Monarch Hornet SFF barebone

Reviews: Hardware

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Brian Kristensen
Kurtis
Monarch
Sep. 16, 2003

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Conclusion

When I first saw the Hornet, I wasn't sure how I felt about it. After working with it for a while, I have grown to love it despite it's flaws. It is smaller than most computers, and that small footprint means a lot for those who move their computer often, or if you are running low on space.

Besides the stickers, the Hornet does have a very professional feel to it, but there are flaws. The clearance on the motherboard tray and the rear of the case could be better. Larger heatsinks may not be able to slide in with the tray, but with that said, the majority of heatsinks will fit. The tray itself is sometimes a bit rough to insert and remove. The abundant use of thumbscrews, along with the removable drive cage and motherboard tray make this case easy to work with, but it could be much easier if the top panel was also removable.

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

In the end, the Hornet is a good barebone for those who want a small PC, but not at the expense of upgradeability and expandability. Hopefully Monarch will continue revising the Hornet and end up with a killer barebone. If small size is the deciding factor for you, perhaps a Shuttle would be a better choice. For those who want a small computer that leaves plenty of options for upgrading, the Hornet would be a great choice.

Pros

Looks great
Small size
Lightweight
Removable motherboard tray
Removable drive cage
Easily upgradeable
Room for expansion
Optional side window
LOTS of thumbscrews

Cons

Stickers (my preference)
Poor airflow
Mobo tray clearance rules out use of larger heatsinks

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Page 6 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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