Antec MicroFusion Remote 350
Home Theater Personal Computers (HTPCs) have been a steadily growing market for nearly a decade now. However, up until the past few years, if you wanted a quality HTPC case you either had to build it yourself, or modify an existing desktop case. While there is certainly some merit to building your own case, most major case manufacturers these days have their own line of cases for just this purpose. Today at Benchmark Reviews, we will look at one of the recent additions to the Antec Veris line-up: the Antec MicroFusion Remote 350 Mini HTPC Enclosure. After a thorough inspection of the exterior and interior features, we'll put it through its paces with a full range thermal performance benchmarks.
The Antec MicroFusion Remote 350 is labeled by Antec as a "Mini HTPC Enclosure" and for good reason with dimensions coming at 4.5 inches tall and 15.1"x16.1" width and depth. This makes for a fairly crowded interior, but could be an ideal case for those whose entertainment centers won't fit the larger HTPC cases. As you'll see throughout this review, Antec took great strides in making the small space as convenient as possible. We did, however, run into a few issues which I will point out along the way.
Minor snags aside, the Antec MicroFusion Remote 350 really a great case to work with. If there is one thing Antec knows, it's how to please the enthusiast crowd; this case is no exception. It comes with pretty much everything you'll need to complete your build, including a quality power supply, three case fans, external LCD, remote, and even cable ties. As you'll see the testing portion of this review, those case fans and the dual chamber design add up to impressive cooling performance as well. At $200, though, I would expect nothing less.
MicroFusion Remote 350 Features
The Antec MicroFusion Remote 350 is a compact and lightweight housing for your media center PC. Featuring an aluminum front bezel, an LCD display and a built-in IR receiver, the MicroFusion Remote 350 has the sleek and stylish look of a high-end home theater component, all in a compact and low profile case. If that weren't enough, the MicroFusion Remote 350 comes with a high-efficiency 80 PLUSpower supply, a petite remote control, and iMEDIAN HD by iMON software. The MicroFusion Remote 350 is the perfect addition to your home theater setup.
Included: Petite remote control and iMEDIAN HD by iMON software for media management and playback
Low-profile desktop height fits in any environment
Dual chamber structure for HDD and motherboard to separate heat and reduce noise
High-quality aluminum plate front bezel with LCD
2x80mm side fans to exhaust air from CPU & VGA card
IR receiver for compatibility with Windows MCE and VistaTM
Universal Input and Active PFC
80 PLUS Certified 350-Watt power supply delivers stable and reliable power while saving you money on your electric bill
Removable HDD tray with extra soft silicone grommets in a separate chamber for maximum quiet and cool operation
80mm intake fan to cool the HDD
Antec SKU:15737 Specifications
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2 Drive Bays
• Internal 1 x 3.5"
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4 expansion slots
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Cooling System:
• 1 x 80mm TriCoolTM 3-speed intake fan for HDD cage (standard)
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Adjustable air guide directs cool external air through CPU
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Motherboard: microATX Form Factor (9.6" x 9.6")
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Front-mounted ports provide convenient connections:
• Audio In/Out (HDA & AC' 97)
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Case Dimensions:
• 12cm (H) x 39cm (W) x 41cm (D)
About the company: Antec
I've used Antec case and power supplies for several years. In fact, my primary desktop rests safely inside an Antec P182 mid tower case. Not all of their products are an instant hit, but you can always expect high quality parts and product design that reflects a thorough understand of an end user's needs. Here is what Antec has to say about themselves:
"Antec, Inc. is the global leader in high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself markets. Founded in 1986, Antec is recognized as a pioneer in the industry and has maintained its position as a worldwide market leader and international provider of quiet, efficient and innovative products. Antec has also achieved great success in the distribution channel, meeting the demands of quality-conscious system builders, VARs and integrators.
Antec's offering of enclosures includes a wide range of cases, such as its advanced Performance One Series, economical New Solution Series and VERIS family of media components designed for the home theater PC market. Antec's products also include front line power supplies, such as its premium Signature Series, powerful TruePower Quattro Series and EarthWatts, one of the most environmentally friendly power supplies available. PC gamers are an increasingly significant consumer of performance components, and many Antec products are designed for the gaming demographic, like the premier gamer enclosure: the Nine Hundred. Antec also offers a line of computer accessories comprising many original products, including its patented LED fans and notebook cooling solutions.
Antec is headquartered in Fremont, California, with additional offices in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, as well as in the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, China and Taiwan. The company's products are sold in more than 40 countries throughout the world. Please visit www.antec.com for more information.
As part of its commitment to the gaming industry, Antec is a member of the non-profit organization PC Gaming Alliance, with Senior Vice President Scott Richards sitting on the board of directors."
Closer Look: Exterior
As I mentioned earlier, the Antec MicroFusion Remote 350 is considered a mini HTPC enclosure. True to Antec design, the exterior is refined and sticks to a simple color scheme. The front bezel is actually milled out of real aluminum as opposed to a laminate finish and includes an array of I/O ports.
I included the photo above to give you a sense of the size of this case. On the bottom is an Antec NSK 2480 desktop case, which we'll be using in our testing today, and on the top we have the MicroFusion 350. The difference isn't dramatic, but the MicroFusion 350 will certainly give you more placement options.
On the left side, there are fan grills for the two intake fans. The one towards the front of the case brings in fresh air for the hard drive chamber while the fan towards the rear is built directly into the power supply. Drawing air directly from outside exterior, the rear fan effectively isolates the power supply from the rest of case and should keep it fairly cool.
Here on the left side of the MicroFusion 350 are two more sets of fans. These are the exhaust fans, situated directly above the processor; air intake for the processor is handled by a series of vents built into the case. Two of these vents are located on the removable top panel as pictured above.
The other air intake can be seen here, directly above the rear I/O shield. The combination of vents and exhaust fans should be enough to keep the processor cool, but we'll find out for sure during testing. There's one other thing I'd like to point out while we're back here. It may be hard to tell from the photo, but those are low profile expansion ports. The Antec MicroFusion Remote 350 does not support full size expansion cards. This may be an issue for those of you who already own TV tuners or large video cards. Of course, if the MicroFusion 350 did support full size cards, it wouldn't be considered "Micro."
Detailed Exterior Features
Overall, the Antec MicroFusion Remote 350 is a great looking case. It's not as flashy as some of the other cases out there, but that's exactly what I like about it. It has a very clean, professional look and will blend in well with the rest of your entertainment center. Antec also includes a great set of features, although for $200 I would have liked to see even a small card reader. With only one drive bay, it's difficult to add an aftermarket card reader and most people will have to resort to a USB connection for digital media.
The front I/O ports live up to the typically set found on most HTPC cases out there. Here you can see one eSata port, two USB, and the usual audio input/output. I'd also like to point out the oversized feet. Antec wrapped the front feet in aluminum, which adds a nice visual when it's sitting inside your entertainment center. They can also be removed, saving you an extra half inch or so in height.
One of the big selling points for the Antec MicroFusion Remote 350 is the built in LCD. You can see it here with the protective plastic sill covering the face. (Hence the air bubbles) The transition from aluminum bezel to LCD is incredibly smooth and I could not find a single gap to separate the two. For those of you with any manufacturing experience, you know this can a hard tolerance to reach for most products, and certainly not a standard for computer cases.
As the name implies, the MicroFusion Remote 350 comes with a remote. It's fairly basic compared to other media center remotes. One of the great features though, is the ability to turn your computer on from a distance. This is accomplished through the internal IR sensor which, thanks to some clever engineering, runs off the main ATX power connector. If you prefer to use your exiting remote, the included iMon software will support a standard media center remote as well.
The Antec MicroFusion Remote 350 comes with the usual set of accessories and a few extras. We already touched on the remote. Other items include: screws, power cord, documentation, CPU air guide (more on this later), and the Veris installation CD. On the installation CD, you'll find the iMedian and iMon media software, although I recommend getting updated version from the SoundGraph website.
Closer Look: Interior
As you can no doubt surmise from the photos so far, the Antec MicroFusion Remote 350 is one of the smaller cases we've covered here at Benchmark Reviews. Working with small cases can be frustrating, particularly for those who aren't too nimble like myself. Fortunately, Antec did a number of things right with this case that makes installation a little easier.
Antec uses a removable drive bay system for the optical and hard disk drives for the MicroFusion 350. This makes it a little easier to install the drives, although as I'll point out later, the optical drive bay can be a little tricky to get back in. I'd also like to mention the silicone mounting grommets for the HDD bay. These have become standard on most of Antec's high end cases and help isolate noise due to vibration.
The hard drive bay sits inside its own chamber with a fan dedicated to bringing in fresh air. The LCD screen has to be removed as well a thumb screw and standard screw before the drive bay can be pulled out. My guess is they included the thumb screw not for quick removal, but because it would have been hard to get to with a screwdriver due to its position near the power supply.
The MicroFusion 350 includes two other case fans on the other side of the case. They blow outward to help exhaust heat from the main chamber. All three of the case fans can be set to low, medium, and high fan speeds to accommodate your cooling/noise needs.
The optical drive bay sits directly above the front I/O connections. Before installing your ODD, however, don't forget to remove the drive bay cover on the actual drive. It can interfere with the drive bay cover built into the MicroFusion 350. I also recommend tying down as many of these loose wires as possible. This will make installing the drive bay much easier and prevent you from accidentally damaging a wire. Antec even includes a few built in cable clips.
If you guessed that the "350" in Antec MicroFusion Remote 350 refers to the wattage rating of the power supply, you are indeed correct. In fact, this is one of those rare occasions that I actually recommend you keep the power supply that comes with the case. Antec includes a high quality 350W 80 Plus certified power supply spec'd at 18A per 12V rail and a combined 12V output of 300W. While this review wont feature a comprehensive power supply test, if its anything like Antec's other power supplies it will run right up to it's max without much issue.
Detailed Interior Features
While testing the Antec MicroFusion Remote 350, I had to install and reinstall the hardware components a few times. For the most part, everything went smoothly, but I did run into a few issues. I'll point them out as we go along and, hopefully, save you some time and frustration during your own build.
The motherboard standoffs in this case are a bit atypical. Most of the standoffs are machined into the bottom panel of the case, but there are three other brass standoffs preinstalled. These are used to hold the motherboard in place while you screw down the other standoffs. Instead of using a screws on these, there are small bolts included which tighten down to keep the motherboard in place. Keep in mind that you have to line up your motherboard first to determine if any of these brass standoffs have to be taken out.
Once you get the standoff situation squared away, installing the motherboard can be a somewhat difficult. If you're using a 9.6"x9.6" motherboard, there is only a few millimeters of clearance between the edge of the board and the hard drive chamber. The trick is to go in at a very slight angle and make sure everything is lined up with the I/O shield and standoffs before finally setting it in place. After that, it's just a matter of screwing everything down.
After the motherboard and hard drive are installed, you can start thinking about cable management. With such a small case, this is going to be very important for airflow. If you intend to move your HTPC around often, you'll also want to make sure the cables a tied down well and do not shift during movement. I tend to keep a big bag of zip ties near me for just this reason. The MicroFusion 350 has a number of good tie down locations. I ran most of the wires along the hard drive chamber and hid some away beneath the optical drive.
Once I finished tying down all of the cables, I dropped optical drive into place. This is where I encountered a few more issues. The way the optical drive bay is designed, you have to insert it at an angle, straight it out, and then slide it forward. This worked fine without a drive in the bay, but once I had my Blu-ray drive in place, I couldn't drop it down completely because it kept hitting the exhaust fan. I thought I would have to remove the fan, but after about a few more tries I finally got it seated. With it in place, you can see how tight the clearance is. Also, take a look at the limited clearance between the RAM and the bottom of the optical drive. This may be an issue if you have taller ramsinks.
With the optical drive in place, the installation of the Antec MicroFusion Remote 350 is essentially complete. I added the CPU air guide, which should help guide cooler air from the rear vent toward the CPU HSF. Also, while it is not pictured here, there is a brace that spans the gap between the hard drive chamber and the rear of the case. This isn't necessary, but highly recommended as it will add some strength to the top panel if plan set anything on top of you HTPC.
Testing & Results
Testing Methodology
The design goal of a case, other than looking good and protecting the equipment contained within, is to help bring in cool air and exhaust hot air. In testing the Antec MicroFusion Remote 350 we'll be looking at just that. Instead of simply testing temperature, however, I came up with a few scenarios that you might encounter in the real world. Today, we'll be looking at how well the case keeps internal components cool in relation to three variables:
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Case Fan Speed (low or high)
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CPU Load (Idle or 100%)
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Environment (Open air test bench closed entertainment center)
In choosing the levels for these variables, I went with the extremes on both ends of the spectrum. Chances are your own experience will fall somewhere between these scenarios. To make it interesting, I'll be testing the Antec MicroFusion 350 against its bigger brother, the Antec NSK 2480. The NSK 2480 has a similar layout, but features three thermally isolated chambers and 120mm fans.
For the load tests, both cores of the processor were maxed out using Orthos. The temperature readings were taken with Gigabyte's Easy Tuner 6 software and referenced against SpeedFan for accuracy. In each test, the highest temperature observed in a one hour period was recorded.
Test System
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Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H
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System Memory: 2x1GB WinTEC AmpX DDR2-800
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Processor: AMD Athlon X2 4850e w/ Stock HSF
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Audio: Realtek ALC889A
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Video: Integrated Radeon HD 3200
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Disk Drive 1: WD6400AAKS 640GB
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Optical Drive: LG GGC-H20L Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM
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Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium
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Enclosures: Antec MicroFusion Remote 350 & Antec NSK 2480
Results
The results were a bit surprising. Given the additional airflow of the NSK 2480 (120mm fans), I expected it to come out ahead. In all of the tests, however, the MicroFusion 350 beat it out.
The idle open bench test serves as a baseline for all of the other tests. It offers the best airflow and least heat output. In this test, we see that the case fan speed does not have a significant impact on the CPU or case temperature. Interestingly, the CPU temps were lower than the case temps. Keep in mind that a case temp reading is based on a thermal diode in the motherboard and can vary.
Once the cases are put in an entertainment center, the results change. In this scenario, fan speed does make a difference. This can be attributed to restricted airflow. Setting the fans to high seems to combat the impact of the confined space.
Taking the cases out of the entertainment center, we turn out attention to thermal testing under load. Again, the MicroFusion 350 beats the NSK 2480 with a three degree CPU difference between fan speeds. Let's see what happens when we put the cases back in.
This last test is pretty much a worst case scenario. At 100% load and inside a confined entertainment center, the cooling performance of these cases is pushed to the limit. Still, the MicroFusion 350, with its smaller 80mm fans, edges in under its big brother.
Antec HTPC Final Thoughts
With the decreasing costs of capable hardware, HTPCs are becoming a real option for the average home. The Antec MicroFusion Remote 350 is a great HTPC enclosure, but at $200 it's definitely not for the average user. Instead, Antec seems to be targeting the enthusiast segment. With extras like a built in LCD and IR receiver, 80 Plus certified power supply, and three speed fans, they certainly hit their mark. While I ran into a few issues during installation, nothing was a show stopper and once the installation was finished I had a very solid build on my hands.
Thermal performance was surprising for a case this size. The dual chamber design and included case fans of the MicroFusion 350 do great job of bringing cool air in and whisking hot air out. Even when placed in a confined entertainment center, temperatures stayed between reasonable limits and with the fans set to low, it was virtually silent. With an aftermarket CPU HSF, you could bring the CPU temperature down even further. If you're looking for a small HTPC case, or simply can't fit a standard HTPC case in your entertainment center, keep your eye out for the Antec MicroFusion Remote 350. It's a little on the expensive side, but you definitely get what you pay for.
MicroFusion Remote 350 Conclusion
True to Antec standards, the packaging was well designed with full color graphics and a thorough list of specification printed on the outside. Antec also maintains an excellent website with several product photos, data sheets, and even mechanical drawings.
Unboxing the MicroFusion 350 was a treat. This is one of those occasions where the product actually looks better than the photographs. Some may prefer a flashier design, but the black/aluminum design Antec went with will blend in well with other media components. The LCD display looks sharp as well, but does tend to have poor viewing angles.
Antec is well known for their high quality cases and the MicroFusion 350 lives up to that reputation. There were no sharp edges and all components felt very durable and solid to work with. The manufacturing tolerances were also incredibly precise, as evidenced by the aluminum bezel and LCD. The only issues I ran into were a few tight-fitting components during installation, but once complete, they didn't inferfere with day-to-day use.
In terms of functionality, the MicroFusion 350 includes a number of extra features, including a built in LCD, 350W 80 Plus power supply, 3 case fans, IR receiver, and remote. The only thing that appears to be missing is a card reader. I'd also like to point out that this case only supports low profile expansion cards. While this is inherent to the "Mini HTPC Enclosure" classification, it could be an issue if you intend to run high end TV tuners or video cards.
Presently sold for $199.99 at NewEgg, the MicroFusion Remote 350 isn't exactly a bargain case. Before you buy, it might make sense to search for a better price on this enclosure. Although, with all of the features and cooling performance Antec managed to fit into the MicroFusion 350, it's still a decent value. You get is a great design, quality components, and an overall great looking case.
Pros:
+ Small size fits into most entertainment centers
+ Excellent thermal performance
+ Built-in LCD w/ media center compatibility
+ IR receiver and remote
+ Front eSATA port
+ Real aluminum bezel
+ 350W 80 Plus power supply
+ 3 TriCool case fans pre-installed
Cons:
- No card reader
- Low profile expansion ports limit tv tuner and video options
- Optical drive and motherboard may have clearance issues
- Price
Ratings:
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Presentation: 9.75
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Appearance: 9.25
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Construction: 9.50
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Functionality: 9.25
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Value: 8.00
Final Score: 9.15 out of 10
Excellence Achievement: Benchmark Reviews Golden Tachometer Award.
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