BIOS/UEFI Lesson 005: Cooling Options

What hardware can the BIOS and UEFI control for cooling?

Most, if not all of the fans in a system.

What three basic settings do most fans in a system have?

Quiet mode, balanced mode, and cool mode.

Quiet Mode

Reduces the fan speed and allows higher temperatures to occur.

What are the tradeoffs to running in quiet mode?

Can cause the components to overheat.

Balanced Mod

The normal setting on most computers by default.

Cool Mode

Able to run the fans harder and faster to create more air flow.

What is the trade off with cool mode?

Your system will remain very cool, but the fans will create more noise.

When is it a good idea to use cool mode?

When overclocking the processor, since this action will generate more heat.

Fanless Mode

Tells the motherboard not to control the fans.

When would using fanless mode be a good idea?

If the active cooling system is being replaced with a liquid cooling system.

Custom Mode

Allows customization beyond the preconfigured sets of quiet, balance, and cool.

What fan customization features do some systems have?

The ability to control the speed of each fan or the ability to have the fans spin in a specific manner to keep components at certain temperatures.

Temperature Sensors

Built-in sensors on the motherboard that detects temperatures of components.