A Closer Look:

    The VIZO Master Panel is a very simple concept. The main purpose is to provide a gateway to the connections inside the computer case without opening up a side panel or even sliding out the case and trying to reach around the back.

  On the front of the Master Panel there are 4 connections and a power switch. The 4 connections consist of 1 IDE, 1 SATA power, 1 SATA, and 1 e-SATA connection. Now for the power connection: I didn't mention a molex power connection for IDE drives. Instead of adding another power port up on the front, VIZO decided to get the power from the SATA power port and use a molex plug on the power pigtail. A push button On/Off switch controls the unit, and 1 green LED power indicator light is also included. And yes, I said GREEN and not BLUE.

Overview	Panel front
SATA Power w/ Molex plug	Power LED

    The rear of the VIZO Master Panel is just as simple as the front, with only 4 connections on the back and 3 of them being the same type. First I will start off with power connection. The unit gets power from the rarely used FDD power plug. The other 3 connections are SATA ports. Each of the SATA ports on the inside of the Master Panel are dedicated to a connection on the front of the VIZO Master Panel, 1 each for the IDE/SATA/e-SATA.

Installation and Testing:

    As for installation... there really isn't any. Although I would suggest mounting the VIZO Master Panel in the highest 5.25" bay you have. This way you can just place the HDD on the top of the case. A few simple screws, a SATA cable or two, and the power from the PSU. That's it! NO FUSS!!! NO MUSS!!!

    For testing, none is needed for the SATA connections, since this is just a "coupler" from the SATA port on the motherboard to the Master Panel and then to the SATA HDD. No bottleneck exists inside the VIZO Master Panel for SATA Drives. For the IDE it is slightly different. The IDE connection gets converted to SATA. The only bottleneck here would be the limitations of the IDE HDD .

Installed

Plugs install

IDE Connection

Conclusion:

    Another fine product from VIZO Technology... so far it's been 3 for 3. VIZO puts out some very stylish products that look good and perform fantastically, and the VIZO Master Panel fits this category. Such a simple product that can save so much time and keep the end users from ripping open their systems. 

  I would recommend the VIZO Master Panel to anyone who tests HDD's or helps their friends with computer issues, or even just a simple way to back-up an external HDD.

Since it's not USB, it's not plug and play, so a system reboot will be necessary in order to recognize the drives.

Pros:

• Another Stylish Product

• Easy to Install

• Easy to Use

• Plenty of Cables Included

• On/Off Switch w/ LED indicator

Cons:

• NONE that I could find