Yoodley is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
If your system is overheating, you have to increase fan speed to cool down your CPU. However, overheating is not the only reason why you need control over fan speed. If your fans are running at full speed for no reason, you might have to reduce the speed using one of the methods we have included in this article.
Changing CPU fan speed using BIOS is one of the best ways, but sometimes BIOS does not allow you to adjust fan speed. If you are facing a similar issue, you have two ways two control your fans without BIOS.
1.) Fan Control Software.
2.) External Fan Controller.
1.) Fan Control Software
There are multiple fan control softwares like Corsair Link, NoteBook FanControl, HW Monitor, Argus Monitor, SpeedFan e.t.c. All of them are good, but in this article, we are going to explain how you can set up SpeedFan to control fan speed.
What is SpeedFan?
Speed fan is a free software for Microsoft Windows that can monitor fan speed and temperatures of CPU components. It lets you manually control the fan speed, and you can also use its automatic fan speed feature that reads the temperature of the components and controls the speed accordingly.
Note: SpeedFan is one of the most popular fan control software, its design may look outdated to you, but it is a free software coded by an individual. Setting up the software can be complicated for beginners; that’s why we recommend you carefully follow the steps below:
Step 1: Download & install SpeedFan.
Visit this website and download the SpeedFan installer. Once it’s downloaded, install it and then open it. After opening the application, it will scan all of the buses on your motherboard.
Step 2: Configure fan control.
As soon as you open the software, don’t try to change the fan speed using the PWM controls because you have to configure it first.
- Click on ”Configure” and another window will open up.
- Now click on ”Advanced.”
- After clicking on ”Advanced,” you have to click on the ”Chip” dropdown menu.
- In the menu, look for your PWMs (try clicking on all the chip dropdown items if you don’t know where your PWMs are.)
- Once you find your PWMs, select the ones you want to control.
- After selecting the PMW, you’ll see a “Set to” dropdown, you have to select “Manual” or “Software-controlled.” (This will allow Speedfan to control your fans.) Make sure you click on “Remember it” to save the settings.
- Now you can go back to the main window, and you’ll see PWM1, PWM2, PWM3, PWM4, PWM5. Select the PWM you configured, and now you can manually type or use toggle buttons to change fan speed.
Step 3: Set-up automatic fan control.
In step 2, we explained how you can control fan speed, but it’s manual. You can also set-up automatic fan control so if your CPU starts overheating, Speedfan will automatically increase the speed, and when it’s cool, it will reduce the speed.
You can set up automatic fan control by clicking on ”Configure” and then click on ”Fan control” and check advanced fan control. It’s a bit complicated, and we think it will be too confusing if we explain everything here that’s why we have attached a Youtube video below. It will help you set-up everything correctly.
2.) External Fan Controller
Thermal paste and cooling systems are good for protection, but you can also use an external fan controller and take advantage of the full potential of your fans. Speedfan does not work with some motherboards so you can use an external fan controller like Thermaltake Commander F6 or CORSAIR COMMANDER PRO.
Thermaltake Commander F6
Commander F6 is not the best looking external fan controller, but it’s pretty popular. It has three pins socket and can monitor six fans simultaneously. The device has an RGB LCD where you can see temperature and fan speed and also has six control knobs, a warning alarm with short circuit protection, and six temperature sensors.
FAQs
What causes computer fans to speed up?
High CPU utilization by heavy games and video editing softwares can increase CPU temperature, so computer fans start running at high RPM for active cooling.
What causes a computer fan to run loud?
Usually, dirty fans cause computer fans to run loud. Dust can damage fan bearings, and they start making loud noise; thus, it’s better to clean your computer fans using compressed air cans, an electronic vacuum, or with a damp cloth. You can check How to clean a computer system fan guide by Computer hope.
What is a good CPU fan Speed?
You can keep the fan speed at 50 – 70% of RPM when you are casually using your PC. But while gaming and doing heavy 3D work or video editing, your CPU can overheat so if you see the temperature going above 60 – 70° Celcius, you should set all the fans at 100%.
What causes computer fans to run all the time?
If your CPU fans are running at full speed all the, it could be because of the heat sink or temperature sensor. It could be because of issues with the processor too, but the most common reason for this issue is a faulty temperature sensor.
Sources
- SpeedFan, Wikipedia
- Best Fan Controllers, The techlounge
-
What to do when your CPU Fan runs at full speed always, The windows club
