Z170 Extreme 7+ Fans Constant Speed

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   Hi,as the title says, i have a z170 Extreme 7+ motherboard. I have an AIO watercooler attached to CPU_FAN1 header and two chassis fans attached to CHA_FAN1 and CHA_FAN2. All fans are connected with 3 pins not four.
I am on bios v1.70. If I adjust the fan speeds in the bios there is no effect. Also if, in windows, I put the PC under load, CPU temps increase above 70 degrees but the fan speeds for the CPU and Chassis fans all remain at the same constant speed as when the PC is idle.

Any assistance appreciated
Kind Regards

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mouldt Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 26 Sep 2015 Status: Offline Points: 7	Post Options Post Reply Quote mouldt Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Z170 Extreme 7+ Fans Constant Speed Posted: 26 Sep 2015 at 12:26am
	Hi, as the title says, i have a z170 Extreme 7+ motherboard. I have an AIO watercooler attached to CPU_FAN1 header and two chassis fans attached to CHA_FAN1 and CHA_FAN2. All fans are connected with 3 pins not four. I am on bios v1.70. If I adjust the fan speeds in the bios there is no effect. Also if, in windows, I put the PC under load, CPU temps increase above 70 degrees but the fan speeds for the CPU and Chassis fans all remain at the same constant speed as when the PC is idle. Any assistance appreciated Kind Regards

parsec Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 04 May 2015 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 4996	Post Options Post Reply Quote parsec Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 26 Sep 2015 at 1:31am
	I have the same board, and it has excellent fan speed control that works perfectly for me. It does take some configuration to get the fans working as you desire. Three pin fans are controlled fine on the four pin fan headers. What are the exact model(s) of the chassis fans you are using? We need to know the exact model of your AIO cooler, so we can determine the best way to connect it to the board. The way the AIO cooler manufacture's instructions tell you to connect it is not always the best way. Where are the AIO cooler's fans connected? Are you using the fans that came with the AIO cooler? Do you have the A-Tuning program for your board installed? If so, is it configured to auto-run when Windows starts?


mouldt Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 26 Sep 2015 Status: Offline Points: 7	Post Options Post Reply Quote mouldt Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 28 Sep 2015 at 6:21pm
	Hi parsec, thanks for the response. Case is Fractal Design R5, the chassis fans are the two standard fans supplied with the case. AIO Cooler is NZXT Kraken x61 with the stock fans. The case fans are on headers CHA_FAN1 and CHA_FAN2. Kraken is on CPU_FAN1 and also a USB header. Kraken fans are connect to the first two fan connectors on the fan cable, as per kraken installation instructions. Kraken works fine if the NZXT CAM software is running, but i was hoping to avoid the need of running software in the background to manage the fans. I've never had to do this on other machines. I am not running the A-Tuning program at all.

parsec Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 04 May 2015 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 4996	Post Options Post Reply Quote parsec Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 30 Sep 2015 at 12:03am
	As long as the Kraken's fans are connected to the cable coming out of the Kraken's pump, they will not be controlled by the mother board. I'm not sure what the purpose of the cable connected to the CPU_FAN1 header from the Kraken's pump is, but it clearly is not allowing the board's fan speed control to be passed to the Kraken's fans. You are required to use the CAM software when the fans are connected to the Kraken pump. A quick quote from your first post: "All fans are connected with 3 pins not four". The Kraken's fans are four pin PWM controlled given the Kraken's specs. Try moving the cable from the Kraken to CHA_FAN1. Put the Kraken's fans on CPU_FAN1 and CPU_FAN2. Then select a fan profile in the UEFI or create a Custom profile. Your chassis fans may be set to monitor the mother board temperature instead of the CPU. Check that in the UEFI.


mouldt Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 26 Sep 2015 Status: Offline Points: 7	Post Options Post Reply Quote mouldt Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 13 Oct 2015 at 3:33am
	I kindof sorted this in the end. The Kraken requires the fans to be connected to its fan wire in order to function correctly. So looks like you just have to use CAM with the kraken - which works fine. The two chassis fans that come with the R5 were in fact working correctly and being controlled by the motherboard correctly, its just that they have such a small difference in fan speed i.e. 700-900rpm. So to me it looked like they were just idling. Having now swapped these for a pair of Nanoxia's that go up to 1400rpm, I can indeed set the fan profile in UEFI and see the fans speeds increase under load. Thanks for the assistance