Introduction

When it comes to owning the fastest, the latest or the plain biggest technology in our PCs it seems large price tags are rarely a discouragement, yet when it comes to taking simple and relatively cheap steps towards protecting that investment or making it work more efficiently we turn our noses up.

The modern PC is on the whole a rather unattractive beast. It's noisy, runs hot and tends to feature either good looks or an efficient design but rarely both combined. Fortunately one or two companies seem to be finally getting "with it" and catching on to what it is a PC enthusiast looks for in a product long before it gets anywhere near his or her pride and joy. Vantec are one such company and today I want to look at their NXP101 Multi-function Panel, a product designed to serve a real and useful purpose while at the same time looking good. Have they managed it? Let's take a look.

The Principle

Ever since USB began to make an impact PC users have bemoaned the fact that plugging and unplugging peripherals involved groping around at the back of their cases. A couple of pioneering companies latched on the fact that money could be made from a product design to relocate the most frequently used ports and connectors at the front of the PC. Some of you may remember the FrontX Multimedia Port, a modular port replicator that we actually reviewed back in mid 2001 and one of the first port replicators to make an appearance on the market. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it other than looks, and to be fair looks didn't quite matter so much even as recently as 2001 as they do today. Today the discerning PC enthusiast has a very different take on what he's prepared to sully his computer with so mere functionality doesn't cut it anymore. It now needs to look the part too and appeal to owners of a vastly varying range of cases in almost every colour you can think of. It sounds like the Holy Grail, a good looking port replicator with added functionality and a Chameleon like ability to look good in varying cases.

Let's take a look.

Features

• 3 Stylish Interchangeable Faceplates (More now available)
  
• Adjustable CPU Fan Speed Controller
  
• System Temperature Monitoring Switch & LCD Display
  
• Audio Alarm Warning
  
• 2 USB Ports and 1 IEEE1394 (Firewire) Port
• Dimensions 148.5x41.5x62.0 mm
• Weight 350 gm
• Panel Temperature Range 15C ~ 70C
• Sensor Temperature Range 15C ~ 90C

In The Box

Before we dig around in the box we should mention the box itself. Vantec were savvy enough to fit a window in the front of the box and give you a glimpse of what you're buying, a smart move considering it looks so good. The box design is clean and covers all the critical features, box contents and specifications at a glance.

Inside the box is everything you need to get up and running. The NXP101 comes supplied with three interchangeable face plates in a slightly bemusing set of colours. The green I can understand, perhaps something like the Cooler Master ATC210C would look good with this option. The other two, a blue and a kind of blue/grey seem a less obvious choice and though they'd still look the part in most cases I have to wonder if a clear, black (opaque) or perhaps aluminium or aluminium effect fascia would have been a better choice considering the current trends in case design.

Along with these come all the required cables and screws to fit and connect and an Allen (hex) key needed to remove the four screws which secure the face plates. Spare hex screws are also supplied.

The NXP101 is powered from a regular 4 pin Molex plug directly from your PSU. A "Y" or pass-thru adapter might have made life easier for users with no spare Molex connector but these are fairly readily available.

The actual electronics are relatively simple and nicely done and Vantec have used a dual PCB layout for simplicity.

The unit is very compact and feels pretty substantial, certainly compared to similar units we've seen in the past. There's a definite quality feel about the whole construction, even the parts that don't see the light of day when installed which are the usual candidates for a quality bypass.

Features