I was planning on buying a Sempron 2600, but a little research revealed that the 3100 was the only Sempron supporting Cool n Quiet. So I spent an extra $75 on the CPU to get quiet.This platform certified by AMD for supporting its Cool'n'Quiet feature on the Athlon64. With dynamic CPU voltage control, this platform dramatically reduces processor power consumption without degrading system performance. As well, throttling of the system fans allow for a cooler and quieter PC, resulting in decreased noise level for a more comfortable work or educational environment. Please update the latest processor driver and motherboard BIOS before enabling the Cool'n'Quiet function.
Boy was I SCREWED. The CPU does support CnQ, as does the motherboard. HOWEVER, the advertised fan throttling is NOT a feature of this board! The more expensive K8NS PRO does support it. If I had known, I would have just bought the PRO. So I emailed Gigabyte, and they told me to downgrade the BIOS as the F12 revision had a bug. So I downgraded. Nothing. Replied again telling them how pissed off I am. Got this:
So they have advertised it can throttle the fan, agreed that it SHOULD throttle the fan, and then when they realised it doesn't, just shafted me. Great. I spent $100 extra to get the fan throttling and I didn't get it.Thank you for supporting GIGABYTE products and contacting GBT Tech Support. As to the problem you mentioned, after the further exam, we are sorry to tell you that due to the hardware specification, GA-K8NS does not support CPU Smart Fan function. Therefore, the CPU FAN speed will not be adjusted. Sorry for the inconvenience that has encountered.
Avoid Gigabyte!