Today we are fortunate enough to take a peek at the new fan speed controller from NZXT, their third offering in the enthusiast fan controller market. NZXT was established in 2004 in Los Angeles, California. Their products are designed and engineered in the United States and manufactured in Asia. NZXT is known among the PC community for making cases, power supplies and accessories. Their line of fan speed controllers have always been a bit of a luxury item compared to other controllers, as they all have LCD displays and individual temperature probes for each fan. The Sentry 1 controlled five fans, featured a monochromatic screen and fit a 5.25" drive bay. The Sentry LX also controlled five fans, but featured a multi-colored display and took up two 5.25" drive bays. The new Sentry 2 combines a multi-colored LCD of the LX with the compact form of the Sentry 1 and adds a touchscreen display. Let's take a closer look!


The Sentry 2 comes in a small box with adequate padding and the screws you will need to mount the unit. Also included are two spare thermal sensors, which I thought would be handy, as these probes can be fragile. The included instructions left a lot to be desired. They essentially tell you how to physically install the unit, but have absolutely no instructions on how to use the features listed on the box.

My first impression of the Sentry 2 out of the packaging was not that good. The unit felt light and flimsy. Gone was the sleek brushed aluminum frame of the previous models, replaced with black plastic. This made it seem like aesthetics took a back seat, but once plugged in, all the beauty came back in force.

Features

* Touch screen interface
* Five fan control through an intuitive interface
* Ultra fast selection and response time
* Display temperatures in both F and C
* Light switch turns off the meter when sleeping
* Automatic and manual modes of control
* Full compatibility with all types of fans using voltage control
* With a minimum of 10 Watts per channel, the Sentry 2 will support most high end fans
* Tuned accuracy with only a tolerance of one degree
* Sound alarm to alert when the temperature is over
* Stored settings, the Sentry keeps your settings even after power off