Akasa All in One 2: drive-bay USB extender and fan speed monitor

This device is a small block that is designed to sit in the front panel of any desktop computer, so if you want to fit it your computer will need to have a spare front panel drive bay available.

Installation was not difficult but it was complicated – the kit comes with some ten separate cables that need to be attached. This is not a job for people unfamiliar with the innards of a PC. That said, it's hard to go wrong – the short manual was quite clear about what needed to go where.

The panel has three USB sockets (which require two separate USB connections on the PC motherboard), Firewire, eSata, memory card readers, headphone and microphone sockets and fan controls. The latter work using three supplied heat sensors which you stick to parts of the case you'd like to monitor. The case fans also connect into the All In One 2, and using its tiny front-panel screen and buttons you can check temperature and fan speed, and control the fan speeds if necessary.

Apart from the installation process the only thing missing was some software so it can be controlled on-screen – as it is, everything is done using the device itself, which was a little fiddly. Otherwise this is a good-value addition for PC tinkerers who need to expand.