Packaging

As mentioned on the previous page, ARCTIC has provided not only the MC001-BD Media Center, but also a K481 Keyboard and two P311 headsets. While we will focus on the media center for this review, the accessories tend to be a vital part of the experience. We will try these out to see how they work - especially in combination with the MC001-BD

Arctic MC001-BD Media Center

Arctic packages the MC001-BD in a full color cardboard box. In the front you have a large image of the device, while the rear goes into some detail about the functionality and its most important features. Both sides of the packages are also utilized extremely well as one visually shows all the connectivity and the other lists the detailed specifications of the unit.


Upon opening the box, we are greeted by a "Thank You" card - how thoughtful. The media center is further protected by two cardboard inlays, shaped to hold the device in place.

Arctic K481 Wireless Keyboard

The keyboard packaging is quite compact and not so elaborate. An image of the unit can be found in the front with major selling points and detailed specifications found on the back.

Arctic P311 Bluetooth Headset

Both of the P311 headsets on the other hand come in glossy packages with a window so that a potential customer can take a closer look at the device. You may wonder why the packages differ and one is called P311 and the other P31X. Well, while both headsets are identical, the P31X also includes a Bluetooth dongle. The interesting aspect of this is, that ARCTIC has enabled the use of up to three P311 Bluetooth Headsets to work with a single dongle, allowing up to three people to watch a movie for example, without disturbing other people around them.

Contents

Arctic MC001-BD Media Center

Arctic includes everything you need to get started with the media center - even an HDMI cable of excellent quality. On top of that you will get the WiFi antenna, the Windows 7 DVD, a manual and the Cyberlink Software on a separate DVD. There are no drivers included, as the MC001-BD comes with Windows 7 32 bit installed right out of the box. I would have liked to see the 64 bit version instead, but for the vast majority the applied version is perfectly fine.


The included power brick makes a good impression and is quite compact. It is manufactured by "powCOOL" and rated for 60W. It will be interesting to see how much the MC001-BD draws, considering the dedicated graphic card.

Arctic K481 Wireless Keyboard

A simple 2.4 GHz transmitter dongle and a pair of batteries is all you will find in the box of the K481, but you really do not need anything else to get going with this product.

Arctic P311 Bluetooth Headset

Arctic does include a bit more with the headsets. The one Bluetooth dongle is nice and compact, so you can install it and just leave it connected. Even though it is quite small, the unit is a Class 1 version with a range of up to 100 m, so you could use the MC001-BD to listen to music all over the house for example. Besides that, you will receive a small driver CD for the dongle, a manual, USB charging cable and sturdy pouch for each headset.