NZXT Sentry 3

The matte black fan controller occupies no more than one external 5.25-inch slot in the front of the case and features a large display: at 5.4 inches, the attractively designed, clearly organized, and not overly colorful touchscreen is more spacious than most competing models in the single-bay format.

This allows for precise inputs with a finger, for example, when adjusting the voltage of one of the five channels up or down via the large "PowerSlide Bar" in the upper right corner, thereby customizing the speed of the fans connected to that channel as desired (even down to a complete stop if preferred). At the same time, readability is not compromised, as there is still enough space for the RPM display, temperature field (1 sensor), or channel selection field.

The lighting of the touch-sensitive LCD display can be quickly turned off with a finger press, just like the signal tones. The "Link" field allows all five channels to be paired in no time, enabling them to be set to the same values. Each channel provides a generous 15 watts of power, which even allows for the operation of multiple fans (with an additional fan splitter cable available for purchase) - according to NZXT, even up to three high-performance fans.

Fans are connected to the controller via five 3-pin sockets, which are also compatible with 4-pin connectors of PWM fans, which are then controlled not by pulse width modulation but by voltage regulation. For maximum safety, NZXT has integrated protection against short circuits, overvoltage, and undervoltage into the visually and technically excellent Sentry 3. The fan controller is powered by a 4-pin Molex connector from the power supply.