Lounge Rack

The first thing I wanted to sort out was the enclosure for my HTPC.

The main attributes of comparison for me were:

• size (specifucally, height)
• capacity for hard drives
• aesthetics

My main desktop PC lives in an Antec P180 case, which I bought for its quietness and general design. Antec do make some cracking HTPC cases, so I looked at them first. The Fusion 430 was quite nice, but a little large I thought. The advantage is that you get full size PCI slots, but it’s a bit cumbersome. Also, the knob. I mean, I really don’t see the point. I guess it might make the case look like a hi-fi amplifier, but I wouldn’t want to have to get up to adjust the volume, and even if I could, I’d use a remote control anyway. Also, the chances are I’d be using a speaker setup which would have its own volume controls. This drew me to Antec’s Micro Fusion case, which does look nice, and is a great size, but only takes one 3.5″ hard drive which is not enough for my storage requirements.

Silverstone make some nice looking cases, but many of them seemed to need riser cards for PCI/AGP devices, which seems a bit fiddly to me. I couldn’t quite find one that did all that I wanted it to. I was warming to the idea of a VFD display, and none of the slimmer Silverstone cases had them.

There are plenty of other options - l looked at barebone systems, and nice slim systems with space for notebook optical drives - these aren’t great because I think it will be a while before I can get a notebook Blu-ray writer that won’t cost the earth. It also seems to be hard to find a small case with enough space for hard drives.

I eventually settled on the Moneual MonCaso 301. It ticks all my boxes and looks incredibly stylish. Here are some highlights:

• Space for a full size power supply, which gives me a wide choice there. 
• Low-profile PCI cards; with more and more low-profile cards (like TV tuners) becoming available this will not be a problem. No messing about with riser cards.
• Full size optical drive bay, with a bezel to keep with the case’s smart look. Not many of the HTPC cases I looked at had this.
• VFD display is an iMon display, and comes with the full iMon PAD remote. This is great because there is plenty of Linux support for both devices.
• Extra connectivity is great but doesn’t compromise the design. The 3.5″ device reads memory cards, useful for viewing digital snaps, and a firewire and USB ports, as well as stereo audio in and out. This is all hidden behind a flap which keeps the case looking sharp.
• Two internal 3.5″ drive bays, essential for my RAID intentions.

The build quality is excellent, and the case feels like it’s going to last a long time, and won’t be outdated quickly. 

I do have some gripes though:

• Price. This is the killer - it was almost £200. I think with all the functionality and great looks it is worth every penny but it’s still a financial blow!
• Optical drive bezel. You have to remove the very front bit of your drive’s tray, and replace it with this one. It has the DVD logo printed on, which will annoy me when I get a Blu-ray drive. The other problem is that it doesn’t clip on but it uses a self-adhesive strip. This could be a problem if replacing the optical drive.
• Supplied 80mm fan is noisy. I did half expect to have to replace the fan but really I expected better from such a high quality case.

Overall I’m really pleased with the Moneual. It does everything I need it to, and looks great in my lounge. I’m going to have fun configuring the display and remote control, and there’s plenty of space for expansion. One little surprise was that Moneual generously included a magnetized screwdriver with the case accessories. Nice touch!

Hopefully I’ll update this post with some images of the Moneual case.

HTPC General, Hardware