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Hot media PCs: does Microsoft know about this?

A little throwaway comment from a specialist cooling device maker says that Microsoft's Media Center PCs "have had difficulty achieving success in the home theater marketplace because of constant noise, overheating and shutdowns. Our HTPC Cooler eliminates those problems that have been plaguing the industry."

The comment isn't impartial. The speaker is Geoff Lyon, CEO of Coolit - a company which makes a fan replacement system using liquid cooling. According to BIOS, the main target will be high definition video users - home theatre boxes - but the casual accusation that Microsoft's Media Center PC will make an unacceptable noise, or overheat, will be bound to provoke consternation in Redmond.

A pretty thorough bench test of the FreezOne system suggests that it isn't aimed at the enthusiast PC gamer, because a) it doesn't actually work all that well and b) it doesn't fit onto the typical enthusiast's large PC case. That points the aim squarely at home media users.

Coolit's own blurb says: "Overclock, don't overheat. Get the most from your experience, push your machine to the limit . . . and beyond" - but the official press release makes it pretty clear that Media Center systems are the real target: 

"CoolIT Systems, known for their top performing MTEC liquid cooling technology, announces its entrance into the home theater and media center PC markets with the first-ever Home Theater PC (HTPC) liquid cooling solution."

The announcement continues:

"This technological advancement allows for the highest possible performance in computing, gaming, and HD video without the need for noisy CPU fans and video cards that overheat with extended use."