A Closer Look - Outside

The HM-02B makes a great impression upon first sight. It features clean and straight lines in combination with rounded off corners. Chieftec has used thick aluminum for the exterior and steel for the interior. This makes the case quite heavy, but you will not be moving it around much anyways.


The front holds the VFD along with a few buttons and also gives way to the single 5.25 inch bay. In the rear we find the usual layout for such a chassis. Two small cooling fans in the center and the PSU and expansion brackets on either side.


The left side of the case has two air vents, which may be used to mount 80 mm fans. These are not included however. The other side is completely solid, being void of any openings.


Taking a closer look at the front, starting from the left. The dual line VFD has been placed inbetween the two knobs. One of which is intended for volume, while the other can be used to scroll through lists and navigate menus. Below them are the reset and power button. The little dot in the center hides the IR receiver for the remote control. To the left of the display are t´wo covers. The top one is intended for the optical drive to push through. Chieftec has decided to place a DVD logo on the drop down door, but more and more HTPCs are being equipped with BluRay drives instead. Those owners would certainly love to show off that fact, but will be stuck with the ordinary DVD logo. Behind the bottom cover is a card reader, two USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire port and the usual audio connectivity. Chieftec has placed the HDD access and power LED here as well, which means that it will be covered up by the door most of the time.


The PSU bay in the rear can hold a standard ATX power supply and only offers four holes to mount the unit in one specific manner. Next to that are the two afore mentioned 60 mm fans and the four expansion slots we would expect to see in any mATX chassis.