Another chapter of “learn with PR”, this time we teach you how to control the speed of the PC fans , including CPU and GPU.
MSI Afterburner, NZXT Cam, fan control, motherboard applications… no more searching for separate tutorials: we cover them all here. If you want to become a master of monitoring all of your PC’s ventilation, you are in the right place. We’re going to go beyond conventional programs to illustrate the options you have.
Index of contents
- How to control the speed of your PC fans
- CPU, GPU and additional fans
- Specific programs on GPU
- And the motherboard programs?
- Does more RPM mean better cooling?
- So what program to use to control the fans?
How to control the speed of your PC fans
There are many programs aimed at controlling the ventilation of your box, but we are going to look at certain alternatives that you may not be aware of.
CPU, GPU and additional fans
We present Fan Control , a portable program that is in English and that allows you to choose the sensors or configure the fans inside your PC to the maximum.
The ideal thing about this program is that it simplifies all PC ventilation in a single program , eliminating other specific programs for the GPU or the power supply fan. Your initial assistant will calibrate the fans with a quick 1-2 minute test, measuring speed, temperature, etc.
So, if you are looking to control all the PC fans in the same program, Fan Control is free software that does not have any advertising. With it we can create ventilation curves based on each sensor (motherboard VRM, GPU or CPU) through different modalities:
- Graphic, which is the most common.
- Mix, which combines average, maximum or minimum temperatures.
- Linear, which is based on minimum or maximum temperature/speed ranges.
- Trigger, to identify “rest” or “load” states and assign certain speeds to the PC fans.
- Flat, based on a “default” temperature all the time.
- Sync, which synchronizes the speed of the fans throughout the case.
- Auto, fully automatic according to response values, speeds and temperatures.
To this day, it seems to me the most customization or configuration of case fans within a program. I’m just saying that.
Specific programs on GPU
You have 2 options: NVIDIA GeForce Experience/AMD Adrenalin or specific software . Here are options like NZXT Cam or MSI Afterburner , two tools that have been on the market for quite some time and of which we made a comparison.
And no, you don’t need an MSI GPU or NZXT box to enjoy the features of each tool. In the case of Afterburner, it allows you to overclock the graphics card through voltages, frequencies, memory clock and power limits. Therefore, there is the option of programming ventilation curves to keep temperatures at bay, achieve stability and avoid thermal throttling .
Now, be careful with OCing the GPUs because it is dangerous and stability… you pay quite dearly. You will get few MHz, unless you use a waterblock or the GPU comes with fairly good stock cooling, which is not usually the case.
And the motherboard programs?
You already know that MSI, GIGABYTE, ASUS and ASRock have their own programs for the motherboard in which we can manipulate the speed of the PC fans from there.
What is the problem ? They do not usually address the power supply fans (if it can be controlled), nor the GPU fans. Then, we will continue to rely on other programs to complete all the adjustment or monitoring.
With the virguería of Fan Control you eliminate this problem and have everything concentrated in the same application. Also, I have not tried all the programs from the motherboard brands, and the truth is that they may not work as well.
Does more RPM mean better cooling?
Incorrect. We must understand how cooling works in a pyramid system according to importance. First of all, the ambient temperature will determine the temperatures of our components in the first instance. If the ambient temperature rises, those of our PC rise.
Second, the box and the air circuit it offers are essential to have better or worse temperatures. All this assuming that the heatsink and the VRM of the motherboard are “decent” , no low quality things or similar. By air circuit I mean the inlets and outlets that the box has for fresh/hot air, as well as the materials used.
The fans must be of quality , whether through the supplementaries, the heatsinks or radiators. If you don’t know when you are looking at a quality fan, evaluate its air flow (measured in CFM), the bearing system used, the static pressure (measured in mmH2O), its diameter (90, 120, 140 or 160 mm) or its maximum speed (RPM).
We cannot ask for “pears to the elm” when we have few fans or they are of poor quality, these are 2 scenarios that are not recommended for your box. Another mistake is to buy 4-5 fans, all with RGB or ARGB lighting so that your PC is a disco and they are all of terrible quality. This happens a lot and most TOP fans do not have RGB .
Finally, the reason we are here: adjust the fans, program them and see what applications are interesting for it. We have done that in PR, although in this same post you can find options.
So what program to use to control the fans?
The one you know how to drive and gives you enough control is the best. If you are looking for program recommendations, you have Fan Control as free software that gives you brutal control over all components with active ventilation.
The combination of overclock, control and temperature monitoring is TOP in MSI Afterburner, and it is really easy to configure everything. In fact, I think its integration with RivaTuner Statistics is excellent to have an overlay within a game and see how the temperatures and loads of your components change, or whatever you choose!
It is true that MSI’s solution only concerns graphics cards, but it is also the component that scares the most because it is very hot. It seems that the latest AMD Ryzen 7000 and 13th and 14th generation Intel Core have raised their temperatures, normalizing 70ºC or 80ºC.
On the contrary, I tried Argus Monitor myself and I didn’t really like it because it was paid with a fairly old interface. Regarding the BIOS, it is proposed as the “most accurate” option, but I don’t like it for several reasons:
- Orthodox interface on most boards.
- In many, the curve cannot be programmed with a graph (classic X and Y axes).
- Trial and error is “eternal” because you have to restart your PC continually.
We hope we have helped you with this post. If you have any questions, comment below and we will answer you shortly.
