Dual X5680 fan setting recommendations

[tinycg]

In previous threads a few months ago I got setup with Macs Fan Control and have been running Exhaust / Intake at a constant 850RPM due to an issue I've had of IOH Heatsink running a bit hot without it (running around 65-68C). With the increased exhaust and intake it drops into the 54-62C range.

Most of the time that's been fine. And when all the cores aren't taxed I don't notice any other problems. Everything else is set to 'auto' in Macs Fan Control.

However when rendering and all cores are being tapped I've noticed that this configuration puts CPU A / B at about 80/75 which seems a bit hot and is in the red in iStat.

When I set other fans to trigger and work off of the CPU sensors (which is what I would think it would be doing in auto if something was getting hot?) I cant figure out the right combination to keep IOH Heatsink happy in idle and the CPUs happy under load.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I did have SMC Fan Control installed at one point but uninstalled it. iStats fan control is off, but I'm wondering if auto isnt working correctly right now?

Any suggestions would be awesome.

 

[flowrider]

Please explain Dual W3680? The W3680 is meant for single CPU operation only, and AFAIK Dual W3680s will not operate in a dual CPU machine.

Lou

 

[h9826790]

1) it's impossible to install Dual W3680 in a single working computer, I guess you mean Dual X5680.

2) your temperature is actual normal (without fan control). IOH can run at >100C, X5680 can run at 85 without any problem (ref to iStat menu)

3) you can tune up the fan a bit to cool it down, but since it's not required. IMO, there is no optimum fan speed, just your own preference between temperature and noise.

 

[tinycg]

Yeah sorry guys I mispoke, it's the X5680, I edited the title appropriately. I had someone else do the work a while ago and always get that mixed up.

Thanks guys this is really helpful. When you breathe new life into the Mac you love I dont want to do anything stupid and F it up.

iStat also makes me more paranoid than I need to be sometimes esp with something like IOH Heatsink which sometimes is in the red at 64 and sometimes its not, like the warning zone is 64.5 or something stupid. .5 degrees on the low end "panic" haha.

 

[flowrider]

Glad we got that sorted out. IMO, you are running a bit hot, but not dangerous. I use Macs Fan Control. See attached. Note - Temps in F.

Lou

 

[tinycg]

Thanks for the screenshot, at idle when running the same numbers my temps are very very close to that across the board. However even with a quick 10 min render using all the cores the CPU temps ended up at 82/73C and thats after I pushed the Boosters to 2k.

CPU As temp kept rising. Also if I'm just going to keep them at a constant speed why not use iStat's fan control? The reason I liked the idea of Macs or SMC was because of the sensor based control. I just wish I could set a rule and say run at a minimum of this value, and increase based on these sensors, and its either sensor OR constant value.

 

[h9826790]

You may try this one. You can hard tune the fan base speed and fine tune the thresholds to make the fans have linear relationship with the temperature as you want. It can even allow you to control the fan sensitivity (how fast to spin up or slow down).



You may get the original version from here. https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1340705/

I just add more parameters to it, and pack it into a installer. If the installer is not working, you may get other versions and follow the installation method in that post to control your fans.