Today I'll be reviewing a less common peripheral for your computer. It's the Vizo Master Panel. I can honestly say I have never seen anything like this. Keep reading for all the information!

About Vizo

VIZO Technology Corporation is a leading global manufacturer and designer of computer peripheral products serving customers around the world. Established in Taiwan in 1992, VIZO has expanded and now operates in the market completely reorganized and prepared to meet the demand for high quality products which are “Made in Taiwan”.

We have the best team and own completely innovative technology. Our company’s philosophy is simple: share results among the employees, build trust with our customers, maximize efficiency in our work and innovation in our designs. Utilizing many years of experience and a mature skill set, VIZO is able to provide PC users an incredible variety of “Do It Yourself” products and peripherals.

Pursuing growth, efficiency and innovation has always been the essence of VIZO's research and product development. Our goal for the near future is to constantly strive for technological advances and perfection in product quality. During our daily searching for new ideas, our growing company continues to supply additional features to our flashy products and constantly reaches for the leading position in the global market.

In addition, VIZO embraces changes for our customers, partners and even for ourselves. Our flexibility enables us to adapt to various customer necessities at any time and our technology assists our clients in expanding their market share rapidly. VIZO offers solutions that are designed to provide the overall capabilities and specific flexibility to meet, if not exceed our customers' requirements. VIZO's fully dedicated sales team and engineers are always working to deliver our clients effectively maximum customer satisfaction.

Quality, liability and excellence: That’s VIZO!

Description

VIZO Master Panel fits for 5.25" bay and bears IDE, SATA and eSATA ports in one module which provides the convenient way to connect your device with IDE or SATA interface.You can do it in the front of your PC and don't need to go to the back. Avoid tangled mass of cables and wires in your PC.

Features

• For 5.25" bay
• Compatible with SATA port and E-SATA port
• Compatible with ATA/ATAPI port
• Support hot plug and hot swappable
  Must be attached to hot swappable compliant host to enable hot swappable function
• Avoid tangled mass of cables and wires in your PC
• LED Indicator
• Support WIN 98/98SE/ME/2000/XP/Vista
• Support MAC OS 9.X/X or above
• Colors availble : Black, Gray, Pearl White
• Model No. : MTP-101-BK, MTP-101-GR, MTP-101-W

Package Contents

• Master Panel
• SATA cable
• IDE & SATA Power cable
• User Manual
• Screw Package

Pictures

(click for full size)

Here you can see the front package of the Vizo Master Panel. You can see each connection, and they are clearly marked. Vizo also put their catchphrase for the Master Panel on the front of the box:

"No need to go to the back... do it  in the front"

This is the back of the box. The description, features, and content are given so that a shopper would know exactly what they are looking at. There is nothing special about the packaging, but it gives all the information you need in one place.

This is my standard "stuff" image. You can see all the included items. Everything was packaged very well and it included everything you need to get started. My only complaint about what it included was the instructions. The instructions were in English, but it was obviously translated from another language. They are at times difficult to understand, but the Master Panel is simple enough that most people should be able to figure it out.

Obviously this is the finished product. The Master Panel fits perfectly in the expansion bay (as it should) and it looks cool to. Now I have plenty of extra ports on the front of my computer for almost any occasion. Simply connect each of the ports to a corresponding port on your motherboard and you are all set. Power is provided by a FDD power connector, most powersupplies still have one, its just not used very often.

Testing

 Testing was fairly simple with the Master Panel. I connected each of the required ports on the Master Panel to the correct location on my motherboard. To make sure everything worked I then connected a DVD/CD drive to the SATA port, and my old DVD drive to the IDE port. Everything worked great. Windows recognized everything automatically. I dont know what else to say about the testing. Everything works, and because it is basically a direct connection there was no loss in speed or performance whatsoever. 

 Overall the Master Panel has impressed me. Initially I didn't see any real use for it, but now I understand. Having SATA, SATA Power, eSATA, and IDE makes it possible to connect and test nearly any piece of hardware without even opening your case. If I need to transfer files from my brothers harddrive, I can simply connect it to the front rather than using an enclosure. Hard drives, CD drives, and any molex powered device can all be tested with nearly no work. I have yet to find a product on the market that can do that.

Pros:

• Works well
• Provides lots of extra connections
• Looks good (comes in multiple colors)
• Easy to use (Plug 'n Play) 

Cons:

• Not all PSU's have FDD connectors

Its pretty obvious that the Master Panel has done well in our tests. The only complaint I have is a very minor one, and as a result the Vizo Master Panel has earned a 10/10. It provides lots of features that are useful, and hard to find and it works.

The Master Panel has also earned the Golden Ghost Award!