The package itself arrived in a very basic cardboard box. No fancy graphics or glossy cover girl advertise the product inside, just a singular company logo.

 

 

 

The contents themselves are basic enough and for your money you receive: a Media Centre remote; USB cable; installation instructions and of course, the display unit itself. I was surprised to see that there wasn't an installation CD included but the installation booklet points you to the Matrix Orbital website where the latest drivers and firmware can be found. While I appreciate that drivers move along fast and it is hard to keep pace, the price that this product costs should at least warrant a CD with software, installation guide and drivers.

 

 

 

The unit itself, at first glance, looks a very basic affair. Much akin to a fan controller in size and weight, the anodized black casing is very attractive and appears to be hard wearing, I would have liked to have seen a brushed aluminium effect underneath the black which would match the high end Lian LI cases. I should also point out that at the time of writing this review, this model is only available in black. No doubt there will be some stores who will happily supply you with a modded exterior to the colour and texture of your choosing for an extra cost.

 

 

 

 

 

Those more observant among you will notice that separate to the main display is an infrared sensor. Quite annoyingly this sensor flashed at random times while configuring the unit even though the MCE remote didn't have any batteries installed at the time, this can however be turned off with LCD Studio.

 

The remote itself is very nice indeed. Plush buttons with emblems screen printed onto them are also backlit for your convenience. At present the remote is only applicable for Vista based systems so don't expect any joy while using XP/Linux based setups. 

 

 

 

Stripped of the casing, the GX Typhoon is exactly as advertised - a 240 x 64 line LCD display. The Media Centre Edition and the standard edition displays are exactly the same in that both have an IR receiver so if you already have an MCE remote you could save yourself a few pounds. To the rear, we see a variety of pin-outs that allow the GX Typhoon to be adapted further with future releases such as keypads etc. This is a great idea as Matrix Orbital are not forcing people to buy into features they do not need and those that do need such add-ons can purchase the items separately. Essentially, you can form a controller that is designed to your own personal needs and tastes. Modularity at its purest!

 

Next we will take you through the setup procedure...