Moneual Moncaso 972 HTPC case review

Testing and results

As our standard case test kit wouldn’t fit into the Moncaso 972 due to the limited amount of headroom for CPU coolers (130mm), we grabbed the mATX testing gear last used in the Silverstone SG04 review, consisting of an Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 and a 4GB of 800MHz Corsair Dominator DDR2 memory fitted to a MSI G41M mATX motherboard. While far from top end, you don’t really need a quad-core Core i7 for an HTPC with a low end dual core more than enough to deliver a quality Media Center experience.

We also added a custom cooled BFG Nvidia GeForce 8800GT OCX as a reasonably high-end GPU that would find its way into an HTPC, especially as you’ll need such a GPU supporting hardware Blu-ray acceleration.

Comparing the temperatures of the setup on a test bench and when fitted inside the 972 found the Moncaso delivering a loaded CPU delta T of 42°C, in comparison to a bare test bench’s temperature of 32°C – not a bad trade off considering the thick aluminium enclosure and fairly limited airflow within. GPU temperatures under heavy load were similarly increased by just over 10°C once our kit was fitted into the Moncaso, with the 8800GT hitting a delta T of 53°C in comparison to a Delta T of 41°C when operating on a bare test bench.

While it’s clear that the Moncaso 972 isn’t the best enclosure for overclocking then (if only for its lack of support for larger CPU coolers), it’s safe to say that hardware temperatures will be well within safe limits.

Final Thoughts

While the Moncaso 972 exhibits some superb qualities in the form of bomb proof aluminium build quality and a fine array of hardware support internally, it's not without significant issues. The biggest sticking point is its outlandish price tag. At £480 or $500 it’s many times more expensive than a standard ATX chassis and even surpasses the price of ultra high end enthusiast chassis such as the Cooler Master ACTS 840 or the Silverstone Temjin TJ07.

Of course, this is all down to the inclusion of the 7in LCD screen which hugely inflates the price tag, and you’ll really need to ask yourself just how much you need that extra bit of techno-bling. From our experience, despite looking great it’s mostly superfluous, and similar cases sans the LCD, such as the ageing but near identical Zalman 160 are half the price. We’ll leave the choice to you, but paying £250 for a touch screen seems somewhat unnecessary, especially as the included MCE remote does a fine job. The touch screen is further hampered by the fact it's driven by the awkward iMon software - if it was more customisable then perhaps the screen would be more appealing.

Ultimately, for £480 you could build an entire HTPC if you’re not fussed about having the luxury of an LCD screen and for all but the most gadget obsessed and cash rich, the Moncaso 972 just isn't worth realistically considering.

• Features
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• x
• x
• x
• x
• x
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• -
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• 7/10

• Build Quality
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• x
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• x
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• x
• -
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• 8/10

• Ease of Use
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• x
• x
• x
• x
• -
• -
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• 6/10

• Performance
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• -
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• 6/10

• Value
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• -
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• 4/10

• Overall
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• -
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• 6/10

Score guide