Hi-Fi (cont’d)

The MEGA 180’s Hi-Fi mode only works when the system is turned off. Once you boot up, you’ll have to rely on the audio playback software that you have installed on your hard drive. Keep in mind however that the color display isn’t compatible with third-party software, including Windows Media Player. For listening to the radio within Windows, MSI provides its Media Center Deluxe III software. MSI Media Center Deluxe III can be used to perform a wide variety of functions: watch TV (if you have a TV tuner card installed) and DVDs, listen to audio files and CDs, look at photos, listen to the radio, and playback video clips. The MEGA 180’s remote has been integrated to work with Media Center Deluxe, with buttons for all of these functions (including timeshifting) and even a karaoke mode!

Once you’re ready to get some work done, you power up the MEGA 180 by pressing the “PC” button. From this mode the front panel display can be used to present system information such as CPU and system temperatures and fan RPMs.

MEGA 180 in system info mode

CPU temperature displayed

CPU RPMs

In order to provide this functionality, you’ll need to install MSI’s PC Alert 4 software, which comes bundled with the MEGA 180. When PC Alert 4 launches, the display automatically switches from “clock” mode to “system info” mode. The color display will then cycle repeatedly through PC Alert 4’s system information in roughly three second intervals until PC Alert 4 is closed or the system is shut down.

As great as the color display is now, we’d love to see MSI add programmability and additional skins to its repertoire. A perfect example of this is the Matrix Orbital, which can be programmed to return stock tickers, RSS feeds, and even weather forecasts for your area. With RSS support for instance, you could read FiringSquad news headlines right from the front panel of your MEGA 180!

The MEGA 180’s Hi-Fi mode is limited to CD playback and listening to the radio. You can’t for instance, use it to watch DVDs or any other form of video. To perform these functions you’ll have to boot up the PC.