PowerSpec G467. Fans connected to wrong headers?

WesJ

I have a PowerSpec G467 that's only a couple weeks old. Very satisfied with it so far, but I've noticed something weird with the two front case fans.

First, I noticed that the fans were spinning at different speeds in HWMonitor -- one at around 1400rpm, the other at around 800rpm. After that, I physically traced the fan cables. Oddly, they are connected to the M.2 fan header and the water pump fan header -- not the chassis fan headers, as I would have expected.

That accounts for the difference in speed. Q-fan control is disabled by default on the water pump fan header, so the front fan connected to that one is spinning at the maximum speed of 1400rpm. Q-fan control IS enabled on the M.2 fan header, so that one is varying (800rpm when I read it).

Is this intentional? Should I disconnect these fans and reconnect them to the chassis fan headers (CHA_FAN1 and CHA_FAN2) to keep the speeds consistent?

Thanks!

PowerSpec_MichaelB

Welcome to the community forum, @WesJ. I can say that it's definitely not normal for our fans to be plugged into the M.2 fan header. The WP header is typically used, but only when we are plugging an AIO's pump directly into it as that header is designed to operate at 100% speed by default. I was able to locate your purchase using the email you used to register with on the forum and I have the serial of your build. Using this, I can identify where the unit was built and pass this along to the build team for investigation. In the meantime, I want to address the current issue with your fan speeds/control issues.

There are a couple options available to us. The simplest solution would be to navigate to the BIOS (F2/DEL at boot), enter the advanced mode (F7), go to the Monitor tab, select the Q-Fan Configuration settings, and change the W_Pump fan to PWM mode. This will let you control the fan speed, and you can even tie it to a specific thermal sensor (CPU temps, motherboard temps, etc).

If you are comfortable with removing the side panel and swapping the fan headers around, then it would be ideal to move those fans to chassis headers as that way, the labels themselves will match so you can easily identify the fans in the BIOS and adjust their speed accordingly both with the BIOS and any fan speed controlling software of your choosing.

If you need pictures or instructions on how to do either of these steps, I would be happy to write something up for you.

As always, let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

WesJ

Thanks Michael! I was thinking maybe CHA_FAN1 wasn't used because of its placement on the board (Asus Z490-E). That one is on the middle of the board above the PCI slots, so I assume cable management is more of a challenge there. CHA_FAN2 is down on the bottom and easier to reach.

I was thinking of adding a rear exhaust fan anyway, so would it make sense to do this?

• Connect newly installed rear exhaust to CHA_FAN1
• Move case fan currently connected to W_PUMP over to CHA_FAN2
• Leave case currently connected to M.2_FAN in the same spot

PowerSpec_MichaelB

WesJ said:

Thanks Michael! I was thinking maybe CHA_FAN1 wasn't used because of its placement on the board (Asus Z490-E). That one is on the middle of the board above the PCI slots, so I assume cable management is more of a challenge there. CHA_FAN2 is down on the bottom and easier to reach.

I was thinking of adding a rear exhaust fan anyway, so would it make sense to do this?

• Connect newly installed rear exhaust to CHA_FAN1
• Move case fan currently connected to W_PUMP over to CHA_FAN2
• Leave case currently connected to M.2_FAN in the same spot

That will certainly work. You can also adjust their individual settings in the Q-Fan Configuration utility in the BIOS and even tie the fan curves to specific sensors on the board if you want. That way, the fans can be quiet when you are simply web browsing, and ramp up when you are playing games as processor/board temperature rises.

Either way, I don't foresee you having any thermal issues, but it's definitely not a bad idea to supplement the cooling. Considering how almost all modern hardware has some kind of "turbo boost" that corresponds to thermals, the cooler your component, the higher/longer it boosts.

If you need a hand with any of this, let us know. I can actually assemble a G467 mockup and walk through this process with you if you need any guidance, though it sounds like you have this figured out.

WesJ

@TSMichaelB Thanks again for the help on this today! Made the changes I mentioned above and all is well.

BD123

@TSMichaelB, I have the same issue with my G467.  I am not sure how I stumbled upon this thread but I did, can you provide me with the best options on moving forward so I have both chassis fans PWM?  How are the fans on the radiator controlled/what are those fans called in BIOS?