Gelid SpeedTouch 6 Fan Controller Review
Peter Donnell / 10 years ago
Final Thoughts
Price
There are loads of great fan controllers on the market for very reasonable prices, many similar specification devices out there from the likes of Lamptron and Aerocool will set you back around £40; the Gelid Speed Touch 6 is a more affordable £34.99 from Quiet PC. This makes it great value for money and given that the build quality and design of the touch screen are superb, I think the Speed Touch 6 is one of the best value for money fan controllers on the market.
Overview
The Gelid Speed Touch 6 does exactly what it says on the box; it’s a straight forward device that does a simple job very well. The overall design of the unit isn’t exactly innovative; as it’s comparable to many other devices that are on the market, but at the same time it is stylish, very well made and the touch screen panel is aesthetically pleasing. The only issue I can see is that it would be better suited to black chassis, especially those with black brushed aluminium, so perhaps something from Lian Li or Corsair would be ideal, and the fixed blue colour would also do well to be colour coordinated with other components; a white case with yellow fans may look a bit strange with a black and blue fan controller.
Build quality is very high, the cables feel robust and their slim design makes them easy to route around your chassis without too much trouble. The front panel is made from a thick piece of aluminium, the quality of the back-lit touch screen is also very good.
Setting up the device is a quick and easy process, although some extra time is needed to carefully route the thermal probes; especially for those who have a side panel window, as you’ll not want extra cables trailing all over your build. The modular cable design is a welcome bonus, as those only needing 2 probes and four fan connections can easily leave excess cables out of their build. Another welcome bonus is the shallow form factor, this leaves a lot of extra space in the back of your 5.25″ bay for hiding excess cables; although this is true of most fan controllers.
Pros
- Intuitive design
- Great build quality
- Lovely aluminium front panel
- Modular cables
- Competitive price
Cons
- A configurable thermal range/set of profiles for auto mode would be nice
“A simple, but very effective design means the Gelid Speed Touch 6 looks great and performs perfectly. It’s beginner friendly in terms of design, but packs just enough features to make it suitable for high-end systems and cooling configurations. If you want to get more control over your systems cooling and acoustic performance, then the Speed Touch 6 should be high on your shopping list.”
Thank you Gelid for providing us with this sample.