Monarch Hornet SFF barebone - Articles / Reviews

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Monarch Hornet SFF barebone

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Brian Kristensen
Kurtis
Monarch
Sep. 16, 2003

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Case

Features

- Tool-less construction
- Enough room for a FULL SIZE AGP Video Card (even the new nVidia 5900 Ultra!)
- 3 PCI Slots
- Removable Motherboard Tray
- 2 Temperature Monitors
- Detachable Handle for easy mobility
- 2 internal 3.5", 1 external 3.5", 1 external 5.25"
- 4 USB (2.0/1.1) and Audio In/Out (Speakers/Headset, Microphone) on front
- Includes Whisper Quiet front fan and side fan (See Images for details) with optional rear fan.
- Configurable with 800 FSB Intel or 400 FSB AMD
- Perfect for LAN parties & Clusters
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 11" x 9" (9.5" w/ feet) x 13"
- Dry weight: 8 lbs.

The case is smaller than most others, but a bit larger than the Shuttle cases. The case is able to fit a micro ATX motherboard and power supply. All other components such as CD drives, hard drives, and expansion cards are all standard sizes. There is room for up to four expansion cards; one AGP and three PCI, which are all held in place with thumbscrews. Most other SFF systems only allow for a single AGP and PCI card. There is one 5.25" and 3.5" drive bay just like the Shuttle systems. There are also two internal 3.5" bays for hard drives which will allow you to setup RAID if desired.

The entire case is constructed of light-weight Aluminum, and the front of the case features a nifty handle, which makes transporting the Hornet that much easier. If you don't want the handle, it can be removed, and Monarch has included plugs to cover the holes used to mount the handle. As stated earlier, the Hornet has two large stickers on the front. One sticker, located under the handle, advertises the Hornet case, while the second sticker in the bottom right advertises the Monarch brand. The stickers were promptly removed by yours truly. Also located on the front of the case are two temperature displays and a grill for the 60mm intake fan, which has a filter for collecting dust. Finally, there are four USB ports and two audio ports located along the bottom of the face.

The front of the case is removable once you remove the four screws holding it in place. Removing the front of the case grants you access to the removable drive cage. The drive cage contains room for three 3.5" drives (only one is external). The drive cage is held in place by four thumbscrews. Throughout the entire case you will notice a very liberal use of thumbscrews. There is one flaw Monarch failed to notice when constructing the Hornet, and that is the fan controller (Noise Killer) placement. Monarch adhered the Noise Killer to the side of the drive cage, rendering it fixed. To remove the drive cage, I had to tear the Noise killer off, which ruins the adhesive and will require other methods to reinstall it. I contacted Monarch and informed them of this problem. They have assured me that the problem has been addressed and that they now attach the Noise Killer to the top of the case.

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Page 3 of 6

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Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: Overview
Page 3: The Hornet Part I
Page 4: The Hornet Part II
Page 5: Performance
Page 6: Conclusion

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13 User Comments

1 - Posted by web56n on September 17, 2003 - 12:37 am

what was the price of the one tested?

2 - Posted by ELiTE KiLLaH on September 17, 2003 - 12:42 am

"The airflow throughout the case is definitely lacking, and I would like to see another intake fan to increase the internal temperatures."

increase sposed to be decrease??

3 - Posted by Brian on September 17, 2003 - 1:09 am

Lol, how did that slip by us? :-P

Kurtis read it over, he checked it, blame him!!!

*points to kurtis*

HIIIMMMMMMM!!!!!

4 - Posted by Kurtis on September 17, 2003 - 1:11 am

lololol

:oops:

5 - Posted by MaNiAk21 on September 17, 2003 - 2:19 pm

Hehe, awww... I missed it, damn school. :P Nice review though. :)

6 - Posted by JokesterX on September 17, 2003 - 3:49 pm

You can have my soul, it's not like I use it for anything. Actually with a little more air running into that case, seems like an ideal piece for a media server..... Imagine if you would, it fits in your stereo rack, have mp3's, jpg's, avi's, output to your main tv. Maybe a little IR remote setup? All that and a bag of chips. :twisted: Sounds like a plan to me. Oh yeah you can still have my soul, but I want something for it.....

7 - Posted by Brian on September 17, 2003 - 4:19 pm

I'll give ya Kurtis' soul. It's not much, but it should treat you well. I just got bored with it, but your soul is new and fresh, ready for the torment of a thousand deaths!

*evil cackle*

8 - Posted by DnD on September 17, 2003 - 5:52 pm

so ummm how much does it cost?

9 - Posted by Kurtis on September 17, 2003 - 7:23 pm

http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant2/merchant....

depends what u want in it...

10 - Posted by Brian on September 17, 2003 - 11:35 pm

If you look at the very top of our reviews, we put the general price of the item. We have been doing this for a few weeks now.

11 - Posted by ELiTE KiLLaH on September 18, 2003 - 8:07 pm

i see you finally listened to me :P

12 - Posted by Brian on September 18, 2003 - 10:00 pm

Hmm, you suggested that? *removing prices from reviews*

:-D

j/k :-P

13 - Posted by ELiTE KiLLaH on September 20, 2003 - 9:55 pm

lol
:P
i think i said that a while back...in the usb drive review maybe...

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