Fan controllers are products that we are definitely getting a lot more into these days having already taken a look at Phobya’s Touch 6 and Lamptron’s CW611. Today we are taking a look at another fan controller from Phobya’s range of fan controllers and we have their newly released MaxGuide 6 Dual (5.25″) Bay fan controller. Like a lot of fan controllers that are available on the market today the Phobya MaxGuide 6 Dual Bay fan controller is manufactured by Sunshine Tipway Electronics (STW for short) and resold by Phobya in the UK, North American and European markets. This particular Phobya fan controller is based on the STW-6048 while the Phobya Touch 6 we looked at was based on the STW-6050 and as far as I am aware the NZXT Sentry Mesh is based off the STW-6051 (but I may be wrong, though the resemblance is striking).
In most cases companies will just take these Chinese built and manufactured units, rebrand them and then add on a margin for themselves. However, Phobya are more or less offering them for the same price it would cost the consumer/user to import it from China, and you have the peace of mind that it comes with a Phobya warranty. For this I respect Phobya but it was necessary to bring it to your attention and this is something consumers should be aware of – that is where and how your goods are made.
In terms of specifications you can find those here on the STW website or here on the Aquatuning website (who sell the EU/UK/NA version that you and I are likely to buy). The main features about this fan controller are that it has 6 channels support 36W each, multiple card readers (CF/SD/MMC/MS/M2/TF), a USB 3.0 port, a 3.7 inch LCD display and a fully metal construction. Without any further ado let us move through and take a closer look at this unit.
Heh heh. The green & blue boards used in these units really seem to irritate you Ryan and I know it’s just personal taste, but I can’t see what difference it makes seeing that once it’s installed in the case you can’t see it unless you have a windowed/lighted case and are viewing it at an oblique angle from behind. 🙂
That said, I’m dubious of the screens quality. In my experience these shiny screens tend to dim & fade after about a year. I hope that’s not the case here considering the asking price.
Well not really I mean it is like buying a case then them painting the inside blue when the case is black on the outside. I think it is just a lack of quality. That said even if the green PCB was forgiveable the shoddy build quality of the dials combined with the screen glare is most certainly not. If you had one of these for review I have a feeling you’d be unhappy too!
I fully understand your gripes about the dodgy build quality considering it’s price but to be perfectly honest I’d never even heard of this brand until I read your review of one of their fan controllers a few days ago. I’m not even sure if they’re available here in South Africa.
Well the strange thing is Phobya are actually a great brand and make a lot of high quality water cooling stuff. However with respect to their Fans and fan controllers they don’t make most of them. They just get them OEM produced by other companies so this particular unit, as I mentioned in the review, is OEM produced by some Chinese company called STW electronics.
I do not like the flat cables, yes they are black and there is no sleving needed but we went away from flat cables for a reason and that is the restrictions of airflow. I think that is a big negative.
surely they increase/enhance airflow because they take up less space (no need for sleeving) and are not perforated (so have less air resistance) ?
Flat surfaces inhibit airflow far more that round surfaces. High quality sleving is smooth and while it may add some micro turbulence it allows for better airflow. The ridges in the flat cables will also induce micro turbulence but neither will generate a measurable amount. That is one reason the front or airplane wings are the shape they are and one reason many of us used to modify the old ribbon cables. I also believe it is easier to hide round cables. I just feel it is a negative.
There stuff is ok nothing to brag about.
good review, phobya although cheap are a good quality manufacturer.