Fan control software

I have an older AsRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 motherboard that comes
with the AXTU software, that can automatically control fan speed.

I was wondering if it is safe to use fan control software from the
newer boards ...like A-Tuning or Formula Drive that have much better
fan control options with custom fan curves etc.?

Or, would using such newer software that is not intended for the
Z68 chipset damage my motherboard?

warr33or wrote: I have an older AsRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 motherboard that comes with the AXTU software, that can automatically control fan speed. I was wondering if it is safe to use fan control software from the newer boards ...like A-Tuning or Formula Drive that have much better fan control options with custom fan curves etc.? Or, would using such newer software that is not intended for the Z68 chipset damage my motherboard?

Unfortunately, the other ASRock utility programs you mentioned won't work with your board.

If you tried to install one of them, I believe the installation program would detect it is not meant to be used with your board, and the installation would stop. If the program did install, the fan speed control would not work at all, as well as all the other features it has. I doubt any damage would occur.

Each of the ASRock utilities like AXTU and A-Tuning is designed to work with a limited group of similar boards. Each board has a file that defines the fan speed control options and settings that are specific to that board.

If your board uses AXTU, you can only use AXTU. Another program like A-Tuning will not have the file that defines the options for your board, so simply will not work, or install.

I wish my older ASRock boards were able to use the new custom fan curves, but they can't. Fan speed control also depends on a chip used in the board, so is not just software based.

parsec wrote: zafnar wrote: I have a z68 extreme 3 gen 3 as well and right now I can live without all the other utilities on windows 10 but having no fan control software is killing my ears. Why can't you use the fan speed control settings in the UEFI/BIOS? The H/W Monitor screen in the BIOS has most if not all of the options available in your board's AXTU program. It sounds like the fan speed settings in the BIOS are set to Full On, or the fans you use run at high speed with the Standard setting. You really should go into the BIOS and fix your fan speed settings, I'm sure you can at least reduce the fan noise you have now. What case fans and CPU cooler do you have? Are they all connected to the mother board? Does AXTU not work with Win 10?

Also, note that only 4-pin (PWM) fans can be controlled.
3-pin fans will run at 100% when connected to the motherboard.

warr33or wrote: parsec wrote: zafnar wrote: I have a z68 extreme 3 gen 3 as well and right now I can live without all the other utilities on windows 10 but having no fan control software is killing my ears. Why can't you use the fan speed control settings in the UEFI/BIOS? The H/W Monitor screen in the BIOS has most if not all of the options available in your board's AXTU program. It sounds like the fan speed settings in the BIOS are set to Full On, or the fans you use run at high speed with the Standard setting. You really should go into the BIOS and fix your fan speed settings, I'm sure you can at least reduce the fan noise you have now. What case fans and CPU cooler do you have? Are they all connected to the mother board? Does AXTU not work with Win 10? Also, note that only 4-pin (PWM) fans can be controlled. 3-pin fans will run at 100% when connected to the motherboard.

Not so, according to your board's manual, and what I have experienced with my ASRock boards.

From your board's manual:



The three pin chassis fans 1, 2, and 3 have fan speed control in the BIOS. The three pin Power Fan header only does not have any speed control, as is traditional for that header on mother boards.

The default setting for the Chassis Fan headers 1 and 3 is Full On, or Level 4 for Chassis Fan 2. If you don't configure their settings in the BIOS, then your fans will run at full speed.

The AXTU utility for your board also has the same settings available for all the fan headers that can be controlled.