Ah, gotcha. for me it was wanting to know that it was working so having both a hardware gauge/display I can look at and a software I can use to control/do stuff with based on the same data is what I wanted.
Knowing that different manufacturers change colours on wiring, use different plugs etc doesn’t surprise me. The same goes with the pixel manufacturers for my other light! Choose a vendor and stick with it to be sure it will all work.
Having looked at the Octo that does seem like it will do what I want and also let me add flow and other bits too.
With regards to temp monitoring, is it better to do that pre or post rad?
I tend to have my water thermistor on the reservoir output; I also monitor intake air, and exhaust.
Position of your water temperature sensors make next to no difference, you'll get a few degrees variance at the very most. You can get deeper into it by doing things like pre and post rad/component, but there's no real benefit, more just tinkering fun.
AquaComputer make an excellent range of products, and as you rightly say you can add additional sensors to your liking. Be very careful about selecting the correct models, I'd advise you email them, they're excellent.
They do also have some excellent display solutions within their VISION range. The D5 NEXT pump is particularly lovely, with built in temp sensor and fan control. If you didn't already have a pump & Res combo it would make an excellent all in one solution for you, and a stepping stone into AquaSuite.
You can create custom software sensors to calculate things like Delta T over ambient etc as well power down the machine if there's no flow, overtemp etc You can also do things like turn PWM fans completely off, and configure a boost to account for inrush current when switching them on. Handy for larger loops when say a single 360 rad and fans can do the heavy lifting until the system is loaded.
For knowing it's working, pump speed and component temp will do that far better than a water temp sensor. That being said, its imo by far the best reference for setting fan curves, and is a good indicator for when you aren't dissipating heat in the loop effectively.
The only thing I will say is that AquaComputer is a rabbit hole of obsessiveness and expense that really isn't necessary, at all. Something like a Commander Pro and iCUE will do 99% of what most people want. But it's not a serious solution with huge expandability, it's a decent enough fan controller with proprietary RGB, nothing more.
I'm planning an upgrade to incorporate dual pumps, flow sensing, SSD & VRM cooling etc. For me my computer is my hobby, so that's how I justify it to myself (and the wife
). And I buy everything I can second hand; God bless the MM.
