Closer Look:

This is probably the simplest, yet efficient Multi Fan Controller to date that offers fan speed control, as well as reports temperatures and system power wattage consumption. To be honest, when I first looked at the box, the words "Fan Controller" are all that I noticed. It's further observation of the picture on the front that revealed that there are other functions as well. There are visible and auditory reports that indicate which fans are operating and at what speed. 

Top

Back

Box Specs

Foremost, this is an excellently designed and fabricated fan control unit. It is reminiscent of Zalman's beautiful HPTC enclosures where attention to detail is the big focus. The unit has an aluminum housing with a very nice finish. The bezel is well designed and presents a very clean appearance. Even the knob is top quality which turns easily and evenly without any noise. Everyone has turned a knob or two that just didn't seem to feel right. This not the case with the Zalman ZM-MFC2 Multi Fan Controller.

Black-Silver Bezel

Contents

The back of the unit features: four fan ports (for up to 7 fans if the fan power draw isn't too high), four temperature sensor ports, CVS port for reporting the computer system's wattage consumption, and 4pin molex DC power. The back is very similar to something Koolance has done with their RP 1000 series. I've worked with Koolance's RP 1000 unit and recall just how nice a layout and design it had. The MFC2 is equally impressive all around and is pretty compact to boot.

Nice Unit

Back

One feature I found to be very, very cool right away. The LED Power Indicator is suppose to actually report the true power consumption and the LED bar indicates this depending on your system's power use. It reports 30 watts up to 800 watts which is still way more than enough power for 9 out of 10 computer users. The CVS Unit appears to work something like the Power Angel except this unit has a special cable that directly reports the power draw information to the MFC2 main unit.

4 Fan Ports, 4 Sensor Ports, CVS Cable, DC 4pin Power

You probably noticed another port labeled, CVS, which is where the Current Voltage Sensor cable must be plugged in for monitoring your system's power draw on the power supply. The CVS looks a lot like a power adapter, but really all it does is measure the wattage your system is using during all times and reports it to the main unit. That power use is displayed on the front of the main unit and displayed in both numerical and a visual graphic meter as the power requirements increase. This is a very handy tool.

CVS PCI Bracket

CVS Unit

Each fan port controls that fan (or fans with splitters) speed individually. Perhaps you want to be able to match speeds of two different type fans. If you have a louder, faster fan, you can slow it down to make it less audible. This also helps you balance out the air flow inside your case or enclosure. The steadier the air flow, the more effective the cooler air can be coming across the system. Included with the MFC2 are 3 - 3pin fan cables, 1 - 3pin Y-fan cable, and 1 - 4pin CPU fan cable. The 4pin fan cable ensures that the newer, more current CPU coolers have a special port connection to the main unit.

4 Fan Cables + 1 Y Splitter

4 Sensor Cables + Tape

To help keep track of the temperatures, there are 4 temperature sensors that also have their own designated ports on the back of the main unit. The sensors can be placed strategically in order to keep track of temps so that you can change fan speeds as needed. If you have the know how, you can even place the sensors against the under side of your chipset heat sink or your CPU cooler for more accurate temps. Ideally, if properly configured, you can see how cool the air is coming inside the case and how cool your motherboard or components are during typical operations.

Got News? Send 'em in!