Any owner of a PC will have at one time or another some items in their PC that are not in use. Take the memory slots for example. Usually you get 3 or 4 slots, but more often than not only 1 or 2 are actually in use. These days manufacturers are colouring the slots and while most folks will be indifferent to the look of the slots, the coloured ones do help to brighten things up a little in your case, especially if you have a window.

Since I am a reviewer of PC parts, as you can imagine I do disconnect items on a regular basis, and I hate admit it but yes, I do have trouble with those damn Molex plugs sometimes. I swear they expand a few seconds after you plug them in, so when you come to unplug them again you need a crowbar to help pull them out.

So what if you don't have coloured ram slots? Or coloured PCI slots? What if the colours don't match your case interior colour scheme? Can you do something about it? Can we make those damn Molex plugs easier to use? Enter Vantec and their UV Reactive Slot Protector Kit and their EZ-Grip Molex Connector Kit, both items currently sent over by The Modding Shop.

Slot Protector Kit

Easy to Install
Great for Case Mod
Protect PCI/Ram Slots From Dust

The packaging for the Vantec UV Reactive Slot Protectors is simply a rear card with a plastic overlay, so you can see exactly what you are getting up front. I've chosen to look at a UV red kit, although there are other colours available. The kit itself consists of 5 PCI slot covers and 3 Ram slot covers. All of them are this red/orange colour and are made from quite sturdy plastic.

The ram slots are designed with DDR slots in mind, so I had to do a minor modification to get them to fit my DDR 2 slots (simply widening one of the gaps as in the picture). You can see that the ram slot covers are designed to be used either way in a DDR slot, and you put them in the same way would a ram stick. As for the intended application as a dust cover, I can't say I've ever had a problem with dust in my ram slots, but they look good and don't do any harm so who cares? :)

The PCI slot covers are similar in design to the DDR slot covers, just reshaped to fit the PCI slots. Like the DDR covers they can be used either way around. In theory, with a little modification you could use one in a spare PCIe x16 slot if perhaps you have an SLI motherboard and only card, but this isn't something I can prove at this time. They are however too large for a PCIe 1x slot which is fine, since they were designed for PCI slots anyway. Installation is the same as a PCI card; you just push the slot cover into place.

EZ-Grip Molex Connector Kit

1x Molex Remover
10x EZ-Grip Female Molex Heads

Like the Slot Protector Kit, I've opted for a UV Red kit from The Modding Shop which includes 10x replacement Molex connectors and a neat little tool to remove your old ones. I really wish I had this tool when I was sleeving the cabling on my PSU, it would have made the job so much quicker and easier. Anyway, the tool is used simply by putting the tip inside the Molex connector over the interior pin. You then simply push down hard on the top of the spring loaded tool like a syringe and the pin will pop out of the Molex connector. You can then push the pin into the correct place in the new EZ-Grip Connector.

Now if you, like me, have ever had trouble with removing plugs from devices you will find this kit is heaven sent. You don't get painful indents on your finger tips, you don't have to sit there wiggling the damn plugs for what like seems forever, you don't even have to hold your breath and pull with all your might (usually to no avail). These EZ-Grips are just that; easy.

On the top and bottom of the connectors are these looped pushing parts that hold the plug in place. When you squeeze them together (with no unnecessary force I might add) that will loosen their grip and push away from the device all at once, and the connector will pop-out almost instantly. Can you tell I like them? Of course aside from the obvious embarrassment of not being able to remove a Molex plug from the back of your CD-RW that you will thankfully now be spared, these EZ-Grips are also Red UV Reactive and should look good under a blacklight.

Final Words and Looks

Putting both the Slot protectors and the EZ-Grip Connectors under a UV CCFL that The Modding Shop sent to me as well, you can see that while the Slot Protectors do glow a sort of dark orange, the glow is not all that prominent. It is there but I expected it to be brighter. The EZ-Grips however are the complete opposite; they glow so bright they are almost cerise in colour.

To be perfectly honest, the fact that the EZ-Grip Molex connectors look good under UV light should be secondary to the fact that they do exactly what they say on the tin; they make removing your Molex plugs very easy and quick. I like that we get a tool included to remove your old plugs as it makes the entire process quicker all round.

The slot covers are ok, and will give you something to dress up your motherboard with, perhaps hiding some boring beige slots. However, unlike the EZ-Grips, I wouldn't go out and buy them simply as dust covers. I would buy them for the former reason of dressing up your case interior, which to my mind is the real reason for them anyway.

Both products are simple to install, cheap and assuming you like UV products, both will enhance your case interior nicely. Even if you are not interested in UV reactive products, don't let that make you pass on the EZ-Grips.

Pros: Slot covers will hide your beige slots, UV reactive plastic, EZ-Grip Molex Connector Kit comes with a removal tool, EZ-Grips glow brightly under UV light, Easy installation on both, Different colour kits available

Cons: Slot covers are not as brightly glowing as the EZ-Grips

Bottom Line: While both products are designed to be a quick mod for your interior, the EZ-Grips primary function of making Molex plug disconnecting a simple task is a huge benefit to anyone who finds Molex plugs a pain in the a**.

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