Awesome $8.49 power button gadget lets you start your PC from your desk — make your life easier by not having to bend down to reach the power button, super-durable external power switch is 15% off
The MEIRIYFA external desktop PC power switch looks hilarious, but it could be pretty handy for some folks.
Now and again, you come across a product so excellent within such a narrow category that it makes you marvel at the effort put into its creation. While browsing for Cyber Weekend deals, we spotted exactly such a product. The "MEIRIYFA Desktop Computer Power Switch Power Supply Cable, External PC Power Button Extension Cable With On Off Reset Switch For Computer Motherboard" is precisely what it says on the tin: a 2-meter cable that connects to your PC's front-panel headers and ends in a pair of mechanical keyboard switches. It's 15% off for Cyber Monday, bringing it down to just $8.49.
We don't want to understate how hard the manufacturer went on this thing. The two key switches that serve as your PC's power and reset buttons are made to look like Cherry MX-compatible mechanical keyboard switches, and Meiriyfa claims they're good for over 5 million keystrokes. Hopefully, you don't need to press either of these buttons five million times. Besides the buttons, there are also connectors for the PC's power LED and disk access LEDs.
The keys rest in a smooth black plastic case with a wire that extends to the PC itself, and that's where we find this product's next trick: an included "1 to 2 splitter" that allows you to connect both the external power and reset buttons as well as the standard case front connectors. It's just a basic physical adapter, so even if your pinout doesn't match the documentation's, you can move the headers around until they're all in the right place.
This slick external power button features a 2-meter (~78 inches) cable and a splitter that lets you connect both to your case's front panel buttons. It also includes adhesive pads and zip-ties.
As much as we want to call this a novelty product for how overbuilt it is, it could honestly be quite valuable for some folks. There are many situations where it could help: folks with back issues or mobility problems who can't easily press a floor-bound PC's power button, or scenarios where the PC ends up in a secured position that makes it inconvenient to push the front panel buttons.
Ideally, you shouldn't have to do that too often, but a product like this makes it completely trivial when you inevitably do. There are also cases like our hardware test labs, where the open-air testbed chassis don't include front panel connectors; a product like this steps in nicely for budget boards that don't have on-board power and reset connectors.
Frankly, we can think of many less-fruitful ways to spend eight-and-a-half bucks. For overclockers, for folks who are extremely sensitive to aesthetics (and want to hide an ugly desktop PC), or simply for enthusiasts who enjoy the feeling of a big, clicky key to power on their PC, Meiriyfa's external power button could make an excellent stocking stuffer or gag gift.
If you're looking for more Black Friday savings, check out our Best PC Hardware deals for a range of products, or dive deeper into our specialized SSD and Storage Deals, Hard Drive Deals, Gaming Monitor Deals, Graphics Card Deals, Gaming Chair, Best Wi-Fi Routers, Best Motherboard or CPU Deals pages.
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Zak is a freelance contributor to Tom's Hardware with decades of PC benchmarking experience who has also written for HotHardware and The Tech Report. A modern-day Renaissance man, he may not be an expert on anything, but he knows just a little about nearly everything.
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JeffreyP55 Reply
Useless.. At least for me. A bluetooth remote control thingie would work. Actually, make it WiFi. I could add it to the universal remote. :)Admin said:You could do a lot worse for $8.49 than this gloriously overbuilt external power switch.
Awesome $8.49 power button gadget lets you start your PC from your desk — make your life easier by not having to bend down to reach the power butto... : Read more -
bit_user I've started doing new builds on an open "bench" setup, until I've got the cooler mounted and know everything works properly. Then, I move it into a case. For a while, I was using a paper clip as a substitute for a power button. I got one of these and it was such a luxury!Reply
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2HSRDHQ
It does feel a little cheap, but would otherwise be fine for daily use. I never use the "reset" switch, so its absence is a non-issue for me.
