Overheating/fan control SOLUTION (CPU/GPU)

cogfest
cogfest Member Posts: 1 New User
edited March 2018 in Predator Desktops
Hello everyone. 
Most of you (sadly) probably already know that Acer Predator (and others) systems tend to severely overheat, and the "best" thing is - cooling doesn't seem to really care. You could easily get 100 degrees Celsius on your CPU or GPU, while fans will barely rotate at 40% of their full speed, as if everything is fine.
Acer representatives again and again state that everything works as intended and SmartFan is perfectly capable of cooling your system effectively (and I don't judge you guys, you do what you got to do). That's why you can't really set fan policy in BIOS; it's locked and Acer doesn't want us tinkering with it. However, you might imagine that working at 100 degrees is not very healthy for your hardware, so many users tried many times to take control of cooling fans and set them to more reasonable speed. 
Here comes the problem. Like I said, BIOS in these pre-built motherboards is very restrictive and is even protected against modding.
You can try setting your fans with software and this is actually possible for GPU fans (MSI Afterburner or others), but is close to impossible for CPU. Most software (like SpeedFan) can't take control of CPU fans, because motherboard, again, is not particular cooperative.
After insane search (including this forum) it seemed like there is no solution - people in all threads just give up and never show up to report they had any success controlling CPU fans.
So, BEHOLD - the first software I found that WORKED - Argus Monitor! http://www.argotronic.com/en/

You just start it, go to Mainboard tab and set CPU fan to whatever you feel like (you can set it to fixed amount or set a rule/curve - relation of temperature to fan speed).
You can also set the same rule for GPU, but that is not rare - MSI Afterburner can do that.
Set the rules, make it apply rules on startup and there you go! Fresh warm healthy computer!
Disclaimer: it is not free, but it does have 30 days free trial, so check it out.
Disclaimer2: I am not associated with Argus Monitor in any way or form. I just feel obligated to share the solution with all the people who suffer from same problem as I.
p.s. other small thing: CPU TurboBoost is really-really aggressive, while doesn't provide fantastic performance increase, I suggest you turn it off, unless you desperately need it.
Below is the link to guide how to turn it off. Solutions 2.2 and 2.4 are super easy.
http://www.geeks3d.com/20170213/how-to-disable-intel-turbo-boost-technology-on-a-notebook/

Answers

  • ven98
    ven98 ACE Posts: 4,073 Pathfinder
    Very useful info cogfest. To add something to your post, you can download the program Run as Date, and it will let you to run a program on a date that you want, so you can be on free trial forever, but it isn't bad to support the developers either.
    Always post the following characterisitcs of the device:
    -Model number
    -Part number(not required, but helpful)
    -CPU
    -GPU
    -Operating system

    Helios 300 and Nitro 5 users DO NOT update the BIOS to version 1.22 if you don't want the keyboard's backlight to turn off after 30 seconds even when the device is plugged in.


    Hit 'Like' if you find the answer helpful!   
    Click on 'Yes' if the comment answers your question!

  • dajkalaszlo
    dajkalaszlo Member Posts: 26 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    Hi everyone I have a vn7-593g. I was so happy to see this thread and I have just tried the app. But somehow It says my gpu doesnt support temperature check and also I cannot access fan speed..... Am I supposed to update bios? I am so disappointed about this. Eventhough with rw read and write utility I can speed up my fan, but still I have no info on how much rpm it means.
  • avTronic
    avTronic Member Posts: 5

    Tinkerer
    @dajkalaszlo Hey, I have the same issue. The app states that "no supporting monitoring chip found" for system board monitoring or Fans. I'm thinking that some MB (I have a powerful AIO Acer) have an isolated controller for fans and temp sensors that do not get managed by the BIOS therefore not by the system and apps. I don't think this great app is at fault. It's a shame cause I do video editing on this thing (maxing out CPU and the Nvidia GPU) and things get pretty hot (170 f) for long periods of time while rendering. I have used Afterburner for years on other systems but on this one it was always greyed out (for GPU fan control override). I figured since the GPU shared the same fan as the CPU, that it was not controlled by an app that was trying to control the GPU fan. After finally finding a more complex app like this one (thanks cogfest), I've come to this realization. I'm tempted to hack the fan on this and install my own old skool fan controller to put it on full last during heavy loads. Good luck with yours and wish me luck!
  • Scabler
    Scabler Member Posts: 1 New User
    Hey sorry, but by my Acer Predator 17x doesnt it function. I cannot manually set the fans....
  • McNinjaTNT
    McNinjaTNT Member Posts: 2 New User
    Help, I tried both manual control and software control (and set the curve to where it should be running at 40%+ at all times, but it still acts as if Argus doesn't exist. I clicked apply, saved the profile, restarted my pc, nothing works.
    Model: Acer Predator G3-710
    BIOS Version: R02-A2
    Apparently it works for this model as this person got linked to this thread and it worked for him: https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/534775/how-to-change-cpu-fan-speed-on-a-predator-g3-710

  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 34,215 Trailblazer
    The G3-710 came with two different motherboards, using different generation chipsets and supporting different functionalities. Maybe you have a different one than the person in that thread.
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • McNinjaTNT
    McNinjaTNT Member Posts: 2 New User
    billsey said:
    The G3-710 came with two different motherboards, using different generation chipsets and supporting different functionalities. Maybe you have a different one than the person in that thread.
    Oh, probably. Any ideas on fan control for my MB? I tried speedfan, tried changing SmartFan to off (the issue I have btw is the noise, the fan goes from 0 rpm all the way to 4000+ then back down again, and I prefer to keep it on at night but it wakes me up if I do, I didn't used to have this issue, up until 2-3 months ago it never did this (and I've had it for over 3 years now), I never updated BIOS either, also I did blow the dust out of my pc with compressed air but to no avail.) and SmartFan being off just made the 4000 rpm last longer. Argus didn't work either, I could change it, apply it, restart PC, but the CPU fan acted as if nothing happened. Only thing I can think of is to update the BIOS but last time I did that I had to factory reset do to an error.
  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 34,215 Trailblazer
    Yeah, that is a risk with BIOS updates. I don't know of any solutions right off hand, I would have suggested the dust remission steps myself, assuming the issue was the fan not being able to cool at lower speeds...
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • Veej
    Veej Member Posts: 2 New User
    Argus Monitor works Acer Aspire TC 866
  • Veej
    Veej Member Posts: 2 New User

  • VoferKong
    VoferKong Member Posts: 1 New User
    I found this thread and yes! Argus Monitor works for my Orion 3000. 

    I would like to add for any Orion 3000 user out there… the fan for the CPU is set to push not pull. It is pushing the air in the case onto the CPU. I switch mine around and did the Argus Monitor. My temps are at a good number. 

    The CPU well game is idle is at 41°
    the GPU well game is idle is at 52° - that is without GPU fan control set by me

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