3DMark vs Fan Control
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, ratings, and alternatives.
3DMark, made by UL Solutions, is a cross-platform benchmarking tool used to measure how a PC or device performs with modern games and graphics technologies. It automatically scans a system's hardware and recommends the most appropriate benchmark to run.
Fan Control is a Windows utility by developer Remi Mercier (Rem0o) that gives PC builders granular control over CPU, GPU, case, and AIO pump fans. Instead of relying on motherboard BIOS curves, it reads temperatures from multiple hardware sources at once and lets you graph custom fan-speed responses per component. It uses the open-source LibreHardwareMonitor library for sensor data and supports a plugin system for extra hardware support (including some Dell laptops and HWiNFO integration). The app itself is closed-source but completely free, distributed via GitHub releases and package managers like Winget, Scoop, and Chocolatey.
- Widely recognized, industry-standard benchmark used by reviewers and enthusiasts
- Covers a broad range of tests from ray tracing to storage and stress testing
- Cross-platform support extends beyond just Windows PCs
- Score comparison database makes it easy to see how a build stacks up
- Completely free with no ads, license keys, or nag screens
- Very low resource footprint compared to full vendor RGB/control suites
- Extremely granular curve and multi-sensor mixing control
- Active development with a real plugin ecosystem
- Base purchase and Advanced Edition are separate one-time costs, which can add up
- Enterprise/site licensing pricing is not published and requires contacting sales
- Aimed primarily at gaming/graphics performance, less useful for general productivity benchmarking
- Windows only, no macOS or Linux build
- UI and curve editor have a learning curve for first-time users
- Relies on motherboard fan headers being software-controllable, which varies by hardware
