Report: ASUS iPanel (1/2)

ASUS iPAnel

Long, long ago there was a time when computer enthusiasts impressed one another by showing off the glowing numbers on their case's bright green MHz display to each other. Sadly, these displays were limited to two digits. Thus they quickly became obsolete when the good old 486 did the unthinkable and broke the 100MHz barrier.

Looking at the iPanel, you might feel reminded of said displays, yet it is much more than a simple MHz display. In effect it is a complete hardware monitoring solution that, besides giving you the standard CPU speed, can also keep you informed about your CPU's or your chipset's temperature, the fan's speed, the FSB speed and even various important voltages. Hardware freaks that just can't get enough of tinkering around deep in the bowels of their systems will find the POST code display very handy. No, POST codes are not encrypted messages containing secret information on the next price increase for postage stamps (doh!) – they are the error messages and status codes that the mainboard generates to tell the user how the system is doing or what is keeping it from booting up. If, for example, the system should stall during boot-up and the display shows you an angry "32", you know that your I/O ports are giving you trouble. Well, you know after having a look at the manual, but still... This way you can follow the boot process step by step. If the system stops at a particular point, at least you know where to start looking for the problem.

Narrow front panel

So far the only mainboard that supports the iPanel is the ASUS CUSL-2, an i815 based board, but you can rest assured that ASUS will integrate support for the iPanel in upcoming mainboards as well. At this point, I was unable to get any more specific information, so we'll just have to wait and see.

The "Pure" version that I got for testing also features two USB ports on the front, which I consider a nice bonus. The installation is painless as well: just connect the iPanel to the mainboard using the ribbon cable included in the box and you're good to go. The planned "Deluxe" model will offer additional connectors for a soundcard and a serial port. This is great if you ever want to install a chip-card reader or use headphones or a microphone! No more crawling around under your desk just to get the headphones connected!

The HotKey software allows you to use the buttons on the front of the iPanel as hotkeys. The WWW button, for example, starts up your browser and opens the ASUS Taiwan Homepage. The idea itself isn't such a bad one – but how many people do you know that would bend over and reach down under their desks to start a browser?!?! Sounds like an orthopedist's nightmare to me. The good news is that the software to use the hotkeys is optional, so you aren't forced to install it to use the iPanel. It has its uses, though: It also allows you to assign shortcuts to your keyboard, for example to quick-start an application. Unfortunately, the MODE button is the only way to control the iPanel. There are no plans as yet for a software control utility. More on this later.

Copyright: 26.10.2000 -   RIVA Station 2000 - Lars Weinand
No Copy without Permission!

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