A Closer Look:

The Box	Xmas!	Manual, Cables, Remote
Keyboard Box	Xmas!	Wireless Keyboard

The Moncaso 932P HTPC Enclosure is simply breath taking by any standards where video, audio, or home theater components are concerned. The enclosure has one of the most refined appearances and designs I have seen in my 18 years of electronics and computers experience. There have been many, many very good enclosures that I have had the privilege of working and building, but the texture and machining on this chassis are fantastic. The outside design and layout is very neat and polished with certain details that have not been passed up such as the edging, color, and button materials. Every button is well placed and fits the design perfectly.

Front

Top

Back w/venting

There are two small chassis doors on the bottom left and right that conceal features until needed and prevents the face from appearing too cluttered. The right side is where you will find the expansion slots for memory and data cards thanks to the built in component reader. The left side contains the 1394 Firewire, USB, and Audio Ports for mic and headphones. And in case you haven't already noticed in between the buttons, knobs, and doors, there is a 7 inch fully functional touch screen so you can see what it is you are doing.

7" LCD & Bezel

Audio, Firewire, USB

Card Readers

Moving around the left and right of the chassis, Moneaul carries on the refinement process by keeping the louvers and machining perfect. Each side has two port holes with each front hole being used by two internal 80mm fans. The two side port holes towards the rear of the chassis don't have any fans as they are meant for helping cool the chassis. The right side rear hole is inline with the power supply brings cool air directly in to the PSU and right out the back so that warm air doesn't have to pass in to the chassis.

Left Side w/vents

Right Side w/vents

PSU Vent Close Up

The back of the chassis has a variation of the ATX style chassis with two 80mm cooling fans towards the top of the chassis. Any larger fan would have prevented the chassis from maintaining its lower profile. The top and bottom of the chassis also have further fan vents. The top two vents are passive and allow warm air to rise out of the chassis while the lower vent, with the addition of an optional 80mm fan, allows cooler air in just below the right hard drive bay. Now, one may be concerned that there's too little air flow for the heat produced by today's powerful components. The reality of the chassis is that it is meant for HTPC use and not so much the extreme power machine use. However, it can support those systems with just enough thanks to its very open and airy design.

One particular detail that looks to come up short in the literal sense is the 7" Screen's VGA cable. It doesn't quite come out of the back of the chassis far enough in its default PCI bracket mounted configuration. If your motherboard has an integrated video feature, then chances are the connection port is towards the farthest point away from the end of the cable. This isn't a permanent problem since the PCI bracket can be loosened and wire slid out so it can be extended or tucked back inside. The PCI bracket design at least allows a perfectly acceptable work around.

Included in the Moncaso 932P HPTC Enclosure are applicable cabling, support software, remote control, and wireless keyboard with built-in mouse ball. The Zalman HD160XT HTPC Enclosure was very comparable to the Moncaso 932P in that it had plenty of the same features without the wireless keyboard. Typically one wouldn't need the wireless keyboard for a perfect home theater system. At the same time, if you are really in to absolute connectivity, such as the CES 2007 theme, then you would want the full feature support from the comfort of your sofa without having to get up to browse the internet or web. I personally don't mind having the keyboard option as it further adds to the experience.

Accessories Box	Manual & Remote	Close Up
Nicely Integrated	Keyboard & CD	Wireless Up Close

Getting inside the chassis is pretty simple. Loosening two top front bezel screws and removing two rear thumbscrews is all it takes. Inside the chassis you will find a left and right hard drive bay, lower center ROM drive bay, lower left mounted multi-purpose expansion card reader, and plenty of room for a full size or mini-ATX motherboard of your choice. Inside each drive bay you can see the 80mm 3pin cooling fans. Underneath the right bay is enough space to add an extra 80mm fan if you so choose. The Moncaso is set up with all the proper wiring needed for the card reader, audio, Firewire, USB, and LCD. There are also the two most common audio post options for both HD and AC-97 Audio.

Removing Screws

Inside

Clean Design

The chassis internals are well machined and nicely buffed so as to eliminate sharp edges. After 5 minutes of looking the entire chassis over, I realized there isn't anything I could count against it. The layout is designed so working in the chassis should be easy and orderly. It also allows the enclosure to have a better balanced face rather than the easier obscure, common facades. The electronics are covered and pretty much safely tucked away so that working inside won't come in to contact with any other components.