ASRock's Side Panel Kit Adds A 1080p Display To Your PC Case But There's A Catch
ASRock has launched a 13.3-inch PC case side panel display kit. It is an IPS monitor that fits within the common transparent left-side window of a tower PC case. The PCs and components maker amusingly touts this rather small in-PC screen as being a choice that could "double your productivity."
If the above in-PC display sounds like a good idea to you, the design comes with a couple of provisos; it is only claimed to work with ASRock motherboard-based systems featuring an onboard eDP port, and you will want a clear / colorless glass side panel to make the most of the new display. These conditions probably narrow down the potential addressable market quite drastically. ASRock only has ~10 motherboards with an eDP port on board.
ASRock employees had a brainstorming session to conjure up some attractive practical uses for the new descriptively named 13.3” Side Panel Kit. The list of possibilities that they were able to think up to reflect the potential of the new product amounted to the following three gaming scenarios; for dedicated gaming chat, to watch YouTube gaming guides in-game, or for streaming monitoring / controls while gaming. They could have mentioned the neatness of having an in-window zero-footprint display for PC monitoring and so on, but we'll offer that up for free.
In the box with the display panel, buyers get the necessary eDP cable (remember you need an eDP port on your graphics card or motherboard), a pair of long adhesive mounting brackets and a pair of shorter ones, some spare adhesive strips to match the brackets, and a pack of five cable clips. Yes, the provision of adhesive means this monitor is simply glued to the PC side panel. Installation instructions are provided on the online product page, and we assume are also in a booklet in the packaging.
At the time of writing, we don't have pricing or availability information for the 13.3” Side Panel Kit from ASRock. The components are relatively common, so it should hopefully clock in under $100. However, please note that ASRock has stated this "may not be sold worldwide," and you are encouraged to get in touch with your local supplier if interested. ASRock took its first steps into the (normal) PC gaming monitors business a few weeks ago.
