Firstly I feel like I almost have to apologise; I've had this account for years and posted a few times when I created it but otherwise I've just lurked. Mostly that's because there are more knowledgeable people here than me and because using the search function answers all my questions, or Google does.
So, my question. I have a mini ITX build in a Bitfenix Phenom ITX, a GPU is populating the 2 PCI expansion slots, the 5.25" bay is no more (and is useless in this context anyway) and there are no free 3.5" bays. I have a Gigabyte AMD motherboard with ONE
4pin fan header... and 5 3pin case fans. I currently have the side panel removed and a perforated version is in my basket at OCUK because my poor old GTX570 was cooking, and that's no way to treat a card that's just been pulled out of retirement.
I need my other 4 case fans to spin, but not too loud for a 24/7 system, so I need control. Here's the kicker, this is a Linux machine that will be used as a BTRFS based file and backup server with occasional workstation use while my big i7 based rig crunches numbers for a few hours. This rig was sat in a Lian Li PC-Q27 until I noticed that touching the case while watching an innocuous YouTube video was likely to leave burn marks, hence bigger case, gpu (which is as long as the previous case was tall) to relieve the APU of graphics duties, and more fans.
So I'm looking for a fan controller. It can't be bay mounted or PCI expansion slot mounted. It has to sit in the case somewhere (I can drill, cut or [learn to] weld if necessary and tools are in no way an issue), and it has to work in Linux. It has to control at least 5 fans, 6 would be a luxury for cpu fan control.
So far I've looked at the NZXT GRID+ v2, the Aquacomputer Aquaero LT 5 and the Alphacool Heatmaster v2. The best option seems to be the Aquaero, as there is a linux library that aims to support all of its functionality. The GRID+ v2 is the winner on price, though, and ideally that's the most I'd like to spend, this isn't meant to be a big budget system, I have another one of those that I still can't afford to put water in.
One more thing, I have about 8 available Windows licences from 7 to 10. If the a controller is configurable under windows then stores settings in internal memory so it will work independent of OS, I can just install Windows as a dual boot. It wont hurt to have another system with my mission-critical software installed, after all, even if underpowered.
Sorry for the long-winded post. I wanted to give as much detail as possible to avoid confusion, and I hope I've managed to avoid making it too boring!
Also sorry if this would be better placed in the Linux and open source or the SFF sections.
So, my question. I have a mini ITX build in a Bitfenix Phenom ITX, a GPU is populating the 2 PCI expansion slots, the 5.25" bay is no more (and is useless in this context anyway) and there are no free 3.5" bays. I have a Gigabyte AMD motherboard with ONE
4pin fan header... and 5 3pin case fans. I currently have the side panel removed and a perforated version is in my basket at OCUK because my poor old GTX570 was cooking, and that's no way to treat a card that's just been pulled out of retirement.I need my other 4 case fans to spin, but not too loud for a 24/7 system, so I need control. Here's the kicker, this is a Linux machine that will be used as a BTRFS based file and backup server with occasional workstation use while my big i7 based rig crunches numbers for a few hours. This rig was sat in a Lian Li PC-Q27 until I noticed that touching the case while watching an innocuous YouTube video was likely to leave burn marks, hence bigger case, gpu (which is as long as the previous case was tall) to relieve the APU of graphics duties, and more fans.
So I'm looking for a fan controller. It can't be bay mounted or PCI expansion slot mounted. It has to sit in the case somewhere (I can drill, cut or [learn to] weld if necessary and tools are in no way an issue), and it has to work in Linux. It has to control at least 5 fans, 6 would be a luxury for cpu fan control.
So far I've looked at the NZXT GRID+ v2, the Aquacomputer Aquaero LT 5 and the Alphacool Heatmaster v2. The best option seems to be the Aquaero, as there is a linux library that aims to support all of its functionality. The GRID+ v2 is the winner on price, though, and ideally that's the most I'd like to spend, this isn't meant to be a big budget system, I have another one of those that I still can't afford to put water in.
One more thing, I have about 8 available Windows licences from 7 to 10. If the a controller is configurable under windows then stores settings in internal memory so it will work independent of OS, I can just install Windows as a dual boot. It wont hurt to have another system with my mission-critical software installed, after all, even if underpowered.
Sorry for the long-winded post. I wanted to give as much detail as possible to avoid confusion, and I hope I've managed to avoid making it too boring!
Also sorry if this would be better placed in the Linux and open source or the SFF sections.
