Hi, was wondering if someone could help me with picking a good controller setup.

[sebastian869]

I'm looking to get Minimum of 4 fans (2 main 140 mm side by side with a large 100 CFPM+ no problem) the front 2 to move a lot of air flow, so that I can create a nice over pressure in the R2 Midi case. Need 3 140mm and one 120mm may be able to squeeze in a 125mm if I can with a PSU at 180mm it sets the limit on fan size in this case and this does not count the corsair h100i I plan to mount at the top. Here's what I've narrowed it down to, thanks:

Lastly does the following make more sense then a generic controller fan setup? http://www.swiftech.com/8-waypwmsplitter.aspx

NZXT SEN-MIX2 Sentry Mix 2 Fan Controller $30 slider up/down, 4 pin fan connector, 6 fans, 30 watts per fan ( 5 out of 5) PWN sized connectors
http://www.nzxt.com/product/detail/129-sentry-mix-2-fan-control

1ST PC CORP. FC-FANATIC-B Lamptron 5.25" 5-channel fan controller, 60w/channel, High/Low/Off switch $35 (looks like switches on front) 5x 3 pin connector to (5 out of 5 on 14) fan and 1x 4 pin connector to power supply, High/Low/Off switch. (5 out of 5)
http://www.1stpccorp.com/fan_controller.html

AeroCool CoolTouch-E Black Touch control 4 fan speed controller w/ 7 changeable backlight colors LCD display $37 only 3 reviews
http://www.aerocool.us/peripheral/CoolTouch-E B.htm

NZXT Sentry Mesh Fan Controller w/ Five 30 watts Channels $25 slider up down,
http://store.nzxt.com/SENTRY-MESH-fan-controller-p/sen-mesh.htm

ZALMAN MFC1 Plus-B Black 6 Channel Multi Fan Controller $40 nob control, 6 fans (4 out of 5)
http://www.zalman.com/eng/product/Search.php?search=MFC1

Corsair Commander Mini (Only sold on corsair site) $60
http://www.corsair.com/en-us/corsair-commander-mini

Sunbeam PL-RS-6 Rheosmart 6 Fan Controller 5.25" Bay 6 Channel 30W Fan Controller Panel (Black) $38 (3 pin fans connects to MOBO 4 pin controller) (4 out of 5 out of 45) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...=-1&isNodeId=1

Gelid Solutions FC-LC-01 SpeedTouch6 Controller – 6 fan channels at 30 Watts each, 4pin (supports 3, 4 pin fans) $42 (4 out of 5)
http://www.aerocool.us/peripheral/cooltouch-e_review.html

Commander FX - 10 Port Fan Hub (Connector: 3-Pin x 10; SATA x 1) pretty cool (only selected the "commander" is because to can interact with the 2 digital GPU, which I'm pro going to have to buy, plan was use the current ones, but someone made a good point they already have a 5 yr life span w/out issues so odds are getting against me a get total power failure/Replacement. Thus also stated looking for new PSU and the corsair model can interact so long as it’s the digital model (Not way more expensive, I paid 400+ $USD 5 yrs ago and now $ is strong only because rest of the worlds looks bad. (Once done with work I want to come back to the game you will have to restrain on certain subject matter, that is in fact what you going to get used for.
http://www.thermaltake.com/Cooler/C...02391/Commander_FX_10_Port_Fan_Hub/design.htm

NZXT CB-LED10-WT Sleeved LED Kit - White, 1 m, controlled from a slot, MAYBE the corsair will connect $13
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-028-_-Product

Sunbeamtech PL-RS-6 Rheosmart 6 Fan Controller with 30 watts per channel. (4.5 out of 5 on 60)
http://www.sunbeamtech.com/index.html

Commander FX - 10 Port Fan Hub (ThermalTake) similar to the other fan hub need to learn where data comes from**
http://www.thermaltake.com/Cooler/C...02391/Commander_FX_10_Port_Fan_Hub/Design.htm

BitFenix Recon Fan Controller $40, max 10 watts per channel, 5 fans, touch screen (4 out of 5 out 45!)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811997078

Was wondering if I should get 4 pin PWM or select speed manually fans or just generic 3 pin and I'm guessing 12v volt down for speed selection. The Fractal Design R2 Midi has a built in controller that works on voltage regulation for speed but I have too many fans for that built in controller.

P.S. The fans are getting pricked from here: Really need to know what is the best setup, voltage reg, PWN etc. (The cost below will provide any version that gets picked without any issues), I don’t care about cost, if fan A is $5 but is crappy and fan B is $10 then we get fan B and SAME Logic Applies to the Controller! (Which is the #1 priority, fans will fall in line once the controller ideas are picked).

 

[mfenn]

My two questions are:

- Why do you need monster airflow? 30W per channel is obscene, more suitable for a wind tunnel of yesteryear than a modern PC.
- Why not use the fan control built into the motherboard. Those let you base your fan speeds on temperatures instead of having to manually control them, and handle sane wattages just fine.

 

[sebastian869]

My two questions are:

- Why do you need monster airflow? 30W per channel is obscene, more suitable for a wind tunnel of yesteryear than a modern PC.
- Why not use the fan control built into the motherboard. Those let you base your fan speeds on temperatures instead of having to manually control them, and handle sane wattages just fine.

i hear what ur saying prob 12 is enough but im not all up to understanding controllers, im guessing u mean something like this? http://www.swiftech.com/8-waypwmsplitter.aspx

Whats the difference/advantage to a speed controller vs regulating watts or PWM or the models that have 3 speed election slider on them?

 

[sebastian869]

hope i didn't just delete my questions by accident

 

[mfenn]

i hear what ur saying prob 12 is enough but im not all up to understanding controllers, im guessing u mean something like this? http://www.swiftech.com/8-waypwmsplitter.aspx

Not exactly. What I'm saying is that all modern motherboard have BIOS-controlled fan controllers built right in. Unless you want a huge number of fans (which I would question, "Why?), its very likely that you don't need to buy ANY extra parts.

Whats the difference/advantage to a speed controller vs regulating watts or PWM or the models that have 3 speed election slider on them?

I'm not sure what you're trying to ask here, so I'll give you a brief overview. The two main methods of controlling fan speed are voltage and PWM (pulse width modulation).

Voltage control works by simply varying the voltage applied to the fan motor (usually between 5 and 12 volts). The advantage of this method is that it works with any fan and is simple to implement. The disadvantage is that it doesn't provide as broad a range of speeds.

PWM control requires a PWM fan (distinguishable by their mini 4 pin connectors), and sends a separate pulse-width modulated control signal to the fan over the 4th wire. The fan's internal speed controller then converts the control signal to a speed setting. The pros and cons of this approach are the inverse of voltage control.

The interface that a fan controller provides to the user is orthogonal to the method by which it actually controls the fans. Analog knobs, discrete-position switches, digital controls, and fully software defined controls (as in a motherboard's BIOS) are common input mechanisms and can be used with either voltage or PWM control.

 

[Cerb]

ASRock and Asus are my preference, with splitters for more than 2 or 3 fans (depending on mobo). If that Z97 Extreme6 from the other thread is what you're running, see how well the 3-pin headers work out.

If you have too many fans for the Arc Midi's switch (I hesitate to call it a controller), cut down on your fans, or use a splitter if you only need 4. The 3 included should be quite enough.