Questions for Planning a New Build: What Will I Need? (Asus Maximus VIII Formula)

[Culley]

Gunna start this off with an apology because I bet a lot of these questions have been answered at some point but I'm looking to add an LCD panel into my new build for the first time and I have questions about hardware compatibility and what the AIDA64 software can output:

 

1) Can any LCD panel work as an external display? I've noticed that some are listed as "supported" or "not supported" but I'm not sure what that actually means. If anyone would like to suggest panels: I'm most likely looking for a panel roughly 8"-12".

 

2) I have an Asus Maximus VIII Formula Motherboard and plan on adding a Bitspower temp sensor fitting to my watercooling loop. I think I saw that only 1 temp sensor port could be read through the software but I wasn't sure if that had changed or the part I have in mind would cause issues.

 

3) I would also like to add a flow meter into my loop. However I'm not too familiar with how the signal is read since I've never used one (I believe they report in RPM since they connect to a fan header?). I'm looking for a suggestion on a flow meter that will work with AIDA64 and allow me to report in GPM or similar units.

 

Again thanks for any help anyone can give me and I'm open to any component suggestions.

[Fiery]

1) Tough issue. These days what you can get easily is usually too expensive and also too small for your needs. When it comes to large colour LCD screens, we generally recommend getting an old Android tablet or iPad and use RemoteSensor or Odospace, or to simply go for an old TFT LCD monitor that you can hook up to an unused DSub or DVI connector. The monitor solution would enable you to extend your Windows Desktop to that display, and use AIDA64 SensorPanel instead of the LCD module. It enables more flexibility too, since you can move any window to that screen.

And no, not any LCD displays would work. Most of those that support bitmap transfer through the USB connection should work.

2) The following special temperature readouts of Maximus VIII Extreme and Formula boards are supported by AIDA64:

T_Sensor1

EXT_Sensor1

EXT_Sensor2

EXT_Sensor3

The rest (T_Sensor2 and T_Sensor3) cannot be measured via AIDA64 right now.

3) I'm afraid we're not experienced that much in water cooling setups, so you have to ask that question on a different forum. But, as long as you can connect the flow meter to a fan header, and it reports the flow rate just as a fan would report its RPM measurement, then you can handle the device in AIDA64. The reported value would still be RPM though. You can use the Correction feature of AIDA64 (main menu / File / Preferences / Hardware Monitoring / Correction) to apply an offset or multiplier on the RPM readout.

Regards,

Fiery

[Culley]

Thanks for the quick feedback.

So if I understand this right there are a few options for setting up a sensor panel:

1) Android/iOS device and use Remote Sensor or Odospace to send the sensor panel to the Android device either wirelessly or wired.

2) Any monitor/panel choice that can be recognized in Windows and use as dedicated monitor for a sensor panel.

3) Supported LCD panel.

I guess I'm trying to understand the difference between 2 and 3, and how they are functionally different. Does supported panels generally refer to panels on peripherals that Aida64 can control?

I like the Android tablet idea but as far as I know, if an Android device runs out of battery, it will not automatically start back up when plugged in which could happen if the computer was turned off for a while. This would be annoying as I plan to mount the panel inside my PC case and would have to open up the case if it shut off. I might be able to come up with some way to make that work but maybe someone has already done something like this and might have a suggestion.

[Fiery]

The difference between #2 and #3 is basically the protocol that a software has to use to push a bitmap image (a LCD/SensorPanel frame) to the display. With #2 it's trivial, since Windows does everything for you. All you need to do is open a new window and draw something on it. The user can move the window from the main monitor to the secondary monitor. No hassle at all. With #3 however, AIDA64 has to push the bitmap image data to the display, usually via a USB connection, using the protocol the device dictates. That's where things get quite complicated, since most devices have a proprietary protocol that only that device uses. That's why AIDA64 supports over 50 different LCD devices, in most cases with a separate protocol. Also, several external displays (like picture frames) simply do not have a protocol that could be used to pass image data from a Windows PC. They may support copying files over a USB connection, but that involves updating the internal flash memory of the device, which is not a good idea to perform too frequently.

As for the tablet idea, yes, you're right, mounting a tablet permanently into your PC case is probably not a good idea. If you want to mount the display into your PC case, then I guess the best solution may be to try to find a relatively small old TFT LCD screen, and hook it up to your DSub or DVI output, and use it as a secondary monitor with AIDA64 SensorPanel. Of course there are some other alternatives, certain dedicated LCD screens that are case mountable, but usually they cost an arm and a leg, despite the fact that they're not that large Like USBD480 from LCDInfo:

http://www.lcdinfo.com/products/usbd480-lq043.html

USBD480 is fully supported by AIDA64, thanks to the fact that it features a very fast and efficient USB protocol. It's not that large though. I suppose you're looking for something considerably bigger than that...