Opinion on fan controllers such as...

[drunkgamer]

...this?

http://www.meetthegeeks.org///product.aspx?id=-1&pid=357
http://www.scythe-eu.com/en/products/pc-accessory/kaze-master.html

Since this is my first build I was think fan controllers are for people who want bling. Now Im not so sure.

Although Ive changed my mine 1000 times Im most likely going with gigabyte p35 board or maybe an asus x38 dd2 board though likely sticking with the rev2 of the giggy board.

Not sure how many fans can be controlled yet by either board. Or how well they can be.

So is something like a fan controller similar to this a good idea? The probes seem neat assuming they work well and the fact that this can actually turn a fan fully off is nice in that I wondered if sometimes more is less when I decide to throw fans in my case.

Thoughts?

 

[dobby]

all ive heard is the zalman controller is quite good, but at the end of the day dont most C2D capable motherboards, control the fan so that it keeps the system and quite

 

[chookman]

Personally i would stay away from any of the flashy LCD screens and lighting colours cause they only get **** over time

I just bought one of these
http://www.zalman.com/ENG/product/Product_Read.asp?idx=208

Its plain and simple brushed aluminum face the same as my case, and very usable.

 

[Andrius]

Well I've had a Zalman ZM-MFC1 (the old model) for 6 years I think and it was great! The new model looks awesome and has support for 6 fans.

I've bought a Scythe Kaze Master last week and it's really nice to look at.
I like the temperature readouts without having to turn the screen on / switch to desktop from a game/movie. I also have exactly 4 fans in my system so it's perfect for me.

My motherboard supports enough fans but you can only set "Q-Fan" for CPU and System. Give me a tool to control all my fans!
And it's quite silly at best. You're watching a movie and your CPU gets hotter. It's still on the safe side but a fan spins up for 3 seconds to cool it and then it's quiet again for a minute. And then it repeats the whole process.
Now reboot, go into BIOS, reset the threshold setting and boot again to continue watching the movie! What the hell were they thinking?

 

[STRKR]

That zalman looks really nice, imo the simple looking ones (no leds) are the best.

 

[drunkgamer]

Thanks guys, initially I was going to get that one but...I was first thinking of another case that only had 4 fans so it seemed perfect...and also read on NewEgg reviews that the Zalman kit is so short that it doesnt stay in very well.

And that the knobs can be a bit loose, etc. Heh and some complained that the leds are backwares - blue should be the color as the fan goes higher (and cools more) instead of red.

All relatively minor things though but you guys once again convinced me and I agree usually with the keep it simple, stupid approach.

Less bling to break.

Zalman it is!

P.S. Since I keep waffling between the Gigabyte P35 simple board and an X38 DDR2 board from either ASUS or Gigabyte (if they even make one), Im not sure how many fans my mobo can control so this seems like a better option.

THANKS!

 

[chookman]

Most of the higher end mobo's have lots of connectors, i have an Asus P5K-e and i attached 5 of the 6 case fans i have directly to it. Once you pick your mainboard its only a matter of looking at the spec, a good quality pic or download the online manual and count the system fan connectors.