Can I get a temperature monitor _without_ fan control?

[Atheus]

Hi all,

So I want a physical temp reading on my new machine - I plan to go watercooling on a new Sandy Bridge system, and I'd like to know of any temp out of range from a reliable bit of hardware rather than software monitoring. Also I want to keep an eye on the GPU. BUT... I still want my motherboard to control the fans - it's a new Gigabyte rated to nearly 2A on each header so it's fine on that front (120mm all round), and it also does a great job of keeping it quiet, which is obviously good.

Questions...

1) Can I get such a device? Fan speed and temp monitoring hardware but leaving the mobo to control them?

2) Or is this a bad idea anyway, since when I go water and start overclocking for real, I may want to manually turn up the fans? Or maybe it's a bad idea because the average fan controller might be just as good at monitoring temps/setting speeds as a mobo these days?

Thanks!

/edit... brainwave... anyone ever tried splitting the signal cable (the third one) on a fan, then running one wire to a fan controller, and one to the mobo? Same wire just split and soldered. That way the mobo controls speed/PWM, and the hardware controller still gets data from the fan?

 

[lehtv]

Why do you want the motherboard to control the fans in the first place? Wouldn't it be better to just use the fan controller, as it gives you direct control over RPM?

 

[Atheus]

Re: "Why do you want the motherboard to control the fans in the first place?"

It's doing a good job - all my cores are at ~30C and the thing is dead quiet. You reckon this is a bad idea? Will I ever need full manual control? The other worry is, lets say I go out and leave my machine on (common) and it overheats... I've got no automatic fan control... it'll just throttle and eventually shut down which is no good if I'm compiling/rendering/etc...

BTW I've just been looking at my options... it seems like all fan contollers are made for 12-year-olds who like Tranformers the movie... I miss the days when PC modding was for people with compsci degrees :/

 

[dawp]

I presume you're looking for a bay device that will do the monitoring. I don't know of any that will allow you to monitor fan speed while they are being controlled by the board. they usually monitor and control with some that let the motherboard monitor the RPMs.


the only thing I can think of that might help is if you can find a 3-pin fan extension with a wire lead for motherboard monitoring.

the closest I could find is a 4-pin molex to 3-pin fan adapter with rpm monitoring:

http://jab-tech.com/3pin-to-4pin-Adapter-with-RPM-Support-pr-1510.html

 

[aigomorla]

get a sunbeam PWM controller.
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...ducts_id=30058

This allows u to connect the sunbeam controller to 1 pwm port on your board and control up to 6 fans though PWM.

You set a switch for PWM.

The only problem tho is you wont get independant control, but if your watercooling typically 3 fans are @ the radiator and need to be sync'd so its golden.


As for temp display... i need to use a controller because i have too many sensors.
I have a Air in side my cpu rad sensor, Ambient sensor, water coolant temp on all 3 loops.... my system uses a total of 8 temp probes so i use 2 fan controllers with temps sensors just to display the temp.

You wont get anything clean with more then 2 temp displays by not doing that.

But you can get temp probes at jab-tech or PPC, and splice a brass temp probe stoppper to get water temp.

http://www.jab-tech.com/XSPC-LCD-Temperature-sensor-Red-pr-4144.html

They come in a lot of different colors too.

 

[Atheus]

I presume you're looking for a bay device that will do the monitoring.

That's the stuff.

...

Cheers aigomorla - very helpful. I had an idea though - what if I just split the data wire on the fans to the controller, and leave the power wires on the mobo? Or does the mobo require the data cable to control speed itself...

 

[aigomorla]

That's the stuff.

...

Cheers aigomorla - very helpful. I had an idea though - what if I just split the data wire on the fans to the controller, and leave the power wires on the mobo? Or does the mobo require the data cable to control speed itself...

that 3rd wire is just a sense wire... it tells you RPM unless its a 4 pin wire.


Also if ur going to use 38mm fans, i dont recommend those on any motherboards.