Final Thoughts 

The VIZO Master Panel II is a product that can let you hang on to that dated computer case that you just don’t want to move out of. It gives you front panel eSata, USB, and audio connectors along with a fancy new card reader and even a couple of fan controllers.  You’ll notice that I totally left out the front panel composite video connection as a benefit of the product. Unless composite video is making a huge comeback that I don’t know about, that’s hardly a feature worth purchasing.

Since this product will likely be purchased by a lot of users that will want to upgrade an old case to support the new features of a motherboard, it’s disappointing to see how poor the manual was for this product. I can overlook the occasional spelling and grammar mistake, but when a manual confuses rather than clarifies, it can really break an otherwise decent product.  The other thing I found odd was the way that the front panel audio connectors are routed.  Using 3.5 mm audio jacks to route the connectors to the back panel seems a bit “Mickey Mouse” in my opinion.

Overall, the Master Panel II is a great idea that lacks in execution. The poor clarity of the manual was disappointing. At around $40 bucks, it’s almost enough to pick yourself up a cool new case, minus the dust bunnies. But to its credit, it is easier to install this product than it is to completely rip it apart a system to install it into a new case. There’s nothing horribly wrong with the product, but it definitely has a ton of room for improvement.  Hopefully VIZO will get back to the drawing board and make the Master Panel III a great product.

Pros

• Allows you to ressurrect that old case into the present
• You can “Do it in the front instead of the back”…
• Card reader does not support SDHC media cards

Cons

• Poor documentation caused fits of rage during installation
• Odd inclusion of composite video connection
• Goofy front panel audio connections

Overall Rating: 7.0 / 10.0

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