The case used is a Moneual MonCaso 972, which boasts a nice 7" touchscreen, built in to a case that is roughly the size of the Silverstone LC17, or our Premium Deluxe, cases. The dimensions are 17.0"(W) X 18.5"(D) X 6.75"(H), which could make it fit nicely into someone's Home Theater Rack, or Entertainment system in their living room, and the touchscreen can be configured to show local weather, news, statistics about computer usage as well as media information (during playback).
The unfortunate drawback to the case (again comparing it to the Silverstone LC17 "Premium Deluxe Case" is that it isn't able to hold as many drives as the Silverstone. It is limited to one Optical drive and four 3.5" bays. Another minus is that it doesn't come with a mount for an SSD, so you'll have to buy that separately if you don't want to velcro it to the inside of the case. The 3.5" HDD bays are detachable from the Optical Drive and each have the ability to house an 80mm fan for even more air circulation. We opted to not install the additional fans to keep it quiet. Also there are already two 80mm fans mounted in the rear of the case that should be able to circulate the air enough on their own.
The case is able to house a full size board if you are wanting in install multiple PCI-E cards, as the AsRock H77m fit perfectly, with extra space for air movement.
The front of the case has a door that opens to reveal a single USB 2.0 port, along side a 1394 port, Mic In and a Headphone Jack. The other side of the case houses a Pro Duo, CF/MicroDriver, MMC/SD, and SM card readers. Above the door there is a volume knob and buttons that have basic navigation functions.
The touchscreen itself is backlit and can be programmed to show different bits of information, such as local time and weather, news feeds and computer information. The functions of the touchscreen can be changed by using the simple navigational menu, that functions similarly to Sony's "XMedia Bar." The one drawback to the touchscreen is the inability to turn off just the secondary screen itself. Yes it does dim during movie playback.
The unit comes with a programmable remote that can handle the functions of the HTPC, and according the the manufacturer's website, can be programmed to other units as well, which could help limit the amount of remotes needed for a Home Theater set up. The remote does, however, emulate most keyboard and mouse functions, eliminating the need for a wireless keyboard (but I recommend having one if you are going to be using the HTPC for more than Media Playback).
