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There are two enemies of computer hardware: dust and heat. While it's possible to blow out the dust on a weekly basis if necessary, controlling heat is quite another matter.
When computer components, such as CPU, GPU, disks etc become hot, their performance degrades quickly and the components can even be damaged.
This is where the fans of a computer's case or CPU along with fan speed control software are helpful in lowering heat to acceptable levels.
Such fan control software allows you to take control of the fan speed, create profiles of fan performance etc.
In this article we have curated the top fan control software apps that can work for Windows or MAC computers, laptops, or even vendor specific apps that provide a wide range of additional features.
Let's have a look at our list (in no particular order):
Table of Contents
1) SpeedFan
Speedfan is probably the most popular fan control software and is also free.
It is for those who want all of their information presented without fuss or favor. It can monitor fan speeds and automatically change fan speeds in accordance with heat, but it can do a lot more too.
Speedfan is for those who really want to keep an eye on system performance and on various peripheral components.
It will monitor temperatures across supported components of the motherboard, such as the GPU and CPU. It can even access data from S.M.A.R.T and display the temperatures of connected peripherals such as hard disks also in addition to monitoring voltages and much more.
It works on almost all flavors of Windows starting from Win 9.x up to Windows 10.
2) NoteBook Fan Control
Notebooks/laptops can get hot very quickly because all of the components are bunched up together in a small chassis.
If you've ever wanted to keep an eye on your Notebook's CPU temperature and get more out of the internal fans, NoteBook Fan Control is well worth a look.
It features a simple interface that doesn't get in the way. You're presented with CPU temperature and a number of fan speed presets that help you to get started. The software hides as an icon in the tray so it's not always in front of you.
The good news is that this software already supports big name brands such as Dell, Lenovo, Acer, Asus, and more. This means that it will integrate perfectly with a wide range of laptops and notebooks.
This is another free tool as well.
3) Argus Monitor
The aptly named Argus Monitor is a sophisticated piece of software that presents information in a convenient and attractive manner.
It provides granular control over CPU and GPU fan speeds and will also connect with S.M.A.R.T and display the health status and temperature of hard disks and other drives. You even get a tool that gives you access to common SSD and HDD performance benchmarks.
Apart from being able to monitor heat, you can control fan speeds, keep an eye on CPU performance, frequency and temperature, and provide crucial information on the health of your connected drives. This is useful because it is designed to warn you before a drive failure occurs.
The tool offers a 30-day trial period. After that you need to buy a license which is around $9.90 per year.
4) EasyTune 5 from Gigabyte
Easytune 5 is an attractive looking piece of software that presents all information in an easy to read way, and is focused on Gigabyte motherboards.
One thing that many people like to do is overclock their CPUs so that they get more power and speed from their computer systems. Easytune 5 makes this a complete cinch. Just click the button to the right, and you're set to go.
You can also easily access settings for fan CPU speed control (under the 'smart-fan' section), and set the RPM (Revolutions per Minute) of the CPU fans. External hard drive mount mac. You can even set a timer of on/off if your motherboard is equipped with the North-Bridge cooling fan.
There are also two modes: Easy and Advanced. It's best to stick to easy mode first of all and then move to advanced mode when you're ready to tweak other crucial settings, such as RAM boosting etc.
5) HWMonitor
HWMonitor is a hardware and temperature monitoring program aimed at enthusiasts and those who like things for free.
It works on Windows and comes in 32 and 64 bit versions. It also supports thermal readings and overclocking for the latest AMD and Intel CPUs.
In fact, the software's homepage even features a hall of fame table for those who have managed to successfully overclock their systems up to astounding amounts!
HWMonitor allows you to get a readout on the temperature of various supported areas of the motherboard, including CPU, GPU, and attached disks. There is also fan RPM monitoring and S.M.A.R.T reading functionality for disks (no fan control however).
6) Corsair Link
Corsair Link is an amazing piece of software that is very sophisticated and includes a lot of information for Corsair systems.
Despite this, it retains an attractive, clear, and easy to understand interface that allows you to see everything you need at a glance, including core temperatures, fan speeds, SSD and HDD temperature and health status, and more.
In the Corsair Link system, everything is effectively feeding information to the software. Your case fans, motherboard fans, drives, CPUs, and GPUs, and even LED lighting strips are connected to the software.
The software even features a page that shows you exactly where these components are in a graphic of your case.
Though Corsair Link does support multiple vendors, you are going to have the best and most complete experience with Corsair components in your system. This will ensure complete monitoring performance and control.
7) Macs Fan Control
So far, there has not been much in the way of fan speed control and temperature monitoring for Mac computers, but Macs Fan Control changes that.
It is for MacOS Sierra or later, and offers real-time monitoring of fan speeds and temperature of components. Since S.M.A.R.T is also included on Mac, you also have access to the health status of connected drives.
This software may not have all the complexities of Corsair Link, for example, but it presents everything most people will need for their MAC system.
You can set for example the RPM speed of fans in relation to a temperature sensor.
8) MSI Afterburner
Afterburner is another vendor-specific tool like corsair link before.
MSI has long been known as a manufacturer of top quality motherboards and other computer products. Afterburner is for those who want to get the most out of their GPUs and their systems as a whole. It also supports a wide range of other graphics cards.
Computer gamers often need high-end systems to run graphics and process heavy games smoothly and without glitches.
This is also why modern GPUs take up a large 'real-estate' on the motherboard and need their own set of fans and heatsink configurations to keep cool. This is also why modern GPUs can also be overclocked to provide more speed.
The problem is that overclocking the graphics card introduces more heat into the system. MSI Afterburner not only allows you to increase the voltage and clock frequency of your GPU, but it also allows you full control of fan cooling.
The attractive display includes also information on CPU and other connected devices in addition to the above features.
9) smcFanControl for MAC
smcFanControl is a no-frills application that is tiny. If your Mac computer has been running hot lately, smcFanControl gives you the option to set a minimum RPM for your case fans. This means that your fans will never drop below the set speed, ensuring that your Intel Mac runs as cool as possible, even in the heat of summer.
10) ZOTAC FireStorm
ZOTAC has been making waves with their attractive range of custom MEK gaming PCs and Zbox mini PCs. Firestorm follows in the ZOTAC tradition of ultimate performance.
The first thing you'll notice is that Firestorm features an amazing futuristic interface. Everything you need is displayed right up front in a view that would not look out of place in the latest HALO game.
Whether you want to fine tune the speed of your graphics card, the memory clock, or CPU voltage and frequency, Firestorm puts it all right at your fingertips.
The included Active Fan Control allows you to choose from multiple fan profiles so that you can balance fan noise and computer performance. You also get real-time information on health status, temperature, RAM, and CPU and GPU speeds and resource allocation for Zotac graphics cards.
11) TPFanControl
The ThinkPad line of laptops has been around for a long time, and the TPFanControl utility has been designed specifically for it. With this small utility, you get easy-to-access information right in your tray about fan speeds, CPU and GPU temperatures.
TPFanControl supports the T4x series of ThinkPad laptops, and has been designed from the ground up to provide ThinkPad users with an open source utility that allows them to easily deal with fan speed issues and keep their laptop components cool and performing optimally.
12) HWiNFO
If you want a completely free fan control utility that supports both Windows and DOS (from Windows 95 all the way up to Windows 10), HWiNFO is a very good piece of software.
Indeed, many free versions skimp on the aesthetics, but not in this case. HWiNFO presents accurate information about your system in an easy-to-read display with color-coded graphs.
This software has such an illustrious history that even NASA has used it to check for failure of computer components in high radiation fields.
Unlike many system diagnostic tools, HWiNFO provides real-time data across a wide range of internal components. This gives you an accurate picture of your system at any time, and can help to predict system or component failures with a high degree of accuracy.
If you want to dig deep and drill right down into fine and granular detail, HWiNFO provides that option too. You can see all hardware components, as well as subsystems, in great detail and also their health status and temperature where supported.
Unlike other free hardware monitor tools, this one can also control the speed of your system's fans as well. However, this capability is supported on few systems such as Dell, Alienware etc at the time of this writing.
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I have put together a list of what are, in my opinion, the ten best Mac disk repair software and other excellent Mac tools for troubleshooting, diagnosing, and repairing a Mac. Many of them are free or offer a free trial. As Macs continue to gain market share, there is an increased likelihood that you will have to support them if you are a tech. And even if you aren't a tech, it's good to know which tools are the best to use when it comes time to repair your own.
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Disk Warrior Trial
Free Mac Disk Repair Software
Drive Genius – is it the Best Mac Repair App
Introduction to our Top 10 Mac Repair Software
Did you know there are several Mac disk repair options that each function differently and one may suit your needs better than another? I detail several for you below so you can decide.
More than just a list of disk repair software, I provide many Mac software solutions for you and your clients! Even better, some are free!
Want to clone a Mac drive? Want to monitor a Mac's hardware sensors? Want heroic system recovery for mere mortals?! Oh, there are some great software here! Read on.
TechTool Protogo
TechTool Protogo is a Mac repair program suite which contains three of Micromat's best Mac repair tools; TechTool Pro 8, TechTool Pro Classic, and DiskStudio.
Protogo creates a bootable Mac repair toolbox with these tools as well as any of your own tools on a portable hard drive or flash drive.
You can then boot from this drive, bypassing the OS, and run diagnostics on a computer to determine problems.
Protogo also allows you to repair and recover data from problematic hard drives as well as defragment, optimize, and securely delete data.
Cost: $129.99
Memtest OS X
Memtest OS X is a memory testing program for Mac OS X. It is a command line utility so it can be ran in OS X or in Single-User Mode if your Mac will not boot.
It is great for testing intermittent system problems when you are having trouble determining if it is a memory problem.
If you prefer memtest with a GUI front-end, then be sure to check out Rember.
Rember will run in OS X but will not work in Single-User Mode so Memtest OS X is the better option.
Cost: $1.39
Mac Disk Repair – DiskWarrior 5
Disk Repair for Macs – DiskWarrior utilizes a unique disk repair method for Macs
DiskWarrior is arguably one of the best hard drive repair programs for the Mac.
It works differently than other data repair programs.
Instead of trying to rebuild the damaged data itself, DiskWarrior builds replacement data based off of the original data.
It then verifies the new data structure based on the original to make sure it is error free.
You can also use DiskWarrior as a preventative maintenance utility for hard disks.
When run, it rebuilds your directory eliminating any damage that you may not be aware of. It also optimizes the directory for better performance.
Cost: $99.95 but look for a trial.
If it is more serious and your Mac's hard drive has crashed, I have provided an extensive data recovery guide with a list of Hard Drive Recovery Tools in my article How to Recover Data from a Crashed Hard Drive.
First Free Disk Repair-Mac – OnyX
Onyx is a maintenance, optimization, and personalization utility for Mac OS X.
It allows you to run hard drive diagnostics, run system maintenance tasks, delete caches, and configure tons of OS X hidden features.
Even if you aren't using it as a repair utility, it is a great application to help keep your Mac running in top shape.
Cost: Free!
Mac Data Rescue
Data Rescue is a data recovery program that focuses purely on recovering data from corrupt drives instead of hard drive repair.
It scans the corrupt drive analyzing all of its contents and allows you to choose which data you would like to recover.
It even scans for deleted files. Data Rescue II restores the data to a separate drive leaving the original data intact.
It comes with an emergency boot CD that you can use to recover data when the computer will not boot and it also works on drives that won't mount.
Cost: $99.00
AppCleaner
AppCleaner may not be classified as a repair tool but it can be used as one.
When you are having trouble with an application in OS X, you can simply remove it by dragging it to the Trash.
However, this still leaves behind the applications preferences, caches, and other files that could still cause the same problem after you reinstall it.
AppCleaner will remove all of these files making sure that the app is completely gone before you attempt a reinstall.
Interesting interface!
Cost: Free!
Drive Genius – Is this the Best Mac Repair App?!
Drive Genius is a disk utility application for Macs.
Its main features include:
- defragmenting,
- running benchtests,
- directory repair,
- integrity checks,
- surface scans,
- repartitioning,
- cloning,
- shredding data, and more.
With all these features, you can see why I ask is it the best Mac repair app overall!
This is actually the same program used to defrag Macs at the Genius Bar in Apple Stores.
Oh yes, Apple uses it.
Drive Genius also comes on a bootable DVD so you can run it even when a Mac will not boot.
Cost: $99.00
Mac Backup – Carbon Copy Cloner
Carbon Copy Cloner is a simple yet very effective backup utility for the Mac. Like most other backup utilities, it can be scheduled to backup your Mac on a regular basis.
The best part, however, is its ability to completely clone a hard drive with it still being bootable.
This tool comes in very handy when you are replacing hard drives, setting up multiple Macs, or recovering from a system crash.
Carbon Copy Cloner is donation-ware so you can download it for free without any restrictions.
Maybe you will be so pleased you will buy them a coffee anyway!
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You can also check out SuperDuper which has more features but costs $27.95.
However, if you just need a simple backup and cloning utility, Carbon Copy Cloner does a great job.
Cost: Free! (donation-ware)
Apple Mac Disk Repair – AppleJack
AppleJack is a troubleshooting utility for Mac OS X. It runs under Single-User Mode so it can be used even when OS X will not boot.
AppleJack will repair disks, repair permissions, cleanup cache files, validate preference files, and remove swap files.
You can select these tasks individually or have AppleJack run all of them and even reboot when finished.
Unfortunately, at the time of writing this article, AppleJack is not yet compatible with Leopard but a new version is in the works. Be sure to check their page frequently for an update because this is an invaluable tool.
When I updated this article for 2020, I checked on SourceForge and there were over 600 downloads last week!
Cost: Free! (open-source)
Hardware Monitor
Hardware Monitor is a utility that allows you to view data from the hardware sensors in a Mac.
It currently has support for temperature readings, battery data, voltage, current, fan speed, power and load, ambient light, as well as user-defined artificial sensors.
It's a great utility to use when simply trying to find out if your hardware is malfunctioning.
Cost: € 7.00 (can also be purchased with U.S. Dollars)
Also consider
OSX disk repair
This is kind of a nice segway into handy hardware tools and toolkits. Click on the following link if you want to see some great ideas on what I recommend for your Mac or PC Repair Toolkit.
As you may know, I believe your should support Macs in your Computer IT Consultant Business. I state my case here in my article on Why You Should Support Macs With Your IT Business.
Well if you were counting, that is 4 totally free Mac OSX disk repair utilities, and one so cheap it may as well be free!
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The best Mac repair disk software may well be a paid one depending on your exact needs, and I've shown you my pick for the best of those too.
If you know of other great Mac software let me know in the comments below. What Mac OS X repair tools do you like? Is there another Mac Disk Repair utility you'd suggest? Please leave a comment to help others, or if the above tools have helped you.
And as for hardware, click this link if you want to repair hard drive-Mac for more details.
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Summary of Best Mac Repair Software:
Excellent Mac disk repair software is provided above, for you to consider and try their features for yourself. I didn't stop there. This list contains some other handy Mac software I consider to be the best tools for techs and Mac owners.
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