mCubed are fast becoming one of the most innovative manufacturers of fanless Media Centre systems around. With products like the HFX Mini Metal, HFX Classic and now the HFX Micro you can certainly see why!

Just like the Mini and the Classic, the Micro uses heatpipes to cool the processor and graphics chips and therefore fans are not needed. This is an ideal situation when you consider that more and more people are now using PCs as their main source of media in their homes. The last thing you need is a noisy media PC when you are trying to watch a film or listen to music in a quiet environment.

Bundle Contents

The HFX Micro M2 Bundle is supplied as a bundle system. It includes the essential components needed to build an extremely quiet media centre PC. The information below describes each component supplied with the HFX Micro in more detail.

HFX Micro M2 Heatsink Case

The Micro case is very small. It measures only 240mm wide, 86mm high and 230mm deep, which must make it one of the smallest fully functional media centre chassis available. At the front of the case there are two slots. The larger slot is for CDs or DVDs and the other is to allow access to the SD (Secure Digital) card reader. Also on the front of the case is the HFX logo, DVD eject button, USB port, headphone and microphone ports and a window for the IR remote control sensor.

The outer casing of the Micro is made from high gloss acrylic. The sides of the HFX Micro look like heatsinks which is because that is what they are! Each heatsink is designed to naturally dissipate the heat from the CPU and VGA chips without the need of fans (more info on this below).

BorgFX Micro Heatpipe Cooler

This heatpipe set is designed to connect the CPU and GPU to the side of the case. The heatpipes transfer the heat generated by the CPU and GPU to the side heatsinks where they are cooled passively. This is how the HFX Micro noise reduction features come into their own. Due to the fact the system does not use any fans the only noise you will hear from the system is the hard drive, which will be extremely quiet.

Power Supply

Another thing to consider is how the system is going to be powered. The M2 Bundle is supplied with the EF14 140W fanless PSU which has been designed especially for the Micro.

Remaining Required Components for a Full System

The remaining products which are needed/recommended to complete the system are as follows. We have also included our own specific recommendations.

Motherboard, CPU and Memory

To provide the greatest flexibility the Micro is no longer supplied with a motherboard. The CPU all depends on which motherboard is being considered. Please refer to the motherboard manufacturer regarding a suitable CPU. As for the memory, it is very important that if the list of compatible motherboards says VLP (very low profile) RAM in the right hand column then VLP RAM must be used. For suggestions visit and register at the mCubed forums.

Hard Drive

The HFX Micro can accommodate any 2½” (i.e. laptop-sized) hard drive. At present the largest capacity 2½” hard drive available is 250GB. One of the best drives is the Samsung HM250JI. Alternatively to keep things silent, 2½” sold state hard drives are also compatible.

Vista Remote Control

The Vista Remote Control allows you to control any media application from the comfort of your chair! As its name suggests it is fully compatible with Windows Vista but also works flawlessly with Media Center 2005. The receiver attaches inside the HFX Micro with its sensor visible through the small window at the front of the case. This ensures a very tidy installation with no unsightly external cables or boxes. The item is also supplied with an IR blaster cable to allow it to control another set-top box.

TV Cards

Adding a TV card to the Micro is a little tricky, there are a few things to consider. First of all does the motherboard support PCI-E x1 or standard PCI? Once you know the answer to this then it is a matter of choose the correct TV card. If the motherboard has a PCI-E slot then the Terratec Cinergy 2400i DT will work fine. If the motherboard supports standard PCI then the best card we have come across is the Hauppauge WinTV NOVA-T 500. Both of these cards are dual tuners and will fit inside the Micro without any issues. All you need to remember is to purchase a suitable riser card to allow it to fit the card inside the chassis. PCI-E x1 or standard PCI riser cards are available. If all this sounds daunting, then you could just add TV functionality to the system by installing a USB TV card!

Sony Slim DVD Player

mCubed have chosen not to bundle an optical drive with the Micro any more due to the fact not all compatible motherboards have an IDE connection available. Obviously the price of the product reflects this change.

mCubed have indicated any slimline slot loading optical drive is compatible. We have the HFX 628 Samsung SATA DVD Drive available to make the selection a little easier. A Blu-ray drive is available if required, please email us if you are interested in the Blu-ray drive.