Automatic vs. Manual Fan Control

[napes22]

I Recently bought the Lian - Li Fan ControllerLian-Li Automatic Fan Controller which comes with diodes to place on the mobo, and the device controls the fan.

I recently came accorss THIS and am intrigued. I have heard great things about the Rheobus and still am not completely conviced the automatic controller does the job i need (the readings arent always accurate based on where I can fit the Diodes).

My question is, which is a better way to cool your pc, the auto controller and trust the temp sensor readings? or is it safer to get the manual one, and adjust the speeds based on the task at hand. OR should I just not use one, and let my fans run at full blast?

 

[SparkyJJO]

I have my mobo control my CPU fan, other than that I have the case fans on full blast. I have 22 dBA or quieter fans though so "full blast" is just a low hum.

 

[napes22]

When you have them directly connected to the PSU they automatically run full blast right?

 

[BlueWeasel]

Originally posted by: napes22
When you have them directly connected to the PSU they automatically run full blast right?

Yes.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Correct.

All my fans are on mobo fan headers. The fans had 3 pin connectors on them and it was easier for wire management's sake to use the headers instead of adapters. I only have the speed control configured for the CPU fan so connecting the case fans directly to the PSU would have given the same effect.

 

[pkme2]

Since my fans are YLs on my LLs, they are at full speed and keep my rigs cool, there is no need of for fan controllers. The YLs 120mm are really quiet and very efficient.

 

[Zepper]

I don't think an automatic controller will yield much benefit over a manual controller. I don't think the conditions in most systems vary enough to warrant the extra expense. But I do like a fan controller that can also read the speed of the fans as my mobo can't seem to read fans that spin slower than 2500 RPM.

.bh.

 

[Bluefront]

It depends on how picky you are when it comes to noise. I like things as quiet as possible....there are nicer sounds than those of a computer. I use quiet fans, and a M-Cubed controller as well. Most of the time the computer is inaudable. Under heavy cpu usage the fans speed up. It's a no-brainer.....you want a quiet computer, you need a fan controller.....an automatic controller if you are serious about noise elimination.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I've been looking at this for a while. Less than 30-bucks, I haven't sprung for it yet:

Sunbeam Theta TP-101

For the price, the reviews suggest it isn't a bad bet. There are other more expensive controllers. Some of them -- many of them -- integrated with front-panel displays.

This one takes up a PCI slot, but it DOESN'T HAVE to take up a PCI slot -- that's just the way they designed it for "noob-ie" convenience. The slot-stub on the card is just circuit-board extension with no gold contacts. The device draws its power from its USB connection. The fan-control is automated through software that performs its function like Almico's SpeedFan. As to how it allows control of the fans off the motherboard-fan-headers, I couldn't say, but you would think they would allow for that, this making the software an extension of SpeedFan's functions.

It's cheap. You can mount it anywhere within the case that is convenient. And it doesn't seem to be total violation of the KISS principle, since you're just adding a PCB to your hardware, connected via USB, which couldn't be less reliable (I hope) than the sensors and control circuits that come with the motherboard. So for that, the software would also not add extra complexity, especially if it replaces or supersedes SpeedFan's PWM capabilities regarding the motherboard fan headers.

My idea is to maximize airflow, minimize noise, and minimize complexity. So my motherboard ducting designs attempt to make a single fan -- no more than two -- vary in speed as they pull air through the mobo duct. You might want to do this with a motherboard duct and automatically control the exhaust fan(s) and the CPU fan in tandem with temperature change. And if your mobo only allows for Speedfan control of a single (CPU) header, this device might prove worth it.

 

[sbuckler]

Originally posted by: Zepper
I don't think an automatic controller will yield much benefit over a manual controller. I don't think the conditions in most systems vary enough to warrant the extra expense. But I do like a fan controller that can also read the speed of the fans as my mobo can't seem to read fans that spin slower than 2500 RPM.

.bh.

Speedfan is free and can read all temp sensors and control all controllable fans on your motherboard (which is pretty well always cpu, and sometimes the others too - eg. Asus P5W).

 

[Operandi]

I have SpeedFan controlling my CPU and two exhaust fans. The CPU fan reacts to the CPU temp (obviously) and the exhaust fans react to the system temp.

When noise is an issue and as long as the motherboard has control over the headers I setup every system I build like this, although I normally let the BIOS handle the fan control.