Research exhausted but still can't change fan speeds. Please help.

[tjicue]

I put a new system together, and have 2 fans that came with the H100i and three fans that came with my Corsair case. I connected All of the fans to the node core that came with my H100i. In the early stages of setting up my system, I noticed the 3 fans that came with the case ran a lost faster compared to the 2 that came with the H100i. I said, oh well, I know (or think I should be able to) control these fan speeds in iCue. Once I installed Windows and everything else, in iCue, sure enough, the 2 fans that came with the H100i were running around 350-400 RPMs and the 3 fans that came with the case were all humming at 1300-1450!! The all had "Balanced" profiles - which I would think would make them run approximately at the same speed...but apparently not. I did tons of research, watched some videos, searched this forum, and tried to create a custom Profile and curves, and even tried to just pick one of those case fans and set to a specific RPM, but I cannot seem to get these fans to behave. When the system is just sitting there idle, the 2 fans that came with H100i nicely run at 300-400, but the other case fans ALWAYS are at 1300-1450 and are rather noisy and annoying. Why can't I get finite control over these fans? I figured that since I have ALL fans (which are all Corsair fans) connected to the node core, that I could do all the tweaking I want...but I can't seem to get it to work. Very frustrating. Hany help/pointers? Greatly appreciated! Here is a quick screenshot of what I see. https://imgur.com/LTA4VFS Edited December 30, 2020 by tjicue
Added pic

[c-attack]

I am going to assume you have the "H100i Elite" cooler and are referring to the Commander Core that is the fan controller, lighting controller, and pump power supply for that unit.

 

The Commander Core is a PWM fan controller. The ML-Elite that come with it are PWM, as are most Corsair RGB fans. The SP-Pro that came with your 220T are not. They are DC voltage controlled. They will always be maxed out since they get a constant 12v supply from the controller. You need to move their 3 pin connector to the MB for speed control. Leave the RGB wires on the Commander Core.

[tjicue]

Yes. sorry, right, I have the H100i Elite Capellix. Thanks for the reply. My initial reaction to the info was, "what??" :-) Why wouldn't I be able to connect 5 fans (2 from cooler and 3 from the case) to this Commander Core thing...it has a plugs for the fan power, and a plug for the LED/RGB. Make logical sense to me out of the box. My thought process is, why not use a centralized "core" hub, to control all my fans, especially since they are all Corsair fans. Seems odd, that the Cammander Core sens a constant 12v to those fans? I am a but confused. You are saying, that I need to connect ONLY the power cables from those 3 case fans to the MB somewhere? And then, I would be able to control their speed (and LED) from iCue? Sorry, a bit confused. I am very technical, but have not done much with these RGB fans so some concepts are new, but so far does not seem super straight foward.

[DevBiker]

The SP-PRO fans control the speed by altering the amount of voltage to the fan (that's what c-attack means when he says that the are "DC voltage controlled"). PWM fans alter their speed using Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) - this is a separate signal on the 4th wire that isn't present on the SP-PRO fans (they only have 3 wires for the fan motor control - that's how you know they are DC-controlled fans).

The fan controller on the Commander Core will only control PWM fans. It provides a constant 12V of power to the fan. This is totally cool for a PWM fan - that's what they want - but that means that a DC-controlled fans like the SP-PROs will run at full speed all the time.

[tjicue]

Ok, thanks, I think I get what you are saying, but still unsure on how I should configure my 5 fans (2 that came with the cooler, and 3 came on the case). Currently, they are all hooked up to the Commander Core, but we (you) are saying that those 3 case fans' power cables only (leave RGB on the Commander Core) need to go back onto the mother board - is that right? And if I do that, how do I control their speed of those 3 fans? Can I still do that in iCue, right along side with the other 2 fans? Thanks!

[c-attack]

Commander Core (RGB side) -> All 5 RGB wires. The lighting is not connected to fan motor power in any way.

 

Commander Core (PWM side) -> Just the two ML-Elites that came with the cooler or any other PWM fans.

 

MB CHA_FAN headers -> The three SP-Pro on the front of the case. You may want to pick up a three-way splitter so you can connect them to one MB fan header toward the front. You will not be able to control their speed in CUE. You will be able to set control functions based on temperature in the BIOS. Try not to use CPU temp as the control. That will make for erratic fan speed changes. MB temp is a better choice, but you will need to know the normal temperature range for your use. Most people will go from 20-45C or so, depending on GPU waste heat. That is really what you are trying to push out with the front fans anyway.

[tjicue]

Ahh...I think I get it now. Thanks for the clear explanation. Kind of stinks that I would not be able to use iCue to control all my fans. Make me want to just get 3 PWM fans to replace those case fans, but I guess once I set their speed profile in the BIOS its set and forget. I guess I can try that first. Thanks again for all the info. On a side note, it would have been great if the iCue software screen where it shows you your fans, to show the fan type and give some explanation on why they are running at full speed. That would have saved a lot of headaches/confusion.

 

Thanks again guys!