What's a good manual fan control device?

[Guest]

I don't like motherboard/software-based fan control. It has never worked right for me. So I'm looking for a little SATA-powered device that allows you to adjust the case fans manually. Any recommendations?

 

Some cases have this function built in but my case doesn't and the new case I'm looking at doesn't either. I'm differentiating between a "fan splitter" that hooks up to a motherboard fan header and thus controls multiple fans with one header. I don't want to control any case fans with the motherboard, I want it to be entirely manual. Are there any devices like this?

[Light-Yagami]

SpeedFan is really good. I use it for my desktop PC. It's a high learning curve kind of program, but a tutorial or two and a bit of general knowledge and you'll figure it out in no time.

 

Allows you to set precise speed controls based on temp readings from certain temp probes on the MoBo, asynchronous fan speeds.. whatever you'd like. Also - pump speeds based on fan speeds or temperatures.. really good.

[Guest]

Thanks; I should've been a little clearer. I meant a hardware fan controller.

 

I think Noctua makes one. I guess the downside is I'd have to open up the case to adjust the fan speed...but my goal would be to leave the fan speeds relatively constant. 

[Bombastinator]

4 hours ago, Kylan275 said:

Thanks; I should've been a little clearer. I meant a hardware fan controller.

 

I think Noctua makes one. I guess the downside is I'd have to open up the case to adjust the fan speed...but my goal would be to leave the fan speeds relatively constant. 

Do you have a free external bay in front?  Most of these have a knob.  A lot of them like 5.25” bays but there are some that will do 3.5”

[Guest]

I'm going to be doing a new build soon, so I'm not sure what my case will have. Seems like very few new cases have external bays anymore, though.

[Bombastinator]

5 minutes ago, Kylan275 said:

I'm going to be doing a new build soon, so I'm not sure what my case will have. Seems like very few new cases have external bays anymore, though.

You can find them with a single 5.25” which is all you would need.  The thing also don’t normally fill a whole bay either.  Just the front panel.  There are a whole bunch of em though.

”12v fan controller” search pulled up a couple pages of them on Amazon.  Seem to run $13-30 or so

[Guest]

I use this:  https://www.newegg.com/phanteks-ph-pwhub-02-black/p/N82E16811984030

[Guest]

That one looks good because it has a manual option (which is what I want). So might give it a try. 

[aisle9]

On 9/20/2020 at 12:50 PM, Kylan275 said:

I don't like motherboard/software-based fan control. It has never worked right for me. So I'm looking for a little SATA-powered device that allows you to adjust the case fans manually. Any recommendations?

 

Some cases have this function built in but my case doesn't and the new case I'm looking at doesn't either. I'm differentiating between a "fan splitter" that hooks up to a motherboard fan header and thus controls multiple fans with one header. I don't want to control any case fans with the motherboard, I want it to be entirely manual. Are there any devices like this?

If you're just looking for a manual fan controller, literally any of them will work. I'm sort of partial to Kingwin because they're cheap and don't look like complete garbage, but a hardware fan controller is a hardware fan controller. The difference is in what else you want it to do. Card reader, temperature probes, hold an SSD, etc.