Hello. I have spent quite some time on spcr looking for answers to the queries below without getting good answers. I guess this might be because the answers are obvious so I am hesitantly posting this in the newcomers forum.
I have seen many mentions of removing the rear Tricool fan that comes with a P182 case and replacing it with a quieter alternative such as a Nexus fan.
1) If you do this, will the three position fan control switch on the back of the case still work?
2) If not how do I choose between a) ASUS fan control utilities on the motherboard b) free software such as Speedfan and c) hardware fan controllers such as Zalman ZM-MFC2?
To assist with Q2, I should say that I don't overclock or game and I don't want to constantly be tweaking the fans. I just want the fans to do their job, silently, and to get a warning if they are failing to do their job so that I can take appropriate action. The only fans I plan on having in the P182 are the rear fan and the fan that comes with the PSU, either Corsair VX450 or Seasonic 600.
This matter is important to me because I want to have a Q6600 chip, passively cooled with a Scythe Ninja, so I need to know that the rear fan is doing its job.
Thanks in advance,
Zax
P182 non-Tricool fan control
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee
The Tricool switches are hardwired to the fans, unfortunately, so you can't use them with other makes. 
I'm personally not a big fan (no pun intended) of Asus's onboard fan controls - Speedfan would be my preferred option if it worked properly with the board, if not, a good third-party controller. Better yet, get an uGuru-equipped Abit board instead, whose fan controls are an absolute dream in comparison.
Incidentally, I think passively cooling a Q6600 may be a bit optimistic, especially with a low-speed exhaust fan, at least if you're going to use it to its full potential (which is presumably the case, or there'd be no point getting a quad in the first place). Let us know how you get on...
I'm personally not a big fan (no pun intended) of Asus's onboard fan controls - Speedfan would be my preferred option if it worked properly with the board, if not, a good third-party controller. Better yet, get an uGuru-equipped Abit board instead, whose fan controls are an absolute dream in comparison.
Incidentally, I think passively cooling a Q6600 may be a bit optimistic, especially with a low-speed exhaust fan, at least if you're going to use it to its full potential (which is presumably the case, or there'd be no point getting a quad in the first place). Let us know how you get on...