GA-Z170X-UD5 with non-PWM CPU fan

[Gata]

Does anyone know if a 3pin (not a PWM) CPU fan can be used with this motherboard?

I installed a Noctua nh-d14 and the motherboard spins the fans at only one speed regardless of the CPU temp.

Thanks!

[dmdilks]

Because it is a 3 pin. When you use a 4 pin the 4th pin controls the speed. You might be able to go into the bios and set the speed. Look on page 27 of the book. 

[shadowsports]

I haven't used a z170 series board yet, but I use a stock 3 pin CPU cooler on my z97 board and it's speed varies based on heat and load.  You don't get the granular control a 4 pin fan provides, but fan RPM should vary even if a 3 pin is used.

There are exceptions.  I only have SIV installed.  Others have reported unexpected fan behavior when their BIOS settings conflict with easytune or ANY of the fan control utility software.  Further, the z100 series boards come with auto green, power management, and additional utilities that could cause undesired behavior if used in conjunction with conflicting BIOS settings.  Ensure you are using correct BIOS settings as dmdilks points out.  OS based utilities can override the profiles set in BIOS. 

[Gata]

Thanks for the replies. 3 pin fans can have variable speed - it's done in a different way than for PWM fans (by controlling the voltage). I used the same cooler with a 3 year old Assus board and it didn't have problems modulating the NH-D14 speed.

What I'm really looking for is if someone with the same board was successful using a non PWM fan or knows if the motherboard supports regulating the voltage on the CPU fan socket. I don't see any setting in the bios or in the software for configuring the type of CPU fan so I'm starting to suspect it may only support PWM fans but figured I'll ask before I go and by a PWM fan.