can control the rotation of devices with a 2-wire connection only by changing the power supply, but you cannot obtain information about its rotation speed.
Three-pin coolers have feedback to the control board. But to solve this issue, it is necessary to turn on the device in order to obtain reliable data on the engine speed. Only some controller models can do this.
In 4-wire fans, in addition to the power, feedback and ground wires, there is a PWM input, which makes it possible to linearly control the fan power, which allows you to change the fan speed on the processor, setting up to 10% of the maximum.
Setting the fan speed from the BIOS
- Restart your PC and press DEL to enter Bios.
- Find the item responsible for setting the fan parameters. On most motherboards this is the Advanced Chipset item. The Always Fan function must be Enabled.
- Select 50-70% for each available cooler and press Esk.
- Save the settings by highlighting Save & Exit Setup, then click Ok.
- After rebooting, the noise from the coolers should disappear.
After changing the settings, monitor the temperature of the processor and motherboard.
Setting fan rotation using third-party software
A huge amount of specialized software is dedicated to all those who did not find the desired option in Bios. In this publication I would like to review the completely free Speed Fan utility. This computer fan control program allows you to very quickly reduce the speed of some coolers and is guaranteed to rid you of annoying noise.
![](https://i2.wp.com/systech.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/218.jpg)
Important! This utility, like most similar ones, is useless for some motherboards. You should try another program.
![](https://i2.wp.com/systech.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/57.jpg)
Mechanical control of PC fans
For mechanical control, you can use a device called Reobas, which was mentioned at the beginning of the article. This device is mounted in the front panel of the PC, in the CDRom compartment. It has one or more manual controls on its panel, with the help of which the processor cooler and other elements equipped with fans are controlled. .
This device can be connected directly to a PCI slot. An additional connection to the FAN connector of the motherboard will make it possible to control the rotation speed of the coolers of their operating system.
It should be understood that Reobas is a rather expensive toy, so before purchasing this device, try to use software that is faster to install and is distributed absolutely free to developers.
It's no secret that high-performance microprocessor devices heat up during operation: the heavier the load, the hotter it gets. For many elements of a modern computer, installing a conventional radiator on a “chip” is no longer enough - active heat removal is required. The easiest way to implement this is with the help of a fan (cooler): no one is surprised by system units with a total number of coolers of 8-10 pieces. Sometimes the motherboard does not have enough connectors for connecting additional fans, and the connection is made through a power splitter or rheobass.
A single cooler makes little noise and consumes little electricity. But if there are a dozen of them in the case, the noise becomes uncomfortable, and electricity consumption increases to quite noticeable values.
Most often, the need to change the fan speed is associated precisely with the excessive noise of the system unit. If the cooling efficiency of the system unit is high enough and overheating of any computer elements does not occur even under the highest loads, you can try reducing the rotation speed of some fans.
One way to reduce this is to use a rheobass - a multi-channel fan speed controller.
But this method is not the only one. Most modern motherboards are capable of adjusting the rotation speed of connected fans. In many cases, you won't even need to install any software - the necessary function is built into the BIOS.
To enter the BIOS, you must press a certain key (or key combination) when you boot the computer, most often Delete. If nothing happens when you press Delete when the computer boots, you should look at the bottom lines of the boot screen - there, when booting starts, a hint is usually displayed as to which keys should be pressed to enter the BIOS.
In the BIOS you should find a page with fan operation settings (Fan Speed, Fan Control, Fan Profile, etc.). CPU Fan settings relate to the processor cooler, Chassis Fan - to the case cooler (or coolers). The processor cooler settings should only be changed if you know exactly what you are doing and are confident in the correctness of your actions - overheating the processor can lead to its failure. The case cooler settings are not so critical, but you shouldn’t change them thoughtlessly either; It would be a good idea to write down all the old values before changing.
To adjust the rotation speed, first make sure that this function is enabled: the Q-Fan Control (or Fan Speed Control) parameter must be set to Enabled. At the same time, fan fine-tuning options become available - some BIOS have many of them, others have fewer. Most often, the easiest way to reduce noise (or, conversely, improve cooling) is to change the profile (Q-Fan Profile). To reduce noise, set it to Silent, to increase cooling - to Performance or Turbo.
After saving the settings and restarting the system, you should make sure that the configured cooler is spinning and that the system does not overheat; otherwise, you should return the old BIOS settings.
If the necessary settings are not found in the BIOS, do not be upset - most often, fans connected to the motherboard can be controlled using specialized software. The most popular of these programs (and absolutely free) is speed fan. When you start the program, the first tab will display all the found fans, their rotation speeds and the temperatures of the computer components - you should focus on them when setting up coolers. The configuration recommendations are the same - you should be careful when operating the CPU Fan (processor cooler) and GPU Fan (video card cooler) settings. When changing speeds (from 0 to 100%), the effect of these changes on temperature should be monitored. In the program, you can also set critical temperatures for all elements and, by specifying which cooler is responsible for which temperature, start the automatic fan speed control mode.
If neither speed fan nor other similar programs “see” the fans, or if the fans are not connected to the motherboard at all, then you will need a rheobass to adjust their rotation speed.
Before considering the characteristics of reobass, we should mention another very common reason for increased fan noise - the coolers become clogged with dust and/or the lubricant thickens in them. If it seems to you that the computer used to make less noise, you may not need any programs or devices to reduce noise - it will be enough to clean the cooler from dust and (if necessary) update the lubricant.
Characteristics of fan speed controllers.
Reobass type.
Main task power strip– provide power to additional fans for which there are no connectors on the motherboard. The splitter may not have the function of controlling fan speed at all. If such a function exists, it will be implemented in software.
Speed controller(reobass) – has greater functionality compared to a splitter. In addition to connecting additional fans, reobass provides some additional features, which may include:
- control and display of the rotation speed of each connected fan;
- temperature control from your own temperature sensor (or several temperature sensors);
- automatic or manual adjustment of fan speeds;
- control and display of power consumed by connected fans
Control type rotation speed can be manual or automatic.
At manual control the rotation speed is set manually by the operator - using buttons, a control knob or on the touch screen. Despite the simplicity of this control method, it will be convenient only in cases where it is not necessary to change the fan speed while the computer is running. This method is still suitable for adjusting the rotation speed of case fans, but not so much for controlling the rotation speed of the processor cooler.
Auto a type of control that automatically changes the cooler rotation speed depending on the temperature sensor readings is much more convenient to use and provides better operating conditions for the equipment. To control coolers of elements that greatly change the temperature depending on the load, you should use rheobass with an automatic control type.
The number of connected fans determines the maximum number of fans that can be connected to the rheobass. It should be borne in mind that as the number of connected fans increases, the power consumed by the device also increases; The computer power supply must have sufficient power reserve.
Availability display with the ability to display temperature values and fan speeds on it, in some cases it may be useful. The display can warn of impending overheating or fan failure and prevent crashes or data loss. For servers (often without their own monitor), such a display will be especially useful.
Temperature control carried out using the motherboard's thermal sensors or the rheobass' own thermal sensors. In the latter case, you should also find out the number of temperature measurement channels (in other words, the number of temperature sensors). For many reobass, temperature control is carried out using one temperature sensor. If processor/video card coolers are supposed to be connected to such a reobass, this can lead to problems (if you install a sensor near the processor, it may “not notice” overheating of the video card and vice versa). Reobass with several thermal sensors are more expensive, but in cases similar to the above, it is not worth saving on this.
Fan connectors can be 2-pin 3-pin and 4-pin.
2-pin and 3-pin connectors involve controlling the fan rotation speed by changing its supply voltage. This is the simplest method, so the rheobass and fans that implement it are inexpensive. The disadvantages of this method are the low accuracy of setting the rotation speed and a decrease in torque with a decrease in voltage. Fans with a 3-pin connector generally cannot spin slower than a certain threshold value - the torque becomes so small that it is not enough to turn the impeller. Such fans are suitable for case fans and hard drive fans, but it has long been customary to install fans connected with a 4-pin connector on processors.
4-pin connectors allow fan speed control using pulse-width modulation (PWM). In this case, the fan is supplied with full power - 12 volts - but not constantly, but in pulses, changing the duration of which, you can very accurately set the fan speed. In addition, with this method there is no restriction on the minimum rotation speed - a fan controlled in this way can rotate even at a speed of 1 rpm. The only drawback of this method is that it is more difficult to implement and therefore more expensive.
The rheobass power connector can be 3-pin (in this case, the speed controller is connected to one of the free 3-pin connectors on the motherboard), 4-pin Molex (power is taken from one of the connectors of the power supply) and SATA (power is taken from the SATA connector of the motherboard ).