Controlling the Corsair H80i fans

[yoadknux]

Hello everyone,

I'm running an H80i and I've recently decided that I've had enough with the noise it generates (Stock fans range is 600RPM-2800RPM, which is great if you can set a good fan curve but bad otherwise). Thus I've set myself a goal: Be able to enjoy a nice, quiet system, which ramps up its fans when under heavy gaming load. I am using it to cool a 4930k @ 1.35V, and my motherboard is Asus P9x79 LE. Here are the solutions I've tried thus far, but non of them works perfectly:

1. Tried Corsair Link. Software does exactly what I want it to do... sometimes. However, it has some collision with the GPU (either with the drivers or with MSI afterburner), resulting in signal loss. It also freezes rather randomly... Good tool when it works, problem is it never works.
2. Tried connecting the fans to my motherboard Chasis fan connectors. The problem: BIOS fan control is questionable. First, I cannot set the fans to go below 60% (which is >1500RPM). Second, I cannot set them to change automatically according to CPU temp, only Chasis temp, so it is meaningless. SpeedFan doesn't recognize the fans.
3. Tried connecting the fans to my motherboard CPU fan connector. I've done this with a PWM splitter (hopefully it won't cause the header to degrade). Bios control is still meh, so I went with software control. Now the problem is divided into 2 different problems:
a. SpeedFan recognizes the fans, allows manual control and has all sort of options (Manual, Thermal Cruise, etc..). It has the option to set a fan curve... But no matter which option I pick, I cannot get the fan curve to work. Manual control works as intended, so this is probably a software thing
b. AI Suite II, which is the other software I use, has the option to set a fan curve. It works. However, the reference temperature is the motherboard CPU temperature, which for some reason, doesn't display the real CPU temperature. For example, if I run Prime95 and RealTemp, the individual cores run at the 60c range. However, the AI Suite sensor will say the temperature is in the 40c range. Problem is that we're not talking about just an offset, it's inconsistent with the lower CPU temps and it will change randomly when under load.

So, here are my questions:
A. is there a better way of controlling the fans which I've not discussed here?
B. How can I configure SpeedFan to actually run the defined fan curve?
C. Is there a way of calibrating the motherboard CPU sensor?

Thanks!

 

[Nebulous]

I was going to suggest trying the methods you listed, but unfortunately you've tried them all. Your last resort is a manual fan controller. I would avoid trying to use AI suite, It's been known to cause stability. Corsair's Link software is very questionable and has been known to be buggy as well. Speedfan doesn't work.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Description=FAN CONTROLLER&Submit=ENE


You can also try a PWM fanhub and connecting the fans to that, then connect the fanhub to the CPU fan header on the mobo. You'll then be able to control the fans through the CPU fan header via bios.

 

[yoadknux]

I was going to suggest trying the methods you listed, but unfortunately you've tried them all. Your last resort is a manual fan controller. I would avoid trying to use AI suite, It's been known to cause stability. Corsair's Link software is very questionable and has been known to be buggy as well. Speedfan doesn't work.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Description=FAN CONTROLLER&Submit=ENE


You can also try a PWM fanhub and connecting the fans to that, then connect the fanhub to the CPU fan header on the mobo. You'll then be able to control the fans through the CPU fan header via bios.

I actually haven't mentioned that I also tried a Scythe fan controller (Kaze Master Flat II). The fan controller works and gives me pretty good manual control over the entire range (600-2800RPM)... But it's still manual control. So I run my fan at some 'inbetween' RPM which is too loud for idle and not aggressive enough for the higher temps.

It's actually funny, the AI Suite has OK fan control in terms of the curve, but the reference temp is incorrect. With SpeedFan I cannot enable the fan curve (only manual control), but the reference temps are correct (it can look at individual core temperatures).

I wonder if there's a way to calibrate the CPU temperature reading of the motherboard...

 

[Nebulous]

Then looks like you're going to have to swap fans to something with higher static pressure with low noise, otherwise all this will be moot.

 

[yoadknux]

Then looks like you're going to have to swap fans to something with higher static pressure with low noise, otherwise all this will be moot.

Guess I have to choose between the lesser evils: Corsair Link or AI Suite. Think I'll try Link again, maybe it won't collide with anything this time... If it won't work, I'll get a pair of Nidec Gentle Typhoon, which should do the trick.

 

[yoadknux]

Then looks like you're going to have to swap fans to something with higher static pressure with low noise, otherwise all this will be moot.

Sorry for the double post! I actually have an update. I bought three fans: 2x Phobya NB-eLoop 1800rpm, and 1x SP120 High Performance 2350RPM. I plugged the 2x Phobya fans and controlled them manually. I quickly noticed that the push fan can go up to 1500RPM and be very silent while the pull fan makes more noise at 1000RPM! I thought the problem is with this specific model so I switched to the SP120 and again, around 1000RPM starts being noisy.

So I took out the pull fan and only running push... at 1500RPM. Hopefully things won't start burning soon...