Page 2: Inside, Testing, Conclusion
Inside:
Taking off the cover of the case (the top) reveals the inside and the amount of space you are working with. There are a few interesting things about this layout. The drive section is located on the left of the image (which is the front of the case) and there is a fan pushing air directly on the hard drive. There is a removable bar above the motherboard that gives the case stability when in use and is removable to install the components.
The PSU is the smaller variety found in cases such as this. Aside from that, there is ample space around the unit to cool it without problems.
The motherboard area is also very clear. The theme of this case seems to be proper air circulation. As you'll notice, some of the mounts for the motherboard are inverted and require a specialized wing nut to secure it. I don't know why they did this.
This is the area below the optical drive cage. The cage pulls out and you screw in the drive. No big deal, but what is a big deal is the amount of space available under it. You can route cables and a few other things. The front connections come out from under the optical bay as well.
The HDD area is made for two drives. One sites on top of the cage and one gets installed in the cage. There are screws supplied with the case for each of these placements. The area is made for sound dampening as there is padding and rubber in places where the drive would touch and the screws are lined with rubber as well.
The PSU is the in the 80+ line from Antec and is a 350W unit. Remember that most computer don't need extremely high wattage power supplies and 350 watts is enough to handle a good system. This is an entertainment PC case, remember.
Installation:
To install the hard drive. You need to remove the LCD from the unit. I consider this a design flaw. The LCD itself is bare once you remove it and it folds down so getting it back in the correct place is kind of a pain to do. It is a minor annoyance, but an annoyance, regardless. The LCD itself is graphical and Linux drivers are in the works for the latest versions of LCDproc. The remote control will also work with the latest LIRC stack. Windows drivers are included in the packaging.
You can see the amount of space the case gives you. I'm using an ITX motherboard, but you could easily use a micro-ATX sized board as well and have better expansion and better performance with a good CPU. This system was intended to be a MythTV frontend.
The hard drive is installed in the cage with special rubberized screws to cut down on the vibration. It is things like this that make Antec a top case provider.
Conclusion:
Don't get me wrong. Media center cases are expensive and the Micro Fusion Remote 350 is no different hovering in the $200 range. You have to be absolutely sure of your purchase with this. Do you really need the LCD and remote included? They are nice features but many builders will opt to skip a LCD and buy a better remote control instead of the small one that comes with it.
Antec did put a nice package together and if you're looking for a case that has everything built-in, this is it. Media center junkies need to look no further. The case has fans with variable speeds to slow them down enough to be quiet yet still move air around for adequate cooling. The fact that the case looks like a component in an A/V setup is just gravy. Antec really knows how to make a case and I'm glad to see these ventures into new markets. Now, it needs to be a bit cheaper.
I'd like to thank Antec for supply the case for review.
Taking off the cover of the case (the top) reveals the inside and the amount of space you are working with. There are a few interesting things about this layout. The drive section is located on the left of the image (which is the front of the case) and there is a fan pushing air directly on the hard drive. There is a removable bar above the motherboard that gives the case stability when in use and is removable to install the components.
The PSU is the smaller variety found in cases such as this. Aside from that, there is ample space around the unit to cool it without problems.
The motherboard area is also very clear. The theme of this case seems to be proper air circulation. As you'll notice, some of the mounts for the motherboard are inverted and require a specialized wing nut to secure it. I don't know why they did this.
This is the area below the optical drive cage. The cage pulls out and you screw in the drive. No big deal, but what is a big deal is the amount of space available under it. You can route cables and a few other things. The front connections come out from under the optical bay as well.
The HDD area is made for two drives. One sites on top of the cage and one gets installed in the cage. There are screws supplied with the case for each of these placements. The area is made for sound dampening as there is padding and rubber in places where the drive would touch and the screws are lined with rubber as well.
The PSU is the in the 80+ line from Antec and is a 350W unit. Remember that most computer don't need extremely high wattage power supplies and 350 watts is enough to handle a good system. This is an entertainment PC case, remember.
Installation:
To install the hard drive. You need to remove the LCD from the unit. I consider this a design flaw. The LCD itself is bare once you remove it and it folds down so getting it back in the correct place is kind of a pain to do. It is a minor annoyance, but an annoyance, regardless. The LCD itself is graphical and Linux drivers are in the works for the latest versions of LCDproc. The remote control will also work with the latest LIRC stack. Windows drivers are included in the packaging.
You can see the amount of space the case gives you. I'm using an ITX motherboard, but you could easily use a micro-ATX sized board as well and have better expansion and better performance with a good CPU. This system was intended to be a MythTV frontend.
The hard drive is installed in the cage with special rubberized screws to cut down on the vibration. It is things like this that make Antec a top case provider.
Conclusion:
Don't get me wrong. Media center cases are expensive and the Micro Fusion Remote 350 is no different hovering in the $200 range. You have to be absolutely sure of your purchase with this. Do you really need the LCD and remote included? They are nice features but many builders will opt to skip a LCD and buy a better remote control instead of the small one that comes with it.
Antec did put a nice package together and if you're looking for a case that has everything built-in, this is it. Media center junkies need to look no further. The case has fans with variable speeds to slow them down enough to be quiet yet still move air around for adequate cooling. The fact that the case looks like a component in an A/V setup is just gravy. Antec really knows how to make a case and I'm glad to see these ventures into new markets. Now, it needs to be a bit cheaper.
I'd like to thank Antec for supply the case for review.