GlacialTech Altair A381 HTPC Case Cases and Cooling   Page 1

Reviewer: Nik Kastrantas Article Publish Date: 2/18/2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            HTPC systems have entered many households in the past year or so. The reason behind that is the huge price drop in large LCD TVs and the continuously growing availability of High Definition material online. So instead of just buying a standalone multimedia player many users turn to the HTPC solution which is bound to give them a much wider range of features other than just playing Media files, one of them is also playing games on the big screen since that also means that a user will not have to own a Computer screen as well, at least not a big and expensive one. Many companies rushed to create special low profile HTPC cases with sizes that do not exceed those of an Audio/Video amplifier so buyers could place them beneath their TV set. This is a great way to save space and at the same time own something that blends with the surroundings. The range of features on every HTPC case out there vary from plain cases with just the DVD eject button to cases with build in Wi-Fi and VFD screens and even models with 4.3 inch LCD screens in front to provide various information. One thing is common to all and that is that they all come with a remote control so you can use them from the comfort of your couch or bed.

 

 

          GlacialTech is the dream of eight world class researchers come to life. All eight specialize in cooling, chassis, and power regulation. In 2006 GlacialPower was realized and so all of the combined knowledge from all those years in which GlacialTech made custom solution power supplies for IBM and Dell was put into making high quality power supplies. However GlacialTech expanded into other areas as well such as PC cases, CPU Coolers and custom solutions depending on the need of their customers.

 

 

           The device in question today is the GlacialTech Altair A381 HTPC case, a very good looking PC case with a very low profile that makes it one of the smallest ones in the market. Add to that a VFD screen, a wireless connection and a great metal finish and you have yourself one of the best HTPC cases in the market today. Of course GlacialTech will be launching a LCD version of the same case which will raise the profile by a little but it will be a great addition to an already great case.