CoolerMaster Aerogate 3 ALD-V03 - Page 3
Posted by Mitchell on 26 October 2004 (11190 views) Rating: 2.63
I might be highlighting all of the negatives to do with the unit, but once it lights up for the first time all is forgotten, they really do make an awesome addition to your front panel.
You let it sit for a bit and it goes into ‘Idle Mode’. Then you turn back later to see “CoolerMaster CoolDrive6” scrolling through the LCD screen. I looked at the box it said Aerogate, I also checked that I didn’t have a drive caddy to hold the HDD behind the unit. NOTHING??
This is probably the weirdest quirk with this unit. It actually believes it is a Cool Drive6? I don’t know what is going on, did they flash the wrong firmware onto the microchips?
Here is a shot to prove it: (excuse the bluriness and the 36x CD-ROM :-)
If anyone else has a CoolerMaster Aerogate that is like this please post it on our forums, I would like to know how far this problem has spread.
Using the Aerogate:
Using the Aerogate without instructions is quite a challenge. The menu interface is something quite tricky to get the hang of. I find myself usually pushing the wrong buttons and having the thing beep at me. Oops
On the Coolermaster website I found an instruction manual, and it shows you the layout of the menu structure and what buttons to push in order to set tolerances and view temperatures etc.
View the Instruction Manual HERE
This is the first unit I have had that doesn’t control the fan speed by twisting a knob, you feel pretty technical when you increase or decrease the fan speed with a push button.
The Aerogate caters for both Celsius and Fahrenheit and allows warnings to be set at different temperature level for each channel, the warnings can be audible or silent, in which case the backlight will flash on and off. You can turn the sound on or off by the push of a button.
When you first start the Aerogate ‘F.S INFO’ will flash up on the screen. This is a main menu which stands for Fan Speed Information. Once you push the “Right” button the display will change to show the Fan Speed for Channel 1. If you leave the Aerogate for a few seconds, it will begin cycling through all off the Fan Speed channels and then swap over to show Temperature information.
This cycling will continue until the time set in the “Idle Mode” menu expires. At this time it will cycle through the words “Coolermaster Aerogate3” or in my case “Cooler Master Cooldrive6” until a button is pressed.
Once knowledge of the menu structure is formed in your mind, using the Aerogate becomes a breeze.
I know black drives would look better ;-)
Conclusion:
This has been the weirdest product I have ever reviewed. It has had surprises at every corner, starting with the Cool Drive6 scenario. Its seems to have a few problems but once the unit lights up you forget all of them. I know this review seemed to highlight all of the problems with the unit, but I don’t care, I love my Aerogate3 and that’s why it is has scored so well.
Pros:
• Excellent Design
• Adds to your case
• Digital Fan and Temperature readout!
• Digital fan speed control
Cons:
• The Cool Drive6 mix-up
• No Instructions
• Only 3 pin extension cable included, should also have Molex adapters
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