H1XXi if Corsair Link is not installed

Hello folks,

New to this forum, first post.

I searched the forum (maybe not persistently enough) and didn't find answer to this question: "What fan/pump profile H1XXi execute if Corsair Link is not installed?"

In the assembly instructions there is no requirement for Corsair Link to be installed in order for the cooler to function properly, but also there is nothing about how it will function without it.

Cheers

I searched the forum (maybe not persistently enough) and didn't find answer to this question: "What fan/pump profile H1XXi execute if Corsair Link is not installed?"

In the assembly instructions there is no requirement for Corsair Link to be installed in order for the cooler to function properly, but also there is nothing about how it will function without it.

Cheers

 

AFAIK Corsair have failed to specify this as I have never been able to find one. I tried asking Corsair support exactly what happened when a cooler was not been controlled by Corsair Link and they declined to specify this. One of the answers to my ticket #6628090 is "The cooler is loaded with a default fan curve so even if the software were to stop working/ freeze, the cooler would revert back to the default settings. This is how the cooler behaves when you first install it without the software as well" but at no point did they specify exactly what the "default fan curve" is in terms of fan speeds and temperatures. They also declined to specify on what basis the cooler firmware decides that the Corsair Link "stop working/ freeze" is detected and simply said "The questions you have asked is not a technical support question but rather a developer question. We will not be able to provide an answer the questions listed below".

 

Created By: Ray Hinchliffe (5/26/2015 11:08 PM)

Thank you for confirming what I guessed, but you failed to fully answer my questions:

1) Is there is a timeout and if so how many seconds is this?

2) When does the firmware decide to timeout?

3) Please can you tell me the URL of where this is specified?

Please provide a complete and technically in-depth answer rather than stating information such as "You can group the cooler with a GPU if you would like it to react according to the GPU" which is obvious and is completely irrelevant!

 

Given I am asking about what the firmware does when the control software fails then your statement "Corsair link software works the same way with of the different units with the same interface" has no meaning as the CL software in not running.

 

Log a call via https://corsair.secure.force.com/home/home.jsp and ask for more detailed information and if they provide any please post it.

 

I have just updated the ticket as follows, maybe if you ask similar one of us may get a sensible reply.

 

Created By: Ray Hinchliffe (3/28/2017 12:57 AM)

I have just reread this post and feel I need to ask what the default fan curve custom points are for my H110iGT + H100i + H80iGT. Please will you specify the 5 custom point temperatures and fan speeds for each of my three coolers?

I opened a ticket and the answer that I received was that in case the Link S/W is uninstalled "The cooler use the profile you save to the device, so the cooler still use the default profile you chose without Link software as well."

Not exactly the answer I was looking for (since my question was about the case when Link had never being installed at all), but at least it provides the information that the cooler stores the Link profile.

A lot of users have reported a fairly soft fan speed when running prior to the installation of Link. They then are upset when loading Link and the default curves (Quiet, Perf., etc) create higher fan speeds at the same temperatures. The theory was the default firmware has a mild, relaxed curve with a sharp turn up as the coolant approaches the 40-45C max fan point (cooler model dependent). This is highly subjective and decidedly non-technical, but it is consistent with what most users report prior to installing Link. The source of the complaint is they could not return to this "soft fan profile" after installing Link and then removing it. Possibly Link overwrites the default instructions when first installed and those are retained, but as Ray indicated, this is guesswork from our end.

 

So I suppose your viability may depend on the reason for not running Link. No USB 2.0 port? Desire to run other fan control programs?

Thank you c-attack.

I don't want to run Link because I don't trust it not because I don't have USB2 header available. And I don't trust it because the "Quite" profile is louder than the "Balanced" when the CPU is idle. Go figure :)

Also, what kind of a product is this one that the user cannot reset it to factory defaults!? And it is simple to be implemented - just add profile "Factory default" to already existing "Quite", "Balanced", and "Performance". Or maybe one of the three provided is the factory default?

The cooler will default to the last RPMs you had set. However, the cooler will not auto adjust to the CPU temperature without Link running.

 

What I was just told with regard to the OP's query.

 

The interpretation I take away is that if you set a custom profile and say set your fans to run at 1200rpm they will not be able to ramp up from there if the CPU heats up. They will be stuck at that speed. The system will boot and they will run 1200rpm but will not move from there up or down.

What I was just told with regard to the OP's query.

 

The interpretation I take away is that if you set a custom profile and say set your fans to run at 1200rpm they will not be able to ramp up from there if the CPU heats up. They will be stuck at that speed. The system will boot and they will run 1200rpm but will not move from there up or down.

 

No, that is the wrong take away and I suspect the confusion relates to the "CPU temperature" aspect. If you want to base your fan speed on CPU temperature while plugged into the pump, you must use Link with the USB cable connected. The cooler has no way to detect CPU temperature and this information comes from the CPU/motherboard. Also, if you really want to use CPU temp as the control variable, I would use the motherboard connectors and dispense with Link entirely, except for lighting adjustments. See below.

 

The unit's default mode of operation is coolant temperature and only it has the sensor to measure that value. It does not need an external connection to interpret that data and the firmware will regulate based on the parameters contained. What exactly those parameters are is another matter, but the fans will change speed and it is a functional mode of operation for most people. Extreme use or extreme environments are likely to make that type of operation less desirable.

 

However, you are correct and you cannot use a custom curve of any type without using Link to control it and the USB to connect. It will use a "standard curve". Whether that is one the visible profiles or a 4th unique profile, we don't know.

Thank you c-attack.

I don't want to run Link because I don't trust it not because I don't have USB2 header available. And I don't trust it because the "Quite" profile is louder than the "Balanced" when the CPU is idle. Go figure :)

Also, what kind of a product is this one that the user cannot reset it to factory defaults!? And it is simple to be implemented - just add profile "Factory default" to already existing "Quite", "Balanced", and "Performance". Or maybe one of the three provided is the factory default?

 

I wonder what happens when you remove the USB entirely. On some products, that forces a reset back to original condition, but I am speculating and don't have that cooler to test.

 

As for your issue, I think there is an easy way around this. Move your fans to the motherboard. Any recent motherboard has proper BIOS fan controls and Z170 and later may have delay timings built in to keep the revving up and down to a minimum. That leaves the pump operation under the firmware control and there is a lot less to worry about. It is a simple high/low toggle. If you are mostly concerned with noise, set it to Quiet, set Link not to run on start-up, and then exit. It should stay. If you remove the USB it might go back to the default mode, but that is still the low speed with a change to High is the coolant temp hits the upper mark. If you do hit the upper mark, you likely are doing something that makes noise and the pump will not be detectable under all that. You can run the low speed all day and night for most anything except extreme use and it won't matter. The low speed is as fast as any of the coolers from the prior generation. The higher speed can make a small difference for benchmarks or long, continual load use, like rendering or similar.

 

Your hardware isn't listed, but this is probably the most effective solution. Link can have benefits for some users, but it is not essential to make the cooler work.

When I first installed my H110i GT, Link worked and I set the pump to quiet, the led to blue and the fans with a basic custom profile. When I rebuilt my PC, Link didn't work, however the pump was still set to quiet and the led was still blue, so it obviously retained the settings. I connected the fans to my motherboard and used the Asus Fan Xpert software to control the cooler fans and my case fans and it worked fine.

Thanks snapper69.

Here is an answer that came from tech support:

"The default profile without using the Link software is the balance mode. We're sorry to inform you there's no way to reset the cooler if you saved different profile to the cooler."

It seems to me there is some contradiction in this statement: The balanced mode is available to load in the cooler through Link, so loading it should be equivalent to reset to default. Am I missing something here?

Also, in the fan configuration there is a 'default' option, but its curve identical with 'quiet', not with 'balanced'. Go figure...

@snapper69

Thanks, please let me know if I understand your set-up correctly:

1. You connect both cooler fans to the prime CPU-fan header using Y-split;

2. Pump single wire is connected to the additional CPU-fan header;

3. Power connected according the cooler instructions.

Do you know at what speed your pump rotates?

I think this is part of the origin story for the 4th profile that only exists in the initial firmware. Apparently it is like a balanced profile, but softer through the middle temp range. I had always assumed it was designed for demonstration purposes. No matter the room temperature or load, the fans would turn along a fairly relaxed paced. Nobody wants a demo rig that sounds like a dentist drill. Of course with Link, you can create a similar profile.

I agree about the dentist drill :D:, but it seems to me that the stock fans being crappy has more to do with this than the profile. Mine are both grinding at several speeds starting 1200 RPM and up. From the very first day!

I had my fans connected to cpu_fan and cpu_opt and my pump to the pump header. I set the pump in Fan Xpert to 100% and set a profile for the fans. I also set the fans to link to cpu temp as there's no option for the H110i GT water temp, and set a delay for the fans of 10seconds to stop them ramping up nd down all the time. It worked fine.

 

Now that I have found the problem with Link (ok , I screwed up, but in my defence, the ROG extension connector is identical to a USB header) I am using that to control it and it seems to be working ok.

Now that I have found the problem with Link (ok , I screwed up, but in my defence, the ROG extension connector is identical to a USB header) I am using that to control it and it seems to be working ok.

 

So ROG Ext headers for the "front base" cannot be used as standard internal USB 2.0 connections? Wow, what a waste.

As soon as I swapped the Corsair usb lead to one of the usb headers, Windows and Link both detected it, so I'm assuming not.