A few months ago, we received a copy of the WigiDash from G.Skill. So why are we only publishing the test today? Firstly, because it’s only been available in Europe for a few weeks, and secondly, because the software has undergone quite a few updates in recent weeks. If you do buy it, don’t hesitate to join the ElmorLabs discord, which is part of the design team that manages the software. We’ve also bought a copy of Benchlab, which we’ll be coming back to in the coming weeks.
G.SKILL’s WigiDash is available now on Amazon for 129.99 USD, and in Germany from ProShop and MyFactory for 148 euros. Ultimately, it’s aimed at all kinds of users, from gamers to content creators (by displaying Twitch chat, for example) and even overclockers.
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The WigiDash from G.Skill is an external control panel for PCs built thanks to the contribution of Elmor, which manages the interface, i.e. the internal software. We received a cardboard box which gives a quick idea of the dimensions of this WigiDash. The box features a visual of the control panel on the front, and on the back, information explaining how to use it. It’s an ally for your PC, designed to make your life easier. The WigiDash lets you create shortcuts, control media playback, monitor PC performance and many other options offered by the WigiDash Manager software. Elmor has regularly updated the WigiDash Manager in response to feedback from early adopters.
When you open the box, you’ll find a very brief manual, giving very little information on how the WigiDash works, but linking to the online Getting Started guide, as well as to how-to videos. We recommend you take a look at these to understand how widgets are created and used.
Underneath the manual is a 7-inch touchscreen, 24 mm wide and weighing in at 334 grams. This control panel is capable of displaying up to 20 buttons or widgets on its 1024 x 600 resolution IPS touchscreen. This WigiDash will enable you, for example, to display information from software such as HWiNFO and AIDA64. All this is made possible by the WigiDash Manager software, which allows you to arrange your widgets- some also call them “tiles” – in 5 x 4 grids.
As you can see, our WigiDash is perfectly protected for transport, since it’s enclosed in a foam block. Underneath the WigiDash is the power and communication cable to your PC. This is one of the strong points of this control panel, since it doesn’t have an HDMI cable, like most displays of this type, but a USB cable.
On the rear, there’s a non-slip area and a removable stand for placing on your desk. As you can see, the WigiDash gives you a great deal of freedom in your choice of location. Our only regret is that the stand cannot be locked in several positions, by which we mean the level of its inclination. If you don’t unfold the foot all the way to its stop, it doesn’t always stay in place. It would have been interesting to see a non-slip strip on the base of the foot.
In terms of compatibility, you’ll need at least Windows 10 64-bit to install and use the WigiDash Manager software.
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As you’d expect, installation is straightforward, as all you need to do is download the latest version of WigiDash Manager Software from this link. Then simply connect the USB plug to your WigiDash and your PC. Please note that the software must be “open” before you can use it, otherwise it will simply be in standby mode. By default, this external control panel will offer you three pages. You can add as many as you like, and simply sweep the screen from left to right to navigate between them.
The default profile includes a whole range of widgets you may need. This default profile can be used as a basis for your own needs. For example, you can easily delete or replace a widget . You can also easily edit or relocate them. In fact, taking a look at the “editing” mode will help you understand how a widgetworks.
The good news is, as we said, you’re not limited to a single page – you can add as many as you like. So you can create one for monitoring your PC, another as an audio player for your Spotify account, one for displaying your stream chat, and so on. As you can see from our screenshots, we’ve created a monitoring page via AIDA64 on page 4.
You’ll then have the opportunity to choose the default profile or load one of your own. For example, thanks to the Elmor Labs Discord, profiles are already available for download for AIDA64, giving you a good starting point. After that, it’s up to you to modify it as you see fit.
The only “catch” with AIDA64 is that you need a paid license to use it. If you do, all modifications are made directly via the software.
You’ll be able to choose your screen background, select the probes or information to be displayed, choose the font size, typeface and position on the screen. In short, even today, after weeks of use, I’m still making discoveries. And that’s what we’ll be emphasizing: that this is a tool with almost no limits.
Getting to grips with it is very intuitive, but to go further, you’ll have to test, try and sometimes turn to the Discord to find the answer to a function you’d like to use or implement.
As you can see from our screenshot, when we go to the “edit” section, we find other widgets already pre-installed, such as AIDA64 (which requires a license), an audio visualizer, the clock and date, the Hotkey, HWinfo, the image of your choice and finally a stopwatch that can also act as a timer.
Returning to the Hotkey function, this is where you can create a personal widget. This means choosing an image or icon from the available library, choosing its size, position, text (size, font, color) and, of course, assigning a function to this new widget , as you can see in our screenshots.
Afterwards, we focused on AIDA64 for monitoring our test configuration, but as you can see, this external control panel for PCs offers many, many options to meet user requirements.
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This G.Skill WigiDash is a real plus for those who spend a lot of time in front of their PC and need an external control panel at their disposal. It can also be installed inside your case to monitor your various components. Its main strength is that it uses a USB port, rather than HDMI like most displays currently on the market. What’s more, it features a touch screen, in the face of competition from remote mini-displays.
The other thing to bear in mind is the Elmor Labs Discord team behind the WigiDash Manager software, who are there to debug any problems you may encounter. Knowing the people behind it, you can trust them with your eyes closed.
As far as the price is concerned, it’s currently priced in Germany at under 150 euros, which we think is just about right. If you’re looking for a control panel to pair with your PC, this WigiDash from G.Skill is an excellent choice!
Many thanks to G.Skill for making this copy available.