H115i Platinum - 3rd party fans always read 0 RPM

Does the H115i Platinum not work with 3rd party fans? I can't really imagine why this would be, but that's what i'm observing.

 

I just built a new system and bought an H115i RGB Platinum cooler. No matter what I do I cannot get the pump to recognize my radiator fans.

 

The pump (mostly) reports the rpm of the stock ML fans if I connect them. When I connect other PWM fans the rpm is always 0rpm in iCue.

 

I've tried pairs of Aer RGB 2's, Silent Wings 3 PWM, and AER F140s and none show rpm in iCue. If I set a fixed RPM% with a custom setting in iCue I can hear the fans slow down and speed up, so it's outputting PWM signals, but it seems to be ignoring the tach from anything except the corsair fans.

 

I've verified they all work correctly when connected directly to my mobo.

 

I'd prefer to go with the pump hookup so I can set them against the cooler temp.

The Silent Wings 3 are a problem. They have a bit of a quirky PWM curve. It is hit or miss and I normally recommend you avoid those on Corsair controllers. The other known problems are the Noctua Industrial 3000 rpm models and the EK Vardar series PWM, both of which are a bit unique.

 

No one has every complained about the NZXT fans before. I also am concerned if the fans don't report a RPM in CUE. Almost always it will report some RPM (perhaps even an incorrect one), but the problem is lack of control. If they are reporting zero, it is possible there is another problem. When testing, make sure to try fixed RPM and fixed % to see if control is there. It is definitely possible for one to work and the other not, if there is a PWM incompatibility.

Darn, was hoping it was something known. I'm swapping in pairs of matching fans, and get the same results with my pump - corsair good, all others bad. All 140s, all PWM, all name-brand. Shucks.

 

If I manually set RPM by % the fans do change speed if I wait for the lag.

Some small lag seems to be normal, but if they do respond to PWM % then likely is a control issue rather than a defective fan controller in the H115i Plat. Part of the problem might be we don’t have a lot of variable fan data for the Platinum series. It comes with the high speed ML-RGB fans that were a unique commodity. People who did replace went LL. I went for the H115i Pro and did my usual fan testing on that. There were 1-2 other reports of some control issues specific to the Platinum with fans that absolutely do work on the Commander Pro. The Platinum may be more selective still.

 

You can contact Corsair support and see what they say. It might be standard “it’s tested with the included fans” response. I will add the AER models to the cautionary list.

I find that the fans on the Platinum seem to ramp up and down very slowly, instead of instant or even slightly delayed ramp. My stock ML fans on my 115i Plat do slowly speed up to full speed and then slowly back down compared to previous non Plat versions that I have used.

If you are using a control curve based on coolant temperature (H1xx Temp), then it that is what it should do. The range is small and exact fan speed non-critical. It is a slow tug-o-war for heat in vs heat out. I believe the OP is referring to something else, namely this odd pause after selecting a fixed RPM or %. You would expect it to respond as soon as it's set. Instead it often acts like teenager begrudgingly acquiescing to your demand to clean his or her room before slowly exiting the room to start the task.

If you are using a control curve based on coolant temperature (H1xx Temp), then it that is what it should do. The range is small and exact fan speed non-critical. It is a slow tug-o-war for heat in vs heat out. I believe the OP is referring to something else, namely this odd pause after selecting a fixed RPM or %. You would expect it to respond as soon as it's set. Instead it often acts like teenager begrudgingly acquiescing to your demand to clean his or her room before slowly exiting the room to start the task.

 

I was just stating that compared to other Corsair units I have used that the fans on this unit seem to ramp up slowly instead of a more instant response. Other units you could actually hear the fans ramp up from slow to faster. This unit seems to take it sweet time and increases speed very slowly, like each increment in speed increase is in seconds instead of milliseconds. Just my observation. My BIOS increase speeds almost instantly and you can hear the change from quiet to loud. Just my observation.

If you are using the BIOS for control, then you are not using coolant temp. A 250W load will only raise the coolant about 1C every 30 seconds on a 280mm or 360mm. So the you won't get a fan speed change until you tick up the next 1 degree increment. On the BIOS, you probably are using CPU temp. Obviously that value changes in a fraction of second, up, down, again and again. That will leave the fans desperately chasing, although with no real purpose since they don't blow air on the socket pins where the heat is created.

Hi everybody,

I have experienced that the Silent Wings 3 do not rotate with the H115i PRO.

As soon as I mount the Corsair fans everything is OK.

JPG