i just got the Bitfenix recon fan controller. the first controller ive ever gotten, has five 10watt channels, LCD screen, allows you to turn fans off if you want. i got my 1000rpm fans @ 12v all the way down to 300 rpm with this controller. it has a pattented bitfenix soft touch bezel which looks and feels amazing. the touch screen is very responsive, you can turn the screen off if you want to, it has an auto and manual mode. Each of the 5 channels has its own thermal temperature probe that can monitor your component temperatures, you can set an alarm temperature for each of the 5 channels that will set off an audible alarm if the temp reading from that probe goes above your pre set alarm temp. It can also be wirelessly controlled from any internet connected device, including your computer or internet connected smart phone, i havent tried this personally yet, but from the reviews i watched it seemed very nicely laid out. So far it has been great, i havent installed it in my system yet because it is going to be going in my next one that i am putting together, but i have high hopes for it...
the bad of the controller,
1. The LCD screen has pretty horrible viewing angles, you almost have to be looking straight at it to be able to make out the display. if your computer is on the floor you wont be able to read what the screen says. my computer is on my desk so this wont be a problem for me. just something worth mentioning.
2. The Auto mode is kinda sucky, it automatically adjust the fan speed of your system fans based on the thermal probe temps. Since the temps are constantly changing ( almost every second ) all the fans kinda breath between one rpm and another. so you constantly hear the fans ramping up and back down, kinda annoying.
3. It was pretty difficult to figure out how to use at first, you just have to mess with it for a bit until it 100% understood. took me about an hour to figure out what i was doing with it. that was a little frustrating.
4. For me the biggest con. Since this controller has thermal probes, alarm temps and the ability to turn fans off, i wanted to have certian fans be off below my set alarm temp, then when the temperature probe i put on the cpu goes above a certian temp, i wanted those fans to turn on automatically, then when the temp goes back down, i wanted those fans to turn off. It didnt work, When you manually set a fan to off, and the thermal probe reads temps above the pre set alarm temp, the alarm goes off but the fan(s) from that channel dont turn on. If it did this, it would handily be the best fan controller on the market. That was the reason i bought it and i couldnt get a clear answer from anyone if it did this or not, so i just broke down and bought it. The fact that it still has the ability to manually turn off fans, saves it in my book.
all in all a great controller. it comes in both black and white.
and only $40
BitFenix Recon Fan Controller - Newegg.com