Construction
Apparently, the MCE601 has been designed to withstand quite a bit of weight, as the side and front panels are made of 1/8” thick steel. The case can be unscrewed into its various segments, which is nice for anyone who wants to do any custom installations or modding to the unit. The decision not to use any thumb screws is a bit of a shame, especially since given that it takes the removal of six screws (three from either side) to remove the top panel, but considering the main location and use of a system like this, it is doubtful that after the initial installation, one would have to access the interior of the case on a regular basis.The front bezel is arguably the most important aspect of any HTPC case in regards to its construction, and the front brushed aluminum panel and its associated hinging door not only looks sturdy, but is also quite thick and should withstand many years of use.
The top removable panel is made of steel as well, most likely to help support the weight of additional units that might be sitting on top of the HTPC. Yet surprisingly, even with all the steel, the MCE610 weighs only 12.2 pounds without anything installed.
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Dmitheon - Thursday, May 5, 2005 - link
Couple of quick additions. Not to sound like an advertisement, but pcalchemy is offering a customized version of this case (in addition to the standard one), where they remove the PSU and add an adapter which allows any MicroATX PSU to be used. It's a bit cheaper than the normal version. Also, a thanks to the site for review HTPC cases. Many of the regular HTPC sites don't actually do thermal & sound measurements, and this stuff is useful. My only other hopes that you guys can take a look at some of the newer offerings from Uneed and Silverstone, particularly Uneeds X11 and X15e, and Silverstone's LC14M.yelo333 - Thursday, May 5, 2005 - link
Same issue as #3.FF 1.0.3, and Gentoo stable.
Netopia - Thursday, May 5, 2005 - link
I don't think that there are any other graphics on that page. There SHOULD be (it does say click to see full sized) but there aren't.Photography also needs to be better. In an all black environment like inside a case, one should use some sort of bounce flash to fill the shadows and give some contrast so that people can tell what they are looking at.
Other than that, nice review.
Aquila76 - Thursday, May 5, 2005 - link
#3 - Same deal on XP and FireFox, too. Maybe the link got wiped when the article was posted?sideshow23bob - Thursday, May 5, 2005 - link
Hey I had trouble viewing the thermal data. I assume there was something more than an picture of the internal case +mobo, b/c that's all I saw when I scrolled over it. I'm currently on a friend's Mac and using safari as a browser, so let me know if it's my issue or on all computers. Thanks.Googer - Thursday, May 5, 2005 - link
Zepper - Thursday, May 5, 2005 - link
Guys are slipping... Typical Ahanix - all show, no go. I have never seen one yet where even half the attention paid to the external appearance was paid to internal details and modern conveniences. No vibe dampers for the drives or fans. Less than 1/4" of added height would accomodata a stanard PSU. And it goes on and on....bh.