These are the best programs to control your PC’s fans.
Whether you’ve just built a new PC and you want an easy way to set curves for your fans, or you have an existing system and you need to get control over loud fans or improve your CPU or GPU’s temperatures, and you DON’T want to use your system’s BIOS to do so, there are a number of Windows-based programs that will allow you to do so.
In this article, I’ve covered a handful of software tools that help you manage your fan speeds. Some of the programs have other features as well, including system monitoring, warnings for failing drives, and even overclocking tools, to name a few.
1. Fan Control
Fan Control hasn’t been around as long as some of the other options on this list, but it is far and away considered to be the best fan control program currently available. Fan Control was created by an independent developer and is one of the more robust and intuitive applications for controlling your system’s fans.
With Fan Control, you can track your CPU, GPU, motherboard, and storage device temperatures, fully control all of the fans in your system (including the individual fans on your graphics card), and, of course, create custom fan curves.
Fan Control is based on LibreHardwareMonitor, which is an open source fork of OpenHardwareMonitor, and it has a plugin system that will allow you to expand its capabilities.
The software is completely free to use but the developer (Rem0o on GitHub) does accept donations. And, considering that Rem0o was able to create a truly all-in-one fan control program where many other professional developers have come up short, it wouldn’t hurt to throw a donation their way.
Note: Some users have run into issues getting certain AMD GPUs to work with Fan Control in the past, so if you do have an AMD GPU, just note that you may not be able to control its fans with Fan Control.
2. Motherboard Utilities (Best for CPU/Case Fans)
If you mainly want to tune CPU and case fans, the cleanest and most reliable approach is often your motherboard’s own Windows utility. These talk directly to the onboard controller and support per-header curves:
- ASUS Fan Xpert (in Armoury Crate / AI Suite) — auto-tuning and per-header control.
- Gigabyte Control Center (Smart Fan) — fan control panel for supported boards.
- MSI Center — includes a curve editor on many MSI motherboards.
NOTE: Don’t run multiple fan apps at the same time. Close your OEM tool if you’re experimenting with third-party software to avoid sensor/driver conflicts.
3. Argus Monitor
If you’re looking for a lightweight fan control program, Argus Monitor is probably your best bet. It has a small memory footprint and gives you full control over your fans’ speed, and it also monitors the temperature and health of your CPU and hard drives and SSDs.
It sounds like a lot of features to get from a program that runs as a background task. But that’s what makes Argus stand out. In addition, this tool displays and controls the fan speed of modern NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards, which will be a very useful feature for gamers.
Argus Monitor can also help you identify if there are early warning signs that your hard drive or SSD is failing. The program warns you that your drive is failing so you have time to replace it and back up your data. It’s free to try for 30 days; a one-year license is typically around $14.
You can get Argus Monitor here.
4. GPU-Only Tools: MSI Afterburner & ZOTAC FIRESTORM
MSI Afterburner is an application that offers a number of capabilities, including hardware monitoring, GPU overclocking, and benchmarking. However, you can also use it to create custom GPU fan profiles.
The downside of MSI Afterburner, though, is that it cannot be used to adjust the speed of your case fans. It can only be used to alter your GPU’s fan(s). So, if you’re looking for a more robust fan control program, then MSI Afterburner likely isn’t for you. However, if you need a multi-feature GPU control program to help you overclock and control your GPUs fans, then MSI Afterburner is worth considering.
You can grab MSI Afterburner here.
Zotac’s FIRESTORM is yet another handy program that can serve as a fan speed controller and overclocking utility for Zotac graphics cards. With FIRESTORM you can overclock your GPU, set custom fan curves, change your graphics card’s RGB lights, and monitor its performance. When you apply a custom fan curve, note that 0-RPM “FREEZE” modes are typically disabled and minimum fan speed floors may apply.
You can get Zotac FIRESTORM here.
For Laptops: Read This First
Broad, reliable fan control on laptops is limited because OEMs lock it behind proprietary embedded-controller logic. HWiNFO opens up fan control on very few machines (commonly certain Dell/Alienware models), and even then control is often restricted to a few fixed speed levels and can be finicky. Check your specific model first and prefer the OEM utility if available.
FAQs
Can Fan Control manage both case fans and my GPU fans?
Yes—Fan Control can drive CPU, case, and many GPU fans from one place (via LibreHardwareMonitor and plugins).
Is SpeedFan still viable?
SpeedFan was the go-to a decade ago, but development effectively stalled. It may still work on some systems, but for most modern hardware the tools above are better supported and easier to use.
Will a custom GPU curve disable zero-RPM?
Often yes. On many cards, applying a custom curve disables 0-RPM “fan stop” behavior and enforces a minimum speed.
Is HWMonitor a fan controller?
No—the free HWMonitor reads sensors (temps, volts, RPM). Use Fan Control/Argus/OEM tools to actually change speeds and programs like MSI Afterburner and Zotac FIRESTORM for your graphics card’s fans.
While there are a ton of different CPU temperature monitor programs out there as well as plenty of other hardware monitoring applications, there aren’t nearly as many options for fan control software. However, the options listed above will help you gain better control over the fans in your system so that you can reduce noise levels and improve temperatures.
