> why do people want to use hwmon to set fan RPMs? (Or really, why do this from userspace at all?)
Some people want to have a mode switch; normal use should be silent/quiet, but when you know you're going to do something big (game, big compile, etc), fix the fans at full so the noise is consistent and cooling is best. (the cooler the chip, the more the boost)
Some people have no good options from the system firmware, and getting _something_ configurable is better. I've run on systems where I couldn't tell the system to actually run the fan, so things would get hot and throttle. Userspace configurability is better than nothing. This tends to be a bigger issue on things that are sold as a whole computer, like laptops, and small formfactor things (which are often pretty much laptops without a battery and built in user interface devices) but also some name brand desktops.
My recent motherboards all seem to have a pretty nice fan configuration tool. Presets for quiet/performance/full speed, and a simple graph based UI to set % by temperature. Most of the fan headers can be set to follow the cpu temperature or the system temperature. When you buy the nice Noctua fans, they also ship 'low noise adapters' that I assume drop the voltage and limit the maximum RPMs and limit noise. Depending on your overall cooling design, that can be reasonable or asking for trouble.
> Some people want to have a mode switch; normal use should be silent/quiet, but when you know you're going to do something big (game, big compile, etc), fix the fans at full so the noise is consistent and cooling is best. (the cooler the chip, the more the boost)
Yeah, I don't doubt someone is like that … I'd just rather it be automatic.
> My recent motherboards all seem to have a pretty nice fan configuration tool.
Mine has a "flashy" tool, I would say. Certainly looks pretty, but again, it's all constant RPM options.
As I lament in the other thread, this is something that would differentiate boards at time of purchase, but no mobo manufacturers marketing dept. seems to have it's shit together enough to get such a differentiation across to the consumer. Instead the focus seems to be completely on the aesthetics of how the board looks.
And again, I've chalked this up to having chosen poorly. But there-in is the problem: assuming I chose poorly, assuming some mobos do support sane defaults/fetures … how do I end up finding and purchasing one of those? Any knowledge I acquire during a purchase is useless the next time around, given the constant product churn HW manufacturers nonsensically do.
The two boards I've gotten recently advertise the features:
https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/A520I-AC-rev-1 look for "Smart Fan 5", there's a tab you can click and see what the customization UI looks like (it's in the firmware settings usable with keyboard or mouse). ITX does mean this isn't a 'value' board, but when I got it the premium above mATX wasn't that much (and probably mostly went to the wireless I don't really need and barely ever use)
My other board is a bit more upmarket https://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/B550M%20Pro4 it doesn't show anything on the marketting page, but in specifications it mentions "Smart Fan Speed Control" and the UI to configure it is pretty similar.
You get to set about 5 temp -> fan % settings and I can keep things cool without being noisy until I've got sustained load and then it's noisy and warm anyway. The ITX systems can only do so much with a cooler + heatsink height of 36mm (at 37mm the fan housing touches the mesh side panel), and the b550 currently has an anemic Wraith Stealth. Even with 65w target chips, that's not enough to keep them below 90C at high load.
I think my older boards have basic quiet/loud/full speed settings but not detailed ramp settings; but it's been a while and they're either hidden in the basement/garage or not used often so I didn't care about noise. :D
Some people want to have a mode switch; normal use should be silent/quiet, but when you know you're going to do something big (game, big compile, etc), fix the fans at full so the noise is consistent and cooling is best. (the cooler the chip, the more the boost)
Some people have no good options from the system firmware, and getting _something_ configurable is better. I've run on systems where I couldn't tell the system to actually run the fan, so things would get hot and throttle. Userspace configurability is better than nothing. This tends to be a bigger issue on things that are sold as a whole computer, like laptops, and small formfactor things (which are often pretty much laptops without a battery and built in user interface devices) but also some name brand desktops.
My recent motherboards all seem to have a pretty nice fan configuration tool. Presets for quiet/performance/full speed, and a simple graph based UI to set % by temperature. Most of the fan headers can be set to follow the cpu temperature or the system temperature. When you buy the nice Noctua fans, they also ship 'low noise adapters' that I assume drop the voltage and limit the maximum RPMs and limit noise. Depending on your overall cooling design, that can be reasonable or asking for trouble.