FrontX CPX Multimedia Ports Review

For those of us who are perpetually pulling out cords from the dark recesses of our computers, this 'extension cord' for audio and joystick sockets is a blessing. Essentially what the FrontX ports do, is move all the audio ports, and joystick port to the front of the computer, and hide them in a discreet 5.25" bay. Easy to access, and gone at a moments notice, let's take a closer look to see if the unit is as good as the idea is...

The multimedia unit comes with the following removable jacks: Speaker Rear speaker connector Mic Headphone Joystick Made by FrontX Cost: $25 (including shipping)

Installation:

The multimedia ports are dropped into a an empty 5.25" bay. The cables are drawn through the inside of the case towards a free slot in the rear - typically next to a sound card. The terminating ends of the audio/game jacks are brought outside the case by a special slot cover with an embedded rear speaker jack. The connectors are plugged into to their respective jacks, and the special notched slot cover screwed in. And... that's it, close up the case and enjoy the convenience of easy port access.

There is a jack on the back of the special slot cover which allows a speaker to be plugged in from the rear if required. When head phones are plugged into the front port, the connection to the speakers is automatically closed. So for those late night Quake III fest's, the blasting sounds can quickly be moved from your speakers to your headphones.

The port can be closed, hiding all of the jacks.	Or the port can be flipped down and devices easily plugged into the labeled jacks.
An empty slop adjacent to the sound card is used to carry through all the connector cables.	Using a special slot cover with built-in speaker jack the wires are neatly carried back into the case to the front port.