A great addition that we purchase often. These simplistic devices help control power to your fans with a manual adjustment. We often use these to control those clamshell type fans, to pull air from the video card area, and have the exhaust butted against the rear of the case(s). This configuration allows extra air to be vented from the GPU's VRM- where the power is made for the GPU. So you can leave the fans low until you decide to start gaming, or otherwise putting load on to the graphics card. The shell-style fans are not very loud, and you can directly exhaust this hot air (many times, an area with dead zones of airflow).
Manual controller w/ stock tape to mount anywhere). They work very well. Especially if your config uses fans without control functionality, or for scenarios like mentioned above. Depends on your need and creativity in the build.
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Reviews with images
Inexpensive, Adaptable, and Easy to install Single Fan Speed Controller
I purchased the controllers to quiet down noisy stock fans that were included in a new Corsair Carbide 540 case. I decided to go with three 7 dollar controllers that would add the benefit of speed control over purchasing three quality/lower decibel fans at 18 dollars each without speed control. I will add Noctua NF-P14 FLX fans when the Corsair fans begin to fail and/or become too noisy.The "Zalman FAN MATE 2” will control a single fan (the use of “2” in the product title may be misleading for those unfamiliar with the product). The unit as packaged is intended for 3-pin connectors (3-pin fan connector to 3-pin motherboard fan connector). The unseparated ribbon cable is roughly 31 inches or 78 centimeters in length, which is actually 31 inches on each side of the controller unit when the ribbon cable is fully separated into fan connector and motherboard sides of the cable - 62 inches is a lot of cable to work with. The Amazon image depicts an older version of the product; I will post some images of the Zalman Fan Mate that I received. The output voltage is listed as 5V to approximately 11V ± 2% on the Zalman website. The 5V ~ 11V output voltage basically means that you cannot run the fan connected to the controller at full RPM or stop it completely. This is probably not an issue for anyone that needs to slow down a fan and stopping the fan completely would just be silly.Pros- Inexpensive.- Easy to install.- Adaptable to a variety of installation scenarios.- Build quality is satisfactory or what I would expect for $6.99.Cons- My motherboard fan speed software reports invalid RPM values with the controllers connected – disappointing.- I purchased three controllers and only two worked – disappointing.- Poor amazon packaging (minimally padded bubble mailer) or Zalman packages were damaged before shipping, but probably poor packaging.Other thoughts:Slowing down the three fans to acceptable decibel levels had no appreciable impact on my computer case temps; however, the Corsair Carbide 540 is exceptionally well ventilated.I only separated roughly 10 inches of the motherboard side of the ribbon cable (i.e., what I needed to reach the motherboard connector) and contained the rest of the cable in the band included with the packaging. I used two, 1cm Velcro adhesive fasteners to attach the controllers to the case in order to easily remove the unit to adjust cabling, and the adhesive on the Velcro releases easily without residue. I would have used screws but had no good attachment points with a tool-less case.If you use the two-way tape that comes with the FAN MATE and plan to remove or move them at a later point in time, order a bottle of Goo Gone and a single-Edge razor blade because the included tape is more or less permanent.I would not recommend using this controller with a CPU fan on any modern motherboard. Equally, I would not run multiple fans off of the same mother board 3-pin fan connector - you could probably pull this off with a 3-pin to Molex adapter connected to the power supply if the controller does not overheat. However, purchasing a controller for multiple fan operation would be the best option if you need this. Also, the FAN MATE cannot be used with fans that require greater than 5 volts a startup per the Zalman website - probably not an issue for modern systems and most fans.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2016
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2014
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2015
The "Zalman FAN MATE 2” will control a single fan (the use of “2” in the product title may be misleading for those unfamiliar with the product). The unit as packaged is intended for 3-pin connectors (3-pin fan connector to 3-pin motherboard fan connector). The unseparated ribbon cable is roughly 31 inches or 78 centimeters in length, which is actually 31 inches on each side of the controller unit when the ribbon cable is fully separated into fan connector and motherboard sides of the cable - 62 inches is a lot of cable to work with. The Amazon image depicts an older version of the product; I will post some images of the Zalman Fan Mate that I received. The output voltage is listed as 5V to approximately 11V ± 2% on the Zalman website. The 5V ~ 11V output voltage basically means that you cannot run the fan connected to the controller at full RPM or stop it completely. This is probably not an issue for anyone that needs to slow down a fan and stopping the fan completely would just be silly.
Pros
- Inexpensive.
- Easy to install.
- Adaptable to a variety of installation scenarios.
- Build quality is satisfactory or what I would expect for $6.99.
Cons
- My motherboard fan speed software reports invalid RPM values with the controllers connected – disappointing.
- I purchased three controllers and only two worked – disappointing.
- Poor amazon packaging (minimally padded bubble mailer) or Zalman packages were damaged before shipping, but probably poor packaging.
Other thoughts:
Slowing down the three fans to acceptable decibel levels had no appreciable impact on my computer case temps; however, the Corsair Carbide 540 is exceptionally well ventilated.
I only separated roughly 10 inches of the motherboard side of the ribbon cable (i.e., what I needed to reach the motherboard connector) and contained the rest of the cable in the band included with the packaging. I used two, 1cm Velcro adhesive fasteners to attach the controllers to the case in order to easily remove the unit to adjust cabling, and the adhesive on the Velcro releases easily without residue. I would have used screws but had no good attachment points with a tool-less case.
If you use the two-way tape that comes with the FAN MATE and plan to remove or move them at a later point in time, order a bottle of Goo Gone and a single-Edge razor blade because the included tape is more or less permanent.
I would not recommend using this controller with a CPU fan on any modern motherboard. Equally, I would not run multiple fans off of the same mother board 3-pin fan connector - you could probably pull this off with a 3-pin to Molex adapter connected to the power supply if the controller does not overheat. However, purchasing a controller for multiple fan operation would be the best option if you need this. Also, the FAN MATE cannot be used with fans that require greater than 5 volts a startup per the Zalman website - probably not an issue for modern systems and most fans.
Inexpensive, Adaptable, and Easy to install Single Fan Speed Controller
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2015
I purchased the controllers to quiet down noisy stock fans that were included in a new Corsair Carbide 540 case. I decided to go with three 7 dollar controllers that would add the benefit of speed control over purchasing three quality/lower decibel fans at 18 dollars each without speed control. I will add Noctua NF-P14 FLX fans when the Corsair fans begin to fail and/or become too noisy.Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2015
The "Zalman FAN MATE 2” will control a single fan (the use of “2” in the product title may be misleading for those unfamiliar with the product). The unit as packaged is intended for 3-pin connectors (3-pin fan connector to 3-pin motherboard fan connector). The unseparated ribbon cable is roughly 31 inches or 78 centimeters in length, which is actually 31 inches on each side of the controller unit when the ribbon cable is fully separated into fan connector and motherboard sides of the cable - 62 inches is a lot of cable to work with. The Amazon image depicts an older version of the product; I will post some images of the Zalman Fan Mate that I received. The output voltage is listed as 5V to approximately 11V ± 2% on the Zalman website. The 5V ~ 11V output voltage basically means that you cannot run the fan connected to the controller at full RPM or stop it completely. This is probably not an issue for anyone that needs to slow down a fan and stopping the fan completely would just be silly.
Pros
- Inexpensive.
- Easy to install.
- Adaptable to a variety of installation scenarios.
- Build quality is satisfactory or what I would expect for $6.99.
Cons
- My motherboard fan speed software reports invalid RPM values with the controllers connected – disappointing.
- I purchased three controllers and only two worked – disappointing.
- Poor amazon packaging (minimally padded bubble mailer) or Zalman packages were damaged before shipping, but probably poor packaging.
Other thoughts:
Slowing down the three fans to acceptable decibel levels had no appreciable impact on my computer case temps; however, the Corsair Carbide 540 is exceptionally well ventilated.
I only separated roughly 10 inches of the motherboard side of the ribbon cable (i.e., what I needed to reach the motherboard connector) and contained the rest of the cable in the band included with the packaging. I used two, 1cm Velcro adhesive fasteners to attach the controllers to the case in order to easily remove the unit to adjust cabling, and the adhesive on the Velcro releases easily without residue. I would have used screws but had no good attachment points with a tool-less case.
If you use the two-way tape that comes with the FAN MATE and plan to remove or move them at a later point in time, order a bottle of Goo Gone and a single-Edge razor blade because the included tape is more or less permanent.
I would not recommend using this controller with a CPU fan on any modern motherboard. Equally, I would not run multiple fans off of the same mother board 3-pin fan connector - you could probably pull this off with a 3-pin to Molex adapter connected to the power supply if the controller does not overheat. However, purchasing a controller for multiple fan operation would be the best option if you need this. Also, the FAN MATE cannot be used with fans that require greater than 5 volts a startup per the Zalman website - probably not an issue for modern systems and most fans.
Images in this review
