DT 5000 Features

     One of the keys that distinguishes the DT5000 from other FT controllers is that it has firewire, USB, and has the ability to store a hard drive inside its 5 1/4in assembly. This is a great way to cool a rather large IDE drive that has those thick and ugly IDE cables. The DT5000 is also quite the looker, even from its plain design. With its Blue LED screen, its almost like a DIY controller and readout, but is very easy to install and requires no initial adjustment. This would be especially important to the new Overclocker.

The Xpanel DT5000 comes in an attractive box, and comes complete with all the cabling and instructions for setup.

Here is a good view of the Xpanel DT5000. Notice the Audio in ports which are essential for your Lan Party goers out there.

     Clockwise from upper left are the USB and temperature sensor cables, fan controller cables, audio in cables, and firewire on the bottom left. The temperature sensors also have the included tape that is so hard to find.

     You can see that Jetart has given you a lot of room to play with. The installation of a IDE, SCSI, or SATA drive is cooled by a 70mm low profile fan. The fan itself spins semi-low RPMs which will provide adequate cooling for most modern drives. The fan is also RPM controlled by the DT5000. Screws are also included in the kit for full installation, including the hard drive.

     The layout is also well designed to cope with cooling although some zip-ties to keep the cables organized would be a nice touch.

Installation and Performance

     We installed the DT5000 into our existing testbed consisting of a Mach I cooled 3.0E, Lian-Li PC V2000 case, Visiontek x800 Pro, and assorted other goodies. Two 80mm medium RPM Sunon fans cool our Danger Den radiator and 2 120mm Lian Li BB fans cool the system and hard drives. The DT5000 exhibited no problems whatsoever in overall functionality which is a big plus considering that there are 2 80mm fans, and 2 120mm fans being driven off one 4-pin Molex which powers the Xpanel. No overheating was also witnessed, although it did get a bit warm which is considered normal for electronic equipment such as this.

The DT5000 in action with almost unlimited fan RPM control. We can take our dual 80mm cooled radiator from 2500 rpm's down to 700 rpm's for complete silence during those important web-surfing excursions.

Conclusion

     The only downfall of the DT5000 is the fact that the USB, Audio, and Firewire ports have to be attached to the back of your motherboard instead of most modern installations that can utilize the existing firewire, audio in, and USB headers of today's motherboards.

If Jetart is reading this review I would seriously consider revising the product to reflect modern day equipment. Since 2001, almost all motherboards have separate headers for Audio-In, Firewire and USB, and the DT5000 should be able to have the capability of using them. Other than that, the DT5000 is a fine product that should prove useful to those that want a particular look, and like prefer their USB, Firewire, and Audio-In ports to be located in the most convenient place possible... ClubOC recommended...