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A couple of HTPC case reviews August 23, 2006

Posted by flung in : HTPC Cases, DIY HTPC , trackback

ExtremeTech takes a look at two sweet looking HTPC cases in a single article entitled “Pimp Your Home Theater PC”. The cases are the Ahanix MCE701 and the Antec Fusion.

The Ahanix MCE701 will set you back around $350 but it comes with a beautiful 7 inch touch screen LCD display right on the front facade of the chassis. The case is otherwise another receiver lookalike case with plenty of room for drives and expansion cards. The verdict from ExtremeTech on the MCE701 is as follows:

This HTPC case has a couple small quirks, but Ahanix has all the bases covered. Bonus points for the touch screen LCD.

Meanwhile, Antec decided to go for a simpler design with the Fusion chassis. It’s outer chassis is made of brushed aluminum and the case comes with a vacuum fluorescent display which scrolls to display information about your system. You can use Antec’s software to customize the message being displayed on the VFD. Similar to A/V receivers, the Fusion comes with a large volume knob control to raise or lower the sound. The verdict from ExtremeTech on the Fusion is as follows: