Sep
03
Product Description
LC18B is a HTPC aluminum chassis with an integrated touch screen. With superb airflow layout the LC18B can house any CPU with minimal noise thanks to its free-flowing dual 80mm exhausts and large intake vents. An innovative hard drive bracket was also created exclusively for LC18B to ensure top of the line graphics cards and capture cards can be used with little or no sacrifice in hard drive space. The precisely calculated distances between hard drives will ensure safe running either passively or actively (by mounting bottom feeding intake fans) for any hard drives installed. This exceptionally powerful chassis is then used to hold a HDTV-like 7-Inch touch screen with brilliant wide-aspect ratio resolution for clear text and undistorted images. For the most creative users who demand the best, the LC18B is a perfect complement for either home or work.
Product Features
- Integrated 7 in touch screen panel
- Premium, all aluminum construction
- Exceptional storage space
- Next generation cooling layout
- Rackmount ready
Technical Details
- Form Factor: ATX HTPC Desktop
- Compatible Motherboards: ATX
- Compatible Motherboards: Micro ATX
- Side Panel Type: Vented
- Power Supply: Not Included
- Material: Aluminum
- Special Features: Built-in Touch Screen
- External 5.25″ Drive Bays: 2
- External 3.5″ Drive Bays: 1
- Internal 3.5″ Drive Bays: 5
- Expansion Slots: 7
- 80mm Fan Ports: 4
- 80mm Fans Included: 2
- Depth: 17″
- Width: 16.7″
Jul
31
- The World’s First Chassis With An Integrated iPod Dock
- iPod charger dock design (designs only for iPod 30GB/ 60GB/ 80GB. iPod Nano, and iPod Shuffle are not compatible)
- Exclusive iPod remote control built-in
- Enjoy music without turn on PC
- Multimedia LAB
- Web Address: www.thermaltake.com
Jul
27
Shuttle Europe has just announced the SH55J2, a new XPC barebone that’s ready and willing to be turned into a powerful and compact HTPC or gaming rig. This latest model is based on an Intel LGA 1156 platform and is equipped with an Intel H55 motherboard.
The SH55J2 makes use of a J2-type aluminum chassis measuring 33 x 21.5 x 19 cm, supports Core i3/i5/i7 processors, up to 16GB of RAM, has one PCI-Express x16 slot (a dual-slot graphics card can be used), four SATA 3.0 Gbps ports, a 4-in-1 card reader, and includes a 300W power supply.
Shuttle’s new XPC barebone is shipping on the Old Continent and has a recommended price tag of € 251 (without VAT).
Jul
26
Price: $139.95
Combining silence, convenience, and style, the Fusion Remote Black is an excellent enclosure for a home theater PC. With its triple chamber design and dual 120mm fans, this case runs quietly and coolly. The Fusion Remote Black boasts an included remote control and media management software for maximum ease of use.
Features
- With True Enhanced Performance.
- Latest Technical Development.
User Reviews
Overall I was impressed with this HTPC case. Installation of the hard drives, motherboard, and power supply went well. The cable management is also decent.
I ran into problems when trying to install my optical drive. You need to have it in the correct position in order for the front “tray open” button to contact the drive properly. The bracket that holds the optical drive does not have slotted screw holes so if your drive doesn’t line up exactly with the existing holes, you can not screw the drive in. I had to drill out new holes in the bracket in order to mount the drive. The bracket can accommodate 2 5.25″ drives, but the top spot is taken up with the LCD display. Oddly enough, the top mounting spot did have slotted screw holes?!?
The case is quite despite 2 120mm exhaust fans. The LCD display is decent except for when the PC is turned off, the display gets obnoxiously bright and displays the time. The power and HDD lights may also be a little bright when you are in a dark room.
The software included for the LCD display and remote is OK, however, I don’t have experience with other remote/display software to compare to. When the software was installed, it says there was an update and asked if I wanted to download it. The download never occurred but the update app stayed on my task bar and never let me close it. I ended up uninstalling the software and downloading the latest from the manufactures website.
Overall, I am pleased with this case especially after reading reviews of other cases being almost impossible to install components if you didn’t install them in the proper order.
– Good design but room for improvement
The case is great. It has a lot of nice details such as rubber pads to absorb vibration and a mounting system for hard drives that isolates them on soft bushings to minimize drive noise. Ventalation
The power supplu is mounted upside down in a separate compartment from the motherboard. There is an extension for the 24 pin power cable, but the P4 cable might be a problem. I would buy a p4 cable extension or Molex to p4 cable with this case, unless you are sure that your cables will reach.
The VFD loks kind of cheap and the remote looks and feels cheap. The Soundgraph iMon software that drives it is limited. I would consider buying the non-VFD version and a different VFD.
– Great HTPC case, LED diaplay/Remote so/so
This is a great high quality case the size of a stereo receiver. 2x 120mm included fans keep the case cool enough that I didn’t need fans on the graphics card or the CPU (Core2Duo), but you should use a very good heat sink. The power supply is in a separate chamber, which keeps the heat isolated from the mainboard. PCI(e) slots are normal height, so a low profile video card is not needed. Fans vent to the side, so make sure you have space for the air to flow out.
LCD display shows some basic information, but is mostly not used by me for anything useful. The included iMon software isn’t as good as the Windows Media Center software, so I don’t use it except to control the system with the included remote. Although the remote can control the mouse and input text, I recommend a good wireless keyboard with built-in trackball mouse for this system as the remote is only good for basic tasks and not for typing. I’m also getting a fingerprint reader for quick logons vs. having to type in a password.
Lots of sound dampening pads are used, such as under the power supply, for the hard drives, the case feet and a strip along the top where the lid fits on the case.
Instructions were vague and could be confusing on a few minor points. The front of the case (wires to display, etc) were pre-installed, which is a plus since the instructions were confusing if you have to do it yourself.
Overall, I love this case and it looks good in my living room. Just wish Amazon would support APO addresses more as I couldn’t get them to ship this directly. — Great HTPC Case
Pros:
Reasonable price; sturdy chassis with good air flow; fans are quiet;
remote with good LCD display features of multi-language; software can play most video formats.Cons:
Fans’ speeds are manually controlled, no connector for motherboard.
Only micro-ATX or smaller form-factor motherboard will fit; only short video or expansion cards will fit, (9.4 inches or shorter). Only has space for two 3.5 inch hard drives and one CD/DVD drive. Remote’s 4 direction D-pad is difficult to use.
Needs better instruction manual.– Antec Micro Fusion Black HTPC case
Found this to be a decent & solidly designed case that was easy to setup in most areas. the enclosure has great cooling with a nice built-in display and remote control functionality. A little disappointed in the limited disk drive capacity (2 Max) The instruction provided were rather slim, instalation of the CD/DVD drive was not clear at all. The entite plastic face has to be removed from your CD/DVD drive. Overall very satified for the price paid. The software provided with the unit to interface its remote etc. is not very intuitive to use. Overall Better instructions would go a long way to improve my ratings of the hardware and supplied software! — Great Home Theatre enclosure