
To enter the BIOS or UEFI of your motherboard, press the DEL key on your keyboard as the computer boots up. While fan speeds can be adjusted by using fan control programs as well, we recommend setting the fan speed via the PC’s BIOS or UEFI to avoid any software issues. too steep, too high fan speeds at low temperatures) and are, of course, not fine-tuned to a specific fan model. The default fan curves can be set too aggressively (i.e. If you want to further optimise your fans’ sound and performance, we recommend setting a manual fan curve in the BIOS after setting up your PC. Therefore, for use in a PC, we would strongly recommend using 4-pin PWM fans and to control them via PWM through the motherboard’s BIOS or UEFI whenever possible. However, when controlled via PWM, the fan speed can be adjusted more precisely, and it can be set to lower values compared to voltage contro l. It is also possible to control 4-pin PWM fans by adjusting the supply voltage. Many motherboards can control fans both ways, by setting the fan mode to “DC/ Voltage” or “PWM ”. The fourth pin allows for PWM speed control via the motherboard, or even another device that is capable of controlling PWM fans.ģ-pin fans can only be controlled by adjusting the voltage that they are supplied with.

Our Noctua 4-pin fans are easily identified by “PWM” in their product name. (There are some exceptions when using pre-built systems from manufacturers such as Acer, Apple, Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc. If a fan stops at 0% it will be mentioned in the fan specifications on our website :įans used in computers are usually either 3-pin or 4-pin fans. Most fans will stop at a duty cycle of 0%, while some are designed to keep running at 0%. The duty cycle is a percentage, where 100% means running at full speed.

The PWM signal resembles a square wave that regulates fan speed via its duty cycle.

By controlling the fan via a PWM signal.The fan speed can either be regulated by adjusting the supply voltage (DC, lower voltage = lower speed).There are two main options for adjusting the fan speed via a computer’s motherboard: In the following guide we want to give a brief introduction to setting manual fan curves. Solution home Frequently Asked Questions General FAQs How do I optimise my fan settings?
