Verdict: An Antec P180 for under your TV
When it comes to midi-tower cases for the air-cooling masses, Antec is king. When it produced the P160, and later, when it refined the design with its CPC Labs-winning P180, the company showed us what enthusiasts should expect to see in a case for a high-end PC. Over a year on from our first look at it, the competition still hasn't bested the P180, which is why it still occupies the Elite list.
Just as it has cleaned up on the desktop side, it looks as though Antec might be about to do the same for media centre PCs. When you first cast your eyes over the Fusion, it's obvious that it's different from the competition. It isn't as hefty as a big media PC case such as the SilverStone Lascala or as diminutive as the Hiper Media Chassis. Although the fascia exhibits the slab-of-aluminium styling we've come to expect from a media PC case, Antec executes the idea well, and the Fusion is understated and attractive. The external 5.25in bay is concealed behind a well-fitting aluminium flap.
Disappointingly, the 20-character by two-line VFD isn't as large as the window suggests, but the hi-fi styling of the volume knob more than compensates for the screen's dimensional inadequacies. Even the front-mounted ports and buttons are well designed and sensibly positioned. Antec also manages to make two USB 2 ports, a FireWire, and microphone and headphone ports look as though they belong on this slender chassis.
Cases such as the SilverStone are designed to house a full-sized ATX board and powerful components, whereas smaller models such as the Hiper are designed to accommodate as much hardware as possible in a minimal amount of space. Antec's case is a fusion of these two schools of design; it combines mounts for a micro-ATX motherboard with a home for a standard ATX PSU, which creates an ideal setting for a media centre. With a good motherboard and PSU, you can build a fast, quiet Intel Core Duo system, a cheap and cheerful Sempron or an Athlon 64 X2 powerhouse. The only limitation is that micro-ATX boards will offer a maximum of three PCI slots and a single AGP or PCI-E port.
Unusually for a HTPC case, there's enough cooling in the Fusion to handle a powerful CPU. Like the Zalman HD160, the Fusion uses only exhaust fans and inventive venting to move air through the case. Unlike other media chassis, the Antec uses two 120mm fans to achieve more airflow at lower volumes. The supplied fans have their own speed controllers, which have three speed settings.
The two 120mm fans are mounted alongside each other on the right-hand side of the case, and pull in air through two vents. The first of these vents is on the back of the case, close to where the CPU will be located. To prevent air from passing from the intake fan to the exhaust fan without passing over the HSF, Antec includes an adjustable barrier, which acts as a duct. You slot the pieces together, in the same way that you would Lego, until they reach your HSF. The incoming air is then forced to follow the barrier until it reaches the HSF.
The second vent in the main compartment lies below the case's 3.5in drive caddy at the front. This caddy uses grommets to silence the drive's vibrations and can hold up to two drives. Generously spaced and mounted on their sides, the system aids airflow.
A separate chamber contains the 430W Antec power supply, as well as two 5.25in drive bays, one of which is external. The caddy is removable for easy access and is held firmly in place by two rubber stoppers, which push against the top of the case and dampen drive vibration. In a further effort to prevent vibrations, the Fusion's case feet are composed of a soft gel to dampen the deep thrumming that can come from a PC when it's in action.
CONCLUSION
If you don't mind using a micro-ATX motherboard for your media PC then the Antec Fusion is the case to buy. It is indeed a fusion, bringing proven ideas from the P180 tower and putting them to work in a good-looking media PC case. Only the Zalman HD160 can match the Antec when it comes to cooling but, as it's a Zalman, lovely though it may be, it costs over £200. Considering that the Antec comes with a PSU from a company that knows how to make a good one, it can be considered excellent value for money.
