alfiehicks wrote on 2024-12-13, 12:27:

Hi, I've just picked up a Geforce FX 5600 (or at least that's what it was sold as, I haven't actually checked yet, but it looks like one) and it's got this weird yellow header on it. I have no idea who made the card because there's no branding on it anywhere besides a barcode that starts with MS - Micro-Star, maybe? Regardless, I've never seen anything like this before on a graphics card, so what could it be?

IIRC, a German company called Medion used some parts manufactured by MSI in their branded machines.

Their graphics cards sometimes had a similar header which was used to connect them to the case front panel. As to what that front panel would do, I have no idea. Possibly TV in/out.

Oh yeah, looks like that's the case. There's a few panels for cheap online, I might as well get one if I've got the card for it. Not that I'll probably end up using AV in functionality, but there's other stuff that definitely would be useful to have.

I'm certain it's just Composite & Svideo output from the video card.
Video input would be handled by a seperate tv capture card in those medion pcs.

There's already an S-video output on the back of the card, though, and from what I've seen, the front panel devices all have a matching 4-pin connector in the same yellow colour, and are labelled "video in" or "AV input". It does seem strange that a graphics card would have video input in this way, but it might just be passing it through to the S-video output on the back, with no ADC or capture involved.

On my Medion (MSI) Geforce 3 TI200 card and front adapter the middle 2 pins go to the composite in and the outside 2 pins go to the s-video in on that front adapter.

From a review:

The most interesting details are the graphics card with video input and the modem card with Firewire or IEEE1394 ports. The cabling with the easily accessible front panel is correspondingly wild, although somehow tamed with two cable ties, but the effect is of course very comfortable.

(page 3 of review) https://web.archive.org/web/20090702140801/ht … 2_12853690.html

The Aldi PC is ideal as a digitizer. Analogue sources such as camcorders and video recorders can be easily connected to the front panel of the Aldi PC. Even the appropriate software is pre-installed on the PC: The video recorder software WinDVR converts or digitizes films in real time into the high-quality MPEG2 format.

(page 4 of review) https://web.archive.org/web/20090702140806/ht … 2_12853692.html

alfiehicks wrote on 2024-12-13, 16:08:

Oh yeah, looks like that's the case. There's a few panels for cheap online, I might as well get one if I've got the card for it. […]
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Oh yeah, looks like that's the case. There's a few panels for cheap online, I might as well get one if I've got the card for it. Not that I'll probably end up using AV in functionality, but there's other stuff that definitely would be useful to have.

Not sure if it matters for function but this particular:
Dynamic SYS? ConnectXL
frontpanel came in combination with specific MS motherboards like for example MSI MS-6701 aka Medion 5000 socket 478

It is wired for:
Gamepoort =>motherboard => Connector J9
Audio =>motherboard=> Connector JAUDIO1
Audio =>motherboard => Connector JVEDIO1
Firewire =>motherboard => Connector J7
USB + carddreader =>motherboard => Connector JUSB1 for
CompactFlash, IBM Micro Drive, SD Card, Multimedia Card, Memory Stick, SmartMedia Card

You can read about it here (scroll down to CONNECTXL)
http://www.knietzsch.com/computer/pc_index_md8008.htm

A (minor) disadvantage of this frontpanel is that it has to be fixed into generic pc cases via a 'do it yourself' mehod because it does not fit straight out of the box in a non-Medion case.

Oh wow that front panel looks so useful - firewire especially given how short the cables always seem(ed) to be and it was/is such a pain to plug cameras and camcorders into the back of a PC under the desk that's alongisde others.