Best Fan Controller

[Drakcol]

I'm tired of the lack of control over fans that my motherboard provides, sadly speedfan does not work on my mobo so I have to use a hardware fan controller. So I was wondering if you guys know of any decent 3.5 inch fan controllers that control 3+ fans.

I'm not looking for anything fancy just something that works, I was reading customer reviews over some fan controllers on New Egg and it seems quality of fan controllers can be spotty.

Oh and thanks in advance for the help.

 

[davidrees]

I really like the Zalman Fanmate devices. I buy them at Frys for about $6. They are a small rheostat that you can mount in an out of the way place. I usually hook them up to the fans that need it and turn the speed down until I can't hear the fan.

I also use the fan cables that give you 7 and 5 volts on different leads. Sometimes just putting a fan on one of those works great.

I guess some people like to be able to turn their fans up and down - I personally don't care for that idea - my goal is to get my fans to inaudible and have a system that can run at full capacity while still staying cool with inaudible fans. It depends on your system and what you have in there, but I think it's easier than most people realize

 

[schenley101]

what case do you have. that can make a difference. on my lian li its hard to find one that looks right.

 

[zagood]

Sunbeam Rheobus is a great option for the price (around $15). I haven't tested the 6-channel one yet but the standard 4-channel is all most need. I also don't like the plastic knobs. Link is just to the black model, there's silver as well.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=sunbeam+rheobus&cid=14195197385582988723&sa=button#p

Schenley - Performance PCs sells a Rheobus with LL faceplate. Available in black, black/silver knobs, silver, LED color replacement, etc.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...oducts_id=3227

 

[daw123]

Sunbeam Rheobus is a great option for the price (around $15). I haven't tested the 6-channel one yet but the standard 4-channel is all most need. I also don't like the plastic knobs. Link is just to the black model, there's silver as well.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=sunbeam+rheobus&cid=14195197385582988723&sa=button#p

Schenley - Performance PCs sells a Rheobus with LL faceplate. Available in black, black/silver knobs, silver, LED color replacement, etc.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...oducts_id=3227

Here's the silver version:
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...oducts_id=3226

 

[Zepper]

OP wants a 3.5", so the Rheo is out - pays to actually read the top post, not just the title... IDK that much about the 3.5" units as I've only really researched the 5" variety. It looks like the Silverstone 3 channel manual one and the Aerocool automated 3 channel one are units to consider.

.bh.

 

[Nocturnal]

I just bought the Sunbeam rheobus extreme fan controller. I have 4xDelta 4000RPM fans and my heat sink's fan on it. There is 6 3-pin connectors though. It's $29.99. A very good deal. I didn't think it would be this good but I can actually raise my fans to 4000RPM and then bring them back down to reasonable levels so that I can hear my music and myself thinking.

 

[Tullphan]

I think this might be one of the 3 1/2" Silverstone units Zepper's talking about:

As far as matching up to a Lian Li, I have the Silverstone MMC reader installed in my LL V1000B. While I used the 5 1/4" - 3 1/2" adapter, it is a very close match indeed!

 

[Zepper]

the Rheo Extreme is also a 5.25" unit - another who didn't actually read the OP... <sigh>

.bh.

 

[Drakcol]

@Davidrees: Thanks for the advice as a temporary solution I used a 7v fan controller, that should work for now until I grab a nice fan controller.

@schenley101: I am using a Cooler Master Centurion 5, I need to use a 3.5 inch fan controller because I installed 120mm fan on the 5.25 inch slots (it was easier than drilling a hole in the top of the case)

@TullPhan: That Silverstone looks like it may do the trick, I'll have to check around for a few reviews

 

[Zepper]

Here's a link to the Aerocool 3.5" controller if you need it. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-175-_-Product Prices are as low as $19. per froogle, but that's before shipping.

..bh.

 

[daw123]

OP wants a 3.5", so the Rheo is out - pays to actually read the top post, not just the title... IDK that much about the 3.5" units as I've only really researched the 5" variety. It looks like the Silverstone 3 channel manual one and the Aerocool automated 3 channel one are units to consider.

.bh.

Sorry, you are right that I missed the bit where the OP wanted a 3.5" fan controller.

Apologies for my mistake.

 

[Zepper]

Some people are saying that there is no fan control in the Aerocool unit I linked, but it has the chips for it - their instructions s__k... I know, I've got an Aerocool CoolView case with an integrated fan controller/monitor... If you want it, PM me...

.bh.

B=0

 

[Drakcol]

Ya I was going to ask you about that Aerocool you linked it. It seems it does not give manual fan control but rather automatic control, the people leaving the comments must not have read the specs where it states it does not give manual fan control.

Thanks for the help so far guys. Oh and Zepper I PMed you.

 

[davidrees]

Do any of you really enjoy playing with your fans on a regular basis?

I am honestly curious about the appeal of a fan controller with knobs. Do you just turn them up when you play games and then turn them down later? Do you just like to experiment with temperature vs noise?

To me, it seems like a novelty - I would not want to depend on making some manual adjustment to my system to make sure it ran properly. Even if you just set it and leave it, nothing is to keep it from getting bumped or played with by another person.

Someone clue me in.

 

[Nocturnal]

Me personally, I want the best fans out there. I don't really care for noise as the computer is not in my room nor is it where I sleep. I actually have the Delta 4000RPM fans on the lowest setting that it can be on and throughout the day I will turn them up. This is my first build using a fan controller.

 

[Drakcol]

The problem is I have some decent but Loud fans throughout my case, when they are running full blast all the time it becomes a bit irritating (I don't want to hear the fans over my music at 3am). Therefore I am currently using a few 7v and one 5v fan connectors to reduce the speeds but the problem with that is I paid money for high performance fans and I am no longer able to get that high performance when I need it. When the fans are going at there rated rpms my case is a full 10 degrees cooler. That's nice for when I have my system overclocked in games.

So to sum if up your absolutely right I just want the fans spinning faster when I need them to be but due to the lack of fan control headers on my mobo (only 2) I have to look for alternative ways to control the fans. Then again I could just be overly picky about the sound my PC puts out ..

 

[Zepper]

Drak,

Here's the info you asked for yesterday. I started it kind of late and by the time I wanted to click on Send, the site was down again "for maintenance".

You mentioned that you have a spare fan controller, I might be interested in it. I just need to know a few things.

A. How many fans does it control?
B. Does it provide manual fan control?
C. What color is it?
D. How much would you want for it?

Thanks for the help.

- Drakcol

Actually it is a complete tower case with an integrated controller/monitor. It provides either automatic or manual control of up to 4 fans and monitoring/control based on 4 temps. (has probes) . Here's a link to some stuff on it: http://www.aerocool.us/case/CoolView/CoolView-manual.htm and a link to the inactive Newegg listing: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...1196013&cm_re=CoolView-_-11-196-013-_-Product

.bh.

 

[schenley101]

Sunbeam Rheobus is a great option for the price (around $15). I haven't tested the 6-channel one yet but the standard 4-channel is all most need. I also don't like the plastic knobs. Link is just to the black model, there's silver as well.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=sunbeam+rheobus&cid=14195197385582988723&sa=button#p

Schenley - Performance PCs sells a Rheobus with LL faceplate. Available in black, black/silver knobs, silver, LED color replacement, etc.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...oducts_id=3227

Thanks for the link... I'll check it out!

 

[zagood]

Zepper, just because your parents taught you to read doesn't mean you're better than us!

Here's some more here:
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...ndex&amp;cPath=253
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...ndex&amp;cPath=254

Personally I'd go with the Scythe 4-fan controller, looks the cleanest.

@davidrees - I like to have a choice between a quiet computer and a loud, but cool computer. I've got 2 intake, CPU, GPU/rear exhaust and top exhaust on a rheobus. I usually turn them all up when I'm gaming, or just a few when doing something processor intensive but don't want the full noise. If there was a way to do it automatically based on temperature that wasn't a) extremelly expensive like the Big-NG, b) flaky like the Theta, or c) proprietary like ESA, I'd be all over it.

 

[aigomorla]

http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l3/g36/...ers-Page1.html

On that list id go with scythe, unless you intend on installing 38mm thick fans.
Then the scythe would not be a good choice, as i have burned out 2 using 38mm thick fans.

 

[Drakcol]

Thanks for all the help guys, I'm fairly certain I'm going to grab the Scythe Kaze Q. It controls up to four fans, it's simple and seems to be reliable. I don't really need much more from a fan controller than that.

 

[davidrees]

Thanks for the replies.

Not to insult the preference of anyone, but I just have a hard time believing that a person can control their own fans in a way that is useful.

If you are turning your fans down due to noise but turning them up when you play games, how do you know that your low fan speed is not sufficient to use all the time and conversely how do you know that it is enough cooling when you have them turned down?

Does running a fan at a lower speed make you feel like you are not getting full value from your fans?

To me, it would be like trying to manually regulate the fuel/air mixture on my car. I mean, I could keep an altimeter and a barometer in my car and constantly tweak it but I kind of like that the engine takes care of that on its own.

Just saying - if we are building "systems" then, in my opinion, a system should be self sufficient - either through a self monitoring and self adjusting cooling system, or a static system that is sufficient to cool the computer and meet noise requirements under all operating conditions.

 

[zagood]

Difference for me in temperatures between fans at low and fans at high reults in crashing while gaming because of high temperatures from overclocking, specifically from my GPU.

If you don't overclock extensively, then no, there's very little need to increase/decrease fan speed.

Unfortunately there aren't any self-monitoring and self-adjusting cooling air systems that work the way I want them to without a significant financial investment. As I said, if there were, I'd use that instead. Feel free to recommend one that you know of.

 

[daw123]

Difference for me in temperatures between fans at low and fans at high reults in crashing while gaming because of high temperatures from overclocking, specifically from my GPU.

If you don't overclock extensively, then no, there's very little need to increase/decrease fan speed.

Unfortunately there aren't any self-monitoring and self-adjusting cooling air systems that work the way I want them to without a significant financial investment. As I said, if there were, I'd use that instead. Feel free to recommend one that you know of.

The only one that I know that can do that is the mCubed TBalancer. As you say its pricey ($90ish). It is also difficult to source one. I'm sure there must be others out there, which have the same functionality.