Today SilverStone has announced the FPS01 and FPS01-C multifunction front panels, an interesting product for those with a slim ODD bay in their case but no need for a drive to read those colorful plastic coasters anymore.
They install into a slim tray-loading ODD bay and feature a card reader (SD and Micro SD), B-key M.2 slot (SATA-only), and 2x USB 3.0 Type-A for the FPS01 or 1x USB 3.0 Type-C for the FPS01-C. They also each come with both a black and white faceplate to better match the chassis.
Connecting the M.2 drive to the motherboard involves routing a SATA cable through the cable slot on the rear of the unit to a SATA connector on the internal PCB. This requires a slim, flexible SATA cable which SilverStone conveniently produces with the CP11 (synergy!).
In addition to the USB ports built-in to the front, the FPS01/FPS01-C allow the case’s existing front USB 3.0 ports to daisy-chain off the unit and maintain functionality (basically by serving as one big USB 3.0 hub).
More info and detailed specs on the SilverStone product page. There is no info on price or release date in NA but according to Amazon.co.uk the price is £45 and will be released December 23.
Thoughts? Discuss them in the forum here.
