Best fan controller

carlazai

carlazai

carlazai

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Joined
16 Feb 2007
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So i am moving to a crossfire system where my case is going to need more cooling. As i use my PC for work as well I dont want the fans going full pelt 24/7 so I am looking at a fan controller for my system.

What is the best fan controller available? Are the temp sensors worth installing?
 
How many fans do you want to control? 3-pin voltage or PWM? Do you prefer software based control or just manual changing?
 
I would prefer software but can easily live with manual.

The fans will be the standard 3 pin versions.

I was looking at a aerocool version to slot in front of case
 
I have the BitFenix recon and I find it great. Plugs into a USB header and can be controller via your internet browser or via the touchscreen panel on the actual controller. There is also a third party piece of software (Phobetria? I think) that is like a desktop app but I don't particularly like it (but I haven't tried it in a while)

I think it's a great controller for the money, can control upto 5 fans and has temperature sensors for automatic fan adjustment.
 
RooBoonix said:
I have the BitFenix recon and I find it great. Plugs into a USB header and can be controller via your internet browser or via the touchscreen panel on the actual controller. There is also a third party piece of software (Phobetria? I think) that is like a desktop app but I don't particularly like it (but I haven't tried it in a while)

I think it's a great controller for the money, can control upto 5 fans and has temperature sensors for automatic fan adjustment.
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I have this as well and I'm pleased with it. I have the sensors installed so then I don't have to worry about changing fan speeds
 
If you have Asus motherboard you can always use fanxpert. This allows my to control fan speed for both 3pin and 4 pin.

Am sure other motherboards will have something.
 
shankly1985 said:
If you have Asus motherboard you can always use fanxpert. This allows my to control fan speed for both 3pin and 4 pin.

Am sure other motherboards will have something.
Click to expand...

Trouble is that most headers can't handle more than 2 decent fans. But yes, if you have a modern motherboard with enough headers and less than 2x the number of fans then just go with it. Asus is not the only one that offers this but their implementation is definitely one of the most polished.

If you want to go with a dedicated controller, check out any of the recent Lamptron or NZXT Sentry controllers. If you get one with 4-5 channels offering 10-15 watts each at least, it should be enough for 10-15 fans minimum.
 
vsg28 said:
If you want to go with a dedicated controller, check out any of the recent Lamptron or NZXT Sentry controllers. If you get one with 4-5 channels offering 10-15 watts each at least, it should be enough for 10-15 fans minimum.
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Most definitely!!

I have Lamptron's FC6, which is OK for the money... a bit cheapy-cheapy and they made this one too shallow. Other models are deeper and fit better in the 5.25" bays.
The 6 handles 4 channels of 20w each, IIRC.

I plan to get the FC5 v2 eventually - 6 channels of 30w, with custom colour display showing temperature, voltage and rpms.
 
would recommend getting Aquaero 6 pro or XT version. It's the best fan controller on the market. It may belittle bit expensive but it's worth every penny. It have great features accessories and build quality. I would highly recommend it. If you can afford this I would stick to lamptron fan controllers they are quiet good too. Hope this helped.
 
I have a Lamptron FC5 v2, and on the whole am happy with it. It's very powerful (30w on each of its 4 channels) so will be able to handle everything I can possibly throw at it, which was a consideration for me as I hope to add some more fans to the case and eventually get everything underwater. The changeable colour is a nice touch, and personally I love the brushed aluminium look it has - goes well with my case and K70 keyboard.

I made a post a little while ago about my v2's oddities, but sadly it went unanswered. Basically, the voltage delivered to the fans fluctuates quite a bit and it's not easy to dial in a specific RPM. However, as I use the temperature readout and am happy to have fans at "about 1000rpm" or "about 1500rpm", for instance, neither issue really bothers me. My fans are virtually silent below 1000rpm, pretty loud at full speed (~1700rpm) and have a sweet spot that combines good cooling and reasonable volume at around 1300rpm. I've gotten used to going between these 3 speeds now and so the controller is really working for me.

There are 4 knobs on the unit, so if you are after a flush look this might not be for you. Personally, though, I prefer being able to twiddle the knobs (rather than fiddle with software) especially if I am mid-game etc.
 
AdrianIscariot said:
Basically, the voltage delivered to the fans fluctuates quite a bit and it's not easy to dial in a specific RPM.
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They all do that, don't they?
My RPM varies up and down between 50-80rpm either side of whatever I aim for, but never more. I kinda like it as it means my display isn't completely static and boring.

AdrianIscariot said:
Personally, though, I prefer being able to twiddle the knobs (rather than fiddle with software) especially if I am mid-game etc.
Click to expand...
Hells yeah - Hurrah for us knob-fiddlers, eh!! :D
 
Are there any fan controllers that have an automatic mode?

I want to be able to control the fans manually but also switch certain fans to auto mode. Or maybe increase speed if the temps start rising past a certain temp.
 
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