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>This board has a Fintek F71878AD, a perfectly capable Super IO controller that can read temperatures, control fan PWM, and monitor fan speeds, but MSI just did

by rasz 7mo ago

>This board has a Fintek F71878AD, a perfectly capable Super IO controller that can read temperatures, control fan PWM, and monitor fan speeds, but MSI just didn't connect it to the board. is not true. There is a diagram available for this mobo and U32 (F71889AD) is connected over LPC (modern serial ISA version). Its a full Super IO and it cant be _not connected_ as it also provides keyboard/mouse, serial and printer ports. The problem must lie elsewhere, most likely bad BIOS. >Here's what I knew: > Windows can read CPU temperature directly from the CPU's internal thermal diode, completely bypassing the useless Super IO chip. why not read temperature directly from Fintek using HwInfo? https://www.hwinfo.com/forum/threads/faulty-sensor-readings-on-msi-990fxa-gd80.361/ https://www.hwinfo.com/forum/threads/faulty-sensor-readings-... and yes it also works on 970 https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?threads/msi-970-cpu-temps-with-hwinfo.254381/post-1462006 https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?threads/msi-970-cpu-temps... not to mention MSI Command Center can read those sensors AND set FAN speeds/curves, and most likely also SpeedFan. > asked LLMs LLM failed this person :(

nottorp 7mo ago
... but he had fun doing it!
- deleted 7mo ago
  [deleted]
wildzzz 7mo ago
Yeah I was going to say that the presence of a PS/2 port almost certainly means it has a SuperI/O chip wired up. You wouldn't be able to shutdown the PC without the LPC bus talking to the SuperI/O. MSI just didn't write code to talk to the fan controller or just didn't bother with displaying it in the BIOS config page.
- rasz 7mo ago
  There are multiple pictures of msi 970 master bios displaying temps and fans just fine so it did work at some point in time. Author either updated to some poorly validated bugfix only/beta bios, or maybe wrong bios for the board.
  - deleted 7mo ago
    [deleted]
  - bobsterlobster 7mo ago
    There's only one page for my board: https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/970-GAMING/support https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/970-GAMING/support And I've tried a couple of versions available there. I was even able to find some beta/unreleased bioses that I've also tested. Unfortunately, none of them enable fan control or fix temp & fan speed monitoring.
bobsterlobster 7mo ago
Not sure how LLMs failed me, please elaborate. Also not sure how you found that model number, it's literally an F71878AD, here's proof: https://www.modders-inc.com/wp-content/uploads/image/2015/02/IMG_7326.jpg https://www.modders-inc.com/wp-content/uploads/image/2015/02... Taken from here: https://www.modders-inc.com/msi-970-gaming-mobo/2/ https://www.modders-inc.com/msi-970-gaming-mobo/2/ I can show you a HWiNFO screenshot of it not reading anything off the SuperIO except Chassis Intrusion: https://imgur.com/a/dYPETWz https://imgur.com/a/dYPETWz The only way I can get a temperature reading is off the CPU probe directly, which I am already making use of. As the article covers in later parts, I'm using HWiNFO and/or PawnIO to do exactly what you say (reading off the CPU probe sensor) and feed it into a fan curve, which then sends the appropriate duty cycle to the arduino. In the BIOS there's no temperature reading, no fan speed display, and no PWM control whatsoever. So maybe MSI did wire up the SuperIO, I can't say for sure, but they definitely didn't wire up something, otherwise the BIOS could at least control the fans or see their RPM. And I've also tried with multiple BIOS versions, so it can't be BIOS related. Some people online had working sensors on their MSI 970 boards, some didn't, leading me to believe it must've been a defective batch where they forgot something. Image of an MSI 970 Gaming bios where temp and fans work properly: https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?attachments/msi_snapshot_00-png.49432/ https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?attachments/msi_snapshot_...
- rasz 7mo ago
  >how LLMs failed me I assumed LLM gave you or validate the idea one of the biggest mobo manufacturers on the planet didnt wire temp/fan control on their flagship Gaming board? >not sure how you found that model number manufacturer diagram of MSI MS-7693 rev 2.0 (970 Gaming) https://www.elvikom.pl/viewtopic.php?lang=en&t=54275&p=210600 https://www.elvikom.pl/viewtopic.php?lang=en&t=54275&p=21060... > it's literally an F71878AD rev 2 specifies F71889AD but Im pretty sure all Fintek F71868/869/870/878/882/889 are more or less compatible https://docs.kernel.org/hwmon/f71882fg.html https://docs.kernel.org/hwmon/f71882fg.html https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-hardware-18/fintek-f71868a-sensor-msi-gaming-970-motherboard-4175607995/ https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-hardware-18/f... rev 4.0 and up do list F71878AD https://www.scribd.com/document/961738196/MS-7693-Rev4-2 https://www.scribd.com/document/961738196/MS-7693-Rev4-2 https://html.scribdassets.com/5xds0sz8hsgb4iux/images/27-e6d6227a63.jpg https://html.scribdassets.com/5xds0sz8hsgb4iux/images/27-e6d... diagram has all the fans and temp stuff wired up. Only one pin comes to mind that would break all temp sensors, fans and Voltage monitoring but not ps2/serial/lpt, that pin is 88 analog ground. >HWiNFO screenshot of it not reading anything HWiNFO has this "feature" that makes it hide sensors reporting maximum/minimum possible values. HWiNFO considers such readings sign of a missing/broken sensor. Broken analog ground pin on your motherboard would make all those sensors return bad value. Video of someone running hwinfo successfully on 970 gaming rev 4.x (F71878AD) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq50OuGC1ys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq50OuGC1ys
toast0 7mo ago
> Its a full Super IO and it cant be _not connected_ as it also provides keyboard/mouse, serial and printer ports. Maybe the ps/2 port and serial/parallel ports also don't work? Lots of people use USB for human inputs, and few people use serial/parallel ports, so I wouldn't expect OP to have tested those ports. They probably work on most boards, just like the PWM probably works on most boards. But his board seems to have a broken trace or a faulty chip.
- bobsterlobster 7mo ago
  Your hunch is correct, I did not test the PS/2, serial or parallel ports, and I'm only using USB.
  - toast0 7mo ago
    Might be worth trying the ps/2 port, if you've got something that fits it. Or loopback on the serial port; just have to enable it in BIOS, don't need a connector or a serial device.
    - bobsterlobster 7mo ago
      Will do. Might be worth to look into it a little deeper.
- rasz 7mo ago
  Bios would error out after not being able to initialize PS2 controller.

by rasz 7mo ago

nottorp 7mo ago

... but he had fun doing it!

deleted 7mo ago
[deleted]

wildzzz 7mo ago

Yeah I was going to say that the presence of a PS/2 port almost certainly means it has a SuperI/O chip wired up. You wouldn't be able to shutdown the PC without the LPC bus talking to the SuperI/O. MSI just didn't write code to talk to the fan controller or just didn't bother with displaying it in the BIOS config page.

rasz 7mo ago
There are multiple pictures of msi 970 master bios displaying temps and fans just fine so it did work at some point in time. Author either updated to some poorly validated bugfix only/beta bios, or maybe wrong bios for the board.
- deleted 7mo ago
  [deleted]
- bobsterlobster 7mo ago
  There's only one page for my board: https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/970-GAMING/support https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/970-GAMING/support And I've tried a couple of versions available there. I was even able to find some beta/unreleased bioses that I've also tested. Unfortunately, none of them enable fan control or fix temp & fan speed monitoring.

bobsterlobster 7mo ago

Not sure how LLMs failed me, please elaborate. Also not sure how you found that model number, it's literally an F71878AD, here's proof: https://www.modders-inc.com/wp-content/uploads/image/2015/02/IMG_7326.jpg https://www.modders-inc.com/wp-content/uploads/image/2015/02... Taken from here: https://www.modders-inc.com/msi-970-gaming-mobo/2/ https://www.modders-inc.com/msi-970-gaming-mobo/2/ I can show you a HWiNFO screenshot of it not reading anything off the SuperIO except Chassis Intrusion: https://imgur.com/a/dYPETWz https://imgur.com/a/dYPETWz The only way I can get a temperature reading is off the CPU probe directly, which I am already making use of. As the article covers in later parts, I'm using HWiNFO and/or PawnIO to do exactly what you say (reading off the CPU probe sensor) and feed it into a fan curve, which then sends the appropriate duty cycle to the arduino. In the BIOS there's no temperature reading, no fan speed display, and no PWM control whatsoever. So maybe MSI did wire up the SuperIO, I can't say for sure, but they definitely didn't wire up something, otherwise the BIOS could at least control the fans or see their RPM. And I've also tried with multiple BIOS versions, so it can't be BIOS related. Some people online had working sensors on their MSI 970 boards, some didn't, leading me to believe it must've been a defective batch where they forgot something. Image of an MSI 970 Gaming bios where temp and fans work properly: https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?attachments/msi_snapshot_00-png.49432/ https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?attachments/msi_snapshot_...

rasz 7mo ago
>how LLMs failed me I assumed LLM gave you or validate the idea one of the biggest mobo manufacturers on the planet didnt wire temp/fan control on their flagship Gaming board? >not sure how you found that model number manufacturer diagram of MSI MS-7693 rev 2.0 (970 Gaming) https://www.elvikom.pl/viewtopic.php?lang=en&t=54275&p=210600 https://www.elvikom.pl/viewtopic.php?lang=en&t=54275&p=21060... > it's literally an F71878AD rev 2 specifies F71889AD but Im pretty sure all Fintek F71868/869/870/878/882/889 are more or less compatible https://docs.kernel.org/hwmon/f71882fg.html https://docs.kernel.org/hwmon/f71882fg.html https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-hardware-18/fintek-f71868a-sensor-msi-gaming-970-motherboard-4175607995/ https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-hardware-18/f... rev 4.0 and up do list F71878AD https://www.scribd.com/document/961738196/MS-7693-Rev4-2 https://www.scribd.com/document/961738196/MS-7693-Rev4-2 https://html.scribdassets.com/5xds0sz8hsgb4iux/images/27-e6d6227a63.jpg https://html.scribdassets.com/5xds0sz8hsgb4iux/images/27-e6d... diagram has all the fans and temp stuff wired up. Only one pin comes to mind that would break all temp sensors, fans and Voltage monitoring but not ps2/serial/lpt, that pin is 88 analog ground. >HWiNFO screenshot of it not reading anything HWiNFO has this "feature" that makes it hide sensors reporting maximum/minimum possible values. HWiNFO considers such readings sign of a missing/broken sensor. Broken analog ground pin on your motherboard would make all those sensors return bad value. Video of someone running hwinfo successfully on 970 gaming rev 4.x (F71878AD) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq50OuGC1ys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq50OuGC1ys

toast0 7mo ago

> Its a full Super IO and it cant be _not connected_ as it also provides keyboard/mouse, serial and printer ports. Maybe the ps/2 port and serial/parallel ports also don't work? Lots of people use USB for human inputs, and few people use serial/parallel ports, so I wouldn't expect OP to have tested those ports. They probably work on most boards, just like the PWM probably works on most boards. But his board seems to have a broken trace or a faulty chip.

bobsterlobster 7mo ago
Your hunch is correct, I did not test the PS/2, serial or parallel ports, and I'm only using USB.
- toast0 7mo ago
  Might be worth trying the ps/2 port, if you've got something that fits it. Or loopback on the serial port; just have to enable it in BIOS, don't need a connector or a serial device.
  - bobsterlobster 7mo ago
    Will do. Might be worth to look into it a little deeper.
rasz 7mo ago
Bios would error out after not being able to initialize PS2 controller.