I'm planning on gathering parts soon for my HTPC. But first I have to decide on the case.

So would you want the VFD and volume knob or do you see it being useless? And lets put $ out of the question

Personally I think the volume control and VFD are pretty useless, but as an HTPC will presumably be sitting in your lounge where you can't avoid seeing it, the Fusion is probably worth the extra for its better looks (in particular, no PC-type exposed drive bays). The NSK2400 might not be quite such an eyesore if it were available with a black fascia, but it isn't, so...

I'll be in the same position in 1-2 months, and it really feels wrong to pay about ~$150 more for the fusion just for one stealth-dvd... but I'll probably regret it if I get the NSK2400 and end up staring at a black DVD-RW.

I've considered the NSK2400, thinking that to spray the facia black would be pretty simple and then it's a bargain Fusion (without the VFD and volume knob of course).

Alternatively there are some (though few) silver colour DVD drives / burner.
Some from Sony in particular.

FYI, the drives on a NSK2400 can be stealthed quite easily (even for someone like me who is bad with tools) using the blank covers that come with it. Just sand down the back of the blank flat and use double sided foam tape to mount it. I even drilled a hole for the status light. Here's what it looks like:

That looks really nice, but how do you eject the drive? Software only, or can you press the eject button on the drive?

I think someone in another thread mentioned someone else painting the face black and it didn't turn out so well... but I never saw the results of it =\



Nice mod you have there! Something I would really consider if I don't get the Fusion.


It still comes down to the volume knob and VFD. Is the volume knob going to ever be used? I can't think of the volume knob being used if the HTPC is going to be connected to a seperate audio amp.. Can a seperate VFD be added to the NSK2400?

There are 5.25 VFD kits around. There are those iMON kits which I believe is what VFD is used in the Fusion. It can be found for ~90 dollars give or take. Same goes for the ThermalTake Media Lab.

M-play makes several VFD's (with remotes or not).

I don't know if CrystalFontz has them but I know MatrixOrbital makes VFD's in drive bay form or DIY kits.

So yes, you can use your own VFD.

For the price of adding a VFD to a 2400 you could just about buy the Fusion.

Having built systems in both I like the Fusion better. I think it is also slightly quieter. Not greatly, but I think the thick aluminum front might block some of the noise, either through its sheer mass, or it is adding rigidity to the rest of the case and reducing resonance.

The Fusion looks more like a piece of A/V gear..the 2400 looks like a desktop PC case. Whether that is worth the price bump is purely up to you.

If you did want to change the color of the 2400's face, don't paint it, dye it. Ralf put up a pretty tutorial about dyeing optical drive face plates around here somewhere.

It ejects by pressing the lower right corner of the cover...completely stealthed. All I did was glue a few pieces of thin scrap plastic to the back, enough that it reached the eject button on the drive. Also, the foam tape I used was quite thick so its possible that if you use hot glue - or any thinner means of adhesion - you might not need any plastic at all.

My next project is to add a VFD to the top drive bay. But I'll need to practice with the dremel first. A while back when I was doing heavy research on VFDs, I remember there was a reason I didn't like the iMON. I can't remember for sure but I don't think it's a MCE supported display. This is the one I was thinking about using:

http://www.ricavisionplix.com/MCE_Delux ... /dekit.htm

VFD fits in the 5.25 drive bay, it has IR, compatible w/ MCE. This is the way to go for me.

i had this decision to make when i built my HTPC. personally, i don't see the point of a VFD. i'm using mediaportal so any pertinent information i need can be displayed on my TV. the only use i see in a VFD is if you're using it as a standalone music player with no TV. otherwise i wouldn't be able to justify spending the extra money.

as for the volume knob, also not needed if you have a remote control. looks nice, but not worth the extra money.

aerodynamics: nice mod! but personally, i quite like having a black drive showing on my NSK2400.

So, does anyone have any good use for the VFD and/or the volume knob? How does the knob actually work, what do you connect it to?

The knob is tied into the VFD's USB connection to the mobo.

Antec includes a modified version of the iMon software with the Fusion. It has a bunch of built-in modules for a variety of semi-useful display functions: System info (CPU load, HDD space, RAM load, etc), weather, news headlines, email alerter, clock, media tags, EQ, junk like that. On my Fusion I have it set to show the media tag information (song title, recorded TV title, etc) and the EQ (just because I'm easily amused by the dancing lights )

I put together a Fusion for an HTPC awhile back, here are links to notes on this forum and on HTPC News, there may be useful info for you there:

SPCR, notes on my Fusion build:
[url]http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=34451[/url]

HTPC news, info on configuring the VFD on the Fusion using LCD Smartie, open source tool instead of the included drivers (scroll down):
[url]http://www.htpcnews.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=24942[/url]

Regarding the volume control knob...I never use it, or the one on the front of my Sony receiver either. Once you have a remote, the knob is kinda pointless.

I decided on the NSK2400 because I didn't think I'd end up using the knob or the VFD. Considering that the doors on my TV stand stay closed 99% of the time, I don't regret the decision at all. Although I would have probably preferred that the NSK2400 had a simplified version of the brushed aluminum front that the Fusion has, from outside of a couple of feet I doubt you'd be able to tell the difference anyways.

Bit of a thread resurrection here but do you still feel you made the right decision?

I'm in the exact same situation right now, NSK2400 or Fusion Black.
I'd quite like a Black case (never had one before) so I'm thinking maybe I could detach the front cover on the NSK2400 and paint in black? I've never done any case modding though so I don't know about that! I think it'll be fairly straight forward to stealth a drive too, as shown above. Could then get a seperate VFD and put that in.
I'd be happy to pay for the Fusion to be honest but I've read in loads of places that the LCD and IR are completely useless and a real pain. That's what is really putting me off the Fusion. I think if I got it, I'd have to take the display out and replace it with a custom VFD, that'd be a bit of a nuisance.

I hesitated between the two for my HTPC and ended-up buying the Fusion.
Here's my take on it:

Volume knob: useless BUT looks good in my component rack. I use my remote to control the volume anyway.

DVD flip-door: looks nice, easy to install. However when I looked at the pictures of the modified NSK2400 above, I think it looks good too.
With the modded-NSK the lack of eject button would be a bit of a nuisance for me, since I tend to walk to the unit before I even think of opening the tray.

VFD: I like it. When my HTPC is turned on but my TV is not set to the HTPC output (say I'm watching cable-feed rather than my HTPC feed), it indicates what my HTPC is doing (e.g. "Recording - Mythbusters".
That allows me to know if it's the kids who left it on (and I can rutn it off to save the earth) or if the HTPC has awoken up by itself to record something). It also looks good.

Once can easily argue the usefulness of the VFD however: it's more a matter of style. You can always add a VFD later to the NSK2400 and you will have more choices in the VFD you can get.

I am very satisfied with by Fusion case. If any of my friend asked to build a really low-cost HTPC, I would recommend to them the NSK-2400 however.

By the way, I use MythTV on this machine and I'm quite satisfied with it.
Config:
Asus M2NPV-VM (using onboard NVidia 6150)
Athlon 3200+
Thermalright XP-90 with Nexus 120mm fan
512 MB RAM DDR2 667
Hauppauge PVR-250 MCE
One Scythe 120mm fan for the case (the original ANtec fans are noisier)
500 MB Western Digital drive
Microsoft Remote USB receiver (dumped the remote since I'm using a Harmony)
Logitech S510 keyboard/mouse (great combination, good looking, goes with the casing color)

I bought the NSK2400 just before the Fusion came out, so there was no choice involved in my decision, and with the Fusion out of the contenders, the NSK2400 was the obvious choice hands-down. Now that the Fusion exists, I note the following:

I find myself wishing I had a volume knob and a VFD exactly NEVER. I also like the look of black on silver, so black DVD and peripherals in the bays are no problem for me.

I vaguely recall from reading the Fusion review here that it is difficult to actually get the volume knob to work with anything, anyway.

I use a wireless keyboard with media keys on it anyway, so volume up/down is just a matter of using the keyboard. I'd never want to get up, walk over to the PC, and use a knob.

So I have no regrets about the NSK2400. Of course, you have no choice of color, it's a silver plastic front no matter how you slice it. If the appearance isn't your bag, your only option is to paint it, so if that's not something you want to do, then pay the bux for the Fusion.

One thing the Imon VFD has that the VFD that comes with the fusion doesn't is an IR receiver for a remote. The antec web site lists that as an option for the fusion.

I personally went wit the 2400. I have plans in the future to add the VFD. I went through the same process on deciding which case. I decided on the 2400 because I could always add a VFD later. With the fusion you are stuck with what you get.

Thanks for the good advice guys, following your feedback, I've settled on the NSK2400.

Should I feel the need for a black case somewhere down the line, I'll look into painting the front cover.

Two points:
1. I think the v2 of the Fusion has an IR controller.
2. I remember a post somewhere here with a link to a black version of the 2400. It's out in Asia but won't be available here until the end of the year.

I have an NSK2400 and am very happy, btw.