SPCR

Does anyone know if it is possible to use the miniNG or bigNG with the system sensors instead of the provided sensors?

With system sensors I mean the sensors for CPU, GPU, HDD, SYSTEM that you can monitor with speedfan, hwmonitor, everest,...

Yes it is possible but you need software to feed the readings back to the T-Balancer, is because the thing itself wouldn't have a way to read those sensors all alone.

So basically this means you need Speedfan and the Navigator open at all times to control fans unless you're using the probes as a back up.

If your concern is routing cables, it's not too hard with some patience. If OTOH you're thinking about accuracy, you can get close enough by using correction factors.

Heatsink mounted sensors of course are affected by a delay (thermal inertia), but this is usually not a big deal.

I tried with the BigNG and gave up as I couldn't find a way of reliably attaching the sensors to the sinks.

The 3M thermal tape that comes with the TBan makes a good job, provided you don't ask it the moon. Some things to keep in mind:

1) Clean well both surfaces before attaching the probe, using e.g. isopropylic alcohol or something that doesn't leave residues behind.

2) Choose the attachment point wisely, ideally you should pick the hottest point, but you also have to pick one that is easy to work with, it isn't in the way, and where there's enough space for the cable.

3) Route the sensor cables cleanly through the case, using twist/zip ties to make sure it's never in the way. This way the sensor won't risk being pulled if you need to work a bit in the PC, e.g. replace some card.

4) Fit the terminal part of the cable so there's minimum strain applied to to the thermal tape (ideally there should be none, but that's hard to achieve), or in the long run the sensor WILL come off.

5) To offset any strain on the sensor itself, add extra tape (e.g. duct) or twist/zip ties

6) You want to keep the extra tape down to a minimum, as for most tapes, the glue will decay over time and become hard to remove. Also do not apply the tape directly on top of the analog probes, or you risk peeling off the protective film when you remove the tape.

7) Stick with analog probes, they're much easier to work with because they're thin. Digital sensors are more bulky so they are better for the easy spots, e.g. HDDs, PSUs, or intake air temp.

8 ) Unless you really need them, don't use the yellow cables, those are used to feed back the fan speed data to the motherboard.

9) When you're done configuring your T-Ban, you can monitor the temperature and fan speed data using a small app like OpenHardwareMonitor (clicky). Don't waste your time with SpeedFan, it's slow, ugly, and doesn't support the T-Ban, and as far as AMD/ATI parts, they are not supported properly, and in some cases, not at all. In a word: it's c***.

10) Take it easy, most people find installing the T-Ban a bit tricky at the start, but with some patience you can achieve great results.

J. Sparrow wrote:4) Fit the terminal part of the cable so there's minimum strain applied to to the thermal tape (ideally there should be none, but that's hard to achieve), or in the long run the sensor WILL come off.

Yeah, I found this bit too hard. Also - who wants more cables in their system?

In the end 500rpm fans fixed my problem. The bigNG is sitting idle and will probably never see use again .

Thanks for the replies, they made me realise it's better to ditch the t-ban idea. I ordered a couple 800rpm scythe slipstreams and will undervolt them to the minimum necessary rpm to keep my system cool. It will turn out cheaper too .