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Product:
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Kingwin TC-02S Thermal Center |
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Price:
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$44 (CAN) / $33 (U.S)
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Supplied By:
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Xoxide
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Author:
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Shennon
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Date:
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June 9th, 2004
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Rating:
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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I removed the connector board from the Thermal Center to get a better view of it. The board features one 4-pin power
connector, three thermal probe connectors, three fan connectors, and a piezo buzzer. The other end of the board has
the battery socket and the hard drive pass through connectors.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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Included with the Kingwin Thermal Center is a set of accessories required to fully operate the device.
There is the power connector, which features a 4-pin pass through so that you don’t waste a connector,
the motherboard to Thermal Center hard drive activity wires as well as the Thermal Center to LED wire.
Finally, there are three fan extension cables, three thermal probes, mounting screws, and three stickers
to help keep the thermal probes in place. A battery is included to allow the Kingwin Thermal Center to
keep the user settings intact when the unit is powered off. The Kingwin Thermal Center includes a good
user manual which should have most people up and running in less than 30 minutes.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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Once plugged into a spare Molex connector from the power supply, the face of the unit has a soft blue glow
which is extended to the LCD display and four control buttons. The LCD will display updated information on
fan speed for all three fans, current time, temperature of the various locations, hard drive activity, and
power. Once powered, the Kingwin Thermal Center can be set to display the current time, temperature levels
for the alarm, as well as allow users to select temperature readings in Celsius or Fahrenheit.
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Conclusion:
The Kingwin TC-02S Thermal Center represents a unique product that combines both temperatures monitoring
with fan control. The aluminum bezel design is suitable for most machines with a silver dyed or aluminum made
front bezel. Those who do not have either of these may not want the Thermal Center installed as it may
conflict with the theme of the case. The ability to control the three fans is something most computers
should have as a stock option. This type of device is critical for monitoring heat sources and should
provide useful for prolonging the life of computer components. The blue backlight is bright enough to see
all the information on the screen and all the data is arranged to quickly assess what is happening. While
my initial impressions were positive, I do not see much about the Kingwin Thermal Center that separates it
from other rival products that I’ve seen before. For those individuals who have an aluminum case or silver
front bezel, this should product should fit in very well. Overall, I am rating this product a
8 out of 10. If you have any questions regarding
this review be sure to visit the Xoxide for more information
or discuss them in our forums.
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Pros:
- Three set temperature detector
- External fan speed control
- Temperatures readings in both Celsius and Fahrenheit
- Blue backlight LCD display design
- Internal Fan fail & Overheat audio alarm and display
- Silver colour should match silver bezels or aluminum cases
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Cons:
- Temperature probes require thinning to be mounted under CPU
- Alarm is bearly audible
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