• Welcome to Overclockers Forums! Join us to reply in threads, receive reduced ads, and to customize your site experience!

decent fan controller?

Overclockers is supported by our readers. When you click a link to make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn More.
itsmeSchmitty

itsmeSchmitty

Registered
​
Joined
Oct 7, 2010
Location
Marshfield, WI
so im getting sick of hearing my rad fans running at 100% and i don't need them to run 100% at 100% of the time, so im in a need of a fan controller.

i was looking at this thingy maboper. seems to be decent for the price. 10w max per channel and up to five channels. so i was wonder if anyone else had one and could tell me what they think. i was also wondering if it had enough power for my 230mm side and top fans. i know a 120mm takes about 1.5 w so i would think i would have enough for a 230mm right?

if you have read this far then you might as well take 2 seconds and put in your 2 cents

THANKS
 
As far as it being decent... Well; yes.. It is a decent controlller.
As far as the power rating. 10W will be enough to run one or two "regular" fans per channel; even the 230mm fans (Coolermaster I guess) will be ok on the 10W per channel. You start having issues when you try to controll/power more than 2 fans per channel, or when you go with high powered fans.

If you want touchscreen; that NZXT is probably the cheapest you'll find that is not a total piece or garbage.
If you don't need touchscreen, there are other options like Sumbeam, Lamptron, etc... But most of them will be more expensive than this one anyway.
 
Lamptron FC5 or FC5v2 if you have high performance fans like Delta, San Ace, or Panaflo and you want to control a more than one fan on one channel. The FC5 and v2 are 30W per channel with 4 channels.
 
sunbeam rheobus extreme gmv in addition to just about anything lamptron.
 
I know one the the Sunbeam controllers had eye singeing LEDs, so watch out for that...lol.
 
Yea, the 4 channel does, the 6 is better (it's not great, but it's better lol)
 
i have that sentry 2 fan controller and it works great. Some of the reviews said it made the fans noisy but i didnt have any issues with that. I am running 2 60mm fans and a 90mm fan. i also just bought another 60mm fan for my case from newegg and planning on attaching that forth fan to it. But the fan conntroller works great and it looks cool also. It has the auto mode which works good. The only thing i noticed with this fan controller but it might be my fault is that the sensor probes are 6 degrees faringheight off. But i might of put the temp. probe in the wrong place. I would recomend this fan controller to anyone that wants a fan controller with a small budget.
 
The cheapest way to attenuate fan noise is to use a resistor for each fan - resistors cost a few cents and do the job just fine.

If all you want to do is "slow the fans down permanently" then a fan controller is a waste of money IMHO, especially compared to the above suggestion. :)
 
7v and 5v mods should work fine (depending on the fan - some of mine don't start @ 5v) and there is also the 3.3v supply line if you tap into a SATA cable.

If OP does choose to try the 7v mod, BE CAREFUL!! If you accidentally short the 12v with the 5v, you can say goodbye to some (or all) of your components. :)
 
MattNo5ss said:
Lamptron FC5 or FC5v2 if you have high performance fans like Delta, San Ace, or Panaflo and you want to control a more than one fan on one channel. The FC5 and v2 are 30W per channel with 4 channels.
Click to expand...
+1

Or the FC6 which is 20W.

Of those listed, I would get v2 or FC6 as they have the better, non bleedling and better viewing angle than the original FC5.
 
LennyRhys said:
The cheapest way to attenuate fan noise is to use a resistor for each fan - resistors cost a few cents and do the job just fine.

If all you want to do is "slow the fans down permanently" then a fan controller is a waste of money IMHO, especially compared to the above suggestion. :)
Click to expand...

i have 7v resistors. i don't want to permanently slow them down. when im benching or ocing i want max(should have gotten the tipple rad) air flow and then maby when i play games (depending on the game) i will probly set the fans according to my temps. i also was cleaning my puter out today (ooomy dust) and i noticed that my biggest fan 230mm take .35A which is 4.2W at 12V. so i think i have plenty of controllable power with this.
 
If your into looks of a computer I suggest the Lamptron FC5v2 or FC6 since you can change the LCD readout color, bit pricey but it does the job well with 30w per channel. If that doesn't matter then the first choice you listed would work.
 
Or get a bunch of PWM fans and build yourself one of these: PWM Fan Controller. LennyRhys has already built a couple of them and some other guys here have also. I just ordered the parts to build mine a few minutes ago. Should have them here on Monday and then it's "fun-time" with a prototyping board!!!!

:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Kingfish999
230mm case fans
Replies
16
Views
2K
Nebulous
Nebulous
TickleMyElmo
I'm done with Lian-Li fans man
2
Replies
22
Views
1K
Flamethrower1972
Flamethrower1972
E
Fans and negative static pressure compensation
Replies
5
Views
412
Nebulous
Nebulous
D
NZXT Grid 10 fan hubs question.
Replies
3
Views
543
DaaG
D
magellan
Whatever happened to Noctua's higher speed 200mm fan?
Replies
4
Views
304
EarthDog
EarthDog
Back