Review of the Lian Li EX-10 External/5.25" Aluminum I/O Adapter
by flung
6/13/2002
WhiningDog.NET

1. Introduction

When I first built my dual XEON box, I never really thought about the need for having external ports on the front side of the case. In fact initially - I really did not need any ports in the front since I did not have any devices that I would need to connect via the front panel on a regular basis. However as time passed, I found myself definitely needing front ports since I did a good deal of video editing as a hobby.. Having a front port IEEE 1394 is a god send for you owners of DV camcorders!! Having front USB ports were also great since you can instantly add devices that you don't normally connect on a regular basis but you JUST MIGHT NEED. Perhaps the next best thing is the notion of having a headphone jack in the front so you don't wake up your friends or significant other while playing Counter Strike in the middle of the night. So with these needs, I set out looking for a good solution to my case and I found it in the form of the Lian Li EX-10.

Lian Li is often known for their beautiful crafted aluminum cases that do it yourself (DIY) PC enthusiasts love to use. But why stop at cases? Why not make items that are related to cases as well? Today we're going to look into EX-10 that Lian Li describes as an I/O Adapter. It can be used both as an external breakout box or as an internal 5.25 inch panel. For those who have cases which don't have easily accessible I/O ports - this case accessory can be a dream come true.

2. Features

The EX-10 I/O Adapter has a ton of interfaces on the front panel. These interfaces are:

• USB - 2 ports
• Microphone IN
• Line IN
• Speaker Out
• Game Port
• P/S 2 Mouse Port
• IEEE 1394

• I/O Adapter
• I/O Round Cable (350 mm)
• 37 pin Round Cable (100mm)
• Slot Bracket (used for an internal housing of the I/O Adapter)

Here's a picture of the box from the Lian Li corporate web site. The link to the Lian Li site for this product is http://www.lian-li.com/product.php?action=viewPD&prdid=427

As you can tell, the entire panel is in a very nice aluminum casing. It's a perfect match for the CoolerMaster case that I have here at home. Ok.. enough on the specifications - what do the interbals of this panel look like? What does the shipping box look like? Come on over and find out!

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