Case Closed: MonCaso Has The Look

System builders had few options when dull, beige desktops were the norm. But today's PCs are much sleeker. Fortunately for system builders, Moneual Lab's MonCaso 932B enclosure provides a look that's far from ordinary.

Intended for the home theater PC market, the MonCaso 932B case is constructed with a built-in color touch-screen display. Because the PC has its own display, users don't have to turn on the television screen to control the computer. The 7-inch LCD screen has a native resolution of 1,024 x 768, making it ideal for system navigation and file browsing. A wireless keyboard with a built-in trackball and an RF remote control are included with the case.

The MonCaso 932B case measures 17 x 18.5 x 6.75 inches. Finished in either black or silver, the high-quality aluminum case has slotted vents on its sides that lend to its high-tech appearance and also allow for adequate airflow.

Four 80mm cooling fans come preinstalled. Two of the fans are mounted in the rear, and each of the two internal hard-drive cages also has a fan. Note that although the drive cages have the capacity for four hard drives, some of the fans can be eliminated to make for a quieter system.

System builders will have to provide an ATX-style motherboard and power supply, as neither is included with the case. They also must supply an optical drive—typically a DVD burner—and at least one hard drive. The input signal for the built-in display comes from a VGA cable that passes through the rear panel of the case and plugs into the installed graphics card. (Moneual Lab recommends that a dual-display graphics card be used.) The display's touch-screen output signal connects to the motherboard via a four-pin USB header.

Of course once all the necessary hardware is installed in the MonCaso 932B, the system builder must add the operating system. Windows Vista will likely make systems even more cutting-edge.