PWM fans operate at high volume during system reboots in Windows 11
PWM fans operate at high volume during system reboots in Windows 11
System details: Operating system is Windows 11 Pro N (64-bit). Case model is Torrent Compact by Fractal Design. Motherboard supports Gigabyte B660M DS3H DDR4 (1.0) with BIOS version F21. Fan setup includes two large Torrent fans connected via a hub, one CPU fan in its header, and a Noctua case fan in another. All fans use 4-pin PWM connectors.
Functionality: Upon power-on, the system automatically quiets the fans thanks to Gigabyte BIOS Smart Fan. During Windows startup, Fan Control software ensures fans run at low speeds. Waking from sleep maintains quiet operation.
Issues observed: Fans become extremely quiet after boot thanks to BIOS and Windows controls. However, during a Windows restart (via power icon → Restart/Update), fans surge to full speed until logged in, which is unusually loud for the Torrent fans.
Potential causes: Possible misconfiguration or conflict between BIOS fan settings and Windows Fan Control, or hardware mismatch affecting quiet operation. Hardware components like the case fan or CPU cooler might be faulty, or software settings may not align properly.
Advice: Contact Gigabyte support for further diagnosis, check fan connections and BIOS version, and verify that Windows Fan Control is correctly integrated.