Conclusion:
The review of the
Antec Fusion Media Center Case went extremely well thanks to the great design and quality features that the case brings to a home theater setup. This case is by far the best I have used in terms of routing wires, optimizing airflow, and reducing clutter. The two included 120mm TriCool fans are in a great location to keep the motherboard and CPU area cool, and there is only a one degree difference in CPU temperature with or without a fan on the cooler since the dual TriCool fans are so effective. Using the loud (high) setting for the fans really isn't necessary for the few degree difference it may provide over the much quieter, low setting.
A search for the
Antec Fusion Media Center Case on
PriceGrabber results in ten sellers with prices starting at $159.50 before shipping and tax. This is may be a little on the high side for a typical HTPC case, but this one does include some extra features like the VFD, volume knob, and 430W power supply that make it anything but typical.
In my opinion, the only real downside to the Fusion Media Center Case is that it supports mATX motherboards only. While this can hardly be held against it, having room for a full size ATX motherboard would be a welcome option.
For its superior design and low noise operation, the Antec Fusion Media Center Case earns the awards of "Highly Recommended" and "Whisper Quiet".
Pros:
» Three chamber design
» Two 120mm TriCool fans have speed controls and provide effective cooling
» Very quiet operation thanks to low noise fans and vibration isolation elements
» Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD) is useful and attractive
» Volume knob
Cons:
» mATX only support
Special thanks to
Antec for providing the Antec Fusion Media Center Case to Bigbruin.com for review!
