Best of Breed HTPC Case

[mightyt]

Originally Posted by ErsatzTom

I just picked up an LC03V. It is slightly smaller than the LC10W and doesn't have the nice builtin front panel audio/usb/firewire ports but does have more external drives (2*3.5 & 2*5.25). I put a matching SilverStone front panel audio/usb/firewire module into one of the 3.5" and my flash card reader in the the other. It seems like a pretty well made case and I'm sure the 10W is as well. I put an extra 8cm fan in mine (the 10W comes with one) and the case is a little loud for me now. However, it isn't in the entertainment center yet, which will help, and I plan on slowing the fans down a bit as it has more airflow than it really needs right now.

Don't know anything about the remote.

t

Thanks t ...

Yep, I read a review on anandtech.com and they metioned it was a bit noisey. This is important to me, next to having up to 4 drives and a DVD ... Hmmm, decisions, decisions ... I am having such a hard time deciding ...

T.

[mightyt]

Originally Posted by edgley

I just took delivery of my Atech case today.

Oh my.

It is of the most exquisite detail, from the packaging to the screws. I can not recommend it enough.

Simon.

OK, Now I'm really depressed!!! ... and jelious too ...

So ... Which one did you get?? the 5000 HP? Did you get any options?

Yea, let us know how it goes??

Thanks, T.

[mightyt]

Originally Posted by stanger89

I've got a D.Vine 4 and IMO it's the best of the Ahanix line since it take full size components (ATX motherboard, power supply). And it definitely blends into the rack (see pick). But the ATech Fab cases are definitely in a league of their own.

Well ... I have come up with a some criteria that is required by me (in no specific order) ...

1 - Good Entertainment Center Look
2 - Ability to hold 4 HD's and 1 DVD
3 - Very Low Noise and
4 - As cool as possible

I have decided the following from the recommendations made here;

Silver PC Lian = Not very attractive to me
Silverstone LC10 = Apparently noisy and runs hotter than D4
Any Atech = Just to costly for my blood (Wish it weren't so!)
Arsitec HT400 = Seems like a possiblity
Ahanix D4 = Seems like a possiblity

So, Stanger89 ... Though I am not totally thrilled with the D4 access door, it appears to have bays for 5 drives; 3x3.5" internal and 2x5.25" external. It also is supposed to be quieter and cooler than the new Silverstone LC10. I will also have 3 tuner cards.

Do you think it runs quiet, cool and will hold 4 HD's?

Also, anyone have the HT400 and how does it hold up on bays, noise and temp?

Thanks all ... T.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by mightyt

So, Stanger89 ... Though I am not totally thrilled with the D4 access door,

Yeah, I think it's just hard/impossible to make a door look good.

it appears to have bays for 5 drives; 3x3.5" internal and 2x5.25" external.

Actually it's 2x internal 3.5", 1x internal 5.25", and 2x external 5.25"

It also is supposed to be quieter and cooler than the new Silverstone LC10. I will also have 3 tuner cards.

Do you think it runs quiet, cool and will hold 4 HD's?

Seems to run plenty cool, I've got a grand total of 1 fan (80mm Panaflo L1A) blowing air out (PS and video card are passive) and haven't had any heat problems, and it's not loud, but I'm still not satisfied though. However with 4 HDDs I don't think any case will be quiet, the WD2000JB HDD is the loudest thing in my case right now.

[mightyt]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Yeah, I think it's just hard/impossible to make a door look good.
Actually it's 2x internal 3.5", 1x internal 5.25", and 2x external 5.25"


Seems to run plenty cool, I've got a grand total of 1 fan (80mm Panaflo L1A) blowing air out (PS and video card are passive) and haven't had any heat problems, and it's not loud, but I'm still not satisfied though. However with 4 HDDs I don't think any case will be quiet, the WD2000JB HDD is the loudest thing in my case right now.

Thanks a lot Stanger ... Looks like the D4 will hold 4 HD's without a problem. So I guess if I get a Silent PSU (well, you know! - ) ... and some quiet fans (maybe Zalman, you recommended in the past) I may be able to drop the noise down a good amount "compared" to my standard tower ... and hopefully keep is running somewhat cool.

Now I wonder how the D4 compares to the HT400 ...

T.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by mightyt

I may be able to drop the noise down a good amount "compared" to my standard tower ...

If that's your criteria then definitely To bad I'm going for silent .

[Jason]

I guess the title says it all...

Seeing as how I am a cheap S.O.B., and have decided to actually break down and set up a true HTPC, can anyone give me the pros and cons of these two cases? I have decided on them primarily because of price and the fact that I want to use a full size ATX board. With those two factors in mind, there is not much else out there aside from a 'vanilla' style desktop.

What I am looking for are specific gripes and or dislikes. Heat related? Sound related? OK bring em...

-Jason

[mightyt]

Originally Posted by stanger89

If that's your criteria then definitely To bad I'm going for silent .

Well silent is good, but ... Is that even possible? Really??

[edgley]

I think so.
I have found a 6800 that has no fan, and also PSU's that have no fans.
Adding one of those flower CPU coolers only needs a low running fan.

Fingers crossed!

[mightyt]

Originally Posted by edgley

I think so.
I have found a 6800 that has no fan, and also PSU's that have no fans.
Adding one of those flower CPU coolers only needs a low running fan.

Fingers crossed!

Where did you find the 6800 ... gotta link?

Yea, IK found the PSU's with giant heat sinks ... looks very interesting.

I've also looked at the CPU flower cooler.

But Stanger is making me wonder ... will I every reach truely quiet when I intend on running 4 drives in it and 3 tunder cards?? I think I can get close, but wonder if silent is possible.

Thanks, T.

[kny3twalker]

the gigabyte 6800 comes with no fan
or you can just buy the silencer and put it on yourself to another 6800

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=474056

[edgley]

and put all those disks either in another server or attached to one of those linksys network disk box things

[ErsatzTom]

Yeah, if I were trying for a really quiet htpc, I'd definitely move all the capture and storage to a server.

t

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by mightyt

Yea, IK found the PSU's with giant heat sinks ... looks very interesting.

What you want is this. It is an amazing piece of engineering, runs cool (as cool as any of my fan-ed PSs), and is silent.

I've also looked at the CPU flower cooler.

I've got a CNPS-7000AlCu, works great, they've got a new 120mm version that could be better (slower fan equal or better cooling?)

But Stanger is making me wonder ... will I every reach truely quiet when I intend on running 4 drives in it and 3 tunder cards?? I think I can get close, but wonder if silent is possible.

My experience with HDDs is this, adding HDDs seems to exponentially increase noise, two are much louder than one, probably due to slight mis-matching of rpm and their interactions with the case. Now so far I've just mounted my HDDs to my case with standard hardware, so something like these could help:
http://www.siliconacoustics.com/driven.html

But I've decided that the best, easiest, most cost effective way to reduce the noise in an HTPC, is to move the storage elsewhere. Stick it in a "server," be it dedicated, or a spare computer, whatever. That gets all the noise and heat (which leads to noise) out of the HTPC so you don't have to even deal with it. Then thow a notebook drive in for the OS and stuff and you're good to go.

[edgley]

Wow, it get up to 65C, that is making me think of going back to one of those PSU with teh 120mm fan, and a second fan.

Why is no part of this process easy?

[Jason]

Just thought that some folks would want to know that the Cavalier is selling for $94 WITH NO TAX (WHERE APPLICABLE) + FREE SHIPPING! I just bought one...

http://www.c-source.com/ttechnote.asp?part_no=CAVT04UKA

-Jason

[teedublu]

If you don't mind a quiet tower in your Living Room:
The Antec SLK3700-BQE (and similar Sonata) isolates the drives with rubber grommets (via a special slide out tray). I have 4 Maxtor drives (2 x 160GB & 2 x 200GB installed and the chassis is almost silent.
I moved the rear 120mm fan that came with the case and installed it in the front (includes screws to do this). To cool the drives. I prefer this case to the more expensive Sonata because of the front fan mounting orientation. I then sealed off the bottom (dust sucker) vent, closed all the "holes" in the front with packing tape to create a filtered pressurized chassis (the front panel includes a removable filter screen). I added a 2nd 120mm Panasonic Panaflo fan on the side panel (It's a M model running at 7 or maybe 5 volts, I forget), over the PVR cards. Had to drill a bunch a holes, but hid the uglies with a snap-on fan-filter grille gizmo. It's not dead silent, but pretty close. And it runs cool and clean (just have to clean the two air filters about every 2 mos).

TW

[RedCoat999]

Originally Posted by Jason

Just thought that some folks would want to know that the Cavalier is selling for $94 WITH NO TAX (WHERE APPLICABLE) + FREE SHIPPING! I just bought one...

http://www.c-source.com/ttechnote.asp?part_no=CAVT04UKA

-Jason

Any comments/opinions from anyone on this case?

[RedCoat999]

Originally Posted by RedCoat999

Any comments/opinions from anyone on this case?

Anyone? Cavalier? Anyone???

[Jason]

Originally Posted by RedCoat999

Anyone? Cavalier? Anyone???

Try this...

http://www.viperlair.com/reviews/cas...avt04/p3.shtml

I am changing my whole system and building a dedicated HTPC with this one...

-Jason