Q-fan Enabled; Cpu Hot?

Q-fan Enabled; Cpu Hot? Asus M2A-VM motherboard

#1 funnytim

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Posted 27 August 2008 - 01:57 AM

Hi all,

I have a ASUS M2A-VM motherboard, with a Athlon 64 X2 3800+ CPU.

I recently discovered (yes, recently, lol took me a while to find out this function) the Q-Fan function, where it's supposed to turn down the CPU fan speed when the cpu isn't working so hard.

I enabled Q-fan, then monitored the CPU temperature for a while. The temperature went from 41 C to 50 C in something close to 5-10 minutes (& still climbing occassionally).

CPU fan speed was ~ 3169 rpm. With Q-fan enabled, it was ~ 1500rpm.

Is this normal? And is it "OK" for the CPU? Is Q-Fan "safe"? I don't want to overheat & damage my CPU (obviously).

Thanks in advance.

Thanks.

#2 Platypus

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Posted 27 August 2008 - 09:24 AM

That sounds about right for that fan speed reduction. The fan speed is lower so the CPU can't help but be hotter.

The fan speed will increase if the CPU temp continues to rise, due to increased system load or ambient temperature.

My system idles the fan in winter, but in summer the fan speed when Q-fan is enabled is not much lower than when not enabled.

My system has two stages for Q-fan, moderate quieting and ultimate quieting, does yours have something similar?

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#3 funnytim

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Posted 27 August 2008 - 05:16 PM

In the BIOS for Q-Fan there is only "Enable" or "Disable".

also Is it better for the CPU to have the fan constantly running on full speed (so cooler) than if it's hotter b/c of lower fan speed?

thxs again

This post has been edited by funnytim: 27 August 2008 - 05:20 PM

Thanks.

#4 Platypus

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Posted 27 August 2008 - 09:45 PM

It's always better for components to run cooler. As well as Q-fan, check the BIOS settings for Cool'n'Quiet so that CPU clock speed stepping is available. Cool'n'Quiet has the two components, firstly reducing the CPU clock speed when the CPU load is low, to reduce heat output, then fan speed thermal adjustment (either board controlled like Q-fan, or a fan with internal thermistor). If the BIOS is set to run the CPU always at full clock speed, reducing the fan speed just increases the CPU temperature.

Also check the Power Management settings in Windows, to ensure a power profile that has the same effect hasn't been selected.

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#5 funnytim

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Posted 27 August 2008 - 10:47 PM

I already have AMD Cool 'n' Quiet enabled (checked with AMD Power Monitor). However I don't think Cool 'n' Quiet controls the CPU fan as well?

So with Cool 'n' Quiet and Q-Fan enabled it should be OK, even at a temp like 50 C ?

Also since there's no configuration options for me to choose from, at what temperature will the fan start back at full speed?

This post has been edited by funnytim: 27 August 2008 - 10:48 PM

Thanks.

#6 Platypus

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Posted 28 August 2008 - 09:39 PM

funnytim, on Aug 28 2008, 01:47 PM, said:

However I don't think Cool 'n' Quiet controls the CPU fan as well?

Only by making the CPU run less hot, so the temperature sensing will slow the fan down.

funnytim, on Aug 28 2008, 01:47 PM, said:

So with Cool 'n' Quiet and Q-Fan enabled it should be OK, even at a temp like 50 C ?

Yes, that's not too high when the fan is running at a reduced speed.

funnytim, on Aug 28 2008, 01:47 PM, said:

Also since there's no configuration options for me to choose from, at what temperature will the fan start back at full speed?

With Q-fan, that is programmed into the motherboard BIOS. Unless the specifications for the board quote temperatures, you'd have to experiment to find out - run a benchmark on the system with the CPU at 100% and see what temperature the CPU goes to and what the fan speeds are at various temperatures.

This post has been edited by Platypus: 28 August 2008 - 09:39 PM

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#7 funnytim

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Posted 28 August 2008 - 10:25 PM

Thanks a lot for the info.

Also will it do any harm to the fan if it speeds up and slows down like that (either with Q-Fan or SpeedFan)?

Eg. If the CPU temp is, say, 40 C, the fan slows down, but then the CPU heats up to 42, and the fan kicks in full speed to cool it down to 39, then 5 mins later same thing happens. Is that bad for the fan?

Thanks.

#8 Platypus

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Posted 29 August 2008 - 07:55 AM

You're welcome. The speed variations won't cause any harm to the fan.

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#9 funnytim

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Posted 29 August 2008 - 05:43 PM

Lastly, is a slower speed (even if its variating (sp?)) better for the fan in terms of lifetime?

Thanks.

#10 garmanma

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Posted 29 August 2008 - 07:09 PM

Not significantly enough to worry about. Dust and lint build-up usually kill them first

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#11 Platypus

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Posted 29 August 2008 - 07:18 PM

In theory the lower speed could reduce the bearing wear. In practice it's probably not going to make much difference, especially if it's a ball bearing fan. As garmanma, says, the effective lifespan of a bearing is determined more by deterioration of the lubrication or the occurrence of dust entry than just running time/speed.

This post has been edited by Platypus: 29 August 2008 - 07:20 PM

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#12 funnytim

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Posted 29 August 2008 - 08:46 PM

So it's pretty much just preference for me, whether I want my system quieter or now?

Thanks.

#13 Platypus

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Posted 30 August 2008 - 05:02 AM

Yep, that's what it comes down to.

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#14 funnytim

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Posted 30 August 2008 - 08:52 PM

Also, do you know if SpeedFan can control case fan speeds too? (I think it should, but want to confirm).

Thanks.

#15 Platypus

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Posted 30 August 2008 - 10:10 PM

SpeedFan can control the speed of any fan that is provided with a speed control mechanism that SpeedFan can recognise and access. Not all motherboards have controllable case fan connections. The fan speed is controlled by a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) chip, if the motherboard connector for case fan has an accompanying PWM chip (and SpeedFan recognises that chip), then it can control the speed of that fan.

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