Fans Not Responding to Fan Control Software or Bios

Troubleshooting Fan Control Issues on a New Windows 11 Build: A Guide for PC Enthusiasts

Building a new PC can be an exciting experience, but it sometimes comes with unexpected challenges—such as fans not responding to software controls or BIOS settings. If you’re facing a similar issue where your system’s fans run at full speed regardless of your configured settings, you’re not alone. In this article, we’ll explore common causes and solutions for fan control problems, especially on Windows 11 systems with high-performance components.

Understanding the Problem

Many users report that their PC fans do not respond to fan control software or BIOS settings. In some cases, fans run at maximum speed when launching demanding applications like games or creative software, despite having established custom fan curves. This behavior can be perplexing, especially when hardware components such as modern graphics cards and CPUs (e.g., AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT and Intel i7-12700K) are involved.

A Typical Scenario

Consider a recent build with the following specifications:

• Motherboard: [Insert specific model]
• Operating System: Windows 11 (latest update)
• GPU: AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT
• CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K (3.6 GHz, 12 cores)

The user had previously configured a linear fan curve, with settings like:

• Minimum temperature: 35°C
• Maximum temperature: 80°C
• Min fan speed: 45%
• Max fan speed: 70%
• Hysteresis: 2°C
• Sampling interval: 1 second

This configuration was working perfectly until recent issues arose where the fans no longer responded to controls, running at full blast during high load states.

Potential Causes and Solutions

1. Software Conflicts or Updates
2. Cause: Windows updates or other software installations might override or disable fan controls.

3. Solution: Check for the latest motherboard chipset and fan control software updates. Verify that the software has full administrative privileges. Consider temporarily disabling conflicting software to identify the culprit.

4. BIOS Settings and Firmware

5. Cause: BIOS settings may reset or conflict with software control, especially if default profiles are restored.

6. Solution: Enter BIOS and confirm that fan control is set to manual or smart control, as desired. Update the motherboard BIOS to the latest version to ensure compatibility with all hardware components.

7. Hardware Connections

8. Cause: Fans plugged into headers without proper PWM or voltage control support may ignore