Antec Veris MicroFusion Remote 350 HTPC Case Review

Exterior Impressions

Here is two very nice profile shots which underscores exactly how different a HTPC case is from your typical one. As with all HTPCs, this case is designed to blend seamlessly in an environment consisting mainly of A/V equipment. In most circumstances the MicroFusion 350 is going to be mistaken for an overly large DVD player rather than a full blown PC. Heck, even amongst your typical size HTPC, this case is going to be considered small; and in this sub niche that is the biggest compliment to can give to a case. When you buy a MFR350 Remote you are not looking for a flashy case which will stick out like a sore thumb; no, when you buy one of these bad boys you are buying it because you want people to think it is anything but a computer. If this is not what you are looking for, and you are more interested in a flashy "Look at me" case which sticks out amongst your typical A/V equipment, then maybe you need to rethink what kind of HTPC case you need as this chameleon like case certainly won't make you happy.

Besides it ability to help camouflage the case, the top of the case also play a very important role in keeping the system contained within it cool. Towards the back you have two rows of relatively large ventilation holes which allow hot air to passively rise out of the case while also allowing fresh air to be sucked into the case.


As you can see in the above photos both the left and the right side of the case have ventilation holes built in for two fans. The only big difference between the two is that on the left you have one towards the front (to cool the hard drive zone) and one towards the back which is for the PSU’s fan; whereas the right side has both of its vents towards the back of the case. This double ventilation is for the two 80mm fans which act as exhaust fans for the hot air generated by the CPU and motherboard area. This setup highlights the airflow pattern and internal cooling zones the Antec engineers have purposely built into this small HTPC case.


The front of this case is tastefully done in brushed aluminum and just like a good ghillie suit that hides a hunter from their prey, this front will help the Fusion blend in with the majority of entertainment systems and helps keep it immune from a bad case of the uglies. As we mentioned earlier, a lot of people who saw this case thought it was an optical disc player and a lot of this mistaken identity was due to this facade.


The front of the Fusion may be dominated by its chic brushed aluminum look, there is still quite a bit of real estate taken up by the IR receiver and LCD panel. This LCD panel by iMON has been designed to seamless work with Windows MCE / Vista and can be setup to display just about anything you want from titles of the movie or music you are currently playing to system information.