Fusion Max -- ATX version of Antec Fusion is coming

Wibla · Post by **Wibla** » Mon Jul 21, 2008 6:20 pm

I'm waiting for this case, eagerly too.. I dont want to compromise on cpu or vga cooling.

Modo · Post by **Modo** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 12:27 am

Wibla wrote:I'm waiting for this case, eagerly too.. I dont want to compromise on cpu or vga cooling.

You wouldn't with the Fusion. Results with a Ninja Mini show that a Quad can be used without problems. Fanless graphics cards work well, too.

The Fusion Max is about SLI/CF/OC setups, since it can accomodate ATX motherboards (usually with better OC capabilities), and more (and longer) graphics cards. Cooling might actually be slightly worse, but we'll know for sure once it's available.

NyteOwl · Post by **NyteOwl** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 11:57 am

I'd love to see a 2480 in ATX size. I don't need the VFD but the board space - if only to provide more options, and the possibility of another HDD drive bay would be nice.

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 6:09 am

Modo wrote:The Fusion Max is about SLI/CF/OC setups, since it can accomodate ATX motherboards (usually with better OC capabilities), and more (and longer) graphics cards.

Exactly. One thing i only just noticed is the fan intake for the PSU - where it is it'll likely not fit a Hx1000 in it. They'll likely need to make that psu intake longer in order to account for the fan positions on the more powerful psu's.

Personally, I think it needs to account for both types, and sadly PSU makers haven't been able to standardise on a given position.

Here's the image i refer to:

and

andyb · Post by **andyb** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 3:22 pm

One thing i only just noticed is the fan intake for the PSU - where it is it'll likely not fit a Hx1000 in it.

So what you mean to say is that 1-in-500 stupid users wont be satisfied, and 1-in-5000 sensible high-power users wont be satisfied.

I only want to know when these damned cases come out because my brother wants one, so that he can re-use his existing parts in that and use it as a HTPC/server, and buy himself new parts for his main PC/gaming rig.

Andy

Wibla · Post by **Wibla** » Sat Jul 26, 2008 8:42 pm

Modo wrote:
Wibla wrote:I'm waiting for this case, eagerly too.. I dont want to compromise on cpu or vga cooling.
You wouldn't with the Fusion. Results with a Ninja Mini show that a Quad can be used without problems. Fanless graphics cards work well, too.

The Fusion Max is about SLI/CF/OC setups, since it can accomodate ATX motherboards (usually with better OC capabilities), and more (and longer) graphics cards. Cooling might actually be slightly worse, but we'll know for sure once it's available.

Q6600 @ 3.4GHz running rosetta@home and being quiet about it is my goal, I have serious doubts about a ninja mini pulling that off.

Modo · Post by **Modo** » Sat Jul 26, 2008 10:32 pm

Wibla wrote: Q6600 @ 3.4GHz running rosetta@home and being quiet about it is my goal, I have serious doubts about a ninja mini pulling that off.

I'd have serious doubts about running that specific CPU at all. It is the hottest Intel part at the moment, showing very high temperatures even at stock speeds, so you won't get silence after overclocking it, except with water cooling.

As to what the Ninja Mini can do, look here. Yes, it's a cooler CPU, but the safety margin clearly shows how much more power-hungry you can go with this setup.

Wibla · Post by **Wibla** » Sat Jul 26, 2008 10:51 pm

I'm running the Q6600 @ 3.1GHz / 1.29Vcore with a Xigmatek 1283.

Load temps (rosetta@home) is around 49-52C with the cpufan running at 900rpm (stock xigmatek pwm), ambient temp around 22-23C.

I'm planning on experimenting further with the TRUE next week.

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 4:28 pm

andyb wrote:
One thing i only just noticed is the fan intake for the PSU - where it is it'll likely not fit a Hx1000 in it.
So what you mean to say is that 1-in-500 stupid users wont be satisfied, and 1-in-5000 sensible high-power users wont be satisfied.

I only want to know when these damned cases come out because my brother wants one, so that he can re-use his existing parts in that and use it as a HTPC/server, and buy himself new parts for his main PC/gaming rig.

Andy

In a case that's supposedly designed for high-end CF/SLI rigs, not being able to support the PSU's which support such configurations seems self defeating.

But anyway, how bout now?

nici · Post by **nici** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 1:50 pm

So are they going to do this or not? I like how the USB ports and stuff are behind a door and the fact that it supports full ATX, which are my main problems with the Fusion and it's companions. And it's black bits with a silver strip would blend in really well with my amp.

Now ditch the volume knob and put the optical drive behind a proper door or with just the sled visible HD135 style, thank you very mucho. Visible ports and a computer style ODD are big no no for me in a HTPC case.

kojak71 · Post by **kojak71** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 2:38 pm

kojak71 wrote:Does anyone have the physical dimensions of this case?

Still waiting

kenoka · Post by **kenoka** » Wed Aug 20, 2008 6:31 pm

I took a little peek at Antec's site yesterday, and they do have some preliminary info for the Fusion Max, which they're calling the "Fusion Remote Max":

Dimensions:
- 17.8" (H) x 17.6" (W) x 16.5" (D)
- 45.3 cm (H) x 17.8 cm (W) x 44.6 cm (D)
Net Weight: 19.6 lbs / 8.9 kg
Gross Weight: 24 lbs / 10.9 kg

Obviously one of the dimensions is off. I'm guessing that the Width is actually the height, as it's listed in metric as 17.8 cm (about 7").

Here is their .pdf brochure.

lubej · Post by **lubej** » Sun Aug 24, 2008 3:00 am

Hello

Antec has changed names for htpc enclosures:

http://www.antec.com/us/pro_en_Veris.php

Do you maybe know when fusion remote max will be available in Europe and what the price will be ?

http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=15727

Thank you.

Best regards.

incredifred · Post by **incredifred** » Mon Aug 25, 2008 1:20 pm

Sweet!

ItÂ´s coming!

kenoka · Post by **kenoka** » Mon Aug 25, 2008 8:07 pm

lubej wrote: Do you maybe know when fusion remote max will be available in Europe and what the price will be ?

We can onlly speculate at this point, but initial pricing in Australia and the UK appears to be around the $225 - 250 mark (US dollars). I'm guessing a US MSRP of $199.

Availability is anyone's guess, but several vendors show availability (again in Australia and the UK) as of 8/29.

I also noticed some new products in the same area of Antec's site the other day. They look to be retrofit half-height IR receivers and screens designed for the HTPC crowd. Cool.

Camm · Post by **Camm** » Tue Aug 26, 2008 1:27 am

Latest update for Australians. Available 03/09. Wholesale price as per a leading australian wholesaler is @ $235.00 au. Should be able to match that with a variety of websellers.

kpk · Post by **kpk** » Tue Aug 26, 2008 5:45 am

Emailed Antec on this a couple of days ago about release dates in Europe and got this

The schedule is that this item will be available in the first week of September.

Thank you for your interest in our products.

QuietOC · Post by **QuietOC** » Tue Aug 26, 2008 8:41 am

KuniD wrote:Whats stopping me from using a set of 8800GT's in SLI is the MATX motherboard. If an SLI motherboard does exist in MATX then its likely to be missing other stuff. It's always a comprimise.

The 8800/9800 series is pretty old. Sure, right now the 8800GT SLI is roughly equal to a 4870 and a 9800 GX2 slightly faster. The shader power of a single 4870 is huge, so as games get more shader heavy the 8800/9800 will look more and more dated. If the single 8800GT is not cutting it, sell it now, and get a 4870 or GTX 2x0. Forget about dual cards.

revs · Post by **revs** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 6:05 am

Whats the black piece of plastic by the two large fans for? Looks like it would just mess up the airflow.

Emyr · Post by **Emyr** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 7:46 am

revs wrote:Whats the black piece of plastic by the two large fans for? Looks like it would just mess up the airflow.

That's a retractable baffle to make sure that any air reaching the fans has passed through the heatsink. Possibly important with a Ninja-style cooler.

I'm pretty sure Mike has commented on this baffle in some other Antec case review...?

lubej · Post by **lubej** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 5:05 am

is antec based in australia or Uk, I'm just asking this becaouse it is very strange that it's not on sale in us or europe first

Br

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 9:11 pm

It's popped up on a few sites here:

http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/28724

AUD$269 without a PSU.

kenoka · Post by **kenoka** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 11:24 pm

A couple of US vendors now have a purchase page for this case, although they don't have stock yet.

Pricing is just shy of $200 as I predicted.

And lubej, Antec is a US company. I'm sure they've done their market research to determine which markets receive stock first. The HTPC market seems much hotter outside of the US, so it's not surprising to see a later release here, in spite of Antec's origins.

Modo · Post by **Modo** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 3:34 am

Funny, the Antec Fusion (not Max) just got cheaper, and it now comes without a PSU.

jacky912 · Post by **jacky912** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 7:32 am

I just bought one today.
Look great but don't have time to install it.
Anyway, it has remote, it looks good and heavy...

kenoka · Post by **kenoka** » Sun Sep 14, 2008 11:19 am

Pics and a review ASAP please.

jacky912 · Post by **jacky912** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 10:45 pm

Dear all,
Finally I finished the installation last night.
I lost my card reader, so that I couldn't upload any photos, sorry.
But I would like to list the pros & cons here:

PROS:
1. Good airflow (large case with a lot of space)
2. Silent (14cm + 12cm case fan with speed adjustable control at the back of the case, can't hear any noise when I sit close to the case within 0.5M)
3. Heat isolation (PSU fan is facing outward, heat won't mix with other heat sources but your PSU's fan must be very quiet, I am using Enermax 525w which is very quiet)
4. 4 HDD bays with anti-vibration
5. Large enough for my big VGA card
6. Powerful iMON with iMEDIAN HD

CONS:
1. Poor installation manual (not good enough for stupid user like me)
2. Some unexpected air intake holes (for example: hole on the top cover and PCI slot covers, not sure whether they will affect the airflow or not)
3. iMON remote buttons doesn't match the standard remote layout on the system (the buttons like *# on ANTEC should be tab, shift tab)
4. VERY costly (it costs me HKD$1680)
5. IMON LCD light is too strong, will affect a little bit when you dim all the light and enjoy movie
6. iMEDIAN HD doesn't support dual display (TV + monitor)
7. No built-in card reader

Modo · Post by **Modo** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 10:54 pm

jacky912 wrote: 2. Some unexpected air intake holes (for example: hole on the top cover and PCI slot covers, not sure whether they will affect the airflow or not)

The ones on top are for the graphics card (think large heatsinks of fanless models). The ones at the slot covers allow air to enter near any expansion cards (and their usually passive heatsinks). The ones below the hard disk cage should be self-explanatory.

tsb · Post by **tsb** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 12:08 am

1) the complexity of trying to pull that off with vertically mounted drives bays that had to be removable, and
2) in most media PC apps, the silicone rubber grommets by themselves do a good enough job of isolation. Media PCs generally don't have to be as quiet as a desktop home PC; when they're being used, there's usually some sound coming out of the speakers to mask PC noise, and users are seated some distance away.

I disagree with the second. Media PCs need to be quieter than desktop PCs. Hearing a fan/vibrations while web browsing is much less annoying than hearing a fan/vibrations during a silent part of a movie. It completely takes you out of the sense of being there. The ambient noise level in a dedicated HT is also usually much lower than the average room where a desktop PC might be.

waiko · Post by **waiko** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 12:35 am

Newegg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811129055

USD 249.95 + USD 14.99

Is it overkill?
Do we really use the volume knob on the front?

It has finally landed in USA. Have to start eating instant noodles for awhile after this....

Fusion Max -- ATX version of Antec Fusion is coming

It here USA!!!!