Silverstone FP34 3.5" Card Reader

Introduction:

    It's been a few months since we at VH have had the chance to review something from SilverStonetek. They offered up some nice items for review, and I chose the FP34.

   The FP34 is a 3.5" card reader and front I/O combo device. This lightweight aluminum housing comes in two color styles of black and silver. The silver unit will be used in this review. The FP34 is compatible with 25 different types of media cards, and sports dual USB and single IEEE up front along with audio ports for MIC/Audio out, while doing all the data transfers at USB 2.0 speeds which is about 480Mbits. All of this action is housed in a 3.5" frame that fits into a 3.5" bay on the computer case. This is a great option for the low end cases that don't offer front panel connections.

About the Company:

    Founded in the summer of 2003, Silverstone Technology is now a proven leader in the field of aluminum enclosure design and manufacturing. Our expertise in creating functional works of art from ordinary electronics and computer components is widely recognized. Numerous designs and ideas for improving computer enclosures were first created by our talented team of engineers, who are regarded by many as leaders in their respective fields. Today, Silverstone Technology continues to garner attention and awards that reflect our original vision of creating the most advanced and beautiful products available on the market.

Specifications:

Packaging:

Retail Front

Retail back

Side

    The packaging for the FP34 is nothing too fancy. It comes in a blister pack with a picture on the front showing the different color versions and the features. The sides show pictures of the supported media cards, and the back of the box mentions the special features in 6 other languages, with the specifications listed towards the bottom.

A Closer Look:

Top view

Inside shot of wires

Lots of connections

    After opening up the packaging, I had to defend myself from the gaggle of wires that uncoiled and attacked me like a snake. Not true... but seriously, the wires included for all the different features of the FP34 are of suitable length, and I feel they should reach all the of the motherboard headers without issue. There are a total of seven cables coming off of the PCB with a total of eleven openings up on the front of the FP34. So it's quite obvious that some of the cables play a dual role for the front connections.

Install CD

Plenty of options

    Now on the front side of the FP34. Like I mentioned, there are a total of eleven openings up front and I'm going to mention them all, starting off with the card reader portion. Here we have the typical four slot setup consisting of SM, CF, SD and MS. These slots play multiple roles with different types of media cards, and the FP34 supports 25 types of media cards*.  For the audio connections, there is audio out and mic in on the headers that plug into the motherboard; either AC97 or HD audio can be used. Three USB ports are on the front panel: two of the ports are the standard size, while the third is a mini USB port. The same goes for the FireWire ports, except there are only two of these: one standard and one mini.

* In order for some of the smaller media cards to fit in the FP34, a card adapter is needed and usually supplied with the smaller media card.