Hi! So, here is my problem; I am setting up a water cooling system in my antec 900 case. I am planning on using a quad radiator so obviously I will have to install it outside my case. I am going to be using 4 delta fans or some others renowned for high CFM and noise, so I am going to want a speed controller for them when I am just doing work or browsing the web. I am going to need a molex fan controller that is NOT a bay device because I will need to run the cables from outside the case all the way through the back, across the motherboard and into the front, obviously this will not help air flow in anyway, and the cables won't be long enough so you see my problem. I don't really have a budget unless you recommend something with a ridiculous price range. If you guys can help me with this of have any other way of controlling the speeds I greatly appreciate your input.
If you're going to run deltas or other high powered fans; my guess is you'll have to go with somehting that allows for high wattage consumption so most of the regular fan controllers are out anyway... Some Lamptrons (FC2, Fan-Atic 5 Port and Hummer 5 port) have the wattage covered, but are bay devices so not good for you... I'd say go with a T-Balancer from mCubed... They cover the power consumption of most high powered fans and are small enough that can be hidden somewhere inside the case without a problem.... Or do what I would do... I'd take a FC2 and mod the case so I can place it on the back of it... that way there is no cabling issues.
Just out of interest my temps are the same with my 3 Yate Loon fans on max speed (XSPX RX360 rad) as they are when slowed right down with my Kaze fan controller so just set your fans so you can't hear them and don't worry about changing speed when gaming as it probably won't affect temps. Also fan controllers come with long cables anyway to connect to the cables already on your fans so they will reach a long way. Or if necessary extra 3pin fan cable extensions cost next to nothing. And I'd route the cables behind the mobo so they are out of sight. EDIT: and you probably already know this but no harm in saying you can get a '4 to 1' 3pin fan splitter cable to link all your rad fans to one dial on your fan controller. I have my 3 rad fans on dial 1, front fan on dial 2, 2 roof fans on 3 and 2 rear fans on 4.
Thanks for your input guys! I don't think it would be a good idea to put 3 deltas on one dial though. They draw quite a bit of power I don't think the fan controller could cope with it. I'm now am a proud owner of the scythe kaze master pro
The kaze master only does up to 1 amper per channel so while i'm not too familiar with delta fans, i suspect it might not be able to handle them depending on what model you get. (from what i can see they range between 0.35 and 3 amps)
What are you cooling that's going to need 3 or 4 deltas on your rad at full deafening speed? If it's nothing extreme like a heavily overclocked i7 980X with 3x 480 SLI then you may be better off with some quiet yate loons fans. They keep my overclocked temps very low while staying silent with the fan controller. Like I said before, fan speed doesn't affect temps on either of mine or my flatmate's liquid cooled pcs. I've found a thread here where somebody was asking the same thing and lots of useful suggestions.
Thanks for the link but it's sorted now, I'm only cooling a q6600 and a 5870 but am planning on adding my nb/sb and don't want any more rads or loops due to the space constraint of the tiny antec 900. Any chance you know of a case that can hold a 3x120mm rad internally? I currently have it on the outside and its horrible, it's a bitch to move the computer around for upgrades etc.
nb/sb blocks and loops are only for aesthetics but by all means go for it! do you have any pics of your liquid cooled pc?
I thought overkill was the way to go when modding!!! But on a serious note... maybe having the Deltas and just slowing them down with the fan controller (it would have to be the FC2 or one of the other High Wattage Lamptrons to be able to handle them) would be a good thing. I've only had experience with a 92mm delta and I could barely hear that thing inside my Dell (even when doing C4D renders)... so maybe bringing the Deltas to 50% speed would still push more air than a regular fan with the same noise trade off. Don't know... just wondering. And since the OP asked about controlling Deltas; I pointed him to the Lamtron controllers as they are the only ones I know that would be able to handle the load. Plenty of cases can hold a 3x120 rad inside... Top Installation: HAF 932, HAF 942, HAF-X, and probably the Cosmos S (not sure on this one) and many many more... Bottom mounted: Silverstone TJ07 -> This one will even hold a 4x120 down there. These are the ones off the top of my head, but I'm sure there are a bunch more that I'm missing. Just check the Pimp Your Mod thread to see what cases are being used with what rads.
Thanks guys! Well, I have some pictures of my setup, these were not taken in the final stages though so the cable management is horrible, however that's also because it was 1 minute after the installation of the fan controller and I'm yet to route the cables behind the mobo.. don't judge Also, I did not want to go without my desktop while I leak tested so i just put my old components in and ran it right away. So far so good. I have also discovered that anti knick coils are useless for 1/2" ID and 3/4" OD unless you wrap it really really close ( unlike what I did being a newb). Next time I upgrade I think I will be taking it off.
No need to be an ass. You have no business posting on a forum until you learn to read: "i just put my old components in and ran it right away" THOSE ARE MY OLD COMPONENTS. I am not going to run a £160 PSU with the possibility of destroying it.
I object to the 4000x3000 images. My router was physically sweating as it tried to pump those babies through my terrible connection.
