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If you read the Pyramid V+ review but found it to be on the expensive side like me, then maybe the Akasa fan controller will appeal to you. It might not be as extravagant a way of controlling your fans, but it is the easy way of doing it.

The fan controller has to be installed in an empty 5.25in drive bay so it does take up some space in your case. It has four dials on the front that are used to adjust the fan speeds. Each dial also has three LEDs which light up in red, orange and green, indicating the speed of the fan. This might not be a very scientific representation but it does give a visual indication of what setting is selected.

Internally you’ll find a standard Molex four-pin power connector which powers the fan controller. This allows for more powerful fans to be connected as the power is drawn from the power supply rather than the motherboard. For each of the dials on the front there is a three-pin fan header on a small PCB to which you connect each fan. You’ll find two three-pin extension cables as well as two three-pin to four-pin Molex adapters in the package in the case your normal fan cables are a bit on the short side. This also allows you to connect up fans with four-pin Molex connectors instead of the standard three-pin connectors.

If you own an aluminium case you’ll be happy to hear that the unit itself is made out just that, aluminium. So it will look great in any silver coloured case. If you however fancy something a little different, you have the option of three coloured front panels. The colours supplied are blue, orange and green. The blue and green look quite good, but the orange isn’t to my taste and I would rather have seen one in smoke effect grey which would go nicely with a dark or black case.

I do however have a small complaint and that is the general build quality, which could be improved upon. The biggest problem is with the dials which are made out of a fairly cheap plastic. This makes the rest of the unit feel cheap and the action when turning the dials is a little light as well.

But what makes this unit so appealing is the price with the AK FC-01 going for as little as £10.48 including VAT.

Verdict

As basic as the Akasa AK FC-01 fan controller is, it’s still a bargain at the asking price. If you feel the need to adjust the speed of your fans manually the AK FC-01 will accommodate without breaking the bank.

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