Introduction

If you are a modder you already know about AC Ryan, or you certainly should. AC Ryan is one of the leaders in modding supplies, with everything from Cold Cathode lights, fans, modding mesh, plastics and tons of great doohickeys that help make any mod just that much cooler. So it’s no surprise that they have just the right gadgets to make modding easier. Such is the case with the Backy. The concept is fairly simple and straight-forward, it’s been done before but not with so many flavors and combinations as AC Ryan provides. The item I am reviewing here is a back plate device that brings your molex power connector, 2 pin power connector and SATA power connector to the outside of your case so you can plug in your devices without having to crack the case to do so.

First Looks

At first there isn’t a lot to see here, a plastic bag with the stapled on cardboard folder-over top that contains the Backy. It’s built as well as any back plate you’re likely to run into so there isn’t a lot to say here.

Installation and Testing

Installation is simple enough if you’ve ever plugged in a card or for that matter, know how to use a screwdriver and can put a square peg into a square hole without fumbling it. In other words, it’s a no-brainer. Testing consisted of plugging in an external device and seeing that it worked, which it did. Again there isn’t a lot to be said here. It’s all in the conclusion folks.

Conclusion

The conclusion pretty much boils down to “it works”. There isn’t a lot that can be said about something as straightforward as this device. It does what it says it will do and that’s about it. Having said that, this is a device that no modder should be without. The applications for this kind of thing are numerous and include bringing your case lighting to the outside, allowing you to do more with your mod and bring the bling-bling to the forefront. It also is very handy for testing devices so you can tell if they work before you pop the hood and install them. If you’ve ever had a case with a molex snaking out of it from an unattractive location for this purpose you can appreciate the convenience here. Now if they could make a device like this which provides SATA and IDE connectors on the outside of the case along with the power connectors we’d be in serious business. The only down side to the Backy is that the SATA connector requires you to run a cable to the card from the inside. This isn’t easy to do in some larger cases where the SATA cables just won’t reach that far. Had they included a cable that ran from the Backy to the SATA cable inside the case it would have been quite nice but it also would have increased the cost of the item.

The Backy does have a connector inside for the molex cable, which is of course a must and it’s nicely sleeved to boot. AC Ryan could have cut corners there and just left you with a few bare wires in your case but, they know modders and provided the Backy with a cool sleeve. It’s a small detail but it’s those details that make the difference in any mod project. For what it is, a simple, non-nonsense answer to a problem that many of us have had in our modding excursions, it does the job perfectly. I recommend this little doohickey and just about anything that comes from AC Ryan with gusto! ThinkComputers gives the AC Ryan “Backy” a 10 out of 10 score.

Pros:
- An answer to a common need for modders.
- Provides multiple power connectors in various varieties.
- Inexpensive
- A Godsend to anyone who tests equipment frequently.

Cons:
- It would benefit from the existence of an internal SATA cable.