New build - First time with iCUE - Fans seem to ingore settings entirely

Hello,

 

I hope I am providing enough information. If not, please let me know and I'll try to update. I completed a new build tonight and am using iCUE for the first time. I would very much appreciate some help with this, so thanks in advance to anyone who can assist.

 

I have 6 ML120 fans connected to the Commander Pro for fan control, and I also have a h115i Pro XT connected to it.

 

I got the RGB lighting working for 6 fans pretty easily and I can see all of my fans in the menu. The fan control for the h115i Pro XT seems to work accordingly, per these screenshots when I adjust settings:

 

Balanced

 

Extreme

 

Now, when I adjust settings on the 6 ML1200 fans that are not attached to the AIO, they just seem to go from 800 RPM to 1500RPM, back and forth, about every 3-5 seconds. This happens with minimal load and no mouse movement at all. I have tried setting them to fixed 850, Quiet, Balanced, etc and the result is always the same:

 

 

I checked some settings and the Fan ports were set to Auto, so I changed them to 4-pin, but the result was the same either way:

 

 

As for hardware configuration: the Commander Pro is connected into the F_USB2 on my Aorus Master motherboard. There is nothing in F_USB1 if that makes any difference (kind of a newbie). I have a Lightning Node Pro connected to the Commander Pro to control RGB. The CPU is a 3900X.

Edited January 29, 2020 by Weltall43

Quiet, Balanced, Extreme are simple preset names. Think of them as low, medium, and high rather than some contextual noise setting. The Commander Pro and any i-cooler are different devices and the control curves are connected to different variables, thus the different results. The H115 XT controls its fans from coolant temperature (H115i Temp) shown to the right of the pump. That is its native source and an internal sensor. General fan controllers have no native sensor value and thus the Commander Pro defaults to CPU temp like every other motherboard fan controller out there. This is a terrible and useless control variable and you should get off it immediately.

 

Go the Commander Pro "Performance Tab", then click + to create a new "cooling mode". At the bottom you will see a new graph and a sensor choice. It will default to CPU Package temp, again because this is the only thing every CPU system is guaranteed to have. The two quick fix changes are either GPU temp or H115i XT Temp. This will allow case fans to react either to GPU waste heat or to balance the intake/exhaust flow with the radiator fans. You can also selectively apply them using a GPU curve for the rear exhaust and coolant temp for other case fans or whatever is appropriate. Obviously you will need to adjust the range to match the variable. Copies of the cooler's curves are in the upper right hand corner.

 

For most people that will stop the CPU temp ramping and be a massive improvement with some logical base. However, fans will still spike up on boot or restart when the software looses access to that data. The best long term solution is to use the temp probes that come with the Commander Pro to do the same job. 1 at the back for exhaust air temp. 1 at the front for intake air temp. Again, you have to learn the normal range for your unique set-up, but the primary job is to move hot air out and replace it with cooler external air. You only need to do that is the internal air temp is climbing, versus expecting it to later because the GPU diode just had a temp burst. There are certainly other places you can use temp probes, whether for control or just data collection. Those temps probes are the native source for the commander pro and thus will work all the time, with or without the software running. This is rather nice if you enter/exit the windows state frequently or need to run other programs without iCUE active.

 

Leave the Commander Pro settings on 4 pin. That will bypass the unnecessary "fan test" on boot to check whether they are 3 or 4 pin.

Thanks, I will try to adjust it first to the GPU and then set up some of the temp probes.

 

I still don't understand why setting it to a fixed RPM of "850", for example, doesn't work. It may not be ideal, but shouldn't that be straight forward and work accordingly? If so, the fans are still ignoring the iCUE settings.

 

Also, I'm not sure why my images were removed. I will try to add those back if that helps.

If fixed RPM doesn't work for you, have you tried fixed %?

If fixed RPM doesn't work for you, have you tried fixed %?

 

I will try this too and report back.

Fixed % does nothing. I have tried setting the value to 10%, 20%, 40%, 60%, all with the same result (ramping up/down every few seconds):

 

Go the Commander Pro "Performance Tab", then click + to create a new "cooling mode". At the bottom you will see a new graph and a sensor choice. It will default to CPU Package temp, again because this is the only thing every CPU system is guaranteed to have. The two quick fix changes are either GPU temp or H115i XT Temp. This will allow case fans to react either to GPU waste heat or to balance the intake/exhaust flow with the radiator fans. You can also selectively apply them using a GPU curve for the rear exhaust and coolant temp for other case fans or whatever is appropriate. Obviously you will need to adjust the range to match the variable. Copies of the cooler's curves are in the upper right hand corner.

 

 

I set up a Custom curve to my GPU and there were no changes. My GPU is sitting around 27C, which means the fans should be at 600 RPM according to this chart. I am still going from 800-1500-800-1500-800-1500 every couple of seconds.

 

Sigh...I have tried everything I can think of. Fingers-crossed someone can help :/

You have a strange situation where all data and devices are present and act as they should in the UI, but then the fans don't follow directions. Typically when there is a hardware problem or even some type of software conflict, you will loose aspects of the above. A fan won't show up or displays impossible RPM readings. Nonsense temperature or voltage values. The fan curves are applied. We know the fans are compatible in terms of PWM control. There really isn't a lot else to look at before deciding there is some fatal flaw that prevents the fan controller from functioning. If true, this will be the first Commander Pro I have ever seen that is a working device with absolutely no fan control on any header. Normally, there would be additional signs of malfunction relating to power or control.

 

You do have a X570 motherboard and they have some quirks, however no one else has reported something quite like this. Make sure you are not running additional monitoring programs at the same time (AIDA64, HWiNFO, HWMon, etc.). However, with either of these issues I would expect the device to drop out of contact or have jumbled data. Instead, it appears to be working normally aside from a total lack of fan control. I think the next logical step is to return it as defective and get a replacement from the vendor. If you are already outside of your return window or the vendor is unfriendly, contact Corsair directly through the ticket system in the header above.

I got it from Amazon, so that shouldn't be an issue.

 

I did try setting all of the pins to 3-pin, and it shut them all down. Turned it back to 4-pin and they all work again. So it is def. recognizing the fans and has *some* control over them.

 

I figured I would have issues with the RGB control, but that works flawlessly.

It is the weirdest thing thing I have seen all month. People with this issue usually have wrong settings, weird splitters, unusual fans, or simply don’t apply the fan curve to the fan. None of those appear to be in play here. Since you can probably have a replacement from Amazon in 48 hrs, that seems like the clear next course of action.

@Weltall43... Have you tried resetting the Commander Pro? I've had a couple of weird things happen to a fan port that this procedure managed to fix.

 

1. Ensure your PC running, unplug the SATA connection from the CoPro,
   
2. On the front of the CoPro, there is a small hole. Using a straightened paperclip or similar, press the reset button found in the hole described and whilst continuing to hold the reset button down, reconnect the SATA cable (three hands would come in useful here).
   
3. Release the reset button.
   

After a brief-ish period, the Commander Pro should be recognised by the system. Check ICUE and update the firmware as required.

BlaiseP, thanks for the response. I will try this tonight/tomorrow!