Limited fan control on new Gigabyte motherboards

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nicke2323
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Limited fan control on new Gigabyte motherboards

Post by nicke2323 » Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:28 am

This thread is a continuation of the fan control discussion in this topic:
viewtopic.php?t=46239

I'm starting a new thread because this issue is serious enough to warrant a thread of its own, and also because it may concern more motherboards from Gigabyte than the P35-DS3 line.

The problem is this: in recent years, Gigabyte's motherboards have had 4 fan headers, two of which have 4-pin headers and enable fan control of either 3-pin or 4-pin fans using e.g. Speedfan. However, several readers are now reporting that the latest generation of motherboards only have one controllable fan header, and are therefore not suitable for silent PCs. This is a major disappointment, since the same new motherboard models now have attractive reduced power requirements (with DES).

I hope this thread will be able to address the following issues:

* Which motherboard models are affected? Which BIOS versions? Please post your experiences here, and include model name, revision number and BIOS version. All this is reported by CPU-Z, available here:
http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

* Which fan headers are controllable, and which are not? Differences between Speedfan and Easytune? 3-pin or 4-pin fans?

* Can this be fixed in a future BIOS version? Or perhaps we can get Alfredo to address this in the next Speedfan beta?

* Finally, what is Gigabyte smoking? I can't believe they did this to save costs ...

OK, that's enough for an introduction, I'll post my own experiences and summarize others below.
Last edited by nicke2323 on Tue Apr 22, 2008 2:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

xafier
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Post by xafier » Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:35 am

I have a Gigabyte X38 DS4, Speedfan is unable to change the PWM values of the fans, therefore they run at full speed.

Thankfully, at least if you enable their automatic fan speed adjustment for the CPU it adjusts the fan speeds... unfortunatly, it seems to do this for ALL the fans (well the 3 out of 4 I've used), which is a bit of a bummer!

I may get in touch with them at some point and find out if this will be changed in a later BIOS...

I'm not sure whether its a limitation of the motherboard, or a limitation with Speedfan, but having used Speedfan for a long while on my 939 socket motherboard I really miss being able to set the limits of various things to turn up which fans etc

Also whats a little irritating is I think it is increasing the CPU fan speed in accordance with the socket temperature, not the temperature readings of the actual cores themselves!

Glad I'm not the only one suffering this annoyance!

[edit]
I'm currently using the F03 bios I believe, with an E8200 chip... the CPU fan header is a 4 pin, although my fan is a 3 pin, it has a 2nd 4 pin header and two 3 pin headers... I've used them all except for the one near where my rear fan is as my rear fan is currently run off a molex connector as its an Antec Tri-cool (going to replace it at some point)

nicke2323
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Post by nicke2323 » Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:50 am

Here are my experiences with my current GA-EP35C-DS3R revision 2.1 (revision A2 according to CPU-Z), BIOS version F3e.

I had the identical problems with a GA-P35C-DS3R revision 2.1 that was returned for an unrelated issue, BIOS version F10.

The CPU fan and SYS_FAN2 are both 4-pin fan headers, but only SYS_FAN2 is controllable using Speedfan (either 3-pin or 4-pin fans work).

The CPU fan can also be controlled, but only if ALL the following conditions are met:

* CPU smart fan control is enabled in the BIOS (under PC health).
* EasyTune5 Pro is running. [edit] Correction, this is incorrect. Easytune5 doesn't need to be running, the BIOS can control a PWM fan directly.
* Speedfan is NOT running, and has not previously been running during the login session. [edit] This still stands. Speedfan seems to disable BIOS control.
* The fan is a 4-pin PWM fan.

In other words:

* No 3-pin analog CPU fans can be controlled.
* A 4-pin PWM CPU fan can not be controlled using Speedfan (only Easytune).
* Only one fan can be controlled. This is because Easytune only controls the CPU fan, Speedfan only has access to SYS_FAN2, and Easytune won't work with Speedfan.
Last edited by nicke2323 on Tue Apr 22, 2008 2:35 pm, edited 2 times in total.

nicke2323
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Post by nicke2323 » Tue Apr 22, 2008 9:07 am

Here are some examples of what other people have posted in the other thread:
PanzerIV wrote:I have the EP35-DS3R and only the SYS_FAN2 was controlable through SpeedFan. Believe it or not, but my Scythe Ninja "3pin fan" couldn't be controlled both from the bios (F1) and Speedfan, weither the setting in the bios "CPU Fan Smart Control" was enabled or not. As for SYS_FAN1 and PWR_Fan, I could only monitor them so I had to use 3 (Zalman Fan Mate 2) in order to be able to have control on the speed of my fans.
Lawrence Lee wrote:I just built a system over the weekend for a friend with the P35-DS3R Rev. 2.1. The CPU_FAN header seems to have been gimped. It won't control 3-pin fans and 4-pin fan control is limited to ~6V. The other 4-pin header is fully controllable for both 3 and 4-pin fans though.
PanzerIV's and Lawrence Lee's experiences are identical to my own, except for the following:
PanzerIV wrote: *** By the way, the SYS_FAN2 doesn't output 12volt. My intake Scythe S-Flex 1200rpm was stuck at 350-400rpm at most and sometimes it would even not get enough power to start spinning. ***
My SYS_FAN2 has no problems with my S-Flex 1200rpm. Wish I could say the same for the CPU fan header ...
rilles wrote:I had a 2.0 P35-DSR -- everything worked fine for me.

Replaced a dying Asus with a EP35-DSR. DES is nice, but as the poster above says I see now the fan speed control is poached!!

2.0 could control the fan on the CPU and and PWR_FAN connectors, the 2.1 is poached -- all fan's are 100% all the time. Updated to the latest bios - no help. The system is really noisy now, I hope this is not a hardware glitch.
kike_1974 wrote:I bought yesterday my GA-P35-DS3 rev.2.1.

I can control 3-pin fan in the Sys_fan2 connector with speedfan.

But I can't get control of another 3-pin fan in the CPU_FAN connector, neither with speedfan nor even with bios :( The options in the bios for fan control are very scarce, I don't find any option that may help to control the CPU_FAN.

So I'm restricted to only 1 fan connector to control things :(

If I find the way to control fans with the CPU_FAN I will let you know
Two more confirmations.
nafets wrote:Just thought I'd chime in with my experiences with fans on the GA-P35-DS3L Rev 2.0;

CPU_FAN (3 or 4-pin) - Controllable through the Bios for 3-pin (voltage) or 4-pin (PWM) / Controllable through Speedfan for 4-pin (PWM)
PWR_FAN (3-pin) - No bios or software fan control
SYS_FAN1 (3-pin) - No bios or software fan control
SYS_FAN2 (3 or 4-pin) - Controllable through Speedfan for 4-pin (PWM)

For my board Speedfan isn't able to control any 3-pin fans on any header, which is a disappointment, but is somewhat expected considering the value-based price it's offered at.

One problem I discovered is that SYS_FAN2 is gimped on my DS3L. Plugging the same 3-pin YL D12SL-12 (1350RPM spec) in the 4 headers results in the following;
CPU_FAN - 1400RPM
PWR_FAN - 1380RPM
SYS_FAN1 - 1390RPM
SYS_FAN2 - 740RPM

The fan header is obviously not supplying the fan with 12V, but something much less. The fan will start very low, around 550RPM then slowly rise to the max of 740RPM. The same thing happens with other fans I've tested with it, albeit, at different speeds.

Using a Fanmate2 on SYS_FAN2 with the D12SL-12 results in more weirdness. Raising voltage through the Fanmate2 lowers the speed 10-20RPM (720-730RPM). Lowering the voltage through the Fanmate2 raises the speed 10RPM (750RPM).

The uselessness of SYS_FAN2 has relegated it to RPM monitoring of my GPU FAN which is run at 12V through a 4-pin molex adapter with a separate 3-pin RPM cable.

Simply put, if you're looking for advanced fan control through the Bios or Speedfan with Gigabyte's cheaper motherboard offerings, you'll most likely be disappointed, and you might be better served looking elsewhere...
These experiences are quite different from mine, but I agree with your conclusion to avoid Gigabyte until this is all sorted out.
smilingcrow wrote:I initially had the same problem with a P35-DS3R 2.0 but I was able to overcome it with a bit of tweaking; here’s what I had to do:

Disable fan control in the BIOS.
In Speedfan I chose software control for the fan controller.

After that I could control 2 of the 4 fan headers and monitor the speeds. I used the latest Beta of Speedfan.
I've tried, and this doesn't work on my EP35C-DS3R.
Last edited by nicke2323 on Tue Apr 22, 2008 2:34 pm, edited 3 times in total.

xafier
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Post by xafier » Tue Apr 22, 2008 12:49 pm

I'll give Speedfan another go tomorrow probably and play around in the BIOS, its rather disappointing that they aren't controllable, surely the hardware is in place to do this otherwise how can the BIOS control the fans speed? So surely it must be something that can be fixed with a BIOS change?

[edit]

I've contacted Gigabyte mentioning this motherboard limitation and asking whether it will be changed in a later BIOS revision, no doubt I will receive a reply either saying no, or making no sense as its written in very poor engrish!

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Post by andyb » Tue Apr 22, 2008 1:59 pm

I am about to buy a P35-DS3 mobo, should I be concerned about this.?

My current setup only uses 3 fans, one of which is hard wired to run at 5v, so if I can control 2 fans I will be happy, but I can probably get by fine with just one being controlled.

Can anyone who own a P35-DS3 mobo confirm how many fans can be controlled via speedfan, and whethger they need to be 4-pin or not, and whether they opperate via the correct sensors.

Well done "nicke2323" for making this a valid subject, that will no doubt get many reads and comments.


Andy

nicke2323
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Post by nicke2323 » Tue Apr 22, 2008 2:20 pm

andyb wrote:I am about to buy a P35-DS3 mobo, should I be concerned about this.?
IMHO, you most certainly should. If I were you I'd make an attempt to get a hold of a P35-DS3 revision 1.X model, which I believe has the usual two controllable fan headers. Alternatively, if smilingcrow is correct, revision 2.0 will work if correctly configured. It's a bit early to say, but I think our issues are with revision 2.1 (or EP35 models).

However, I still have hope that Alfredo can update Speedfan to fix this for us if we give him the correct information. As xafier pointed out, the hardware seems to be in place, at least for PWM fans. I'll contact Alfredo when enough people have posted here and the picture is a bit clearer.

xafier
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Post by xafier » Wed Apr 23, 2008 9:09 am

I've been having a playing in Speedfan and I've managed to be able to control the CPU fan speed, which is good :)

I had to go into the Configure page and then go to Advanced tab and selected the chipset from the dropdown box.

I then selected "PWM1 Mode" and changed it from "SmartGuardian" to "Software Controlled"

I believe switching off the BIOS fan control may set to Software Controlled by default... I haven't been able to change other fans, but I've just remembered I plugged my front fan into the PSU fan header as it was the only one the BIOS wasn't controlling...

So, in conclusion, I think that Speedfan will control all but the PSU fan header, but I will have a little play around to see :)

Now I need to buy myself some better 120mm fans, maybe 1200 rpm, now that I know I can control them with Speedfan!

nicke2323
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Post by nicke2323 » Wed Apr 23, 2008 9:12 am

I just got an unexpected hopeful response from Gigabyte on this. Even more astonishing - it wasn't even written in cryptic Engrish!!
Hi,
We are aware of the problem controlling the speed on 3-pin fans and are working on a BIOS fix that will make this possible again. Hopefully it doesn't take too long to finish this.

Best Regards,
===========================
Technical Support Team
Gigabyte Technology
===========================
Question : During recent years, all Gigabyte motherboards have been able to control both 3-pin and 4-pin fans connected to the SYS_FAN2 and CPU fan headers, using third party software such as Speedfan. However, in the latest 2.1 revisions of DS3-series motherboards, voltage control of 3-pin fans connected to the CPU fan header no longer works, regardless of whether or not "CPU Smart Fan control" is enabled or disabled in the BIOS.

This in effect means that revision 2.1 is a DOWNGRADE from previous revision 1.x models.

Many readers of the silentpcreview.com forums are very unhappy with this, and it may soon lead to the removal of ALL Gigabyte models from the "recommended motherboards" list. See e.g. this thread:
viewtopic.php?p=408770

I have two questions:

1. Why has Gigabyte REMOVED support for 3-pin (voltage controlled) CPU fans, when this has worked perfectly well in previous models?

2. Can you provide a BIOS update that re-enables support for 3-pin fans on EP35-series motherboards?

Thank you!


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Model Name : GA-EP35C-DS3R(rev. 2.1)
--------------------------
M/B Rev : 2.1
BIOS Ver : F3e
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VGA Brand : Nvidia Model : 8800gt
CPU Brand : Intel Model : e8400 Speed : 3.0 GHz
Operation System : Win XP SP : 2
Memory Brand : Corsair Type : DDRII
Memory Size : 4 GB Speed : 800 MHz
Power Supply : 420 W

xafier
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Post by xafier » Wed Apr 23, 2008 9:55 am

Thats good that they've sent you a response!

I've had a little play around and swapped my fans around a bit, I think I've discovered what you've mentioned in your email to them.

The 4 pin headers, 1 for CPU and another SYS_FAN seem to be controllable in Speedfan if you go into the advanced options and set them to Software Controlled.

Unfortunatly the PSU fan header and another SYS_FAN header that is for the rear fan are 3 pin headers and are not controllable.

This is kind of sucky as I was wanting to control my rear fan... oh well... I will await their BIOS fix which hopefully will be soon!!

xafier
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Post by xafier » Wed Apr 23, 2008 10:28 am

I've got a reply to my question about controlling fan speeds, mine response isn't as good as yours...
Hi,

Sorry but this board BIOS doesn't has the Fan Speed Control Option. As we know no BIOS release for this option. Smart FAN Control (CPU Fan) option is the same. When CPU temperature reach certain temperature (eg 40C) it will spin faster. It will not spin if the temperature under certain degree.

You may install a CPU Fan which can manually adjust the fan speed. Those fan are came with a knob or control panel.
Maybe I should rephrase my question saying that 4 pin fan headers are controllable and 3 pin are not.

kike_1974
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Post by kike_1974 » Wed Apr 23, 2008 5:16 pm

I have the 2.1 firmware revision of the ga-p35-ds3. My report is this:

- CPU_FAN: Can not control 3-pin fans. There is no option in bios to select a mode for 3-pin fan. Although in the manual there is an option named "Smart Fan Control Mode" that should allow to choose between 3-pin and 4-pin fans, in my bios (latest estable) there is not such option. I suppose it will work ok with 4-pin fans and they should be controllable, but I don't have 4-pin fans so I have not tested this. For 3-pin fans it works at 12V (the problem is Pin. No. 2 that is fixed at 12V).

- SYS_FAN1/PWR_FAN: They work at fixed 12V. No possibility to control these ones (they are only for 3-pin fans)

- SYS_FAN2: This one can control 3-pin fans using speedfan or bios. Right now it is the only controllable head I can use.

Maybe future bios releases can fix the CPU_FAN behaviour, gigabyte may add the bios option that has dissapeared to select fan mode.

By the way, I've used speedfan for a while, I've used it with several boards and I have even written a guide (in Spanish sorry) for using this program. I know the options to make fan control work (advanced options --> chip --> change pwm modes and some other options). I think that if I have not been able to make the CPU_FAN head control the fan it is because it is not possible ;)

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Post by howardyu » Wed Apr 23, 2008 8:10 pm

I got ep35-ds3p a couple of weeks ago. I can confirm that speedfan cannot control cpu fan. I did not try the software control setting in speedfan though. When cpu fan is set to auto in bios, it runs full speed with 3pin fan. After setting fan to voltage with smart fan enable, my cpu fan finally slows down to about 500rpm (from 1200rpm, NJ heatseek). Somehow there is no issue with Sys_fan2. 3pin fan runs slowly. Anyway I am not using speedfan anymore. Actually I feel better since fans are no longer running at full speed during booting.

ep35-ds3p has other three fan connectors: sys_fan1, power, and nb (north bridge?). They are running at full speed.

xafier
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Post by xafier » Thu Apr 24, 2008 2:56 am

Bummer:
Answer : Hi,

Sorry but future BIOS version will not allow to control 3 pin SYS_FAN header.

Question - 597962
From : Me [ [email protected] ]
Sent : 4/24/2008 02:31
Question : The motherboard has 4 fan headers, two of them have 4 pins and the other two have 3 pins.

The fan headers with 4 pins are controllable via the BIOS auto setting, or through software such as Speedfan.

The fan headers with 3 pins are NOT controllable via the BIOS or through software.

Will it be possible for future BIOS versions to allow controlling of the other SYS_FAN header which has only 3 pins?

nicke2323
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Post by nicke2323 » Thu Apr 24, 2008 10:02 am

howardyu wrote:When cpu fan is set to auto in bios, it runs full speed with 3pin fan. After setting fan to voltage with smart fan enable, my cpu fan finally slows down to about 500rpm (from 1200rpm, NJ heatseek). Somehow there is no issue with Sys_fan2. 3pin fan runs slowly.
Interesting. Can you tell us more? What BIOS version are you running, and what fan control options are there in that BIOS?

In my F3e BIOS for the EP35C-DS3R, the only fan option is called "CPU Smart Fan control" and is either enabled or disabled. There are no options that can be set to "auto" or "voltage".

xafier
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Post by xafier » Thu Apr 24, 2008 10:05 am

Assuming your BIOS has a similar layout to mine, there is CPU Smart Fan Control, which as you say is Enabled or Disabled.

Then below that I have an option for Auto / PWM / Voltage.

Assuming your BIOS has a similar layout to the one I have on my X38 based mobo you should also have that option, and I believe that is what he is talking about :)

nicke2323
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Post by nicke2323 » Thu Apr 24, 2008 10:09 am

xafier wrote:Assuming your BIOS has a similar layout to mine, there is CPU Smart Fan Control, which as you say is Enabled or Disabled.

Then below that I have an option for Auto / PWM / Voltage.

Assuming your BIOS has a similar layout to the one I have on my X38 based mobo you should also have that option, and I believe that is what he is talking about :)
Thanks. That auto/PWM/voltage-option doesn't exist in my BIOS. I suppose this is what Gigabyte is trying to re-introduce. Hope they update it soon.

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Post by kike_1974 » Thu Apr 24, 2008 1:14 pm

nicke2323 wrote:
xafier wrote:Assuming your BIOS has a similar layout to mine, there is CPU Smart Fan Control, which as you say is Enabled or Disabled.

Then below that I have an option for Auto / PWM / Voltage.

Assuming your BIOS has a similar layout to the one I have on my X38 based mobo you should also have that option, and I believe that is what he is talking about :)
Thanks. That auto/PWM/voltage-option doesn't exist in my BIOS. I suppose this is what Gigabyte is trying to re-introduce. Hope they update it soon.
Exactly, that option is the one that is gone in my BIOS too (however it appears in the manual). I also hope they update it soon :S

howardyu
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Post by howardyu » Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:51 pm

My bios version is F3. Below "CPU Smart fan Control", there is "CPU Smart Fan Mode" in which you can choose "Auto", "PWM" and "Voltage", same as xafier.

Will Control+F1 reveal this menu?

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Post by Mr Reorg » Mon May 26, 2008 2:43 am

I have been planning on getting one of these boards for a new build (my first actually), but because of this issue and the DPC spikes that have been reported I am completely perplexed. Although I have no experience building a PC, from what I have read (in general) on the web, I was confident that I would always buy an Asus mobo (due to reliability/stability), when it came time. Since I want to build a very quiet PC, for novice (my 15 year old son) DAW purposes, I had been swayed by the multitude of recommendations here for the Gigabyte boards.

Now what do I do? I promised my son I have his new PC built this summer and I can't wait for the last minute as I have to plan time off from work to concentrate on it.

Sorry, I am not trying to highjack this thread.

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Post by bgavin » Mon May 26, 2008 6:25 am

Look into the Abit IP35 Pro. I bought one for my personal system, and will install it shortly.

I had settled on the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3 line of boards, but the DPC problem remains in limbo with no end in sight. The BIOS versions that support E8400 are in perpetual "beta" versions for the DS3L. Gigabyte is 100% non-responsive to my queries, so I sold off my stock of DS3 boards to business clients who will never be impacted by the DPC problems.

The DS3 (not R) board is a funky 7 hole design... a 'tweener sized ATX board, so it does not have mounting pads at the NE or SE corners of the board. Pressure is applied here when installing connectors... it's a nit, but annoying none the less. I used plastic standoffs under these two unsupported corners.

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Post by merlin » Mon Jun 30, 2008 5:49 pm

I'm getting rather tempted to switch off gigabyte due to the fan issues. It's the ONLY major minus on the boards too. Love the voltage controls and board designs. :(
Personally the biggest problem I have is that the cpu fan cannot be voltage controlled anymore on the newer boards. This is a big minus because I don't use pwm fans...now I'm tempted to look into getting one though.

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Post by andyb » Tue Jul 01, 2008 2:46 am

Well, I gout round the problem really easily, I just run everything @ 5v, all the temps are very good, its silent...... what more can I add.


Andy

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P43 mobo: GA-EP43-DS3L

Post by ridegd » Fri Jul 04, 2008 4:04 am

Hello,

just letting you know that my Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Rev 1.0, BIOS: F4 does NOT support fan voltage regulation at all.

It's got two conventional 3-pin headers, the CPU header is a 4-pin PWM, and there is also a fourth header which is 4-pin PWM but according to the manual its pin order is different from that of the CPU PWM header.

The motherboard can't control the voltage for any of the headers, including the CPU header. I tried the BIOS, EasyTune 6 and SpeedFan.
The manual says there is a Smart Fan control feature, but that didn't work on my 3-pin CoolerMaster Hyper TX 2. (It probably only works by PWM.)

------------------------------------

Also, I seem to have problems with either the cooler or the thermal sensors.
In the following environment:

Antec NSK6580 case, cables tidy, side vents covered
Scythe Slipstream 1200 @ 5v exhaust
ATI Radeon X300 passive low profile
one HDD with reported temp of 24 C
Gigabyte P43 mobo GA-EP43-DS3L

ambient temperature ~23 C
Cooler Master Hyper TX2 @ 1200 RPM, unmodded and securely attached
Core 2 Duo E7200 @ 2.4 GHz (uses 9.0 multiplier instead of 9.5, my BIOS defaults to this and I just left it)

After 18 mins in Orthos Stress Prime, SpeedFan reports:
Core0: 53 C
Core1: ~46 C

This is way more than what I expected from this setup. The Hyper TX2 @ 1200 RPM should be plenty enough for an E7200, hell, it's a 45nm chip! Even without undervolting, I though it would be much cooler.

The heatsink fins are cold to the touch, so I'd assume this could be a heat transfer problem.
Or is this behaviour normal, and I'm asking too much from a 10 GBP heatsink? I'd try applying Arctic Silver but from all I've read, that would only make a small diff. Or the Thermalright LGA 775 screwdown kit, which sounds like overkill to me...

And what's with the big diff between the cores? I didn't think this was physically possible, unless there are sensor issues...


andyb, I noticed you use the same exhaust in your case, and an overclocked E7200 with a bigass heatsink. What are your temps?


Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

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Post by ntavlas » Fri Jul 04, 2008 7:48 am

It`s possible that speedfan overestimates the temperatures of the cpu. Supposedly real temp is the most accurate program for this job at the moment.

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Post by andyb » Fri Jul 04, 2008 9:39 am

@ ridegd

Here are my recently posted temps, I was just hitting the graphics card until I ran into a bug, so the CPU usage is only ~50 total, and my big arse cooler has its fan running at 5v, so my cores would both be higher than yours I expect.

As far as the difference in temps between your cores are concered, mine are similar even though they are reporting the same temp, one core was more heavily loaded than the other. I will do some more testing soon, to see what the CPU cores max out at in that config.

viewtopic.php?t=48933&highlight=


Andy

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Post by nomoon » Tue Jul 15, 2008 7:47 am

For what it's worth, here are a few things that I've learned about my EP45-DS3R:

I am able to use Speedfan to control a 4-pin PWM fan on the CPU header. Software Control must be enabled for this header inside Speedfan.

Speedfan is not able to control any of the other fan headers if a 3-pin fan is used. I have not tried to control a PWM fan on anything other than the CPU header.

The manual states two interesting things about the SYS_FAN2 header:
1) It only runs at 5 volts instead of 12.
2) Pin2 (+ 12/5Volt) and pin4 (sense) are reversed.

The lower voltage on this header explains why some people (including myself) have noticed that fans run slower on this header.

The reversal of the pins probably explains why a FanMate has no effect on the speed of a fan connected to this header.

Does anyone have any ideas as to why they would do this? Maybe this header is typically used for a Northbridge fan? I have absolutely no idea why they would swap pins 2 and 4.

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Post by ACook » Fri Oct 03, 2008 7:27 pm

any updates on these issues with new bios versions?

there's a good deal on a GA-EP35C-DS3R here and I'm looking to replace my asus P5E-VM which will go somewhere else, partly cause I can't seem to control the fans in speedfan... if i'd be going from one uncontrollable to another, that's not a good thing :(

dukla2000
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Post by dukla2000 » Fri Oct 03, 2008 11:53 pm

I realise the thread is (was?) Gigabyte focussed, but if I may be so rude as to log my Abit A-S78H (AMD 780G) experience here please?

Has 3 fan headers - CPU, SYS & AUX1. CPU is 4 pin, SYS & AUX1 are 3 pin. BIOS version 12 has FanEQ facility for CPU only: part of the FanEQ setup allows selection of whether the fan on CPU is 3 or 4 pin. Now it gets interesting.

Under linux I have been unable to get any meaningful control via ACPI/DSDT thermal zone (although it is defined). So I am now using lm_sensors & fancontrol, with the FanEQ functionality disabled.
1) I have been unable to get any control of SYS or AUX1 at any time in any config.
2) I have the stock Xigmatek 1283 4-pin fan on the CPU: if I have set the FanEQ setting to 4-pin before disabling it I get PWM control of the fan between 1300 and 750rpm (min).
3) If I set the FanEQ setting to 3-pin before disabling it I get voltage control of the fan between 1300 and 0 rpm.

My current 'optimum' setup is CnQ active (CPU @ 1000MHz, 1.0V), CPU fan at 0rpm, folding 24/7 (approx 600PPD), CPU temp around 36C. If I do anything more demanding then CnQ ramps up the CPU speed, and if the CPU temp goes above 40C fancontrol kicks in and starts ramping the CPU fan speed: an hour of full throttle (powersave --performance-speed) folding resulted in a stable CPU temp of 48C with a fan speed of just over 300rpm :D

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