Be Aware of ASRock E3C226D2I CPU Fan Speed Issue

[_Will_]

FYI - Anyone using the ASRock E3C226D2I may potentially have an issue with their CPU fan speed. I went into the BIOS and set the CPU fan speed to the maximum setting and although the fan speed did increase (as shown in the BIOS) it did not reach the maximum ~3200 RPM speed that the Xeon E3 1231 V3 should reach.

I called ASRock and they are aware of the issue and believe they need to update the BIOS.

Tonight when I get home I may use a multimeter to take a reading on the pins to see what voltage I am getting at the maximum setting in the BIOS.

I'm interested to see if everyone else out there with this board has the same issue. Just be sure to check what the RPM rating @ 12V your fan should be.

Update: I set the CPU fan speed to Full On in the BIOS and took a voltage reading across the pins and it showed 12V, so I have no idea why the fan is only reaching 2200RPM. I will update after I speak with Intel.

 

[Paranoiak]

In my case all changes made to the fan speeds (cpu, front, rear) don't do anything... Always the same speed whatever I choose !

 

[madik]

You need the 4 pin fans to make the PWM regulator working. I had two 3-pin fans included in my mini-ITX case and had to replace it with 4 pin fans. Then the temperature regulator on the board start working.

 

[DannyKlenz]

PWM does not control the fan by adjusting the voltage but instead switches the voltage on and off at different frequencies to adjust speed. So you will always see 12v at the connector. You would need an oscilloscope or a nice multimeter to see the modulation.

 

[Paranoiak]

You need the 4 pin fans to make the PWM regulator working. I had two 3-pin fans included in my mini-ITX case and had to replace it with 4 pin fans. Then the temperature regulator on the board start working.

Thank you I didn't figure it out ! :)

 

[Paranoiak]

PWM does not control the fan by adjusting the voltage but instead switches the voltage on and off at different frequencies to adjust speed. So you will always see 12v at the connector. You would need an oscilloscope or a nice multimeter to see the modulation.

Interesting, Pulse Width Modulation ! :)

 

[olea]

Hello _Will_. I am seeing the same with my board. BIOS version 2.00. Xeon E3 1240 v3, stock fan. Did Asrock say when they were going to release an updated BIOS?

 

[RobertT]

Interesting about the 3pin vs 4pin fans. The case I am looking at comes with fans but they are only 3 pin.

Should I simply plan on running them max speed (just in case)?
Or buy a set of 4 pin fans for the case as well..

 

[Ericloewe]

Interesting about the 3pin vs 4pin fans. The case I am looking at comes with fans but they are only 3 pin.

Should I simply plan on running them max speed (just in case)?
Or buy a set of 4 pin fans for the case as well..

Non-PWM fans will run at full speed unless the controller supports voltage-based controls as well (not likely).
Whether you need/want PWM fans depends on your case and cooling requirements.

 

[RobertT]

I was thinking about the Node 304 case.
For motherboard it would be ASRock C2750D4I.

I would prefer to have the fans controlled by the heat generated so that the components stay cool enough but would use the minimal ammount of power.
I realized I could replace the fans in the case but that would probably add another $30 to the cost. I may end up going with another case instead.