Lad....thanks but no thanks.

1) I don't plan on running Windows on my XBX2, ever (and no, I don't run crappy Linux either....I really, really like Vista, but it's not for this machine--partially why I have two machines in one case ). Speedfan runs on Windows.
2) Software and I never get along...if something can be done in hardware *kinda well*, I'll take that over software doing it 'amazingly' (because it isn't amazing and usually stops working for me)
3) Still really no control. RPM sensing circuits are neither accurate nor consistent in my experience on the P5W and XBX1.
4) It requires a 1-2 min waiting period for the the OS and software to start before all the fans spin down.
5) It's PWM....
6) Wiring mess, I'll have 7 fans to power on the XBX2's system and 6SATA devices....I want wires as far away from that board as possible and that wouldn't help.
7) I don't want more noise as I load it...I want constantly semi-quiet except in rare cases when noise is 'acceptable.' Hardware-based control can hold a setting ad infinitum and allows me to individually tune without interrupting or stopping what I'm doing.

Sorry if that seems harsh...but the on-board fan headers were never even a consideration (for more reasons than listed too...).