Question about Fan Curves and BIOS settings?
Question about Fan Curves and BIOS settings?
Hello,
I just changed my BIOS and overlooked saving profiles to a USB stick, which has reset everything back to defaults. I need guidance on the recommended BIOS settings and assistance with fan curves if you can.
PC Specifications
Case: Fractal Design North XL Midtower
Motherboard: MSI MPG X870E Carbon Wifi
CPU: AMD 9950X3D
CPU cooler: Arctic liquid Freezer III Pro 360 AiO
Fans: Noctua NF-F12 PWM instead of standard case fans (3 front, 1 back)
SSD: Samsung 990 Pro 4TB
GPU: MSI 5080 16G Suprim
RAM: G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB, DDR5-6000, CL30, AMD EXPO - 64 GB, Dual-Kit
So I arrived at this, does it look good or should I tweak the curves?
The CPU fan curve is likely causing your system to be excessively noisy without any actual cause.
Please refrain from using a profile stored from an earlier BIOS release. The previous configurations could conflict with the current version, potentially causing the system to fail to start. It's not advisable. It's wiser to document your personal settings and implement them manually after the update. I also tend to photograph intricate components such as my RAM timing setup for better recall.
There are no universal settings for everyone; you should test them yourself by monitoring temperatures and noise levels. Begin in idle mode where temperature isn't critical. Adjust fan speed to the lowest setting and verify if the temperature is within acceptable limits. If it reaches around 45°C, increase fan speed when it goes up to about 50°C. Continue until you reach the CPU's maximum temperature threshold of 95°C for that specific model. This high temperature is rare in normal operation, but if it occurs, noise level becomes the main issue. If the fan is excessively loud, consider using a better cooler. Keep the pump running at full capacity continuously.
You're using the PWM Cable for all control, not individual components. You can still adjust the pump separately—though you're unsure if changing it now will affect the overall settings. Your current pump levels are set to maintain idle and low-demand tasks around 44-56%, with higher temps at 45%. For case fans, you've configured them at specific temperatures too. You're wondering whether these adjustments are necessary and how to handle the noise levels. Regarding timing, your step-up and step-down intervals are currently set to 1 second up and 0.7 seconds down.
Fans speeds are not particularly precise or responsive. Setting a tolerance of about two units typically results in an increase or decrease of around 10% for both RPM and controller readings, which is already reflected in the reported values. For the controller, this difference can be even greater, making it unnecessary to pay much attention. With fine adjustments to the curve settings, on a single cable, the cooler doesn't support separate controls for pump, fan, or speeds. This means pump and fan adjustments must be managed separately using different headers. The radiator fans can be safely set at 100% at 95°C, and this cooler performs better than the standard one—its fans run twice as fast under similar conditions. At 95°C, the temperature threshold for throttling is reached, and shutdown occurs after an additional 10-15°C. Below 95°C, performance remains unaffected. This is typical for modern CPUs, with some Intel models even handling up to 100°C.
For case fans, it's unclear whether they support idle speed or if the BIOS allows it. If supported, setting them to idle speed at low load is safe. However, regardless of case temperatures, the GPU is usually the main heat source inside most systems and tends to be the hottest component. The AIO cooler helps manage this effectively. VRM and chipset temperatures will also rise with CPU usage, so it's wise to adjust case fan speeds according to CPU temperatures.