Front Panel Ports/Card Reader/Fan Control

[shabranigdo]

I am looking for a good 5 1/4 bay device with audio ports/ Card reader or even 2 separate devices. I have seen alot with fan controls/displays, that is not a major concern one way or another, I am more after a good number of card options and ports. I was going to get a SB X-Fi Platinum that comes with a nice front panel breakout box. But after research it looks like the AuzenTech Auzen X-Fi Prelude is a much better sound card for games/music/movies, but it lacks the front pannel break out box. For ports it would be nice to have headphone/mic coax and or optical SPDIF ports, USB, firewire, and ESATA. For memory cards, Compact Flash, SD, XD, memory stick and PCMCIA ports or as many of them possible. I will probably have a separate manual fan control, the sunbeam 4 or 6 channel form some fans/lights but a reader or port replicator with fan controls too would be a plus. Most I have seen have a small number of fan controls or very low wattage per channel. Displays either way does not matter too much. Oh and it should be Black if at all possible (don't want to have to paint it), 1 or 2 bay devices I will have a few open slots.

Also thoughts, 3.5" floppy? I was thinking besides bios flashes not much use if I have a USB dongle, not like many files will fit on a floppy nowadays, but It i could be usefull for MB and other device bios flashing.

Thanks
SPI

[peladon]

I am looking for a good 5 1/4 bay device with audio ports/ Card reader or even 2 separate devices. I have seen alot with fan controls/displays, that is not a major concern one way or another, I am more after a good number of card options and ports. I was going to get a SB X-Fi Platinum that comes with a nice front panel breakout box. But after research it looks like the AuzenTech Auzen X-Fi Prelude is a much better sound card for games/music/movies, but it lacks the front pannel break out box. For ports it would be nice to have headphone/mic coax and or optical SPDIF ports, USB, firewire, and ESATA. For memory cards, Compact Flash, SD, XD, memory stick and PCMCIA ports or as many of them possible. I will probably have a separate manual fan control, the sunbeam 4 or 6 channel form some fans/lights but a reader or port replicator with fan controls too would be a plus. Most I have seen have a small number of fan controls or very low wattage per channel. Displays either way does not matter too much. Oh and it should be Black if at all possible (don't want to have to paint it), 1 or 2 bay devices I will have a few open slots.

Also thoughts, 3.5" floppy? I was thinking besides bios flashes not much use if I have a USB dongle, not like many files will fit on a floppy nowadays, but It i could be usefull for MB and other device bios flashing.

Thanks
SPI

This may be worth a look...

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=27295&vpn=ZE%2DCR98&manufacture=NMedia%20System

No. I do not and never have worked for the supplier concerned :) .

As to floppy drives... if you need one, an external USB drive can walk between machines as required, can be used for driver loads and the like and can be kept next time you build a new machine just in case...


Peladon

[shabranigdo]

Thanks that looks pretty good. I really would like digital connections on the front, that seems to be the hardest to find some kind of spdif connections. I may have to make some kind of custom plate with connections for that.

[Waterlogged]

While not quite as decked out as that one, this one (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=52_87_137&products_id=2298) has Tos-link and co-axial S/PDIF.