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Enermax UC-A3FATR2 Multifunction Panel
Page 2 - Usage/Conclusion
Once you get everything installed, using the product is pretty simple. To adjust the fan speeds, you just turn the knobs up or down. This is quite useful if you have a 6,000 RPM fan that drives you crazy (as I do). To toggle between the sets (probe 1 and fan 1 vs. probe 2 and fan 2) you just press the mode button. To set the alarm, you hold the mode button for a couple seconds and press set to increment the alarm in 5 degree increments.
The Guts
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Close Up - Installed
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The alarm presented quite a problem for me. The default setting for both probes is 45°C. My CPU runs much hotter than that at full load (and I run SETI@Home, so it's always at full load). The unit does not have any non-volatile memory, so it 'forgets' your alarm settings every time you turn on your computer. So, within a minute or two the annoying alarm is beeping every time I turn on my computer. So, I have to reach down and set it every time. I find this very annoying. When the alarm goes off, the temperature blinks between "- - -" and the temperature and a moderately loud alarm makes a sound similar to a generic wrist watch alarm.
Case Shot
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Alarm Going Off
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The rest of the product is fairly solid though. The backlight for the LCD is pretty bright so you can see the LCD clearly at all times. However, if you are like me and you have your computer down by your feet, you cannot see the screen unless you bend over really far. This really does not have much to do with Enermax; it is just something the user should take a note of. The temperature and fan speeds update fairly often so you get an accurate and constant system status. The fan speed controllers do what they are supposed to, which in my case eliminates 6500 RPM fan whine when it is not necessary.
The US-A3FATR2 can be had for $44.80 from my sponsor for this review EV-Shop.at. This product would be great for a small Linux server in your house if you run yours like mine, which is to turn it on and let run its services but rarely actually use it. You could easily monitor the temperature and have an alarm sound if anything detrimental happens.
Aside from the few annoyances of the product has, it is a quality product, deserving of a good score.
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4 out of 5 Weird Blue Faces
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