I built this PC a couple of days ago, and the fans on my Liquid Freezer 3 Pro 360 were stuck around 3000 RPM regardless of the BIOS settings. Updating the BIOS did not help. After moving the fan cable from CPU_FAN1 to SYS_FAN2, the fans returned to normal speeds. I set the header to PWM, selected the CPU as the temperature source, and created a fan curve. Is it safe to leave the AIO fan cable connected to SYS_FAN2 instead of CPU_FAN1 on my MSI MAG B860 Tomahawk WiFi motherboard?
2 Answers
That should be fine. The headers can generally control fans in the same way, so if SYS_FAN2 is responding properly to your PWM settings and CPU temperature curve, you can leave it there. Just make sure the pump is connected to the appropriate pump or CPU-related header and that the BIOS does not require a CPU-fan speed signal for startup.
The important part is setting up sensible curves. Keep the pump running at a fairly high, steady speed so it moves heat into the radiator, then let the radiator fans ramp up more gradually. If your BIOS or software supports it, using coolant temperature for the radiator-fan curve is even better than reacting directly to quick CPU temperature spikes. A steady pump speed and a slower fan curve should keep the system quieter.
In my experience, changing the pump speed constantly does not help much. A fixed speed that is still quiet works well, while the radiator fans can follow coolant temperature if the cooler provides that sensor.
Thanks! This is my first build, so I mainly wanted to make sure using SYS_FAN2 wasn't something I should avoid.