Verdict: It only takes up a 3.5in bay, but the screen and dials are not up to scratch

Enermax has the distinction of producing the only 3.5in-drive bay mountable system monitor available at the present time, and so the UC-A3FATR2 fills a real niche in the market.

As we suspect most users don't bother with a floppy disc drive these days, most PCs will have a couple of 3.5in bays to spare, while the ever-growing number of different optical storage formats mean that every 5.25in drive bay is precious. Thus it seems sensible to make a system monitor in 3.5in packaging so you don't have to lose a 5.25in bay. Unfortunately, it looks like the 3.5in-wide by 1in-high space a 3.5in drive bay provides simply isn't enough room for a decent system monitor.

For example, although the Enermax can control up to two fans, each dial is so small as to be almost unusable. It's no exaggeration to say that a pair of pliers is almost mandatory to get plenty of movement out of them. Likewise the LCD is so small that it's nigh on impossible to read without resorting to a pair of binoculars, so there's no glancing at the display for a quick check of your system temperatures. The blue backlight doesn't help matters much either, as it does a better job of distracting your eyes towards the top of the display rather than making it easier to read.

Overall it's a real shame that the best system monitors take up a 5.25in drive bay, but that would appear to be the price you have to pay for a decent screen, sensible speed dials and looks that wouldn't put a cheap car stereo to shame.

The tiny form factor doesn't really have a cost advantage either, as the Enermax sells for around £23, not far off the cost of the Cooler Master Musketeer and actually more than the price of the Thermaltake HardCano 9. Couple that with its build quality (we can't see it lasting more than a few months battering) and it's impossible to recommend the Enermax UC-A3FATR2.

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