G.SKILL WigiDash

You want an extra physical screen to monitor your hardware, maybe because you've cranked up the RAM, GPU, and CPU a little too much? You want a device that you can connect to all the sensors in your computer to make sure everything is running smoothly? You want a touchscreen to control your music, streaming, video, or for video editing? You need a Widget Dashboard - or WigiDash for short.

My use case is a little different. I really need to be able to keep an eye on the temperatures of the components and see if the GPU and CPU cores are running at the right speed, without running overlay software. In addition, I would like to have a set of media control buttons, as unfortunately keyboards are still being sent to Gamereactor for testing and they don't have them.

The WigiDash is a solidly constructed 1024x600 7" IPS monitor with a built-in stand. It weighs 334 grams, has an excellent brightness, and USB-C connectivity. The included cable is 1.8 metres long, which is sufficient, but in an ideal world they would have included a longer one. On the other hand, you don't need anything else at all.

My main design concern is that the USB port goes out to the side instead of downwards. This is a minus point in terms of keeping cable clutter down. It would also have been nice to be able to angle the stand as you like, rather than being locked at a fixed 45-degree angle. There is a secondary connection at the back that houses a 20-pin port - aimed at those who want to play around with things in earnest via an SDK available on GitHub. However, there's not much help in the manual and the port isn't even mentioned in the specifications, which is a bit odd. On the other hand, heavy DIY/overclocking players like ElmorLabs have created custom solutions via GitHub.

It's easy to use and the touchscreen responds quickly. If you have preferences, you can, for example, make the interface completely Pip-Boy-esque - not that I've done that in any way.
The entire interface is completely customisable via a rudimentary but effective driver software that thankfully supports drag 'n' drop. However, it can feel a little old-fashioned as everything can be changed and customised manually. Updates are infrequent - the last one came four months after the previous one - and before that at least six months had passed. This is fine for most, but support from all major streaming, music, and monitoring software providers is essential.

Once you've configured the setup, WigiDash can go in and connect to the relevant programmes and display or control them. The great thing is that you can customise the user interface, size, etc. It's great to have total freedom of choice - but you're also dependent on the programmes you want to integrate supporting WigiDash. For example, AIDA64 and other monitoring systems such as my personal favourite, HWinfo, as well as the entire computer's internal monitoring system work, so you can use WigiDash as a sensor panel. However, this also means that there may be specific use cases where certain programmes do not work optimally with WigiDash. More popular services like Twitch and Spotify are supported and pre-configured. One of the brilliant things is that a separate chat system is even supported for Twitch. It would be great if more platforms chose to support this.

One wish from me is that more software - like AIDA64 - create dedicated theme pages so that you don't have to create setups from scratch, either functionally or visually. The price of total freedom is that it can be a little confusing the first few times and that it takes time to get the setup just right.

There are multiple pages, so it's possible to customise it for many things. It can also act as a macro button and even has a folder function, which I personally found quite useful. There's room for up to 20 single shortcuts per page/tab, or you can make some functions bigger than others - it's quite handy. I use it mixed: one page/tab for information and shortcuts, one for music and video playback, and one for hardcore hardware monitoring. It's handy when you're overclocking or have hardware that's not working optimally.

The only thing I'm missing is that the monitor can display video signals in whole or in part - but that's not the purpose or intention. However, it could be an idea for a V2 version, although it would probably increase the price significantly compared to the £130 it costs now.

WigiDash is a brilliant tool for those who don't want 117 macro keys on their keyboard. The visual monitoring is essential if you're playing around with overclocking or don't want to alt-tab through a bunch of windows all the time. It's definitely a worthy competitor to various stream decks, and I much prefer the touchscreen to jelly-like keys that feel like bad membrane keys.