Enermax UC-A8FATR4 4-Channel Ultimate Fan Controller

Company: Enermax
Product: UC-A8FATR4 4-Channel Fan Controller
Street Price: ~$40 USD
Date Reviewed: February 13, 2004
Reviewed By: Daniel Swords aka rds0811
Rating: (8.5/10)

A First Look at the Fan Controller (cont):

I'll say right off the bat I was very excited about the interchangeable aluminum faceplates included with this product. Many times the decision to purchase a fan controller can hinge on whether or not it matches a person's case, but with the included black and silver plates there shouldn't be a problem matching this to almost any case on the market. The front edges of the controller have a nice protruded contour to give it some attitude, and the contours actually complement my front panel quite well. There is a very glossy finish on the front from the plastic plate that covers the aluminum faceplate. All the edges of the plate and the area around each knob are beveled, which gives it a sophisticated look (as opposed to just a plain sheet of plastic). The cover is great for looks and protecting the aluminum faceplate underneath.

On the front of the controller are 4 LED knobs, an LED-lighted LCD display, a 3-position high temperature alarm setting switch, a mode A-B button (which will be discussed shortly), a Celsius-Fahrenheit mode switch, and a reset button. The 4 plastic knobs are tapered with ribbed sides, protrude about 1/2", and are very easy/comfortable to use. The high temperature alarm switch, Celsius-Fahrenheit switch, and the reset button are very small and recessed, so for some people a pen or something similar may be required to be able to operate them. Of course those are considered set and forget for the most part, and having them small and recessed keeps them low profile and out of the way.

On the back there are 4 3-pin fan connector wires, 4 temperature probes, and a PSU connector. All the wires are labeled to correspond to their knob/readout on the front panel using: A1, A2, B1, B2, and the wires are plugged into labeled sockets on the back of the fan controller. My instant reaction to seeing the fan connectors was realizing that all but 2 potential fans in my case that I might choose to connect to the controller do not have standard 3-pin connectors, they have 4-pin molex connectors. This is a problem for people who don't have any connector adapters and don't do any manual wiring. It would be a great idea for Enermax to include at least 2 standard 3-pin to 4-pin molex adapters. The next negative aspect is the huge tangle of wires that end up forming when the twist ties holding the bundles together are removed. In addition to the molex adapters, it would be a real bonus if some sort of wire management solution was included. The existing fan controller in my case came with plastic spiral loom holding the bundle of wires together, and greatly reduced the mess and airflow restriction. I actually went ahead and took the loom off of the existing controller in the first picture below and added it to the Enermax controller in the second picture. It's easy to see the big difference in the third picture.  For the price of this controller, it shouldn't be too big a deal for Enermax to throw in a few plastic bits that will make the controller easier to install and use.