NZXT Grid+ V2 Fan Controller Review

[section_title title=Conclusion]

Conclusion

Fan controllers are a seemingly simple bit of kit that works in the background that you can pretty much ignore once you have set them up. This makes the setup process a rather important part of their use; perhaps more important than anything else as everything is automated for the entire time it’s running. With the Grid+ V2 you get to set specific fans to ramp up when the CPU starts to heat up and others to do the job of cooling the space around a hot GPU, then perhaps balance the workload for the rest of the fans in your system. What’s more, you can use a lot of fans with it – eight with the splitters or 30W in total… Useful, no?

My experience was mostly one of quiet satisfaction. Physical installation was a breeze and the Grid+ software module is really straightforward to use with few options to confuse the rather simple process of telling a fan to run at specific speeds. Indeed, the CAM software in general is rather handy for giving you information about the components in your system.

If your motherboard has a bazillion fan headers as well as the software to run them, and you are only interested in the efficient and practical cooling of your computer, then perhaps the Grid+ V2 isn’t going to make it to your shopping list; it’s not really going to add anything to that scenario from a cooling aspect. From a cable management point of view, however, it’s the bomb. Being able to take all those fan cables and put them around the back of your motherboard is going to give you a very clean look as well as efficient cooling. Of course, if you don’t have an excessive amount of fan headers on your motherboard then this is a really good way to get extra fan support without having to rely on MOLEX powered ones that always run at full speed and you also get that clean cable-free experience when you look through the case window.

After some consideration, I’ve decided to award the NZXT Grid+ with a performance award, even though I had a few niggles with my particular unit. When it was working it worked great, and it’s the great part that I expect any user to experience since it comes with 2 years warranty. Being able to control as many fans as anybody would reasonably expect to own, zone-based cooling control, reduced cable clutter and very sleek software are all part of the package that you’re buying into. The US price of $30 seems about right for the Grid+ but alas, those of us in the UK will lose out on the RNG that is the tech market, having to stump up £30 which seems a bit unfair –  but let’s face it, we’re used to it by now.