Finally, the waiting is Over!! Here's my HTPC!!

why didnt u use xbmc live ?

** Little Antec microFusionRemote 350 Case Review **



Ok this is a really nice HTPC case.
extremely solid, well built,
and it doesnt feel 'cheap metal' when manipulating it!

LCD Screen Looks really good and was easy to setup!
you need to install the iMON MANAGER so you can of course
manage the screen and play with its settings such as,
Font, Size, Speed, Position and more...
Dont worry, the Screen goes to sleep or shuts-down
whenever your PC does the same...
it does NOT stay ON 24/7 like some other users reported...
It stays ON 4ever if you DONT install iMON MANAGER...
LCD Screen is also a Infra-RED receiver!
Since the case comes with a 'Petite IR Remote',
which is really 'petite' by the way,
you can use it to Power ON & OFF your HTPC...
But thats it,,, You cant control XBMC at all..
its really un-responsive and cheap i guess...
just forget it,,,
i use an application called XBMC-on-IMON
which makes the LCD Screen display the Movie or Song name that XBMC plays
and also commands like if your Fast Forwarding or Rewinding...
i love it!

Now it also comes with a very good 350W 80+ Certified Power Supply!
Thats plenty of juice for any HTPC users!
PSU has 3 SATA Power Connectors...
Which is plenty for me by default!
I feel safe using a PSU made by ANTEC because,
i've never seen one fail basically...
They have a very strong reputation in the PSU scene!
i also think its fan is quiet, but then again,
those who look for a totally passive cooling HTPC
would think otherwise,, for me its perfect!

The case also comes with 3 Fans which all have a Speed controller...
Set them at LOW SPEED and you barely hear them...
so yes, you hear them per say,
but they dont sound like a Jet-Engine or a Vacuum-Cleaner!
Also, if your extremely picky,
like many HTPC users do, just by New Fans..

Its a Low Profile case so, be careful with the hardware you buy...
GPU Card/ WiFi Card/ Capture Card, basically,
all has to be Low Profile to fit in this case!

Also, even if the case only has 1 x 3.5" Internal Drive Bay,
you can easly install an SSD on top of its tray like i did,
or, under the Optical Drive Bay!!
No problem there!

Air flow in the case is really really good!
Everything is so cooL in there, any Hot air will be moved away easily!
Case has nice Vent Holes all around!!

Regarding dimensions and weight,
Height: 4.5"
Width: 15.1"
Depth: 16.1"
Weight: 11.31 lbs.

So yes after adding all my hardware in there,
its a bit heavy and if u checked my HTPC pictures in general,
you'll notice that i cant place this case
under my HDTV because of its Depth...
so bare the Depth 16.1" in mind when buying this Case!
You might have problems 'placing' it where you wanted in the first place..
Like me
I overlooked the dimensions stats when i bought the case...
Oh well, i'll find a better place for it later on...

Finally, I really recommend this case to any HTPC users that likes it looks!!
Hard to beat at a $100 price-tag!!
and at that price, it even includes the PSU, REMOTE & IR LCD Screen!!
You wan it? Dont hesitate!! Go for it!!

So that sums it up for this Antec microFusionRemote 350 Case Review!!
Hope you enjoyed reading it just as much as i enjoyed writing it!!

peace

HansP Wrote:why didnt u use xbmc live ?

im a Windows Lover

hehe
u make me wanna go for the ASrock E350M1 again

Damn, why don't I have the fund's for this??

Eskro, that is a nice setup. Infact, what I want but will never get sign off from the Wife. (even though she uses it more than me and moans at all the flaws my current system has!)

haha pwnd warren

Very nice HTPC eskro! In fact one of the best i have seen so far. I plan on building my own HTPC very soon. I'm doing my research now. Is there a reason why you installed windows 7 x64 instead of x86? I'm a windows lover too lol

eskro Wrote:hahaha yeah i know
wall repaired tho, so im good now lol

Sounds like an interesting story...

Hi mate excellent build.
I'm about ti build my htpc I think I might copy you lol!
Just wandering if I use Xbmc live from a USB stick will I still need an SSD ?

I do not recommend XBMC Live from USB stick. The only thing I would ever consider running via USB stick is OpenELEC.

In this case, you could run OpenELEC from USB flash media and not get SSD. I still recommend running from internal media to help with performance though!