K8V-VM: Cool, but not quiet

I have cool'n'quiet enabled in bios + installed driver + utility + power scheme, and I can see from the utility, that it works like it should, i.e. increases and decreases mhz and voltage dependant on cpu usage.

Well, that is, the cool part works. As the cpu will absorb less effect on lower usage. Now comes the quiet part, which doesn't seem to work. The CPU-fan does not throttle down when cpu is idle.
I know the cpu-fan supports this, because I moved it from another system, where it worked fine along with the utility SpeedFan.

So how do I get to the "quiet" part of "Cool'n'Quiet"?

TIA!

Peter Simonsen wrote:
I have cool'n'quiet enabled in bios + installed driver + utility + power
scheme, and I can see from the utility, that it works like it should,
i.e. increases and decreases mhz and voltage dependant on cpu usage.

Well, that is, the cool part works. As the cpu will absorb less effect
on lower usage. Now comes the quiet part, which doesn't seem to work.
The CPU-fan does not throttle down when cpu is idle.
I know the cpu-fan supports this, because I moved it from another
system, where it worked fine along with the utility SpeedFan.

So how do I get to the "quiet" part of "Cool'n'Quiet"?

TIA!

The feature you are looking for, is called Q-Fan. I don't
see it listed in the user manual for K8V-VM.

Try SpeedFan on your K8V-VM. Does it do anything ? If not,
you are missing the interface needed to control the
fan. The speed control feature can be inside the Super I/O
chip, but without the circuit to interface to the fan, nothing
is going to happen if you use it. Since adding the interface
to the fan costs money, don't expect to see it on every
board Asus makes.

You can see in this example here, the use of a FET to switch
the fan on and off rapidly. That is part of PWM style control.
The FET costs enough, to not be included for material cost
reasons. Asus is very stingy with these.

http://media.maxim-ic.com/images/app.../3173Fig02.gif

Paul

Paul wrote:
Peter Simonsen wrote:
I have cool'n'quiet enabled in bios + installed driver + utility +
power scheme, and I can see from the utility, that it works like it
should, i.e. increases and decreases mhz and voltage dependant on cpu
usage.

Well, that is, the cool part works. As the cpu will absorb less
effect on lower usage. Now comes the quiet part, which doesn't seem
to work. The CPU-fan does not throttle down when cpu is idle.
I know the cpu-fan supports this, because I moved it from another
system, where it worked fine along with the utility SpeedFan.

So how do I get to the "quiet" part of "Cool'n'Quiet"?

TIA!

The feature you are looking for, is called Q-Fan. I don't
see it listed in the user manual for K8V-VM.

Try SpeedFan on your K8V-VM. Does it do anything ? If not,
you are missing the interface needed to control the
fan. The speed control feature can be inside the Super I/O
chip, but without the circuit to interface to the fan, nothing
is going to happen if you use it. Since adding the interface
to the fan costs money, don't expect to see it on every
board Asus makes.

You can see in this example here, the use of a FET to switch
the fan on and off rapidly. That is part of PWM style control.
The FET costs enough, to not be included for material cost
reasons. Asus is very stingy with these.

http://media.maxim-ic.com/images/app.../3173Fig02.gif

Paul

Hi Paul,

Thanks for your reply. I've tried speedfan, and it does nothing.
So it seems ASUS hasn't included the interface.

Now I bought this motherboard because it was
a) cheap
b) would be quiet (it's in our living room, and is on all the time)

How can ASUS claim cool'n'quiet, when they've haven't included the
'quiet' part?

I'm thinking about unplugging the cpu-fan, and just use passive cooling.
Do you have any thought on that?

TIA!

Peter Simonsen wrote:
I have cool'n'quiet enabled in bios + installed driver + utility + power
scheme, and I can see from the utility, that it works like it should,
i.e. increases and decreases mhz and voltage dependant on cpu usage.

Well, that is, the cool part works. As the cpu will absorb less effect
on lower usage. Now comes the quiet part, which doesn't seem to work.
The CPU-fan does not throttle down when cpu is idle.
I know the cpu-fan supports this, because I moved it from another
system, where it worked fine along with the utility SpeedFan.

So how do I get to the "quiet" part of "Cool'n'Quiet"?

TIA!

Do you have the fan connected to the correct connector on the
motherboard. Apparently there are two, one labeled CHA_FAN, and the
other CPU_FAN. You should be attached to the CPU_FAN header. You've
probably already checked this, but I just figured I'd point it out. The
CPU_FAN header is at the corner of the motherboard.

And from looking at later posts, I'd suggest purchasing a heatsink/fan
combination that is quiet to begin with. Especially in a system used
where noise is an issue.


I'm thinking about unplugging the cpu-fan, and just use passive cooling.
Do you have any thought on that?

Unless your heatsink is designed to run passive, it's probably not a
good idea. Since you apparently are trying for a quiet system, I'd
guess that there aren't a lot of fans running to keep air moving inside
the case. Passive cooling doesn't work too well without a LOT of airflow.

--
"Outback" Jon - KC2BNE

AMD Opteron 146 ) and 6.1 GHz of other AMD power...
http://folding.stanford.edu - got folding? Team 53560

2006 ZG1000A Concours "Blueline" COG# 7385 CDA# 0157
1980 CB750F SuperSport == For Sale $1200

Doing some additional research, involving rebooting my computer, I think
part of your problem may be that Cool-n-Quiet doesn't seem to be
designed to adjust the fan speed. Some Asus motherboards have an option
called "Q-Fan" that does this. It doesn't appear that the K8V-VM has
this option however.

Since Speedfan doesn't work for you either, probably your best option
would be to get a very quiet heatsink/fan combination and install it.
Larger fans can turn slower and be quieter than smaller fans will be.
Zalman makes some that are known to be *very* quiet, as well as some
that are silent (passive). Newegg.com is a great place to look at
heatsinks that will fit your computer. Check the overall dimensions of
them though, if you don't have a large case.

--
"Outback" Jon - KC2BNE

AMD Opteron 146 ) and 6.1 GHz of other AMD power...
http://folding.stanford.edu - got folding? Team 53560

2006 ZG1000A Concours "Blueline" COG# 7385 CDA# 0157
1980 CB750F SuperSport == For Sale $1200

Peter Simonsen wrote:


Hi Paul,

Thanks for your reply. I've tried speedfan, and it does nothing.
So it seems ASUS hasn't included the interface.

Now I bought this motherboard because it was
a) cheap
b) would be quiet (it's in our living room, and is on all the time)

How can ASUS claim cool'n'quiet, when they've haven't included the
'quiet' part?

I'm thinking about unplugging the cpu-fan, and just use passive cooling.
Do you have any thought on that?

TIA!

Cool N' Quiet is a term invented by AMD. It covers the operating
conditions of the processor itself. When the operating system is
idle, the FID (core frequency control) and VID (core voltage level)
can be reduced, thereby reducing power dissipation. When you
put some load on the machine, the FID and VID are turned up again.
It means, when the system is loaded, it runs at the usual temperature,
but when the system is idle, the CPU throws off little heat.

Fan control is a separate issue.

Some of the fans provided with CPUs, are sensitive to the computer
case air temperature. Since the case air temp doesn't vary that
much, you might not have noticed the fan speed changing. That is
implemented inside the fan hub, and the fan can use a thermistor
to sense the computer case temperature. The purpose of that
feature, is to speed up the fan, if the fan senses that the
case is warmer than normal.

Finding a third party solution to fix this, could be a frustrating
experience. There is stuff out there, but it may not be
very well integrated. For example, if a unit comes with its
own sensors, instead of using the existing CPU temp measurement
feature, you can have lots of trouble fitting the sensor. Stuff like
this, ends up providing a half baked solution.

http://www.velocityreviews.com/revie...controller.php

If you simply want to adjust the fan speed once, to a new level,
this will do the trick. This is not automated, and just dials
down the voltage to the fan. You may even find the equivalent of
this at a local computer store (to save on shipping). Some
versions of this kind of controller, fit into a 5.25"
drive bay. This unit is for a single channel of control.

Zalman Fanmate $4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118217

The BIOS may do a check at startup, to see if there is a
tachometer signal coming from the CPU fan header. If you
disconnect the CPU fan, you may find the motherboard shuts
off.

Paul

Paul wrote:
Peter Simonsen wrote:
How can ASUS claim cool'n'quiet, when they've haven't included the
'quiet' part?
Cool N' Quiet is a term invented by AMD...
:
Fan control is a separate issue.

Well I won't go into the judicial interpretation here.
I'm just saying, that if you market the product as cool'n'quiet,
it's misleading when the fan-control part is missing.
At least that's my point of view.

If you simply want to adjust the fan speed once, to a new level,
this will do the trick...

I tried stopping the fan completely, and just run completely with
passive cooling. The CPU hovered around 40-50 celcius most of
the time - and this was with the casing off.

So I decided to get a gadget that would reduce the voltage, something
like you suggested. And with the fan-speed reduced from 2300 RPM
down to 550 RPM, I get a idle temp. of 23 celcius, and a max
temp (30 min. full CPU) of 46 celcius. And that's fine with me.
The fan is barely noticeably.

The BIOS may do a check at startup, to see if there is a
tachometer signal coming from the CPU fan header. If you
disconnect the CPU fan, you may find the motherboard shuts
off.

Luckily it was adjustable in the BIOS.

Thanks for your help!