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Introduction

With an ever-increasing amount of fans being fitted to the interior of a case, to allow better stability, noise outputs begin to become a concern. Therefore to enable the user to achieve their desired levels of both cooling and noise, fan controllers have been introduced to give the user versatility. Today, at Tech-Reviews we have Sunbeamtech’s latest product. I give you the Rheobus Extreme…

About Sunbeamtech

“Sunbeam Company, a true art innovator in the field of PC modification and accessories at all aspect, targets on providing the top quality and state of art computer products to high tech PC users. We dedicate outstanding high quality control as our number one priority and deliver the products with the highest level of excellent Performance, as well as the coolest Innovation and an Appearance that draws your attention.”

Features

• Aluminium design, suitable for 5.25" bay.
• 6 fan adjustable function.
• Input 12V±10%, output 0-12V±10%, (max output 30 Watt each channel)
• Various brightness knob design, the brightness control by Knob.

Specifications

• DC Input: +12V (Standard 4-pin Connector)
• DC Output: 0v – 12V DC
• LED Lamps: 12*Blue LED 5.0V
• 3-Pin Fan Connectors: 6
• Fan RPM Knobs: 6
• Dimensions:  148mm x 42mm x 82mm

The Package

The exterior of the Rheobus extreme is roughly the same size as the product and depicts a large image on the front of the silver version of the controller. Aside from this image, the front is relatively basic with the only other point mentioned is that there’s a maximum of 30W per channel.

Moving to the back of the packaging, there isn’t really much to say, just the usual lists of features and specifications.

In addition to the main product are a series of accessories:

• User guide
• Power wire
• RPM signal wire for motherboard
• 3pin to 3pin
• 4 screws

The Sunbeamtech Rheobus Extreme

The Sunbeamtech Rheobus Extreme comes in two colours: black and silver. We were kindly sent the silver version. The front panel is aluminium but covered with an acrylic cover which is attached over it.

Overall, there are six channels and this relates to the six clear knobs on the front. As a result of the knobs being manufactured out of clear plastic, two small LEDs situated behind each knob create a blue glow which certainly adds some much needed aesthetics. Moreover, the brightness of the lights is in proportion to the speed setting of the fan.

The only down side to these LEDs is that there is no way to turn them off and consequently this could become a little annoying.

Each knob has its own individual labelling in black lettering with the words “LO” and “HI” as well as the number in roman numerals below each channel.

The dials themselves operate very smoothly and there is little resistance or noise when each is turned.

The back of the Rheobus Extreme is where all the connections for the power, output and input are located. According to the packaging, each channel has a rating of 30 watts and so there are heatsinks installed to dissipate the inevitable heat that is produced.

I did notice some issues with the back, though. For one the controller appears to be made quickly with little attention to detail and as a result the heatsinks to do not seem fully secure. Also, the aligning of the fan connectors was not particularly neat.

Finally, the bottom simply has twelve solder pads which hold the heatsinks in place.

Powered up, the controller gives out a cold blue glow.

Installation & Testing

To test the Sunbeam Rheobus Extreme we installed it in the rig listed below and made notes of any faults/ findings from the installation.

Test Setup

Processor	Intel C2D E5550 Dual Core 2.33GHz
Motherboard	Gigabyte S-Series GA-73PVM-S2H
Graphics Card	XFX 8600GT
Memory	Corsair XMS2 PC6400 (2x 1GB)
Hard Drive	Hitachi HDT7250 (250GB)
OS	Windows XP Pro 32bit
Case	Lian-Li V1100 Plus

Firstly, to install the fan controller into the case, I simply removed one of the front panels beneath the ODD and slotted the controller in. Then it was easily attached by a few screws.

Once this was complete, all that remained was to connect up the 4-pin power lead to the PSU and then connect up all the fans (the two system fans and the CPU fan) to the controller using the correct leads.

Once I powered up my PC, the Rheobus came to life and on came all the blue LEDs which immediately illuminated the front of my case.

I adjusted the fan settings of both my system fans and the CPU fan and was easily able to create a balance that suited me depending on the level of cooling I required. It is exceptionally useful for when your PC is just left idle as you can turn down the speed of all your fans and so reduce the noise significantly.

Similarly, when playing a game, I was able to whack up the fans rpm’s so as to achieve a much higher level of cooling.

Cost

The Sunbeam Rheobus Extreme is currently retailing at about £17.99. For a product as useful as this, it’s definitely a good buy.

Conclusion

To conclude, there is no doubt that the Rheobus Extreme is a very useful accessory that allows the user to create a specific level of noise and cooling dependent on the requirements of their PC at a certain time. Also, the blue LEDs add a distinctive style to the front of your case.

However, there are a few bad points. For example, there is no way of turning off the LEDs and in the dark especially the blue light can become quite distracting. Also, for some cases, the acrylic covering on the aluminium front does not suit the fashion of some cases. Despite this, these concerns are obviously individual tastes and so every user will have their own opinion.

Strengths

• Stylish blue LEDS
• Six channels supporting up to 30W
• Change in brightness depending on rpm

Weaknesses

• LEDs cannot be turned off
• May not suit some cases

Overall, the Rheobus Extreme deserves a respectable 4/5.

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2. Fan Control/Rheobus FC-2
3. Scythe Kaze Master Fan Controller
4. Sunbeamtech Core Contact
5. Noiseblocker FanSpeed Controller