Fan Hub/Controller

[HD_M4N1CZ]

Okay, So my fans are all either on the Motherboard or Molex connectors, and I can't control any of them and they are all in random places. If anyone has any recommendations for fan Hub/Controllers that go into either the 5.25" Bays, or mounted elsewhere. I have 6 fans at the moment, but will be getting more at some point, so I need room for expansion. That'd be a great help thankyou  

[paulmohr]

Your decision would be based on several factors. How many fans do you intend to run total, how much current will they draw, what configuration will they be and how much control do you want over them. Oh and how much money do you want to spend. How a certain fan controller looks will matter too. Some like the cool look of the new touch screen style, some prefer knobs with readouts, others just like plain knobs with no readout at all.

 

First lets look at your fan configuration. You want to run 6 plus fans, but that doesn't always mean you need 6 plus fan controls. If you have 2 or more fans mounted to a radiator they can be linked together and run off the same channel. Same thing goes for if you have dual fans next to each other for exhaust, like in the front or the top. Or if you are running two fans on your cpu cooler in a push/pull set up. They can both run off the same channel as well. There is no need for different fan controls for fans doing the same thing.

 

Second, do you need 6 + fans? Run some tests with different amounts of fans in different configs and see if it actually makes a difference on your cooling.

 

Third, how much current will said fans draw per channel and over all. Make sure you get a controller rated for it. I made that mistake and roasted a NZXT Grid+. 80 watts of fans does not work well on a 30 watt fan controller lol.

 

Fourth, how much control do you want? Do you want to have full control over each channel. Do you want an automatic and/or manual mode. Do you want to be able to design your own fan curve? Different controllers handle these things in different ways.

 

Fifth, how much money do want to spend and how much "bling" do you want?

[LukaH]

if you have 3 or 4pin fans you can use a Y-splitter cable and connect them all to the motherboard and just use speedfan to set custom curves.