February 15th, 2011

Scythe Kama Bay

Testing

Test Rig

Processor	Intel C2D E5550 Dual Core 2.33GHz
Motherboard	Gigabyte S-Series GA-73PVM-S2H
Graphics Card	XFX 8600GT
Memory	Corsair XMS2 PC6400 (2x 1GB)
Hard Drive	Hitachi HDT7250 (250GB)
Hard Drive OS	Windows XP Pro 32bit

Installation

The panel was very easy to insert into my rig as it just slots into the 3.5” bay and is secured by a couple of screws and then all the cables connect up

Click to enlarge

Methodology

There isn’t really any methods to test these sorts of panels as there are no temperatures to take or power outputs to measure. Therefore, all I can really do is to use the product and comment on its functionality and how easy it is to use.

Results

General Use

As a whole the panel functions very well and all of the ports and connections are easy to use and transfer data quickly just as if using the front panel ports on a case. I found that the microSD card slot was especially useful as I could simply whip out the card in my camera and quickly transfer over the pictures to my PC without having to connect the whole camera up with the USB cable – very useful.

The fan controllers are a little basic but do allow the user to roughly choose their own speeds and so control noise outputs if they so choose.

On the downside, the panel requires lots of internal cables and so it gets a bit messy inside. Therefore it is essential to have good cable management or you will soon get lost and not know what cable is going where.

Price

The 3.5" Kama Panel is roughly £20. This doesn’t sound huge but in my opinion for simply a multi-functional panel with a series of ports, it is quite a lot for what it actually achieves and so I would have liked to have seen a bit of a lower price tag.