Testing & Results

Testing Methodology

The test set up for the NZXT Sentry LXE fan controller consists of hooking up the device to a X58 based system. Five temperature probes are placed throughout a Silverstone Raven RV01 case, one on the underside of the HDD, one on the base of a Thermalright Ultra eXtreme 120 heatsink, one between the two main intake fans, one on the heatsink of the 4870x2, and one on the VRM (voltage regulation module) of the motherboard.

This system has four main fans. Two large 180mm intake fans, a 120mm CPU fan, and a single 120mm exhaust fan. All four have been matched with the closest temperature probe. Testing involves using the controller for a few days in an everyday environment, noting its usefulness and any concerns.

Test System

• Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X58-DS4
• System Memory: Patriot Viper 1333MHz CL9
• Processor: Intel Core i7 920 @ 4GHz
• Audio: ASUS Xonar Essence STX
• Video: HIS HD4870x2
• Disk Drive 1: Western Digital Caviar Black 600GB
• Enclosure: Silverstone Raven RV01
• PSU: Corsair HX620

Results

Rest assured, the Sentry LXE works as advertised. After a few days of usage, no major problems have been encountered. The temperatures update often, and the alarm works when required.

A small issue with the main unit occurred where the screen displayed garbled information. The controller still functioned correctly, however. Unplugging it and reconnecting fixed it. There's also a small delay between the unit being powered on, and the fans spinning down to their assigned settings.

All in all, the controller is very handy. During the night you can turn your fans down to maintain a peaceful silence, or ramp up the fans for a benchmarking session.

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