Date: April 6th, 2010
Article by: Joe Anderson (Hardware Reviewer)
Edited By: Nathan Glentworth (Owner / Head Editor)
Product was submitted by: Zalman
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PRODUCT INSTALLATION AND TESTING
Installation is relatively easily accomplished provided you have a 5.25-inch front bay available in your chassis. I would recommend connecting all of the included fan wiring to the panel before putting the panel in the case. It will be much easier to add a fan or two later if the wiring is already attached to the panel. On a similar note, I wish Zalman had included a 5 or 6-inch extension cable for the 4-pin power connector. The process of getting the device installed involves either dragging a cable from the PSU through the front of the chassis or trying to connect the cable after the device is installed. Neither is a pleasant experience.
The cables are of generous length and should reach the appropriate motherboard header locations in all but the largest cases. Now let's go ahead and install the panel in the case and get everything hooked up.
After connecting the PWM cable to the CPU fan and motherboard and five miscellaneous 120mm fans to the Zalman controller, I fired up the system and began to put the ZM-MFC1 Combo through its paces. The unit performed exactly as advertised and all functions were smooth and reliable. I particularly liked the PWM functionality. The controller's functions and status lighting are very easy to master and the lighting isn't overpoweringly bright. Overall, a very nice unit.
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