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Case, Power Supply, Fan Reviews
  Product:     Crystalfontz 632 16x2 USB LCD Kit  
  Price:     $102 (CAN) / $75 (U.S)
  Supplied By:     HighSpeed PC
  Author:     Hi-TEK
  Date:     May 3rd, 2004
  Rating:     star star star star star star star star star

Crystalfontz 632 16x2 USB LCD Kit
Click image for larger view
Crystalfontz 632 16x2 USB LCD Kit
Click image for larger view
 

One of the nice features of the Crystal Control software is for every transition screen created; it can be saved as an individual customization file. By default the program does have with a series of sample screens which cover a majority of the functionality that you will use for this product. All transition screens can be placed in a specific order if you wish to have the most important statistical information displayed first. By selecting the "Alternate" function allows you to transition between each screen as well as skip specific screens if certain applications are not running or conditions haven't been met.

Crystalfontz 632 16x2 USB LCD Kit
Click image for larger view
Crystalfontz 632 16x2 USB LCD Kit
Click image for larger view
 
Once all the screens have been defined in the Screen Configuration Menu all that is required is to restart the display from the main menu. The two sample screens pictured above include information about the system title, CPU, and hard drive information.

Crystalfontz 632 16x2 USB LCD Kit
Click image for larger view
Crystalfontz 632 16x2 USB LCD Kit
Click image for larger view
 
Crystal Control provides current CPU and RAM utilization as well as network traffic statistics including current IP assignment and the amount of data transferred and amount of data received. A majority of this information is pulled from the registry in Windows or from third party applications such as Motherboard Monitor.

Crystalfontz 632 16x2 USB LCD Kit
Click image for larger view
Crystalfontz 632 16x2 USB LCD Kit
Click image for larger view
 
The system uptime is nice transition screen that can be helpful if you are performing a new burn-in for hardware or water cooling gear. Music lovers will appreciate that there is support for popular MP3 player Winamp. By default the documentation and forums suggest that only version 2.0 is supported but I was able to use Winamp 5.0 with no problems. In order to configure Winamp requires downloading a 3rd party Winamp plug-in as well as defining a transition screen.
 
Conclusion:

The Crystalfontz 632 16x2 USB LCD Kit has come a long way since I first originally reviewed the 632 serial version way back in January 2002. The basic PCB design is still with same with slight upgrades to include USB support. Consumers will appreciate how simple the installation is by following the guides that are available on the Crystalfontz website. By far a majority of the time involved with this product will be spent configuring the support application software. In this review, I covered Crystal Control v1.07 that was developed by Crystalfontz to support their own displays. The application does provide a basic set of customized screens that can be created to display any type of statistical information. For those consumers looking for alternatives, Crystalfontz provides links to LCDSmartie and LCDStudio. While the Crystalfontz 632 16x2 USB LCD Kit works as advertised there are still some improvements that would make this a better product. The first issue is the lack of bundled software and installation instructions. The installation and configuration of the application software shouldn't be hard for experienced users but this package should include the basics to get novice users started. Finally, it would have been nice to include some sort of transfer bracket to route the cabling out of the rear of the case to keep the case interior clean. Overall, I enjoyed using the Crystalfontz 632 16x2 USB LCD Kit and rating this product a 8.5 out of 10. If you have any questions regarding this review be sure to visit the HighSpeed PC website for more information or discuss them in our forums.

 
Thumbs Up! Pros:
  • Great eye candy
  • Easy installation
  • Plenty of display options and statistical information
  • Supported by a wide variety of 3rd party applications and plugins
  • Contrast and Backlighting options are software controlled
Thumbs Down! Cons:
  • No bundled software
  • No documentation included with product
  • No bypass option for the USB and data cable included
  • DIY users will prefer to manufacturer their own units
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