Antec Fusion HTPC Shootout
by Christoph Katzer on October 9, 2008 2:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Antec Micro Fusion 350
- Low profile desktop height fits in any environment
- Dual chamber structure for HDD and motherboard to separate heat and reduce noise
- High quality aluminum plate front bezel with LCD display
- 2x80mm side fans to exhaust air from CPU and VGA card
- IR receiver for compatibility with Windows MCE and Vista
- Universal power input and Active PFC
- 80 PLUS Certified 350W power supply delivers stable and reliable power while saving you money on your electric bill
- Removable HDD tray with extra soft silicone grommets in a separate chamber for maximum quiet and cool operation
- 80mm intake fan to cool the HDD
- 2 drive bays - 1x 5.25" and 1x 3.5"
- 4 Expansion Slots
- Cooling System
- 2x80mm TriCool 3-speed exhaust fans in motherboard chamber (standard)
- 1x80mm TriCool 3-speed intake fan for HDD cage (standard)
- 2x80mm TriCool 3-speed exhaust fans in motherboard chamber (standard)
- Adjustable air buide directs cool external air through CPU
- Motherboard: Micro ATX form factor (9.6"x9.6")
- Front-mounted ports provide convenient connections
- 2xUSB 2.0
- 1x eSATA
- Audio In/Out (HDA and AC' 97)
- 2xUSB 2.0
- Case dimensions
- 4.5"(H) x 15.1"(W) x 16.1"(D)
- 12cm (H) x 39cm (W) x 41cm (D)
- 4.5"(H) x 15.1"(W) x 16.1"(D)
The Fusion Micro 350 is the smallest of the three cases we're looking at today. It is just 12cm tall and therefore can only use low profile expansion cards and requires a low height CPU cooler. The front consists of a aluminum bezel where the VFD sits on the left side behind a dark acrylic window and on the left side is a cover for an optical drive. On the bottom we find an eSATA port, two USB ports, and jacks for a headset and microphone. On the bottom-right side are reset and power buttons. The right side of the chassis has two small 80mm fans that exhaust air from the case. Looking at the back we see space for a Micro ATX motherboard and the preinstalled power supply. The left side has two openings for cooling, one near the power supply and the other towards the front with a fan that helps cool the hard drive.
The inside of the case is a tight fit; a micro ATX motherboard will just barely fit but with little to no extra room. The optical drive sits above the memory, and you will want a shorter model so that it doesn't interfere with the CPU cooler. The optical drive bay can be removed by lifting it up and pulling it out of the chassis. To the side of the CPU are two 80mm fans that will help keep that area well ventilated. There are small brackets of black plastic that you can use to build a small air guide. The chassis is designed so there is a little bit of fresh air coming from the back of the case that will travel through the CPU cooler and then out again. There is space for one hard drive at the front of the chassis right behind the VFD. A preinstalled fan blows air onto the hard drives to cool it during operation.
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joeythecat - Thursday, October 9, 2008 - link
More comments.I have the silver Fusion which comes with a VFD instead of the LCD, and contrast looks much better. But like you said, driver support is horrible and my VFD consistently freezes or displays garbage, and I have to actually unplug the power cable to reset it, just rebooting the PC doesn't do it.
And yes the IR receiver sucks. Although one nice feature is that it works with the MS MCE remote. But its easy enough to disable the IR from the software and not have to deal with it.
Overall, I'm fairly happy with the case, but I wish I got the one WITHOUT the built in VFD so that I can put in a card reader instead.
jajig - Thursday, October 9, 2008 - link
Expanding on a couple of your comments with my thoughts:1) I have the same case and agree that iMon LCD is of poor quality. I wouldn't say it is as bad as you make out though. The contrast is adjustable; it took me about 10 minutes, but the display looks nice now.
2)ir receiver is useless. For some people it is too sensitive and gets interference from other remote controls and for others it just doesn't seem to work.
SirKronan - Thursday, October 9, 2008 - link
AGAIN Antec misses a HUGE feature that should be included or at least a possibility! There's nothing more convenient than pulling that card out of your SLR and immediately being able to display your high resolution photos on your big screen after a trip. Antec again fails to even provide a SLOT for such a device. Only one 5.25 bay.The 120mm fans and superior design are wins, and I would love to have one of these, especially the Fusion, as part of my home theater, but I don't want to have to plug in my camera or use an external card reader. More sleek and simple is always preferred in home theater setups. Not everybody needs a card reader in their HTPC, but it's still a PC and a logical place for a convenient card reader.
It doesn't have to even be visible. Cover it by a flap or put it on the side, as I have seen some cases do. All that space on the front, the MAX even has a flap, and still no option.
/rant
puddnhead - Thursday, October 9, 2008 - link
"Huge?" you're kidding, right? They put the standard interface USB ports right on the front. Every media format in the world has a USB reader available for it like $3. I have this case, and I have two cameras, one xD and one SDHC. maybe i just have more manual dexterity than you but I have no problem plugging either of these into a converter & that into the USB.In fact, thank god they just put the USBs on here, instead of some ugly "11-in-1" set of ports for SD, xD, miscroSD, miniSD, CF, blah, blah, blah. I want this to look nice and sleek in my living room, not like some kind of crappy computer with plug sockets all over it that looks like it belongs in an office.
RMSe17 - Friday, October 10, 2008 - link
More manual dexterity? How about more childish behavior? The user makes a constructive criticism of the case, and what do you do? Regardless of your view on his opinion, how about acting civil?SirKronan - Friday, October 10, 2008 - link
Maybe you don't want that feature, but I think a card reader dangling off the front of my home theater equipment, or a USB adapter sitting out a port is ugly, and inconvenient for something we use all the time. And like I said, it doesn't have to be visible. I've seen cases put it under a flap or even on the side.My wife likes to be able to bring the SLR home and stick the card right in the front without attaching anything, and I finally found a case that has them integrated. It still looks dang nice (1/4 inch black aluminum front bezel) and the card readers aren't an eyesore at all, as they are completely black, too. This is a convenience that we wanted, but that doesn't mean everyone does. I know another friend of mine returned his Fusion because of this, and I bought something else because of this feature. I wouldn't mind having at least an option to install one, either. Several Silverstone cases have a 3.5 inch external bay hidden behind a flap.
Oh well. To each his/her own.
strikeback03 - Friday, October 10, 2008 - link
I was going to post the same thing you did. I can see not including a card reader on the Micro model, but especially the largest case with the door should have a card reader behind it. Using a USB card reader is a lot more of a hassle and looks far more out of place than a reader integrated into the system.Now I generally wouldn't use this with my SLRs as I shoot all RAW and process, but for family pictures and such would be useful.
SirKronan - Friday, October 10, 2008 - link
Yeah, I shoot in RAW for jobs I do for clients, too, but I use the same camera for family stuff too. (some day I'll be able to afford a second body!!) a It's nice to just stick the card right in and sit down with the family to view photos from a trip or a day at the park. My wife takes pictures at all her country concerts, too, and she loves being able to just slap it into the card reader and do a slideshow right on our TV. From there she can instantly burn the images onto a DVD, too. Card readers are much faster than plugging in the camera (up to 15MB/sec on reader vs. 5MB/sec plugging in camera). And Vista (with a free patch) gives you native raw support to at least preview images.ceefka - Thursday, October 9, 2008 - link
In that case (no pun intended) I suggest you buy a USB adapter stick that can accept whatever card is in your camera and keep that USB adapter close to your HTPC.Windblazer3 - Sunday, July 11, 2010 - link
I'm looking at buying the Antec Fusion Remote Black case, and I noticed that you said a PSU with an "80 mm fan at the front" would work well with this case.I really want to get a quiet, efficient PSU in the 550-650 Watt range, and I was looking at the Antec Signature 650 that you reviewed here (http://www.anandtech.com/show/2632/2), where the 80 mm fan is located at the BACK. Is that PSU not really compatible with this case, then?
I was also looking at the Corsair VX550W PSU (however, that one seems to run a bit louder in the ranges I'm likely going to load my system) and the Seasonic X-650 PSU.