ASRock z77 Extreme 6 PWM help.

[grimreaper1014]

Hi Guys,

I am having a problem with my ASRock z77 Extreme 6 PWM headers/BIOS settings. This is my first time ever using PWM fans. I asked about them on another forum, and asked what the difference is. I was told that PWM fans use pulses where 3 pin fans use voltage to change speed. I was told that PWM fans will run slowly until they reach a target temperature then they will run full speed trying to lower the temerature. My PWM fans are not doing that. They are just running at the same speed the whole time.I have tried automatic, temperature, manual, and changing levels in the BIOS. I can't seam to get them to work correctly. Another thing I have noticed is the slowest the BIOS will allow me to run these fans is 1400RPM which seams pretty loud to me. That is with the fans set to manual with a level of 1 = 1400RPM. I don't know if the Asaka cable is preventing them from going any lower or what. I would be able to tolerate that speed for short periods of time. It just sucks having it run at that speed the whole time and creates a lot of dust. If I could get the fans working as they should with a max speed of 1400RPM when its getting close to the target temp that would be great. I had the Asaka cable sleeved and the guy did not do a very good job. The cables are all crisscrossed etc. Therefore, I believe the cable is a possibly be a problem. However, the fans connected to the Swiftech splitter seam to be doing the same thing so I don't know. I have always just used 3 pin fans thats why I am completely lost with these PWM fans. Could someone please recommend some settings I could try so I can get these fans working correctly? My system is setup as fallows.

Swiftech H220

Swiftech 8-Way PWM splitter connected to CPU_FAN1 (PWM), and 4 pin molex cable attached to PSU for power. I have the H220 pump going to channel 1 on the splitter. Then, I have 5 Swiftech Helix 120 PWM fans connected to it as well. I have a push/pull setup (4 fans) and 1 fan hooked up as my rear exhaust fan.

Asaka 3-Way PWM splitter cable connected to CHA_FAN1 (PWM), and 4 pin molex cable attached to PSU for power. I then have 3 Swiftech Helix 120 PWM fans connected to the Asaka PWM splitter cable. Two front intakes and a side intake.

Thank you,
Rocky

[parsec]

Re: ASRock z77 Extreme 6 PWM help.

Hi Guys,

I am having a problem with my ASRock z77 Extreme 6 PWM headers/BIOS settings. This is my first time ever using PWM fans. I asked about them on another forum, and asked what the difference is. I was told that PWM fans use pulses where 3 pin fans use voltage to change speed. I was told that PWM fans will run slowly until they reach a target temperature then they will run full speed trying to lower the temerature. My PWM fans are not doing that. They are just running at the same speed the whole time.I have tried automatic, temperature, manual, and changing levels in the BIOS. I can't seam to get them to work correctly. Another thing I have noticed is the slowest the BIOS will allow me to run these fans is 1400RPM which seams pretty loud to me. That is with the fans set to manual with a level of 1 = 1400RPM. I don't know if the Asaka cable is preventing them from going any lower or what. I would be able to tolerate that speed for short periods of time. It just sucks having it run at that speed the whole time and creates a lot of dust. If I could get the fans working as they should with a max speed of 1400RPM when its getting close to the target temp that would be great. I had the Asaka cable sleeved and the guy did not do a very good job. The cables are all crisscrossed etc. Therefore, I believe the cable is a possibly be a problem. However, the fans connected to the Swiftech splitter seam to be doing the same thing so I don't know. I have always just used 3 pin fans thats why I am completely lost with these PWM fans. Could someone please recommend some settings I could try so I can get these fans working correctly? My system is setup as fallows.

Swiftech H220

Swiftech 8-Way PWM splitter connected to CPU_FAN1 (PWM), and 4 pin molex cable attached to PSU for power. I have the H220 pump going to channel 1 on the splitter. Then, I have 5 Swiftech Helix 120 PWM fans connected to it as well. I have a push/pull setup (4 fans) and 1 fan hooked up as my rear exhaust fan.

Asaka 3-Way PWM splitter cable connected to CHA_FAN1 (PWM), and 4 pin molex cable attached to PSU for power. I then have 3 Swiftech Helix 120 PWM fans connected to the Asaka PWM splitter cable. Two front intakes and a side intake.

Thank you,
Rocky

Your description is a bit confusing, you mention the Akasa fan in the first part, and at the bottom you mention all Swiftech fans, so...

It is possible that the sleeve job on the Akasa fan, if that guy replaced the fan connector and got the wires wrong, is part of the problem. The wires going to each pin MUST be in the correct location.

Now the PWM splitter fan cable. It must be connected correctly for the fans to have their speeds controlled. If you check the plugs that connect to the fans, only ONE of those plugs should have four pins, the others should have three pins. You should see a missing pin in ALL the other fan plugs except for one.

The PWM splitter cable is configured this way because the fan connected to the four pin plug on the splitter is the ONLY fan that sends its speed/RPM information to the mother board. If more than one PWM fan sent speed information to the mother board, that signal gets confused and the board's speed control will also get confused and not work right. I've heard of PWM fan splitter cables that had all the fan plugs using all four pins, which is wrong, those will not work correctly.

Given a correctly designed PWM fan splitter cable, with only one fan plug having four pins, whatever fan is connected to the four pin plug will control the speed of all the other fans. That is correct and works fine, as long as all the fans on the splitter are the same. It is essential that the fan connected to the four pin plug on the splitter cable, is a four pin, PWM fan. Otherwise there won't be any fan speed control.

You said you have your H220 pump on channel 1 of the splitter, which I assume is the four pin control plug on the splitter. Is the pump PWM controlled, with a four pin/wire connector? If not, that is your problem, as I described above.

If the pump's connector is four pin, PWM, I doubt it's max speed matches the fans. IMO, it is not a good idea to have the pump control the speed of the fans. They are very different devices and likely have very different speed and electrical characteristics. IMO, given this configuration, is why your fans are running at full speed. There is no standard for a PWM fan (or pump) speed/RPM, they are all different, so mixing PWM fans/devices on the same controller (mother board) will give random results.

[- wardog -]

Re: ASRock z77 Extreme 6 PWM help.

Not discounting the possibility of botched cable sleeve job .........

Keep in mind the only port on the Swiftech 8-way splitter that "report' RPM to the MB are what is connected to its CH 1 port.

That RPM reporting(CH 1) would relate to your H220(as desc'd above in your OP), and not necessarily to that of your case cooling fans RPM per se.



(Below pic from 8-Way PWM splitter box - Rouchon Industries Inc., dba Swiftech - PC Liquid Cooling Systems CPU Cooler VGA Water Block Heatsink Pump Radiator Heat Exchanger Kit)

[grimreaper1014]

Re: ASRock z77 Extreme 6 PWM help.

@ parsec

I guess the description I gave of my setup is a little confusing. I will give it another try. I have a H220 AIO kit which came with two Swiftech Helix 120 PWM fans mounted on the rad and a Swiftech 8-way PWM splitter. I connected 3 more of the SAME exact model Swiftech Helix 120 PWM fans to that 8-way PWM splitter that Swiftech said to hook the fans up to for the rad. If they work correctly for the radiator even though the PWM pump is on channel 1 they should work just fine for the other 3 fans of the same exact model.

Next, I have a Asaka PWM splitter CABLE 3-way (not fans) with 3 more of the SAME exact model Swiftech Helix 120 PWM fans connected. I have the Asaka 3 way cable plugged into the PWM fan header at the bottom of the board which is a PWM header. SidewinderPc was who sleeved the Asaka cable. This is the exact cable that I am using Akasa PWM signal splitter motherboard Cable (AK-CB002) - Sidewinder Custom Cables. When I received the cable I pulled up some pictures online to check to see if I could match up the pin layout. It looks like it is wired correctly.

I contacted Swiftech and ASRock. Swiftech said to contact ASRock and ask them about what setting to use in the BIOS. They told me to set the CPU to 45c at a level of 4 or 5. Then, to set the other PWM header for the case fans to 65c at level 4 or 5. Thats what I tried and like I said all my fans are running at 1800RPM which is the full speed around the clock like that. Therefore, I am to the conclusion that ASRocks PWM control is whacked. Instead of letting PWM fans run like they are suppose to run they just run they at max speed the whole time. The only limiting factor is if you change the level to some lower setting. However, that will not allow the PWM fans to kick off when they reach their target temp. They will just keep running at whatever speed correlates to the level you set all the time. Also the PWM control on the board doesn't allow for enough adjustment to run the fans slow enough. You run out of adjustment at 1400RPM on these fans. If thats not the case then BOTH splitters are not working correctly. I don't understand why Swiftech would have people who bought the H220 kit hook up those two Helix fans to the same splitter as the PWM pump when the pump is faster.

Edit - I have been playing with the fan speeds using the ASRock Extreme Tuner program. It allows you to change the temp to whatever you want and set a level for the fans to spin. I have played with the temps and the fans do not slow down at all like they are suppose to when the system temp is lower then you set for the fans.

[- wardog -]

Re: ASRock z77 Extreme 6 PWM help.

Is it possible for you to connect the H220 itself, and only itself, directly to the CPU_FAN1 header and move the 8-way splitter and all your fans to CHA_FAN1 ?

EDIT: I've bought many things over the years from Gary of Sidewinder. Now knowing you recieved the 3-way from him I have no reason to doubt it's done right. He's first rate in my book!

[grimreaper1014]

Re: ASRock z77 Extreme 6 PWM help.

So you just want me to run the pump to the CPU_Fan header, and then run all the fans off of CHA_FAN1 off of the 8-way splitter? I will have to purchase some extension cables possibly to get all the fans to reach but I think I can do that. I have been doing some research on ASRock boards and their PWM headers. It seams a lot of people are having this problem. I can't even get the 3 fans I have running off of CHA_FAN1 to run correctly. Therefore, I am definitely leaning towards broken PWM controls on the board. I have e-mailed ASRock as well. I'm going to see if they admit to the PWM controls being messed up and if they are working on a fix.

Does anyone know of a PWM fan controller that is really good and will allow me to make whatever adjustments I need to get all of my fans working correctly?

[profJim]

Re: ASRock z77 Extreme 6 PWM help.

Test each of your 4-pin headers with only one PWM fan attached per header to see if some of the headers work properly.
Don't use any splitter cables for this test.

[parsec]

Re: ASRock z77 Extreme 6 PWM help.

@ parsec

I guess the description I gave of my setup is a little confusing. I will give it another try. I have a H220 AIO kit which came with two Swiftech Helix 120 PWM fans mounted on the rad and a Swiftech 8-way PWM splitter. I connected 3 more of the SAME exact model Swiftech Helix 120 PWM fans to that 8-way PWM splitter that Swiftech said to hook the fans up to for the rad. If they work correctly for the radiator even though the PWM pump is on channel 1 they should work just fine for the other 3 fans of the same exact model.

Next, I have a Asaka PWM splitter CABLE 3-way (not fans) with 3 more of the SAME exact model Swiftech Helix 120 PWM fans connected. I have the Asaka 3 way cable plugged into the PWM fan header at the bottom of the board which is a PWM header. SidewinderPc was who sleeved the Asaka cable. This is the exact cable that I am using Akasa PWM signal splitter motherboard Cable (AK-CB002) - Sidewinder Custom Cables. When I received the cable I pulled up some pictures online to check to see if I could match up the pin layout. It looks like it is wired correctly.

I contacted Swiftech and ASRock. Swiftech said to contact ASRock and ask them about what setting to use in the BIOS. They told me to set the CPU to 45c at a level of 4 or 5. Then, to set the other PWM header for the case fans to 65c at level 4 or 5. Thats what I tried and like I said all my fans are running at 1800RPM which is the full speed around the clock like that. Therefore, I am to the conclusion that ASRocks PWM control is whacked. Instead of letting PWM fans run like they are suppose to run they just run they at max speed the whole time. The only limiting factor is if you change the level to some lower setting. However, that will not allow the PWM fans to kick off when they reach their target temp. They will just keep running at whatever speed correlates to the level you set all the time. Also the PWM control on the board doesn't allow for enough adjustment to run the fans slow enough. You run out of adjustment at 1400RPM on these fans. If thats not the case then BOTH splitters are not working correctly. I don't understand why Swiftech would have people who bought the H220 kit hook up those two Helix fans to the same splitter as the PWM pump when the pump is faster.

Edit - I have been playing with the fan speeds using the ASRock Extreme Tuner program. It allows you to change the temp to whatever you want and set a level for the fans to spin. I have played with the temps and the fans do not slow down at all like they are suppose to when the system temp is lower then you set for the fans.

I would definitely try what Prof Jim has suggested, try one fan at a time on the PWM Chassis 1 header, and see if you can control its speed.

I also understand your fan setup completely now.

I use an ASRock Z77 EX 4 board, which has the same basic fan headers that your board does. I use PWM fans on my CPU cooler, and one on the PWM Chassis 1 header, and they work fine, their speed is varied with the CPU temperature according to the settings I set for those fans.

Are you saying that the PWM fan control on your board is broken, or just a bad design?

My ASRock board had a BIOS/UEFI update that added a new setting to the PWM fan control, called Custom. You then select a number between 1 and 255 (IIRC), which sets the initial fan speed. It allows you to set the fan speed lower than the other settings allow.

BTW, the fans on a CPU cooler fan header are not supposed to turn off at the target temperature, or under any circumstance. No mother board works that way, a CPU cooling fan that is not running causes a CPU Fan error on any good board. Some boards will send a CPU Fan error if the CPU fan speed is to low, less than ~700RPM on one board I have. Actually, the minimum voltage used on chassis fan headers is deliberately set high so 99% of fans will not turn off. There is no standard starting voltage for PC fans, some start spinning as low as ~4V, while others won't spin up unless they get 6V- 7V. Mother board manufactures set the fan header voltages higher to be sure the fans will at least spin up.

I checked the Swiftech H220's web page, if I have the right model (Swiftech H220 - CPU Liquid Cooling Systems CPU Cooler VGA Water Block Heatsink Pump Radiator Heat Exchanger Kit), and a few observations from the specs:

The pump's rated speed is 1200RPM - 3000RPM, 12V, Nominal power is 6 Watts (or 0.5 Amps).

The fan's rated speed is 800RPM - 1800RPM, 12V, Nominal current is 0.2 Amps (or 2.4 Watts).

If the pump becomes the speed reference, then (all else being equal), the fans will run at 1200RPM if the pump is at 1200RPM. Since I doubt the pump is ever run at its lowest speed, and 1400RPM seems a possible low value for the pump, then the fans will never be below that speed.

I agree that it would be strange if Swiftech intended the fans to run near or at full speed all the time, so who knows what the reality of that is.

[grimreaper1014]

Re: ASRock z77 Extreme 6 PWM help.

Thanks for the tips guys. I am going to try with just one fan attached to each PWM header today and see what happens.

parsec which CPU cooler and PWN fans do you use? Could you share your BIOS settings so I can make sure I can get a gerneral idea of how they should be setup in the BIOS? I just want to make sure I am using the correct configuration.

I flashed my BIOS to version 2.70. I noticed there is now a custom PWM fan control setting as well. I'm not sure if it is new or not though. I have tried playing with it a bit as well. It reduces the speed just fine. The only thing is like the PWM header I don't notice any varied speeds according to the temp.

Yep, sorry I had a hard time explaining what I meant. I realize they don't turn all the way off. Its just I'm not seeing any difference in speed at all regardless of temp. I have tried just about every setting.

I also checked the specs as well for the H220 and noticed the same thing you did. I also noticed one more thing. It says if your fans are running at 100% all the time to adjust the fan speed manually in the BIOS. The only thing is there is no manual setting for the CPU header in the BIOS. It just has manual for the case fan PWM header. I guess I could always just set it to auto,45c, with a custom level to get the speed I want. When I lower the pump speed to around 2000RPM its not really that noticeable. Neither are the fans. Do you think 2k RPM for the pump is still sufficiently moving water through the loop? This is my first water cooling setup so I don't know much about how fast a pump needs to run etc.

If I can get these PWM headers figured out what I would like to do is connect the pump directly to the CPU PWM header. That it can run properly and adjust speed according to temp. Then, on the PWM header for case fans connect the Swiftech 8 way splitter and all of my case fans. I will have to buy like 3 PWM extension cables for the two top mounted external fans on the rad and the rear exhaust fan but I think that will be the best bet. I guess if all else fails I see they have some fan controllers that have one PWM header on them to control a PWM fan. I guess I could research a good one and just use it for my PWM fans with the Swiftech 8 way-splitter.

When testing if the PWM function is working correctly what would be the best way to test? What is a good program to get the heat of the PC up? Then, I could just monitor the fans with ASRock Extreme Tuner?

[profJim]

Re: ASRock z77 Extreme 6 PWM help.

LinX and IBT (Intel BurnTest) will raise core temperatures the most.
Prime95 Small FFT test temperatures will be somewhat lower.
OCCT can also heat up your system nicely and has optional logging features.
Download the correct versions for your O/S.
Download LinX 0.6.4
Download IntelBurnTest 2.54
Prime95 note: you don't need to join GIMPS or create an account to use their free software
OCCT

[parsec]

Re: ASRock z77 Extreme 6 PWM help.

Thanks for the tips guys. I am going to try with just one fan attached to each PWM header today and see what happens.

parsec which CPU cooler and PWN fans do you use? Could you share your BIOS settings so I can make sure I can get a gerneral idea of how they should be setup in the BIOS? I just want to make sure I am using the correct configuration.

I flashed my BIOS to version 2.70. I noticed there is now a custom PWM fan control setting as well. I'm not sure if it is new or not though. I have tried playing with it a bit as well. It reduces the speed just fine. The only thing is like the PWM header I don't notice any varied speeds according to the temp.

Yep, sorry I had a hard time explaining what I meant. I realize they don't turn all the way off. Its just I'm not seeing any difference in speed at all regardless of temp. I have tried just about every setting.

I also checked the specs as well for the H220 and noticed the same thing you did. I also noticed one more thing. It says if your fans are running at 100% all the time to adjust the fan speed manually in the BIOS. The only thing is there is no manual setting for the CPU header in the BIOS. It just has manual for the case fan PWM header. I guess I could always just set it to auto,45c, with a custom level to get the speed I want. When I lower the pump speed to around 2000RPM its not really that noticeable. Neither are the fans. Do you think 2k RPM for the pump is still sufficiently moving water through the loop? This is my first water cooling setup so I don't know much about how fast a pump needs to run etc.

If I can get these PWM headers figured out what I would like to do is connect the pump directly to the CPU PWM header. That it can run properly and adjust speed according to temp. Then, on the PWM header for case fans connect the Swiftech 8 way splitter and all of my case fans. I will have to buy like 3 PWM extension cables for the two top mounted external fans on the rad and the rear exhaust fan but I think that will be the best bet. I guess if all else fails I see they have some fan controllers that have one PWM header on them to control a PWM fan. I guess I could research a good one and just use it for my PWM fans with the Swiftech 8 way-splitter.

When testing if the PWM function is working correctly what would be the best way to test? What is a good program to get the heat of the PC up? Then, I could just monitor the fans with ASRock Extreme Tuner?

I have several PCs, but the ASR Z77 Ex 4 boards (two) I use have Corsair H60's with Scythe 120mm PWM fans, the "Kaze-Jyuni" Slip Stream PWM SLH-P. They are no longer readily available in the USA, due to Scythe apparently not shipping fans to the US market for some reason. I use them in an unconventional way, in "pull" mode only with shrouds on the radiator.

I just remembered an important detail about this board and the AXTU program, the Extreme Tuner you mentioned. If you use it and have the "Auto run when windows start(s)" option checked (bottom of the screen), whatever settings are set in the Fan Control (or any other screen) screen will override the BIOS/UEFI settings. If you use AXTU be sure to check that the Auto run option is NOT checked, or your settings in the BIOS will not matter.

When you asked about BIOS settings, do you mean everything or just fan control? The BIOS screen shot seemed to not work for me, I'll try that again.

It's hard to say what speed the pump should run at without actually using one. You can just go by the CPU temperature, if it is low and stays low under stress, then it's fine.

My board's BIOS has manual fan speed control on all the chassis fans, and I think yours does too. Chassis 2 has four levels you can select, and Chassis 1 and 3 have a Manual selection that then displays various levels. Some details have changed, but the following is from your boards manual:



Looks like manual control is available to me, my board sure has it. You can put a PWM fan on a three pin fan header, and it will be controlled the same as a three pin fan. I would try putting the pump on Chassis fan header 2 or 3, and adjust the speed with the manual controls. Then put the radiator fans on CPU Fan 1, and your other fans controlled by Chassis Fan 1, with either cable or adapter.

Set Chassis 1 on manual, and with AXTU running, change the level, 1 is the lowest. If your fans don't change speed, something is weird. The pump speed is not that critical at this point, you're trying to get the fan speeds under control, and IMO getting the pump out of the system is the main test to do.

[grimreaper1014]

Re: ASRock z77 Extreme 6 PWM help.

I been making all my settings via the BIOS. Luckily I did notice the box at the bottom of AXTU and made sure it wasn't checked. Thanks for the heads up.

Yeah I was just curious to see what fan settings you use for your PWM fans for CPU and CHA_1.

I tried playing with the pump yesterday. It is working as it should now. It starts out at around 2200RPM and when the CPU goes over 45c it goes up to 3000RPM.

My board has the manual setting as well. However, what I mean is there is an option to set the CPU fan on a level from 1 - 255 for even more precise control. I wish they had that for the CHA_Fan1 header as well. That way I could get the fans down to 1200RPM instead of over 1400RPM.

The pump and surprisingly the fans for the radiator that we thought wouldn't work because of the pump seem to be working as PWM should. They start out quite and as the heat increases with OCCT they get louder and I watch the RPM's on the Pump increase from 2kRPM to 3kRPM. The fans also get louder and I can feel them blowing more air.

The problem now seams to be the fans on CHA_Fan1. They are not changing speed regardless of temp. As an experiment I have tried setting the PWM temp to 45c and running OCCT. The temps definetly got over 45c and there was no difference in RPMS on the fans connected to CHA_Fan1. I am going to give it a try without the splitter cable later today.

Thank you for your help. I greatly appreciate it.

[parsec]

Re: ASRock z77 Extreme 6 PWM help.

Sounds better, but what changed? Your description is what should be happening, but something must be different if it did not work like that before.

I checked one of my Z77 PCs, and I the Custom level on the CPU fan is gone. Strange, but between my Haswell build and the others, I'm sooo confused.

[grimreaper1014]

Re: ASRock z77 Extreme 6 PWM help.

Sounds better, but what changed? Your description is what should be happening, but something must be different if it did not work like that before.

I checked one of my Z77 PCs, and I the Custom level on the CPU fan is gone. Strange, but between my Haswell build and the others, I'm sooo confused.

I'm not real sure what was causing it not to work correctly before. However, I assume that the games I was playing just wasn't getting the CPU hot enough for it to work. As I mentioned above I am still having problems with the other PWM fans on CHA_Fan1 though. There speed does not increase at all regardless of the temp even with one fan connected. I'm not sure whats going on with it. I have it set to Automatic, 50c, level 2 which gives me about 1400RPM's. Regardless of temperature that is what the fans always read is 1400RPM's.

The z77 board you checked is it a ASRock Extreme series motherboard? Different boards have different setups for PWM control. On some boards its better and some its worse. I believe you said you have a ASRock z77 Extreme4? If so you should see the custom fan speed listed there when you select Automatic. Once you select the temperature and it shows fan speed move the slider on the list all the way up and you should see custom. Then, you can adjust from 1-255. I'm pretty sure that's how its done. I will have to check the BIOS to confirm.

[parsec]

Re: ASRock z77 Extreme 6 PWM help.

Yes, the Custom speed entry is listed with the temperatures, I forgot where it was. I described this setting earlier in this thread, but forgot where it was selected.

Actually, IMO when using the Custom speed setting, the response time of increasing the CPU fan's speed when the CPU temp increases, is slower than the temperature setting modes. It takes 10 - 15 seconds after the CPU temperature has increased substantially, before the CPU fan speed increases at all. Which is why I stopped using it.

What do you use to monitor CPU temperature? There are all kinds of programs for that, including the ASRock utility. It should be easy to see if the fans on Chassis1 change speed with CPU temperature.