PWM FANS & OLD GIGABYTE BOARDS

Scannerman · Jan 22, 2024

As some of you may already know, GIGABYTE didn't offer much in the way of software for controlling fans apart from the CPU fan until they started coming out with the Aorus line. I'm working on a relic from the past that could use a little fan controlling, but the case is present tense (meaning it has no front bays) so I can't put a physical fan controller in the case unless I'm prepared to do some serious modding and I'm not in the mood. Does anyone happen to know of some software that I could use (preferably "free ware") for controlling the PWM fans on this Z68 mobo? I've tried one ap already and it only shows what the fans speeds are and doesn't let me alter them regardless of what I do.

Rollback_Jockey · Jan 22, 2024

SpeedFan

A utility tool to monitor PC hardware

speedfan.en.softonic.com

Ghot · Jan 22, 2024

Scannerman said:
As some of you may already know, GIGABYTE didn't offer much in the way of software for controlling fans apart from the CPU fan until they started coming out with the Aorus line. I'm working on a relic from the past that could use a little fan controlling, but the case is present tense (meaning it has no front bays) so I can't put a physical fan controller in the case unless I'm prepared to do some serious modding and I'm not in the mood. Does anyone happen to know of some software that I could use (preferably "free ware") for controlling the PWM fans on this Z68 mobo? I've tried one ap already and it only shows what the fans speeds are and doesn't let me alter them regardless of what I do.

Just be glad I hang out on Amazon so much... no need for a 5.25" bay for a fan controller.
They even have some with remote controls.

Amazon.com : pc case fan controller

Some interesting options....

Amazon.com

trumpy81 · Jan 22, 2024

I have used Fan Control. It will control all fans in your system. Pretty easy to setup and it offers a lot of options to customise the fan curves based on temperature etc...

Fan Control - A highly focused fan controlling software for Windows

Fan Control is a free software that allows the user to control their CPU, GPU and case fans using temperatures.

getfancontrol.com

Scannerman · Jan 23, 2024

Rollback_Jockey said:
SpeedFan

A utility tool to monitor PC hardware

speedfan.en.softonic.com

Thanks. I was afraid someone would recommend Speedfan because that is precisely the software that I tried. It won't let me access anything on the board other than what is being used for the CPU. It will report the speeds of the other onboard fans but there is no way to adjust the speed on fans 4,5, and 6. 1 and 2 are for the CPU and the header for 3 cannot be accessed because the wire won't reach that far. I'm thinking even if it could be accessed Speedfan only would allow me to adjust the fans that work directly with the CPU.

Scannerman · Jan 23, 2024

trumpy81 said:
I have used Fan Control. It will control all fans in your system. Pretty easy to setup and it offers a lot of options to customise the fan curves based on temperature etc...

Fan Control - A highly focused fan controlling software for Windows

Fan Control is a free software that allows the user to control their CPU, GPU and case fans using temperatures.

getfancontrol.com

Thanks. I'll give it a try. :)

Scannerman · Jan 23, 2024

Ghot said:
Just be glad I hang out on Amazon so much... no need for a 5.25" bay for a fan controller.
They even have some with remote controls.

Amazon.com : pc case fan controller

Some interesting options....

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Thanks again, Ghot. I was umm... looking for software. TBH I rather wish there was a bay, even a 2.5" in this modern disgrace of a case would have made things much easier. A simple splitter would probably also have solved the issue if GIGABYTE weren't so stinjee on the software. To be fair, they have improved tremendously since the days of the Z68 platforms. Those other controllers (minus the Corsair Commander) only control the RGB at best and leave the rest to the system board. That Sin Loon 4 knob job does look tempting though. I've seen those puppies before, but never used one. I might give it a go if I can't get any software to work right.

As for the Corsair Commander I only have this to say: Expensive garbage.

Ghot · Jan 23, 2024

Scannerman said:
That Sin Loon 4 knob job does look tempting though

Yeah, and it uses a PCIe back panel slot.

But keep checking out those controllers... they have quite a few options. I only went thru about the first 15 or so.

Scannerman · Jan 23, 2024

Ghot said:
Yeah, and it uses a PCIe back panel slot.

But keep checking out those controllers... they have quite a few options. I only went thru about the first 15 or so.

Yup. I always thought that was a brilliant idea. Plus they're relatively inexpensive. BTW the software failed as you likely knew it would. The system board just isn't geared for it. I could probably make it work if I were willing to rob juice from the CPU fan but this is not really a personal build, meaning I can't afford to risk anything quite so unorthodox. The build also uses a glass panel so it needs to look neat. In all my days of PC building one would think I would have encountered this problem already, but I used to get around this issue with front bay fan controllers. Newer system boards are designed to work with PWM software so you can get away with having no "useless" front bays and be more practical with the essential things like RGB lighting. LESS is MORE. OPTIONS are LIMITING. FREEDOM is SLAVERY etc. Meh, I'm from another time.

To be clear, I'm not blaming the Fan Control software for this. The software is impressive. SpeedFan doesn't hold a candle to it. The layout is very practical, user friendly, and comprehensive. Fan Control even reported what the issue was: No sensors. Again, I could probably make it work if I daisy chained off the CPU fan header but that's just not a risk I want to take with someone else's unit. I'm trying to give them an upgrade on a limited budget.

Anyway, I thank you all for your suggestions. They have certainly been helpful and they've given me a few ideas.

trumpy81 · Jan 23, 2024

@Scannerman
Sorry that Fan Control did not work for you. It is a comprehensive software and I was hoping it might have sorted out the issue for you, but no go

I think the next best solution would be that PCIe unit with the slot plate that Ghot presented or one similar to that at least.

Good luck with whatever you decide to go with.

Scannerman · Jan 23, 2024

trumpy81 said:
@Scannerman
Sorry that Fan Control did not work for you. It is a comprehensive software and I was hoping it might have sorted out the issue for you, but no go

I think the next best solution would be that PCIe unit with the slot plate that Ghot presented or one similar to that at least.

Good luck with whatever you decide to go with.

Thanks and no problem. In a way, Fan Control worked perfectly for me. All the readings were correct and accurate. Plus it informed me why I couldn't vary the speed of my pwm fans. So I got something from it for the future anyway and kept the ap on my USB tool stick. That one's definitely a keeper.

Scannerman · Jan 23, 2024

Ghot said:
Yeah, and it uses a PCIe back panel slot.

But keep checking out those controllers... they have quite a few options. I only went thru about the first 15 or so.

I'm almost persuaded to go with the RONG WUN instead of the SIN SOON 4 knob job but once again, it requires that I use the CPU fan header so I'm a little reluctant.

Ghot · Jan 23, 2024

Scannerman said:
I'm almost persuaded to go with the RONG WUN instead of the SIN SOON 4 knob job but once again, it requires that I use the CPU fan header so I'm a little reluctant.

Yeah, I would stay away from those.
There'll be times when you want the case fans running at different speeds than the CPU fan(s).

There will also be times when you may want individual control of the case fans.
Some running faster, some running slower, etc.

Dru2 · Jan 23, 2024

Scannerman said:
As some of you may already know, GIGABYTE didn't offer much in the way of software for controlling fans apart from the CPU fan until they started coming out with the Aorus line.

Gigabyte has always offered software fan control via their App Center (now Control Center). It was under the Easy Tune app in App Center. This > YouTube video going back to 2013 shows this. I even had it with my X58A (Gigabyte GA-X58-UD5) board back in 2010. The Z68 came out after the X58, so... The Aorus line wasn't introduced until 2014.

If you want to argue efficiency, fine, but it was there before the Aorus boards. Anyway, I never used it as I'm not a fan of App Center. I do my fan curves the BIOS via Smart Fan.

Scannerman · Jan 24, 2024

Dru2 said:
Gigabyte has always offered software fan control via their App Center (now Control Center). It was under the Easy Tune app in App Center. This > YouTube video going back to 2013 shows this. I even had it with my X58A (Gigabyte GA-X58-UD5) board back in 2010. The Z68 came out after the X58, so... The Aorus line wasn't introduced until 2014.

If you want to argue efficiency, fine, but it was there before the Aorus boards. Anyway, I never used it as I'm not a fan of App Center. I do my fan curves the BIOS via Smart Fan.

I d-loaded the software for the GIGABYTE Z-68 board and it doesn't give me the option of tuning any other fans but the fan directly associated with the CPU. That's what all of them do and it makes sense considering that the only wpm fan with a sensor is the one that connects to the fan header for the CPU. I'm not the only one who made this complaint regarding GIGABYTE boards of that era. There are plenty of posts about it. Here's one:

https://www.reddit.com/r/intel/comments/a6d72k

Here's another:

(warning) Gigabyte isn´t offering any fan control...

Well, sad news for HTPC users, gigabyte isnt offering any fan control software anymore. On the entire z97 lineup, no matter how much do you paid for a premium MB, there is no custom fan control support. Just the basic on bios. Giabyte now offer "system viewer information (SIV)", a fan control...

www.overclock.net

There are oodles of websites with people making complaints about the scarcity and inefficiency of software for fan control on older GIGABYTE boards. Admittedly, the GA-X58A-UD3R offers more in the way of options in the Easy Tune app, but the app that I found for this Z68 board was so sad that I uninstalled it. So, I'm going to say it again: GIGABYTE didn't offer much in the way of software for controlling fans apart from the CPU fan until they started coming out with the Aorus line.

When did Smart Fan come out? I'm guessing after 2014.

Scannerman · Jan 24, 2024

Ghot said:
Yeah, I would stay away from those.
There'll be times when you want the case fans running at different speeds than the CPU fan(s).

There will also be times when you may want individual control of the case fans.
Some running faster, some running slower, etc.

There's the rub. Plus it being an older system board and off warranty. I did safely OC it though and it does seem to run rather well. The CPU cooler runs very quiet and keeps the temps at around 34°C in idle with a stress test @ 56° but the System (exhaust) Fan (which is brand spankin' new) spins @ around 2000 RPM and sounds like I'm on a jet. The controller I'm using won't connect with the exhaust fan. So the short answer would be to replace the fan with another brand new fan and put the other in stock. Blah! I'm doing this build as a service for someone. In other words, I'm not charging them. I'll think of something. Thanks

Dru2 · Jan 25, 2024

Scannerman said:
I d-loaded the software for the GIGABYTE Z-68 board and it doesn't give me the option of tuning any other fans but the fan directly associated with the CPU.

I'll clarify by saying that would be true if the other fan headers aren't PVM (4-pin) supported as stated here... Z68X-UD3H-B3 Fan Speed Controls? However, your board (GA-Z68X-UD3-B3) does have a non-CPU PVM fan header (SYS_FAN 2) per page 24 of your owner's manual > here (PDF file).

And you are talking about a 2011 release, so a 13-year-old board. And yes, if the board is limited, so would be the options available.

Anyway, my point, as shown in the video link (9:05 mark), was Gigabyte had software fan control "prior" to the Aorus release. My Gigabyte Z87, G1-Sniper 5 board certainly isn't an Aorus board.

And I never argued efficiency or effectiveness, only that Gigabyte had fan software prion to Aorus.

Scannerman · Jan 25, 2024

Dru2 said:
I'll clarify by saying that would be true if the other fan headers aren't PVM (4-pin) supported as stated here... Z68X-UD3H-B3 Fan Speed Controls? However, your board (GA-Z68X-UD3-B3) does have a non-CPU PVM fan header (SYS_FAN 2) per page 24 of your owner's manual > here (PDF file).

And you are talking about a 2011 release, so a 13-year-old board. And yes, if the board is limited, so would be the options available.

Anyway, my point, as shown in the video link (9:05 mark), was Gigabyte had software fan control "prior" to the Aorus release. My Gigabyte Z87, G1-Sniper 5 board certainly isn't an Aorus board.

And I never argued efficiency or effectiveness, only that Gigabyte had fan software prion to Aorus.

I will concede that this software was available months before Aorus was released. I believe that was with the Z87 platform which later became an Aorus thing, so we are discussing a transitional point in history here. True PWM didn't exist with three pin headers, but the software for the X58 platform (which my daughter still uses today) was more extensive than what I found for this Z68 board. By that time I had left off GIGABYTE for ASUS and the UEFI/BIOS on Z87 and Z97 boards offered by ASUS had plenty in the way of fine tuning fans via software at that point. I'm pretty sure it was around the time that I purchased my Sabertooth Z87 that I noticed the Aorus logo, but my memory isn't quite what it used to be.

I didn't notice that in the manual that the sys2 header gives me this option, but there's no possible way for me to connect the rear exhaust fan to it unless I get real creative. I don't remember reading anything like that in the manual. I'm thinking the best solution is to just replace the rear fan with a cheap, three pin, slower fan and run it off Molex. If it's still too loud I can always just solder in a resistor. Thanks for the help.

Dru2 · Jan 25, 2024

Scannerman said:
I will concede that this software was available months before Aorus was released. I believe that was with the Z87 platform which later became an Aorus thing, so we are discussing a transitional point in history here.

Nope, not months, but years - like with my X58 Gigabyte board back in 2010 - way before the Z87 and before Aorus was a thought.

Scannerman said:
I didn't notice that in the manual that the sys2 header gives me this option, but there's no possible way for me to connect the rear exhaust fan to it unless I get real creative.

Ever heard of fan extension cables? I was using them with my first builds in the 90's. My current build has some. And some companies like Noctua, will even supply some with certain fans or packages.

Scannerman said:
I don't remember reading anything like that in the manual. I'm thinking the best solution is to just replace the rear fan with a cheap, three pin, slower fan and run it off Molex. If it's still too loud I can always just solder in a resistor. Thanks for the help.

Whatever works for you my brother.

Peace

Scannerman · Jan 25, 2024

NOPE. Our X58 board has no such thing here as fan curve software or anything resembling true PWM much less this Z68. Yes, I know about Noctua and their limiters. I have Noctua coolers. And yes, I know what extension cables are.

I started this thread asking for freeware because I have no intention of sinking any more money into this build if at all possible. Meanwhile, I keep on reading these sentiments that actually support my original statement:

"Most, if not all, Gigabyte motherboards have either not very nice fan controls or no fan controls at all."

"Yeah, fan control on Gigabyte boards sucks, this coming from experience. Memory compatibility has also been crap. I'm steering clear of Gigabyte for a while."

"If you dont want to take the risk get the ASUS P8Z68-V.
You can control it with the Asus software."

And there are many more comments exactly like it, all of them from the link you shared. >Z68X-UD3H-B3 Fan Speed Controls?

So, Dru, either the majority of us are all wrong and you're the only one who is right or you've got your wires crossed. I'm beginning to think it is the latter. But as you say, haters gotta hate. Don't be rude and stop hating on me, brother.

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