• Product: Vantec Nexus Fan & Light Controller - 5.25"
• Manufacturer: Vantec http://www.vantec.com.tw
• Supplier: Halcyonics http://www.halcyonics.co.uk
• What you get:
  • 1 x NXP-301
  • 1 x Main Power Cable (Molex)
  • 3 x Fan Connector Cables (3/4 pin)
  • 2 x 12" Blue Cold Cathode Tubes.

This might be a product that you may not of thought about getting or maybe you haven't even heard of a device like this before. Basically it can control the fans and/or lights in your computer obviously. The main benefits you can gain from this are:

• Reduce the noise of your case fans,
• Or increase the airflow through your case if you need extra cooling,
• Show off your computer with the cold cathode illumination,
• Ability to easily turn off the light when not needed.

So let's take a look at the Nexus, nice big box:

opens box:

You can see the contents of the box, the main unit that fits into one of your 5.25 inch drive bays, one power cable, three cables to attach your fans and two 12 inch blue cold cathode tubes. Very nice, all there, and an instruction booklet to help you out.

The main unit is metal and feels solid, you wont break it easily and it looks ok, front:

Three controls for the fans on the left and the cathode control on the right. Also on the right of the light control is a small sensor for sound. This enables you to have your light sound activated if you wish. Back:

It really is very simple to use and you can tell pretty quickly where you are going to plug things in. On the left are the connectors for the lights (x2), next to those is the power, then on the right are three fan connectors.

The installation is quick and easy as long as you have a free 5.25 inch drive bay. Just slot it in and plug in your cables, or you might find it easier to plug in the wires then push the Nexus controller in place. Usually something has to go wrong when I go near the computer but hey, not this time.

I put the controls on full to start off with so basically simulate how my system was, yep like an airplane. However with a simple touch I cranked down the fans to an inaudible level. Let's not forget why I had the fans there in the first place though - to cool my system. The effect of lowering the speed of my fans did concern me slightly as I don't really want my system getting any hotter.

Using the trusty Motherboard Monitor http://mbm.livewiredev.com/ which I've used for a long time to monitor my sys temps, I watched the temps rise, approximately three or four degrees Celsius, which I can cope with. But even so, if I have music on or a game then I can just whack the fans back up to full speed. But this is really handy when my PC is on overnight so I can sleep easier or I'm trying to do some work etc.

The blue cold cathodes perform very well also. I was stunned at how bright they were, and look very cool with a case that has a window. Check below for how good they look:

The front of the controller also glows around the dials, so you can see them in the dark oh and maybe they are there to add to the looks as well:

Sorry for the bad pic, that's the front of my case.

I know you can buy controllers separately but this is a great idea to have one easy to use interface that does the job as one. It certainly does what it is supposed to and makes your system look great as well as hush my rig. Suitably pleased.

You can get your hands on the above and other Vantec goodies from the following (UK):

Online stores:
casetech.co.uk
gladiatorcomputers.co.uk

Retails stores:
GHS Technology, 47 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 2EE
KustomPCs, 40 Fort Street, Ayr, Scotland, KA7 1DE