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Glacialtech Altair A381 Media Center PC Case
| Author: | Chris Swertfeger |
| Date: | 2009.02.20 |
| Topic: | Cases |
| Provider: | Glacialtech |
| Manufacturer: | Glacialtech |
| Author: | Chris Swertfeger |
| Date: | 2009.02.20 |
| Topic: | Cases |
| Provider: | Glacialtech |
| Manufacturer: | Glacialtech |
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Words like DVR and Tivo are becoming commonplace in mainstream society. But what do you do if you want all of the benefits of a DVR without the extra cost of having to pay the cable company for the service? What if you want a single box that can record TV, playback movies, playback music and stream all of that over a network? What if you just want that extra level of customization? The answer . . you build yourself a HTPC (Home Theater PC). However, normal computer cases look funny sitting next to a TV or they simply don't look or fit right. What if there was something that blended in with your existing multimedia/audio setup? This is where GlacialTech steps in and presents the Altair A381. We were presented with the iMON edition, which contains the same infra red receiver unit as the Thermaltake DH-101 that we reviewed a while back. Home Theater PC cases fall into a niche market for cases and consumers alike. They are usually compact and almost always only support low form factor cards. They're not designed to be high end gaming machines but rather are built for the sole purpose of delivering multimedia to you, your family, and friends. So does the Altair A381 have what it takes to satisfy our multimedia needs, and yours as well? Read on to find out.
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Aside from all of the funny packing tape and sharpie writing, the Altair A381 comes in a very nice box. The packaging is very similar to the type used for normal multimedia equipment, like DVD players, LCD TV's, and Blu-Ray players. The back covers all of the specifications of the case.
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| Front | Back |
The sides of the box list the features of the case.
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| Case Features | No wireless/bluetooth for us :( |
Internally the Altair 381 comes well padded by styrofoam blocks, in addition to being wrapped in plastic.
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| In the box | Out of the box |
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| Included Remote Control | |
The case has a gorgeous airbrushed aluminum finish that gives it an air of high quality and will actually look as good or better than your LCD TV. The iMON display further makes the Altair A381 blend in with the rest of your equipment. The top of the case has slots cut so that the CPU fan directly below has a straight path to the outside to vent heat. We feel this was a very good engineering decision as thermal problems are commonplace in tight airflow constricting designs. This also means that there is less hot air blowing back into the case caused by circulation.
The front panel won't display anything until after you install the drivers for the iMON. So don't freak out if you turn on the machine for the first time and it doesn't instantly display something. A nice feature about the iMON unit is that it includes a PSU (power supply) bypass so even when the computer is shut off, it can still display the date and time. The buttons on the front work flawlessly and also blend in very perfectly with the design.
As with most HTPC cases, there isn't much room once everything is installed. The motherboard, video card, heat sink, and the remainder of our components fit together rather snug. The case comes with a 270 watt power supply, so don't expect to run high end video cards. As we stated earlier the focus of this design and product is the output of multimedia such as movies and music not the playing of high end games. For this purpose the 270 watt included power supply should be adequate to run an average powered machine.
While on the subject of power one major drawbacks of the Altair 381 is that it doesn't have a standard form factor power supply. The form factor is different from normal PSU's in that it is much smaller. It is possible to find replacements, but none that are available are very high wattage either. Power supplies falling into this size are all primarily designed for multi-media stations and low power consumption machines. You should take this into account when you decide to build with this case. You must consider what kind of components you want in it before hand. The good news is that power supplies in this range are traditionally very quiet.
The included hard drive tray is designed to accommodate up to 2 (two) drives which should give you more than enough storage to meet the needs of 99% of consumers. Unfortunately, you have to remove the front of the case in order to remove the hard drive tray. The worst part is that it requires an allen wrench. We shouldn't have to use my allen wrench to remove a hard drive tray, we feel the use of s standard phillips or flat head screw driver or even thumbscrew mechanism would have made installation easier. The recessed allen wrench holes do help add to the aesthetics where the aforementioned phillips or thumbscrew would stand out. While not a deal breaker it was a nuisance we weren't anticipating.
The Altair A381 has a single spot for an optical drive and the case comes with an adhesive aluminum cover that makes the optical drive look like part of the case. Its little added extras such as this that really complete the package and help the Altair 381 to blend in with your TV and media entertainment center.
Once everything is put in place, you will be working in close quarters. This is somewhat of a necessary evil to keep the size of the case down and make it blend better with existing multimedia equipment. I respect GlacialTech's decision to engineer it this way and think it was the probably the best they could do given the specifications of the hardware that is found in PC's today. A look at the populated Altair 381 is below:
The Altair A381 is not a case you would buy just to upgrade the housing of an existing PC. It's something that you would purchase with a Media Center PC in mind as the first component and then buy everything else around it. Like I said in the begriming of the review, this case is for a niche market and should be bought only if you plan on building a HTPC, otherwise you will be limited by size constrictions in terms of your ability to upgrade. It is important to stress again that the included power supply will NOT be able to power high end graphics cards and isn't easily upgradable. I wish you good luck in finding a low form factor high end card, as low profile cards are all that this case can support.
For its designed purpose, the case performs magnificently. We need to mention yet again that the look and feel of the Glacialtech Altair places it in the top end of the Media Center case market and we highly reccomend it as an option for your next build. With the Altair 381 completed, from the time you sit down on the couch and turn on the Altair, to the time you are enjoying the latest movie, you never have to touch a mouse or keyboard. Everything you need to complete your movie going experience is handled from the included remote, including turning on and off the Altair. We really enjoyed reviewing this case and building the HTPC. GlacialTech did an excellent job in designing this case and it accomplishes its intended purpose very well. For its design and performance we would like to award it the approved hardware award seal of approval.
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