Zalman HD160 HTPC Enclosure

Good article. The Display is a bit of a draw back and for my taste not enough Hdd slots but overall it seems to be a good case. Now i just need the money :D

4 hd slots == 2TB of storage *4x500* how is that not enough ? :)

even if you go with a raid0 of raptors for the OS, you still get 1tb for storage.

Originally Posted by Buzzons
4 hd slots == 2TB of storage *4x500* how is that not enough ? :)

even if you go with a raid0 of raptors for the OS, you still get 1tb for storage.

Mmmmmm...why on earth would you use raptors, let alone RAID 0 for an HTPC? They aren't the quietest drives around. And RAID 0 is hardly ever a good idea. The case itself is beautiful and I was left wondering if the VFD wasn't easily swapped for a Matrix.

The open/close mechanism on the vent hole can be used to prevent dust comming in when the HTPC is not in use.

To me it sounds great. ;)

The mechanism itself, however, could be made in a way to don't need "coins" to turn.

I saw this article a while back and thought the vga cooler was the old one.
but I just saw it for sale and realized its new. that thing is gorgeous! I already have the cnps9500, I'm going to order the vf900 now! =)

Enjoyed reading this article alot, well written and on the point, eventhough I failed to notice any further mention about the top ventilation hole - as in, is it useful or not.

A very interesting enclosure indeed, definetly worth considering when / if building a HTPC-with-a-punch.

Zalman have quite a record of good products already and this obviously is a great addition, impressive!

Originally Posted by Sathy
Enjoyed reading this article alot, well written and on the point, eventhough I failed to notice any further mention about the top ventilation hole - as in, is it useful or not.

We noticed hardly any difference in noise with the top vent open or closed so it was left closed for the duration.

I tested with it open and with it closed and it made no difference to noise level or temperatures. The room it was tested in was a pretty average temperature controlled environment (21C), perhaps if the ambient temperature was considerably higher or if the PSU or CPU Cooler you use with it are not as efficient at dissipating heat there may be a difference.

Originally Posted by antiHero
Good article. The Display is a bit of a draw back

LCD Smartie have a support for IRtrans which HD160 uses.
More info about LCD Smartie: http://lcdsmartie.sourceforge.net/

Only downside is that HD160 only have 2x16 VFD display.

Sorry to revive an old thread but ive just bought this case and I cant get it to switch on from the remote. The mobo i'm using has a 20pin ATX conector and this case comes with a 20 + 4 pin adaptor for the VFD do the extra 4 pins control the remote on?

Uuh thanks ops, I love you! I've been desperate here with that damn VFD only showing the time and date..