If you are searching for How to control case fan speed, then you have landed at the right spot to get the right answer. Every computer system is fitted with a collection of fans, helping to keep things cool to avoid overheating. However, the only CPU and system fans are directly connected to the motherboard.
The problem is that these fans can be getting too noisy sometimes. Focusing on your job is difficult when the endless whirling of these fans makes your system sound like an aircraft preparing for takeoff. This article explores potential solutions to this problem by analyzing the ways you can monitor and set a custom fan speed.
Why is Case Fan too loud?
Well, you might wonder how your fans got so noisy in the first place. The commonly reported causes are as follows:
- Your PC is doing a lot of work, i.e., you play a bunch of games all times or use tools for video editing, and so on.
- It overworks and overheats the CPU and GPU.
- The problem can often be as easy as the accumulation of dust, in which case all you have to do is open up the equipment and give it a proper cleaning.
Older devices are more likely to have this problem, so if you’re already planning to upgrade to a new one, that’s fine. But if you’d rather just address this issue instead of going through the trouble of having a new PC, then read on as we explain how to control case fan speed.
HOW TO CONTROL CASE FAN SPEED?
While fan speed control software may be the first thing that comes to mind, it’s also useful to explore a few other options. The following strategies are sorted from the most obvious down to the least.
Updating BIOS Settings

Start digging through the BIOS of the device before moving on to some fan speed control applications. Most modern computers have controls already installed in there. You need to restart your system to access the BIOS and click a certain key. Your computer would indicate which key to press.
For example, when you reboot, your screen may say press Delete to enter setup. Your cue is this. The F12 key could be used instead in case of some computers. A minor issue here is that you will now need to check for the BIOS fan settings because the location and description differ with different systems. It could be named, for example, Smart Fan Control (Gigabyte), or Q Fan Control (ASUS). You should then be able to find it in the BIOS menus usually, though. To be able to change fan settings, you will need to activate this option.
You now have two choices for regulating the fan speed: either Voltage or PWM can be tweaked. Choosing any option would mean a slower fan. PWM, however, can get relatively lower speeds and is much more powerful. The choice you select ultimately depends on how the fans are plugged into the motherboard. In short, remember to use PWM for a connector with four pins and a 3-pin connector with Voltage.
Last but not least, this method will only allow you to monitor the CPU speed and system fans. Also, if you can’t locate any fan settings in your BIOS to start with, that means your motherboard will probably not support this choice. You can then move on to the next step, in this case. Know that if you are not quite sure what you are doing, adjusting the default settings in the BIOS may not work out well.
Using Fan Control Software
If the BIOS approach hasn’t worked or seems too hard for you, try to go for some CPU fan control tools. SpeedFan is the most common alternative. It offers more power than a device’s BIOS settings but you will have to switch off any fan settings in the BIOS before using SpeedFan to avoid conflict. SpeedFan can not only be used to adjust fan speed but also to track temperatures. You can get started by following these steps:
- Get the software and install it.
- Launch it, and then get to the main window. Well, here’s a list of your existing fan speeds and temperatures in RPM for all your hardware. Particularly remember to keep a closer eye on the temperatures of the GPU and CPU.
- SpeedFan doesn’t always accurately name all of the sensors. To be able to find them later, you need to label your fans. Adjust manual control, and switch all fans down except one. This will help you distinguish these when you rename them. Go to rename the Fans section.
- Then go to the Advanced Section. Make sure all PWM powered fans have manual mode picked.
- Set the fans to a minimum and maximum spinning speed in the Speeds tab.
- Now go to the Fan Control section and set each fan’s temperature curve. This is incredibly important because it lets you track the impact it would have on your changes.
- When it is completed and the changes have been saved, open up a challenging application (like a game) just as a kind of test to see how the improvements are doing.
- Remember to create a SpeedFan shortcut and set it up for automatic startup. If the machine is still running, then it will always be cool for your fans.
Like the BIOS, just the fans connected to the motherboard will be powered by SpeedFan. However, this application does not support some systems.
External fan controllers
Fan controllers are cheap and will allow you to control all of the fans on your computer. This is contrary to the other two approaches we spoke about, which only allows you to monitor the speed of CPU and machine fans. A fan controller fits into one of the drive bays on your computer, and you can use the knobs to track and change fan speed individually.
Final Thoughts
You can apply the above-mentioned techniques to control case fan speed. We hope that your query about how to control case fan speed has been answered well.