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July 6, 2009 by Lawrence Lee
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Product |
Moneual MonCaso 301
Multimedia/HTPC Case
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Manufacturer |
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Market Price |
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The last Moneual case we reviewed, the MonCaso
932, established that Moneual is an ambitious player
in home theater cases. The Korean manufacturer
sent us a sample of a complete desktop HTPC using a simpler, slimmer case. Our
initial impressions of the Moneual 301 were good — the case looks fantastic
and the package came with a remote and a compact wireless keyboard with trackball.
The MonCaso 301. |
Unfortunately our opinion soured a bit once we read the specifications. At
the heart of the Moneual 301 HTPC is a X2 4400+ processor and MSI motherboard based
on the AMD 690G chipset. So the parts are a little-dated, but still
good enough for high definition video playback. However, things deteriorated further once we got
a chance to sample its noise level and take a look under the hood.
The source of our woes: The power supply, the CPU cooler, and side fan. The
Zumax 400W power supply was surprisingly loud. At idle, while drawing only 55W
from the wall, it was louder than many of the power supplies we've reviewed
with loads many times higher. The unit even had a button at the back to
push the fan into 'turbo' mode, to drum up even more noise! The PSU build quality
was also suspect — it was very lightweight and the interior appeared to
be mostly empty. The SilentFlux CPU cooler also contributed a great deal of
noise to the system. Its fins were too restrictive and Noiselimit's "bubble
flex" technology (supposedly a poor man's version of watercooling) couldn't
get the job done quietly — reducing the fan's speed to tolerable levels
resulted in very high CPU temperatures. The 80mm fan mounted at the side was
also acoustically subpar.
Not only was the system underpowered, but quieting it would mean replacing
over half the components. The one thing we really admired about the system was the
enclosure, the MonCaso 301 case. The case is well-built with
thick panels, plenty of ventilation, and an appealing appearance. When we discovered
the case is available separately, we decided to focus
on the case alone. Our hope was that with proper components, it could be the
foundation of a quiet HTPC.
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| Case Type |
Desktop |
| Dimension (mm/inch) |
432W x 105H x 410D /
17.00W x 4.13 H x 16.13L |
| Available Color |
Black / Silver |
| M/B Type |
Micro ATX |
| Max.Dimension (mm/inch) |
254W x 232L /
10.00W x 9.13L |
| PSU Type |
Standard ATX |
| Dimension (mm/inch) |
150W x 85H x 140L /
5.94W x 3.38H x 5.50L |
| Front Display |
iMon VFD OEM |
| Fan(s) |
1 x 80mm on the side |
| External 5.25" Bay |
1 |
| External 3.5" Bay |
0 |
| Internal 3.5" Bay |
2 |
| Expansion Slots |
4 - Low Profile Type |
| Weight (Case Only) |
5.44Kg / 12 Lbs |
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