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The Case
The MEGA 651's case is constructed from aluminum. Though not as strong as a steel case, it is also not nearly as heavy. Dimensions are 202(W) x 320(D) x 151(H) mm, which slightly wider, but a bit shorter than the Shuttle XPC.
The front of the MEGA 651 is where the real beauty lies. As you can see, the HTPC market is where MSI's initial thinking lay. Aesthetics, as well as functionality are key for a nice HTPC setup. I'll get into the HiFi setup shortly, but let's look at some other areas first.
Rather than having the user stealth their drives, MSI uses a spring-loaded tray panel. When a CD or DVD is ejected, the drive's door pushes the panel down automatically, and it snaps back up as the drive's door is shut.
There are a couple of potential issues here though. For one thing, a slot type DVD drive will obviously use a CD/DVD to push the door open. There is a potential to end up with scratched discs over time, as the panel will constantly scrape up against the bottom of the disc. The other potential problem is MSI only guarantees compatibility with their own drives. Now, I was able to use a couple different Plextor drives with the MEA 651, and encountered no issues, so I'm not exactly sure what compatibility were they referring to. It is a tight squeeze inside, so if your optical drive is unusually long, then you may have a problem. I suppose on the flip side, since MSI does not manufacture slot type drives, this will eliminate the scratched disc possibility.
The other area MSI chose to stealth is the various USB, sound and FireWire connections. The benefit of this panel is that it just looks nicer than having these connections exposed. Obviously, plugging in a device into these connections will negate the benefits of the stealth panel.
Just above is the front connections is the optional card(s) reader. Let's face it, floppy drives are useless (unless you got a RAID array, and are installing Windows NT/2000/XP where you still need a freaking drive A), and this card reader is quite useful. The MEGA 651 supports memory sticks, and CF/SD/MMC memory cards. Upon a fresh Windows install, each drive is assigned a unique drive letter as well.
Should you still want to live pre-2000, MSI includes an extra floppy faceplate if you don't need the card reader. They also throw in a plain faceplate should you want to put an extra hard drive in there instead.
The sides of the MEGA 651 have some ventilation holes to allow some airflow in certain areas. A good idea, albeit flawed somewhat in design, which we will cover more in the cooling section of this review.
The rear of the case is standard fare, with a couple of interesting choices. We have the usual power connection, NIC, PS/2 ports, USB, sound, parallel and serial connections, plus a VGA connection should you choose to use it. One odd item is the 56k modem connection. Yes, it sounds unbelievable, but there are a lot of people without broadband, so just in case it's needed, you have an analogue connection without the need to install a PCI modem.
Another unique choice is the AM/FM connection for radio listening. Simply plug the included antennae up and listen to Rick D's weekly Top 40 to your heart's content.
Despite marketed as an entertainment console, I was a little disappointed that there was no TV-Out. It would have also been nice had a TV-Tuner of some kind was also integrated. Oh well, guess that's why you can always buy a PCI tuner.
For those of you hoping to put the MEGA 651 with your home theater setup, the metal trim around the feet of the PC will keep it from looking out of place.
Next Page - The HiFi Features
Previous Page - Introduction
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MSI MEGA 651 PC: The MSI MEGA 651 PC is a full-function multimedia PC that combines information and entertainment to offer hi-fi stereo, DVD/VCD, MP3, TV and high-performing computer functions.
