Compatible hardware for temperature monitoring

[ronzino]

My motherboard has 5 temperature monitor probe headers so I have designed my monitoring subsystem based on 5 sensors.

As I am going to change motherboard the new one Will have just 2 temp headers.

So I need to buy a third part device to increase temp sensors.

As far as I have read corsair commander pro is not an option as it is not compatible with hwinfo when icue is running.

Só i have seen that aquacomputer quadro and octo maybe (is not clear to me) have got a sort of support in hwinfo but I don't know if it is in beta stage or not.

Does other system from other producers exist?

Please consider that I would like just temp monitor, extra fan connectors are welcome but do not represent a mandatory request

 

[Martin]

All aquacomputer devices should be well supported in HWiNFO.
Corsair is rather problematic, it works for some but some others not or not reliable.

 

[SpeedyIV]

Aquacomputer all the way. Not only can you import the temp data into HWINFO, you can run Aquasuite and import all of the HWINFO data into it. Aquasuite is thee most powerful cooling control software out there. You mentioned fan ports not being mandatory. If the temp sensors are plugged into a Quadro (or Octo), you will want to move your fans to the controller as well. Aquasuite can't send temp data to the mobo and also can't control fans plugged into mobo fan ports (neither can Corsair). Your best bet is to move the fans and temp sensors to an Aquacomputer controller and do everything in Aquasuite. Their fan curve control is the best out there and much better than any mobo fan control software.

Another thing to consider is that the Quadro and Octo have their own microcontrollers on board. If they are controlling fans based on temp sensors that are plugged directly into them, after they are configured they can run without Aquasuite or even the OS running. When they boot up they just start doing their thing. Corsair controllers are dumb boxes and have to have icue running to function.

Note that the Quadro and Octo each have 4 temp sensor inputs, so if you have 5 temp sensors, you will need to buy 2 controllers (same for Commander Pro). Each will require a USB2.0 connection to the mobo. If you have LEDs, the Quadro has 1 RGBpx port. The Octo has 2 RGBpx ports. Each RGBpx port can drive 90 ARGB LEDs. In addition to blinky lights and rainbows, you can control LED color based on temp data, fan RPM, or any other sensor value available to Aquasuite. You can also do things like calculate the average value of multiple temp sensors and use that value as a control source. Many people subtract ambient temp from coolant temp and use the difference to control their fans. This prevents variations in ambient temperature from affecting fan speeds. Note that these more advanced functions will require Aquasuite to be running.

Corsair controllers are junk (IMHO), and their iCue software is a bloated, buggy mess. Their fan control is quite basic and can't do any of the data manipulation that Aquasuite can do. iCue also does not poll system sensors properly, resulting in data collisions that can result in invalid data being reported. Aquacomputer is a far superior solution.

 

[ronzino]

Speedy IV... What to say.... You description is much more than what I have asked but it was exactly the answer about many other topics I was looking for. I am very disappointed of motherboard fan control software and port number and limitation in controls. Due to this I have, thanks to hwinfo and rainmeter and others monitoring software, designed from scratch my monitoring platform (it is about 100.000 code lines) . But as I don't have time to develop olso monitoring hardware I was looking for something complete and compatible. My original plan was to buy a new motherboard with a lot of fan ports, but thanks to your description I will buy the octa ad use aqua suite.

The huge concern about aquacomputer is the web site they have. You can just search devices in the shop and few documentation is available. You have to search in depth to find details.

 

[SpeedyIV]

I usually buy high end Asus boards and I gave up on their fan and RGB control years ago. I moved onto Corsair Link, then using Corsair controllers under SIV control, then finally to Aquasuite. There is no going back. It bugs me that the higher end boards have a bunch of PWM fan ports, pump port, temp sensor headers, flow sensor headers, RGB ports, and ARGB ports, and I don't use any of it. Most people who are building high end systems with custom cooling loops don't use the mobo for cooling control. I wish they would offer boards with top end VRMs, I/O, tuned memory traces, etc. but without all of these ports and headers. They add cost to the board and most people don't use them because the software sucks.

Yes the Aquacomputer website can be frustrating. I find the best way to get information is to go to their support site and download the owners manuals. They also have a pretty good FORUM. Most of it is in German but they do have an English section. Google translate works pretty well on the German pages. There is a good group of users there who can help you figure out what you need. You have to be careful about Aquacomputer cables. When you buy an Octo or a Quadro they come with the cables you need but when you start adding things it can get complicated. The Aquasuite program also has a bit of a learning curve. The basics are pretty straight forward but when you get into their "Playground" it can get complicated. This is a free form area where you can set up virtual sensors, inputs, outputs, and do all sorts of sensor data processing.

I will also mention that their products can be hard to find in stock. I don't know if it was this way before Covid, but these days most places are out of stock of Aquacomptuer products, at least in the USA. It does seem to be getting better. Good luck!

 

[ronzino]

Yeah the out-of stock is another reason that most of time moved my eyes far from aquacomputer. I would like to buy leakshield system and it is always out of stock since months.

 

[SpeedyIV]

Yeah I have been looking for a Utilitube D5 150 Pro Leakshield and a High Flow Next in the US for quite some time. I don't know if you are in the US. If you are, ModMyMods has the Quadro and Octo in stock right now. The prices have gone up from when I bought my Octo but such is life. If you are in Europe (or the US for that matter) you can order direct from Aquacomputer. I have never done it but if you do, it makes sense to order everything at once to spread the shipping cost out. I have read that they often ship much sooner than they promise but don't quote me on that.

 

[Kiriakos-GR]

I will post a redirection to another idea, that is in the market for ages.
I will announce it as old fashion automation, and this is no other than GELID 120mm Silent DC fan with sensitive thermal sensor = Gelid 120 TC.
The sensor is over a long wire, sensitive temperature range 20C up to 60C, I use two such DC fan, one for intake, one for output.
I have place both sensors next to the graphic card, when there is gaming activity RPM ramp up.

CPU cooler DC fan, using motherboard control and PWM 140mm fan (two of them), its a separate circuit.

What I am trying to say, this is that there is no need for spending about having piles of thermal sensors.

 

[SpeedyIV]

Yes I suppose you could use fans with a built in temp sensor as a "down and dirty" way to get some extra air moving across critical areas, and you could put a DC fan on a CPU cooler and a couple of PWM fans on a mobo PWM port and call it done. Some people like to monitor temp sensor data and/or use this data for more complex things. For example, if you put a temp sensor at the inlet and outlet of a radiator, and you know the flow rate, in Aquasuite you can calculate the heat transfer efficiency of the radiator and analyze how flow rate affects efficiency. Another more common example is subtracting coolant temp from ambient temp and using the difference as the control source for a fan curve. This eliminates ambient temperature changes affecting fan speeds. Last example is using the higher of CPU temp and GPU temp as a control source, so if either exceeds a threshold, the fans will ramp up.

Many would not care about any of these things, but for those who like more granular control of their cooling components, the Aquacomputer controllers and the Aquasuite platform are extremely powerful. Is it worth the effort and cost? Maybe not, but neither is buying RAM rated above JDEC and spending hours (or days) overclocking it and trying to prove it's stable, or spending more on a custom cooling loop that you did on your GPU. I can slap a working computer together in an hour. I build custom rigs with extensive monitoring and control as a hobby that appeals to my engineering brain, not out of necessity. YMMV...