ASKTech introduced a neat new chassis for media center PCs, the ALTO NT-TX1000/AC200BK. It supports motherboards in the mini-ITX form-factor, and is designed to gel well with other living room equipment such as home theater receiver decks. Measuring 380 x 268 x 66 mm (WxDxH), the case makes used of brushed, anodized aluminum for the front-panel, and stronger SECC steel for the frame and other panels. It is bundled with the AC200BK 200W PSU, which gives it just enough juice for an HTPC with a dual-core or low-voltage quad-core processor.

Its drive cage is detachable, and provides one discrete 3.5" bay (to hold a hard drive), and one low-profile/slim optical drive slot (for notebook optical drives). The case has just enough clearance for a CPU cooler that's 40 mm tall, and the cooler Intel ships with its low-TDP processors matches the description. The front-panel has no additional ports as such, but a hole for an infrared receiver (for the remote control). ASKTech has an optional package that includes its NT-IMON100 infrared Windows Media Center compatible remote. The case is rather airy, with plenty of vents, but there are provisions for some 40 mm fans. Launched to the market recently, the ASKTech ALTO NT-TX1000/AC200BK is priced at 8,480 JPY (US $102).