The Test Candidates In Detail
Antec Aria’s Cube Format
The Aria cube from Antec represents the perfect symbiosis of small form-factor PC and MicroATX case. In its dimensions the Antec case has an extra 2.8" (7 cm) versus a Shuttle XPC small form-factor PC. In fact, the whole thing looks like an overweight small form-factor PC. The Aria is made largely of plastic, however, with a light aluminum frame and with its 300 Watt power supply weighs only 10.69 lbs (4.850 kg).
As befitting of a small form-factor PC relative, the Aria features USB 2.0, FireWire and two audio ports on the front of the case. An 8-in-1 card reader additionally found on the front works with all current multimedia memory cards. The card reader connects internally via USB, as long as the MicroATX motherboard has the right kind of connection.
Loosening a knurled screw allows you to take the plastic lid off the body of the cube. The chassis for the drives can be taken out without problem, which rests loosely - though snugly - within the Aria case. The pre-installed power supply gets in the way of mounting the motherboard and the CPU fan. We were unable to install our test platform without first removing the power supply. It is also a good idea to attach hardware components such as CPU, memory and fan to the motherboard first and then install them all at once into the MicroATX case.
A 120 mm fan located in the power supply takes care of ventilation and dispersing dissipated heat. The fan is temperature-controlled and very quiet. An extra and optional card fan that fits in the case like an expansion card provides additional help with heat dispersion. Higher clock-speed CPUs need this as the power supply fan. However, while the extra fan does the job, it runs much more loudly. In tandem with the extra fan, both fans run quietly even under high interior temperature conditions.
Looks like an oversized small form-factor PC case
