There are a number of good reasons to build your own personal computer. The one reason left out of this discussion more than anything is the “control” aspect. Everyone wants to have as much control over how their electronics work as much as possible. Fan controller software is cool, no pun intended, but there is nothing like a physical interface. The Fractal Design Adjust 108 fan controller gives me control over the fans in my PC individually. Let’s see how well it does at this task!
Features and Specifications
The Fractal Design Adjust 108 Fan Controller has a minimalistic approach in design and style. The 5.25 inch framework is steel with a brushed aluminum front bezel sporting an all black finish. Six vertical potentiometer sliders controls the 36 watts per channel for each of the fan headers.
The controller comes with six removable 60 cm (23.6 inch) fan cables pre-installed with 3-pin headers, but also works with fans that have 4-pin connectors. Each of the 6 sliders has an individual LED indicator that illuminates either blue or white. The intensity of the LED can be controlled via a jumper on the circuit board of the Adjust 108. Power is provided via a single molex or SATA connector.
As of writing this review the Fractal Design Adjust 108 is currently only available at NCIX for $36.76 which is slightly above the MSRP of $34.99. Let see what else is included in the package.
What’s in the Box?
The content of the box is very spartan, but this is to be expected with single item accessories like the Adjust 108 in this case. You will find the fan controller itself in a protective anti-static bag, instruction manual, four installation screws, 6 fan cables, and the molex/SATA cable. All of the cables for the Adjust 108 are pre-installed and also contained in the anti-static bag for additional protection.
Construction Quality – External
The Fractal Design Adjust 108 fan controller has a thick steel ‘U’ frame that does not bend at all. This is great as it avoids alignment issues during installation and shows the high level of quality.
The frame is attached to aluminum blocks behind the front bezel via two screws which also holds the circuit board in place via four smaller screws. Let’s see how well it’s made on the inside next!
Construction Quality – Internal
The circuit board is uniformly laid out with all of the cables being detachable. This is great if you find a cable with a short or if it becomes damaged as you can easily replace it and carry on. The LED intensity jumper is just to the right of the power header and is set at 50% from the factory. You can use the jumper to disable all the LEDs or increase the intensity to 100% as you see fit.
I don’t recommend the latter (100%) as the 50% was bright enough to prevent me from taken a good picture while in operation. Even though it is too much for the camera, I had no issue with the brightness level of 50% while in use. 100% brightness was too much and quickly became distracting, almost taking over as the brightest light in the room.
You should take care to pick your preferred option prior to installation as the jumper will be very difficult to reach while inside your PC case.
Installation and Setup
The installation of the Fractal Design Adjust 108 fan controller consists of placing it in the 5.25″ bay selected and securing it with the provided screws. Only two are really needed to get it to stay in place, but use all four if you wish for better security.
The 60 cm cables proved more than long enough to reach any fan in the previously reviewed mid-tower SilverStone TJ04-EW or full-tower Rosewill Thor V2 including cable management. Both cases have a tool-less installation system which did not get in the way as the Adjust 108 lines up just like any ODD drive.
Once the Adjust 108 is installed you are only left with the brushed aluminum face and the 6 sliders exposed. The sliders are coated in a rubber material to prevent finger slips while in use and work well. They only stick out as far as buttons found on DVD drives so it will also work with any case that has a front door.
The only issue we noticed is that the aluminum bezel has several machine marks from when it was cut out during manufacturing. Fortunately, these are only visible prior to installation, but we would like to see the bezel shaved down to a smoother edge, for a better looking finished product.
Usage Impressions
Once installed and powered on, we learned that the LED indicators change colors based on the power being provided to the fans. White indicates less than 50% and blue indicates power at above 50%. We didn’t like this very digital indication from an analog control. We would rather the LEDs be used to illuminate the sliders for dark rooms. We’d prefer an analog style indicator with the analog slider.
The Adjust 108 provides continuous current of 3 amps and controls fan speed via adjusting the voltage from 12 V to 6 V. The sliders themselves are very smooth and can be moved easily going from maximum voltage down to minimum. We would like the option to turn fans off, but it’s not a requirement as the audible noise level is significantly lowered at minimum voltage of 6 Volts.
Final Thoughts
The Fractal Design Adjust 108 fan controller delivers exactly what is expected with no fuss. The minimalistic design, black color, and brush aluminum lends itself well to integration with PC cases with similar design aesthetics. Especially those with aluminum front panels. Unfortunately, I could only find one case from Fractal Designs that would match well with the Adjust 108 and that’s the Arc Midi R2.
The Adjust 108 also has both very solid construction and an easy to understand layout. All of the removable cables are spaced out well, power connections feel durable, and the LED intensity jumper is easy to reach (when not installed in the case). It is clear Fractal Design took some time to work on the design of this product prior to its release.
There are a few minor issues with the Adjust 108, but these are easily overlooked. The aluminum block was not shaved smooth and has a rough edge to it. There is no risk of cuts, but it makes the manufacturing look as though it was rushed. This may just be my sample received prior to product release though. The only other issue is that the LED indicators just seem pointless as they only indicate when the slider is above 50% or not and not much else.
You can currently find the Adjust 108 for $36.76 which is a fair price when compared to other available fan controllers. The Fractal Design Adjust 108 is a good product and a great first attempt at a fan controller for the company. I expect to see even more refined and innovative products from Fractal Design in the very near future.
Pros
- LED Brightness Controllable
- 6 Channels with up to 36 W each
- All cables are removable (and replaceable)
- Support for 3-pin and 4-pin PWM fans
- Very sturdy build quality
Cons
- Does not match style of most PC cases (including their own)
- Two color LED not useful
- Faceplate has some rough edges
Overall Rating: 8.0 / 10.0
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