Controllers, are they truly beneficial?

[Scu84St3v3420]

So I've begun buying parts for my first custom loop and as I read more and more one part kind has left me wondering... Are stand alone controllers truly any more beneficial for controlling your fans and pump(s) than a quality motherboard such as a flagship Asus ROG motherboard in combination with temp probes and a flow sensor?

To be more specific I am looking at controllers such this:

https://www.amazon.com/Aquacomputer...265&sr=8-4&keywords=aquacomputer+aquaero+6+xt

I don't mind spending the money if is truly a better solution than via motherboard, but if they gains are marginal over a top tier board then I would opt not to make such a purchase. So please experienced folks chime in with your thought if you should see this.

Cheers!

 

[Scu84St3v3420]

Also the Aqua Computer D5 Next Pump seems like more modern fit for this solution.

 

[EarthDog]

Depending on the functionality you need it could be 6 of one, half dozen of the other. If you get a higher end board with temp sensor headers, etc, it could be a wash.

 

[Silver Surfer]

Controllers are a preference not a necessity, I haven't run those for years as they're just not necessary.
Along with flow meters, drain ports, memory coolers, etc., etc., etc.

 

[Scu84St3v3420]

Depending on the functionality you need it could be 6 of one, half dozen of the other. If you get a higher end board with temp sensor headers, etc, it could be a wash.

I want the cooling system to react to the temps of the liquid in the loop, I was told this would yield better results in my goal of quite overclocking than having it react to CPU Temps recorded via the Motherboard. But if the Motherboard is recording the fluid temps and flow rate I would imagine I should have the same control over the cooling system as with a dedicated controller. But I am inexperienced and can't seem to find much information regarding one vs the other, so here I am asking... lol

 

[EarthDog]

Hmm.. I'd find that situation the opposite considering it takes the water longer to heat up...

To be quite honest, I don't have my water cooling fans ramp up in the first place. I set it (low) and forget it. So... there is that. Why hear anything over a couple degrees C and added noise?

 

[Scu84St3v3420]

Hmm.. I'd find that situation the opposite considering it takes the water longer to heat up...

To be quite honest, I don't have my water cooling fans ramp up in the first place. I set it (low) and forget it. So... there is that. Why hear anything over a couple degrees C and added noise?

See this is why I wanted to ask, I rarely see people running these kinds of controllers anymore in builds. But someone had suggested it and I figured as an inexperienced individual in this field that I was better off asking more knowledged folks for their opinion on the matter. I've always just set a custom fan curve that is reactive to CPU temps, which does ramp up my fans but not to a very audible level that it is noticeable over music and game noise.

 

[EarthDog]

I mean, obviously it is your choice on how you run it. But, just years of playing and tinkering, I just want to turn it on and never hear it, ya know? I dont run my systems to where my games get the cpu and close to hot. During gaming, the 7940x (4.5ghz 16c/16t) hits 60c... fans never change speed.

Edit: I lied... I have the bios to ramp them up at 85c...which I never see (unless p95).

 

[Silver Surfer]

Edit: I lied... I have the bios to ramp them up at 85c...which I never see (unless p95).

Wow the water cooling difference vs chilled water cooling is amazing, my highest core load temperature running P95 is 50c.

 

[JRZoid]

Not really...just any old Pump that still works and you can get a hold of. This Pump has been a God still strong and quiet.

 

[EarthDog]

Wow the water cooling difference vs chilled water cooling is amazing, my highest core load temperature running P95 is 50c.

You have less than half the chip I'm running. Id be curious to see what temps this thing would actually get under your chiller.

 

[Alaric]

Here you go, a stand alone fan controller for free. SpeedFan https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/speedfan.html

 

[EarthDog]

 

[Alaric]

The only "fan controller" I ever tried came with a cheap Asus CPU cooler. It got power from a Molex connector, so nothing to plug in to the mobo fan header. The mobo took offense at this slight and refused to boot. It was a nice looking little unit, but I'd have to give up my floppy drive to mount it. And the rig wouldn't boot. Other than those issues, it's a nice little rheostat knob. I'll stop now.

 

[Scu84St3v3420]

LMFAO! I kind of assumed these were dated at this point in the game, but as I said some soul told me I might want one for my system. So I had to ask those wiser than myself.

 

[Silver Surfer]

You have less than half the chip I'm running. Id be curious to see what temps this thing would actually get under your chiller.

What exactly are you running, that an 8700K is less than half of?

 

[EarthDog]

A 7940x.

 

[Silver Surfer]

A 7940x.

What do you do that would require a 14 core 28 thread CPU?

I do file conversion like video and audio, definitely gaming, etc. and really have no need for the full capability of the 6 core 12 thread 8700K I am running.

Especially running the most demanding games I run maxed out no problems.

So what do you need those extra cores for, and in your opinion is it worth what it costs?

If I had one, it would definitely be under my chilled water cooling.

But for what I can overclock the 8700K to and get out of it, there's no way I would pay over a grand for just one CPU.

For the record if I was going to run something like that I would simply modify my chilled water cooling to handle more TDP.

That's what's so flexible about my setup it is modifiable.

You may or may not know this, but if you can run a CPU below it's TDP ambient design parameters it does not pull the spec'd TDP it is rated to be pulling at lower temperatures.

But anyway you look at it 14 cores is 14 cores!

And no matter how good your overclocking skills are there is going to be heat to deal with, and the cooler you can run it the better.

Quote Originally Posted by EarthDog View Post
You have less than half the chip I'm running. Id be curious to see what temps this thing would actually get under your chiller.

You may be curious about it, but there's only one way for you to find out, which IMO shouldn't be a problem for you since the CPU you bought cost more than what I have in my chilled water peltier cooling setup.

But knowing you up to this point I would venture you posted for some punchy reason, with zero validity.

Which is usually what you do anyway.

Though my chilled water cooling may seem absurd to most, with even main stream CPUs getting more and more cores, and especially with what you are running, and also with CPU dies shrinking with each new platform release.

Chilled water cooling may very well be the norm in the future, and at least for me I have a head start.

From the very beginning of my Chilled Water Cooling experimentation back to version 1, I have been seeking improvements in overall size, and electrical use, and I am still seeking both of those to get the setup shrunk down even more than what it is now.

Today it is more accommodating than ever as far as overall size and power used to run it, and Lord Willing will get even better.

I'm curious EarthDog, What do you think a 10c ~ 12c actual coolant temperature could do for your setup?