PWM vs. DC: Choosing the Right BIOS Fan Settings for Your PC

Alright, let’s talk about these computer fans, the PWM and the DC ones. My grandson, he’s always fiddlin’ with his computer, talks about this stuff all the time. So, I picked up a thing or two, you know?

First off, you got your DC fans. They’re like the old-fashioned kind, I guess. They work with the power, you know, how much juice they get. More juice, they spin faster. Less juice, they slow down. Simple as that. Like a water pump, more water, it pumps faster. Same kinda thing.

Then you got these PWM fans. These are a bit fancier. My grandson says they’re newer, better. They get full power all the time, but they got this extra wire, see? This wire tells ’em how fast to spin. It’s like, the power’s always on, but the wire’s tellin’ it, “Spin fast now,” or “Spin slow now.” Kinda like a dimmer switch for your lights, I reckon.

Now, in that there BIOS thingy, the computer’s brain, you gotta tell it what kind of fans you got. If you got PWM fans, you gotta set it to PWM. If you don’t, well, they might not spin right. My grandson says it won’t make your computer terrible, but it’s better to set it right, you know? Like wearin’ the right shoes, you wouldn’t wear boots to go swimmin’, would ya?

• PWM is usually better, they say. ‘Cause they can spin slower than DC fans. That’s good, I guess, less noise and saves power.
• DC fans, they got three wires. Power, ground, and somethin’ to tell the computer how fast it’s spinnin’.
• PWM fans, they got four wires. Power, ground, the spinnin’ signal, and that extra wire to control the speed.

Sometimes, you can use your motherboard, that big board inside the computer, to make a PWM fan work like a DC fan. But why would you wanna do that? PWM is better, remember? It’s like havin’ a fancy car and then drivin’ it like an old tractor. Makes no sense.

So, if your grandson, or whoever, is settin’ up a computer, tell ’em to check the fans. If they got four wires, they’re probably PWM. Set the BIOS to PWM. If they got three wires, they’re DC. But honestly, most new fans are PWM these days. They’re just better, like I said.

My grandson, he says the PWM fans get constant power, like 12 volts. That’s a lot, I guess. But the speed is controlled by that extra wire. It sends these pulses, on and off, on and off, real fast. The more pulses, the faster it spins. Less pulses, the slower it spins. It ain’t rocket science, even this old lady can understand it.

And them case fans, they’re important too. They keep the computer cool, so it don’t overheat and die on ya. You gotta have good fans, and you gotta set ’em up right. PWM or DC, it matters. So, pay attention, ya hear?

So, there you have it. PWM versus DC. PWM is better, set it in the BIOS, and your computer will be happy. It’s like feedin’ a cow good hay, it’ll give ya good milk. Same kinda thing with computers, treat ’em right, they’ll work right.

Now, don’t go messin’ with the BIOS if you don’t know what you’re doin’. You could mess things up real bad. Get someone who knows computers, like my grandson, to help ya. But at least now you know a little somethin’ about these fans, huh? Makes ya feel smart, don’t it? Even if you just an old lady like me.

And remember, keep them fans clean, dust is the enemy. Just like in my house, gotta keep the dust bunnies away or things start to break down. Same with the computer, good airflow keeps things cool and happy.

Tags: [PWM, DC, Fan, BIOS, Settings, Computer, Cooling, Case Fan, Speed Control, Motherboard]