I had considered this case a while back for the full size mobo and centrally mounted optical drive. Yes, it's way out of my price range atm, but i can dream, can't i? :P
one solution for the PSU proximity is to get a mATX or TFX/SFF PSU and make a custom back plate from sheet metal. Nothing too complicated there, but for the money, you should get a better layout. If you wanted to relocate the HDD rack to the other side, you could get a 1U or 2U rackmount PSU and do the same thing with the adapter plate.
I would have liked to get a comparrison of the case with and without the acoustipack installed. I can't imagine that it makes that much of a difference mounted underneath the mobo ony. Oh wait, the instructions seem to show it mounted on the underside of the top... That could also be a major contributor to the heat issue: i.e. the heat is insulated from the case by the acoustipack, so the fans are the only real means of venting it, instead of radiating through the case exterior.
My plan to mod the case involved having a new fascia milled/CNC'd that was about 1-2" wider than the original so I could install extruded heatsinks on the sides, make the optical drive a slot load to match my panasonic UJ-825B, and accomodate my powermate to boot.
Heat issues - HTPC - why would it ever need a p4 3.6 :| Surely if you want a cutting edge machine then running a standard tower case is what you'd want? If its to suit the rest of the AV stuff in the lounge then why would you need a beast? hmmmn...
Originally Posted by bennifer Heat issues - HTPC - why would it ever need a p4 3.6 :| Surely if you want a cutting edge machine then running a standard tower case is what you'd want? If its to suit the rest of the AV stuff in the lounge then why would you need a beast? hmmmn...
Indeed, that's like putting a 5 litre V-8 in a Fiat! No one should be suprised when you warp your frame trying to pull out into traffic :P
Read my sig for the specs of mine. It manages to stay about 45'C CPU and 50'C system. The AGP is a passive-only heatsink, and the case has 3 60mm fans for exhaust and one 80x15mm on the SI-97 for intake. The exhaust from the side with the AGP and PVR cards is very warm, but not scorching. It's hardly cutting-edge, but it still gets plenty hot. The noise from the 80mm is pretty iritating, but that's because it's partly blocked where it sits. I intend to remedy this by replacing a large portion of the top with mesh. The only drawback to that is the noise from the HDDs will be more audible. Such a dilemma!
It strikes me that what has been noted as criticism would probably go away entirely if you were using a Pentium 'M' processor with, say, the new Aopen i915 motherboard for the 'M'.
Add an X800 Pro or such like with an Arctic cooler and both heat and noise problems become a thing of the past. And it can still play modern games.
There are power and reset buttons on the left - both of which feel suitably chunky and high-quality. Next to them are power and HDD LEDs, whilst on the left are two USB and one Firewire ports
should that mean "on the right is the USB..."?
seems like a good case but too pricey for me!
Originally Posted by bennifer Heat issues - HTPC - why would it ever need a p4 3.6 :| Surely if you want a cutting edge machine then running a standard tower case is what you'd want? If its to suit the rest of the AV stuff in the lounge then why would you need a beast? hmmmn...
AV encoding - freeview shows air in mpeg2 then re-encode them into divx for storage, tis what i (my brother) does at home. More power = shorter transcode times.
Not everyone can afford a pentium M machine either and the two or three P-M mobos that support it arent exactly a wide choice, plus people might have stuff kicking around already.
People pay a LOT more for similar AV stuff, especially if they want it to go with the rest of their setups.
These were originaly made by Kanam of Korea, but due to some financial issues (i.e. $300 cases!) they didn't go over welll and were subsequently bought out by arisetek. There are also a few other accent cases (HT-200, HT-201, HT-400, and HT-401) but they're in the same price range, and are hard to come by.
Sorry to go on, but Im a little disappointed with review, not the usual bit standard all seems a little rushed.
Wheres the spec ?! etc you would normally post
Have you tried it under a tv ?!? I've found most HTPC cases are too deep to fit on a standard TV stand and thats always been a big negative in the past for me
Originally Posted by tigermain Have you tried it under a tv ?!? I've found most HTPC cases are too deep to fit on a standard TV stand and thats always been a big negative in the past for me
This really isn't a case for "most htpc" users. It's a high end-looking case designed to blend in with high end electronics. In fact, this is actually an entry-level pro-sumer case. The amazing folks at www.atechfabrication.com make cases that start at $500, then go up as you add 'extras' like USB/firewire ports, a power LED, reset switch, billeted aluminium case feet etc. The case alone can run upwards of $1500 with all the bells and whistles.
atechfabrication.com .... drool. They make beautifull cases - and slot loading as well! I get the impression Ahanix is the US reseller for the same cases.
The infra-red does not work with MC as it is designed to run with their own I-Mon SW.
If you looking for something thats shallow try the Claritas but pretty expensive also.
You could also try the new cases from Beblu although a recent review indicates quality issues. If they can get these sorted though I will opt for these m-itx cases. Any chance we can get bit-tech to review one - KustomPC's are carrying them.
I have to agree with Bindibadgi, there are reasons for having lots of power in a HTPC, but with so little ventilation, it'll be pointless having a powerful heat pumping processor in an unventilated space if the processor will keep on overheating.
Nice case, but there are other similar ones for less than 1/4 of the price.
Originally Posted by tigermain Sorry to go on, but Im a little disappointed with review, not the usual bit standard all seems a little rushed.
Wheres the spec ?! etc you would normally post
Have you tried it under a tv ?!? I've found most HTPC cases are too deep to fit on a standard TV stand and thats always been a big negative in the past for me
Noone's hi-fi/tv unit is the same, maybe you just purchased a very small one?
As you can see from the early pictures the supplied VFD is usb.
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whassa scre?
Good article though :) Way out of my price range....
one solution for the PSU proximity is to get a mATX or TFX/SFF PSU and make a custom back plate from sheet metal. Nothing too complicated there, but for the money, you should get a better layout. If you wanted to relocate the HDD rack to the other side, you could get a 1U or 2U rackmount PSU and do the same thing with the adapter plate.
I would have liked to get a comparrison of the case with and without the acoustipack installed. I can't imagine that it makes that much of a difference mounted underneath the mobo ony. Oh wait, the instructions seem to show it mounted on the underside of the top... That could also be a major contributor to the heat issue: i.e. the heat is insulated from the case by the acoustipack, so the fans are the only real means of venting it, instead of radiating through the case exterior.
My plan to mod the case involved having a new fascia milled/CNC'd that was about 1-2" wider than the original so I could install extruded heatsinks on the sides, make the optical drive a slot load to match my panasonic UJ-825B, and accomodate my powermate to boot.
First page, "scre" = "screw"?
Page 2 and 3, "accomodate" = "accommodate"?
Sorry, i can't help myself :o
Read my sig for the specs of mine. It manages to stay about 45'C CPU and 50'C system. The AGP is a passive-only heatsink, and the case has 3 60mm fans for exhaust and one 80x15mm on the SI-97 for intake. The exhaust from the side with the AGP and PVR cards is very warm, but not scorching. It's hardly cutting-edge, but it still gets plenty hot. The noise from the 80mm is pretty iritating, but that's because it's partly blocked where it sits. I intend to remedy this by replacing a large portion of the top with mesh. The only drawback to that is the noise from the HDDs will be more audible. Such a dilemma!
Add an X800 Pro or such like with an Arctic cooler and both heat and noise problems become a thing of the past. And it can still play modern games.
A case of horses for courses. :D
Oh, and last paragraph - "But this definitely it." ;)
_C
should that mean "on the right is the USB..."?
seems like a good case but too pricey for me!
AV encoding - freeview shows air in mpeg2 then re-encode them into divx for storage, tis what i (my brother) does at home. More power = shorter transcode times.
Not everyone can afford a pentium M machine either and the two or three P-M mobos that support it arent exactly a wide choice, plus people might have stuff kicking around already.
People pay a LOT more for similar AV stuff, especially if they want it to go with the rest of their setups.
now that i think of it, it looks an awful lot like the Ahanix D5...
http://www.ahanix.com/ahanix_product.asp?pid=8
What sort is it ?! USB / parallel ?!?
Wheres the spec ?! etc you would normally post
Have you tried it under a tv ?!? I've found most HTPC cases are too deep to fit on a standard TV stand and thats always been a big negative in the past for me
The infra-red does not work with MC as it is designed to run with their own I-Mon SW.
If you looking for something thats shallow try the Claritas but pretty expensive also.
You could also try the new cases from Beblu although a recent review indicates quality issues. If they can get these sorted though I will opt for these m-itx cases. Any chance we can get bit-tech to review one - KustomPC's are carrying them.
I have to agree with Bindibadgi, there are reasons for having lots of power in a HTPC, but with so little ventilation, it'll be pointless having a powerful heat pumping processor in an unventilated space if the processor will keep on overheating.
Nice case, but there are other similar ones for less than 1/4 of the price.
If there are cases of equal quality/materials for $75, let me know where! :P
Because it's not included with the base price, so we don't have one. The IR receiver was included, and it didn't, as we mentioned in the review.
Noone's hi-fi/tv unit is the same, maybe you just purchased a very small one?
As you can see from the early pictures the supplied VFD is usb.