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MX 221 Matrix Orbital LCD
Review Date: March 13, 2003
Reviewed by: Rob Hohf
Edited by: Dwayne Sessom
Sponsored by: Matrix Orbital
With the case modding scene getting pretty common place these days, interesting mods are getting harder and harder to find. We came across this little gem and thought it was something a bit different for you guys who are looking for a mod that everyone and their dog doesn't have already.
The product was shipped in a nice white cardboard box with the Matrix Orbital logo on it. The actual product itself was wrapped in bubble wrap and packed in the box with packing pellets. This shows me that Matrix Orbital wants to make sure your LCD arrives in perfect condition. I think packaging is important to mention in reviews, because nothing bums me out more than to order something and have it arrive broken.
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What you get:
- LCD installed on a nice brushed aluminum bezel.
- USB cable.
- CD containing licensed LCDC software.
Click for larger view.
Software:
The CD I received is called "eCD" because it contains all the software you will need to install, run and customize your LCD. Here is what is on the CD:
- 1 Licensed Version of LCDC
- Drivers
- Motherboard Monitor (MBM)
- Plug-in's
- Installation and Support Documents in HTML Format
- A few other bonus apps.
Connections:
Looking at the rear of the LCD, you can see that the USB cable is very easily accessible. Along with numerous other connections which I have labeled for your convenience.
- (1) GPO. (General Purpose Outputs)
- (2) Keypad Connector
- (3) USB header
- (4) Alt. USB
- (5) High Powered GPO Connector
- (6) Rx/Tx Status
Installation:
This is most definitely the easiest thing I have ever installed into my computer. All I had to do was slide the insert into one of my 5.25 inch drive bays and feed the USB cable through the back of my case and plug it in! I was truly amazed on how easy this was to do, doesn't get much better than this.
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Software installation was a cinch also, the second I plugged in the USB connector into my motherboard, the nifty "Found new Hardware" flag popped up on my monitor. Then all I has to do was follow these simple instructions provided on the CD. After installing all the software, and the LCD configuration program called LCDC, I was ready for some action! So I fired up the LCD and started testing.
LCDC is by far the best LCD software out at the moment. I suppose when you have the one of the best LCD screens you might as well have the best software too. To get any information to display on the LCD you have to create screens. These are similar to slides in a PowerPoint presentation as they switch between each other. You may think that you need some programming knowledge to make your own screens, but you don't! I created many different screens displaying things such as my CPU speed, my case temperature, the time, the date, the weather and much more! Once you get the hang of the tags that are needed, it is a breeze.
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Click for larger view.
Other Models:
As I said earlier in this review, there are many different styles of this same LCD unit. To give you a picture of what they look like, I gathered a bunch of pictures for you:
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Conclusion:
This is by far the highest quality LCD I have seen in a long time. These LCDs can be used for many different things, and are not only for a computer. They can be mounted in a car or a home entertainment system. The price tag on the LCD kit could put some users off but if you want one of the worlds finest LCD's then you have to pay the price. Not only do you get a very good LCD screen with this kit but you also get the best LCD software. The model I reviewed runs about $100US. Again, this is the price you pay for the best. The Matrix Orbital MX221 an outstanding product! The display is nice and bright, the USB connections make setting it up very simple and it fits into a single 5 1/4" bay with no modification. It has almost an unlimited amount of custom assignable features and even the packaging was supurb! PCExtreme gives the Matrix Oribital MX221 LCD the highest rating possible - 5X's!
For more info, see Matrix Orbital's product page.
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