Fan Controllers and PWM Fans

Im currently in the market for some type of fan speed/noise adjuster. I've been contemplating a fan controller for quite some time and reviews are few and far between. They would be nice for both the aesthetic appeal and helping my rig not sound like jet plane. Only downside is that i would have to manually adjust the speed according to the loads even though there are some that have a auto setting of some sort. I've also looked into PWM fans a lil bit and havent quite got the concept down. Do they control just the CPU fan speed or all fans connected to the motherboard? Either way, temps currently are far from being a issue at least till summer (17c idle, 33c load). Im also upgrading to a q9550 come christmas .

Here are some of the Fan controller's ive been looking at. I also would like to stay with the 5.25 inch form factor, able to connect 4+ fans to it, and temp monitoring.

AeroCool 55

Lian-Li 5B

Scythe Kaze Master Ace

Thermal Star

I dont know the difference between PWM fan brands so its a toss up there. Any feedback on any of the controllers i have listed above would be awesome as well as some recommendations. Thank you ahead of time.

PWM is Pulse Width Modulation, and for the CPU fan, it will allow you to either maintian a certain temp, or keep it at a specific RPM. I don't think you can control your case fans like that though. They usualy have 4pins on PWM fans, they kind of "Pulse" the voltage signal to keep the fan at a speed lower then the max RPM it would otherwise run at using the full 12v.

You can set it within your Bios, usually under some kind of health or temperature heading. Often a motherboard wil come with an OC tool on the motherboard CD that can control CPU fan speed too (MSI, Gigabyte, ASUS Etc.. have them, and will occasionaly have newer version at there website)

Speed Fan is an alternative, it's a free download, I have had hit and miss luck with using it to control the speed of my case fans that are plugged into the motherboard, it just depends on the board itself...some work some don't.
It won't work at all on fans that use a 12v molex connector!


The Lian Li looks to be the one I might grab, it does not have a card reader or knobs to adjust the fan speeds, but you can program it to maintain a certain temp, or run the fans at a fixed speed.

The Aero Cool, is pretty pimp, but...I think it might be a bit awkward looking sticking out like that, and might be easier to damage. Complex wiring was a minor complaint in the reviews. It also only supports 3 fans... and is the most expensive of the bunch.

In fact none of them you listed support more then 4.

The other 2 don't realy apeal much to me, other then they are low priced and will probably do the job if you just want full manual control knobs.

Most case fans don't feature the PWM, I could only find a few at New Egg, I think they are primarily used for CPU fans, not case fans. Standard type fans with a fan controler or using speed fan will do just fine for your case.


Since you plan on using a fan speed controller, look for fans with higher CFM (Cubic Feet of air moved in one minute) ratings, Wich usually correspond to RPM...at 800RPM a 120MM fan might be around 50-60cfm and quiet, but at 2000RPM, the same fan will often be over 100CFM, but rather loud.

Fan blade design can also have an effect on noise, read the specs listed for the rpm/CFM and noise level...the one with the lowest DB (noise)rating, and highest flow at the same RPM is usually the best choice, but comparing that way can be difficult since they often default to differnt speeds, but you can get a general idea.

The controller allows you to find the best of both worlds...but only if it can reach a decent RPM/Flow rate, if you buy fans that are only 800RPM, you can only lower the speed, not raise it!

Here are the 120MM fans I would look at, the Scythe fans seem to be a good balance of cost, noise and performance overall.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...escription=&Ntk=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=

The fans im currently using are 4x Yate Loon D12SH-124UB 88cfm, 40 dba , 2200 rpm +/- 10%. I got em to replace the stock fans in my antec 900 (2x intake, 1x exhaust, 1x push on my TRUE 120).

Heres a link for the fans i have, but i got them from frozencpu.com
Yate Loon D12SH-124UB

Although the noise level lease some to be desired but it doesnt bother me all that much. I would like to have one for when i go home on breaks (college ) and when my girlfriend is asleep in the same room. They seem to move plenty of air and i can feel the pull when i put my hand within a inch of the two intake fans.

Since my first post in this thread, ive narrowed my list to these two:

NZXT Sentry LX - Thinkin about this one cuz its $10 cheaper on this site than any other ive seen so far, controls up to 5 fans, 5 temps sensors, looks cool. The only things that hard holding me back with this is that each channel only supports up to 4w which can put a limit on fan selection and that it takes up 2 bay slots which really isnt a biggy.

Scythe Kaze Master Ace - This one has ha higher max channel (has 4 channels) output of 12w and only takes up 1 bay slot. Only downside, only 4 channels.

I probably will be getting different fans eventually but these seem to suffice for the time being. Even though i absolutely love my antec 900, everything is starting to get rather cramped with everything i have and will do. Maybe when i upgrade to a larger case, ill get new fans.

THIS sunbeam at Petra's has control for 6 channels and is a solid performer. THIS one is cheaper and handles 4 channels. As long as you don't exceed the wattage for each channel, you can use a splitter and have more than one fan on each channel.

The Sunbeam has always served me well. You could save a few bucks at jab-tech, if you wanted.

http://www.jab-tech.com/Sunbeam-5-1-4-Rheobus-Kit-Silver-pr-2529.html

chevro1et said:

THIS sunbeam at Petra's has control for 6 channels and is a solid performer. THIS one is cheaper and handles 4 channels. As long as you don't exceed the wattage for each channel, you can use a splitter and have more than one fan on each channel.

Click to expand...

Your first choice at 35$ with 6 channels and the ability to handle 30w seems like a clear winner in my book!

It's certainly not as fancy as some of the other ones Doogie has been looking at (No digital display) but it sounds like exactly what the "Doctor" should order

(Sorry for the bad pun!)

$SOLID$Necro said:

It's certainly not as fancy as some of the other ones Doogie has been looking at (No digital display) but it sounds like exactly what the "Doctor" should order

(Sorry for the bad pun!)

Click to expand...

Its all good, ur the first to do that. That sunbeam is tantalizing b/c of the price and max amps. Temp monitoring would be nice but i think i might as well go for that sunbeam so i can upgrade fans later on. Thank you for the help.