W-Force Super Panel Review

 

Let me first thank Volker from Evweb.at for making this review possible. Visit their site for more great products and great prices.

There are many drive bay panels in the market. However, they have one thing in common that has been the trend. Front panel access to ports such as USB, etc. However these are all the same stuff. Why don’t we take a look at something new, something with a change? Introducing the W-Force Super panel.

The W-Force multi-function panel offers a new twist in the world of drive bay products. It offers a new level of creativity with it’s visually pleasing unit that stands out afar. It changes the world of front panel access with the addition of a rheobus. This rheobus allows you to change the fan speed of any fan, particularly the CPU fan. Today we will see if it has the potential of being a great product.

Specs

Features :

The presentation and Bundle

The presentation that the W-Force Super panel came in is very well made. The box was attractive with a black and yellow colour scheme. Equally done was the packaging. The panel was securely placed in a hard-plastic casing protecting it from damage.

The panel comes with 2 faceplates. These faceplates can be removed via the Allen wrench. Just unscrew and screw the faceplate on. Also if you have a silver aluminum case, you can stick with the aluminum faceplate behind. Let's take a look.

It came with the following:

Installation

Installation was very simple with clearly labeled connectors assisting you. All you have to do is read and connect. You may also want to read the manual. It is very easy to follow with diagrams and pictures to help you.

First off you have connect the included wires into their right position on the circuit board. It is labeled.

Let's go over the steps.

1. Connect the "To CPU Fan" and the "To Main Board" Wires into the circuit board. The power cable is pre-connected.

2. Connect the Thermal sensors into the desired ports on the circuit board. They are pre-labeled, so you will have no problems.

3. Connect the Firewire cable and the USB 2.0 cable into the ports labeled. Weather you have USB 2 or not, they are fully compatible with USB 1.1.

ITS READY!

When the unit is installed properly, you will need to know how to use it. To the left of the rheobus is the button to toggle through the temperatures of the CPU, Hard Drive and Case temperatures.

The readout of the temperatures is operated by a LED screen. The readout is very clear and the backlit light helps at night. Only one downfall. The screen is hard to read from angles, just like how some calculators are hard to read when looking at different angles.

The panel has an onboard sound alarm when a fan failure happens. Also the alarm will sound when the CPU overheats. However, there is no automatic shutdown option should these problems occur. Which is bad because if your computer overheats when you go shopping, your computer is burnt toast.

Conclusion

Overall my impressions with the W-Force super panel are very positive. This product is a move forward from regular front panel bays such as the Abit Media XP for instance (although the Media XP is for media, you get the idea...right?) With onboard front ports, an LCD screen, and rheobus, the W-Force Super panel is a winner. There was one thing I didn't really like and that was the LCD readout when you view it at angles. You have to look at it in front of your face to have a clear reading. Other than that, if you are looking for a front panel drive with great looks, and functionality, you have to put this on your list.

I rate the W-Force Super panel a...

9/10!

Pros and Cons

+ Great looks
+ Great construction
+ Rheobus, LCD, and front ports in one
+ Monitor 3 different temperature sources
- Alarm cannot be disabled
- LCD screen readout is bad at angles

Visit Evweb.at for more information and more great products. If you should buy one, tell them Modsynergy.com sent ye! Thanks again for reading this review.