Neat case, neat review.

In the picture on the cover of the manual, they show the case standing up on the feet, with the power supply down. Doesn't this totally block airflow to the PSU? Can it be stood up on the other end, and would that block the two vents near the CPU socket?

And let me just say now: I love this case. Beautiful front panel, the perfect form factor for an HTPC, and Antec quality. Yay!

Thanks for the review.

I liked your post-script.. nice little system. Where did you manage to find the 45W 240e? I have had a hard time finding them in the US so far and really want to use one, though I might just undervolt a 240 if it gets me to almost the same power consumption.

Yeah, it's working out pretty well. I might have to do some kind of writeup about the little wireless 2.4ghz keyboard that makes it workable.

The CPU is a sample staright from AMD... I see it is nowhere on google shopping search right now -- except here:
http://a-power.com/product-13719-0-1

My guess is that HP might be snapping up first shipments of this processor for their TouchSmart 300-1025 20" All-in-one PC. Undervolting a standard 240 is probably a reasonable strategy.

Nice to see this case reviewed. I picked mine up over a year ago for my HTPC and it's been working great. Here's my original post/review of it. Looks like I never updated it with my most recent specs which include a 4050e and Gigabyte 780G. And my most-most recent mod which was to add an Antec Multimeida station Elite to it. This makes it almost a micro-fusion. But with a better remote at least. The remote with the micro-fusion looks kinda crappy and didn't seem worth the extra money.

I agree with the PSU noise. Which is why I too did the same thing Mike did almost right away. Although I actually hacked the PSU case to fit an 80x25mm fan. It's unfortunate that they didn't just use a better fan in the first place.

Nice review Mike,

Nice mod on the power supply as wel.
Was away for some time but SPCR still is superb!

btw. the L-formed VGA-cable is on my wish-list.
Would be nice if the cable adapter could be bought in The Netherlands, Germany or Belgium.

Keep up the good work

Is the shuriken sucking directly on a closed cover? How much clearance is there?

A potential replacement 80x15mm fan for the PSU is this Sanyo Denki. though some may consider it too expensive:
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/sandenpetace.html
It would likely need a resistor to reduce the speed as well if the power supply doesn't speed control the fan.

I have no experience with this specific fan, but other Sanyo Denkis I've used generally have a non-annoying noise character, and I believe the same has been true for the few tested power supplies here that use them.

This is not a fan I'd choose. Its ball bearing ensures that certain tonal buzzy quality I hear in most BB fans.

Sanyo Denki makes excellent quality fans but noise quality is not their forte. Even the superb low friction model used in the top Seasonic PSUs are only really good at very low speed.

I have a MicroFusion and the power supply fan is definitely the loudest component in the system. I've never replaced one of them before. Would pretty much any 80x15mm fan work so long as the RPMs are kept reasonable?

Finding a decent one is another matter, though a quick Google search turned up these candidates.

http://www.coolerguys.com/840556037873.html

http://www.moddersmart.com/en/silenx-ix ... a-fan.html

Mike, your build makes me think of my own... with the foam and all.. Aren't the 80mm fans too loud ?

There's only one running, the Nexus 80 at the PSU, and it's spinning at ~700rpm. Audible from a foot or 2 but from seated position with TV on? No way. The laptop drive might be louder.

I've been running 2 - 80mm fans in my HTPC for years and never thought them to be a source of noise. I modded them to run at 5v from the beginning, and they've always moved enough air combined with the 120mm from the PSU.

I can't recall the fan manufacturer right now, but they are the stock fans that come with the OrigenAE X11. In an HTPC setting, the noise floor is much higher as most newer flat-panels and cable-boxes have their own fans.

There's about half an inch of clearance, and it's not directly on a closed cover; there's a vent on the top panel that is close enough to provide a source of fresh air.

Hi Mike (and Devon).

Does the PSU's trick work even with the Antec Minuet 350?

About the CPU, do you guess that a regular 95W Propus or Rana will run cool'n'quiet enough, even in such a small environment (I mean, without undervolting)?

Thanks in advance for sharing.

Sincerely,
Luca

Just FYI:

45W vs 95W.

Sincerely,
Luca

Hi Guys, I been visiting this site for years and have used many of your recommendations for building systems. I currently own 5 Antec cases, the latest one being the Fusion version of this case. (I got a good deal on it).

So my quest begins, to try and make this as quiet as possible, it will be used in the living room as a pvr, watching live tv and streaming dvds and xvid files from my 7tb WHS. I would like to go as quiet as possible, given the constraints of the case...

Components I have:-
Antec Fusion 350
MSI P7NGM-Digital
Intel E5300
2x2gb Corsair memory
LG oem dvd
Intel 80GB SSDSA2MH080G2C1 (will record tv locally, then copy to WHS using PP3)
PicoPSU 150XT with external 150W brick
2 x Nexus 80mm fans
2 x Hauppauge Nova T 500 tv cards (can't afford £280 on hdhomeruns to give me the same functionality I've already got)
Some left over Acoustipack
Zalman CNPS7500 (left over from a previous project)

I have run into a couple of problems so far, the PicoPSU is too high and the dvd tray won't sit properly. If you want to swap the Antec psu and use the lcd you have to buy part 71017 at a price of £22 (ridiculous). So I've ordered a 24 pin ATX extension cable (£3) to move the PicoPSU and will solder the 3 wires onto it for the lcd.

I could really do with some suggestions as to what is the best airflow model to use...

What is the best heatsink, Scythe BIG Shuriken? With the PSU gone should I block the hole up or use modders mesh? Can I get away without any exhaust fans at all as you did?

Any help appreciated thanks.