FrontX port extender

Thursday, May 25, 2000


Introduction

It's with great anticipation that we will be presenting here, the newest bit of technology from FrontX CPX. It's not very often that we dedicate time to reviewing a simple add-on component with these pages, but this particular piece of equipment just begged to be made an exception.

What the FrontX allows users to do, is to relay a computer's connectors from the back, to the front of its casing - as you can see from the photo below.

   

As we can well testify, the FrontX is a very useful package. In effect, thanks to this ingenious little invention, it's possible for us to plug in peripherals - such as a joystick, or headphones - without having to get up, and turn the computer around to access its ports. From now on, we only have to plug our bit & pieces into the front of the computer - thus saving time, and backaches.

Let's take a more detailed look, now, at the FrontX.

  


The Features

The FrontX mission in life is to redirect a computer's many ports from its rear, to its front.

As for the connections that can be relayed from one to the other, they include:
  • Audio-in from the sound-card
  • High-definition sound-out from the sound-card
  • All other sound-card connectors
  • The Printer port
  • The Joystick port
  • The serial and/or parallel ports
  • The video connector from the graphics card
  • All other ports from the graphics card
    		•   

    So, as you can see, the FrontX has made things much less complicated, and much more accessible. As a large range of possibilities is offered, no doubt everyone will be able to find a use for at least one of them.



    Installation

    Installation of the FrontX is quite simple. In fact, no real technical expertise is needed. Simply secure the FrontX in one of your free bay, and relay the ports using the cables supplied with the package. The image below should give you a good idea what needs to be done. Note that a rear cache provides the space needed to pass the cables, and is supplied with the package.

    		   

    Also note, that though the FrontX is booked as being able to install in any computer system, we had a bit of trouble with our test system. This was due to the fact that the drive bays of our test system is using brackets sliding in tracks. So, because there's no way for us to use something else than this holding system, the drive bay's - thus preventing us from properly installing the FrontX. What we ended up doing, in fact, was installing the FrontX without screwing it in. As a result, we caution readers to check their systems, or else be left without a method of fully securing the device in its hold.



    Conclusion

    While it doesn't seem like much, the FrontX provides some very repectable practical benefits. I really like it, and I have to applaud FrontX CPX for its ingenuity, and what will undoubtably be a great success. In fact, for no more than $34.50(USD) in Europe, or $25.00(USD) in Canada, and The United States, the FrontX could be found gracing the front of your very-own system...

    For more information, visit FrontX CPX.

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