KT-400 HTPC Case?

officermartinez

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jan 21, 2006
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Hey everyone.. I bought a few more pieces for my upcoming HTPC build. While looking around, I found a case on flee-bay that looked "interesting". It's listed as a KT-400 HTPC case. Since I am a "modder", I quickly sized up its' "potential". Anyway, I can tell the airflow might not be the greatest (without modding it) but just wondered if anyone has ever seen this case before? If you own this case, which CPU cooler did you use? Do you think it's worth the $49 dollar / free shipping price tag?

Side note - I will NOT be using the included PSU. I have a decent modular PSU on order.

Spare parts that I already own:

- Core i7 860 (I do not plan to overclock it)
- Gigabyte p55-ud4p 1156 mobo
- Gskill Ripjaws 4gb (2x2gb) DDR3 2000
- WD 640gb SATA II Black HDD
- Windows Vista Ultimate x64
- EVGA 8800GTS 640mb video card
- Lite On cheap SATA DVD Drive

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i was looking for an htpc case too. i saw KT600 on ebay and i love it but one thing i don't like is the PSU spot. why they design the PSU in front? I ended up with mMEDIAPC HTPC 6000B.
the KT400 i think should be find with the air flow because a lot of vents
 
i was looking for an htpc case too. i saw KT600 on ebay and i love it but one thing i don't like is the PSU spot. why they design the PSU in front? I ended up with mMEDIAPC HTPC 6000B.
the KT400 i think should be find with the air flow because a lot of vents

LOL.. I had the nMEDIAPC 6000B in my cart at Newegg and was just about to pull the trigger on it when I saw the KT-400 on eBay. The PSU placement on the KT-400 is funky and reminds me of the Lian Li PC-A05B. Ugh! But, I'm told I am really handy with a dremel and once I chop the KT-400 up and "mod it", it should make for a pretty interesting HTPC build. I've already been creeping around Performance-PC's for two triple radgrillz. I think I am just gonna make a neat little project out of this build.. plenty of 120mm fans, power coating, etc. Once the case comes in, I will see if I can "re-position" the PSU with a little modification. Also, I might use my GTX 260 card instead of that 8800GTS 640mb card that I have laying around.. still haven't decided.
 
why don't you go with kt600 looks nicer and about the same the price? mMEDIAPC 6000B is nice and roomy but the front panel sucks. the HDD lead is so dim
if your TV has DVI port go with gtx260, if it doesn't have DVI get the card with HDMI port to play 1080p movies
 
why don't you go with kt600 looks nicer and about the same the price? mMEDIAPC 6000B is nice and roomy but the front panel sucks. the HDD lead is so dim
if your TV has DVI port go with gtx260, if it doesn't have DVI get the card with HDMI port to play 1080p movies

Yeah, I think the KT-600 looks nice. However, the internal layout is basically the exact same. For one, I already purchased the KT-400 and secondly, I KNEW I was going to really chop this case up when it arrives. So, because of the modding I have planned for the case, the additional monetary investment would not really be worth it. As for the TV that it's going to be hooked up to, it will be an old Westinghouse LVM-42W2 42" 1080p. It has a HDMI and DVI-D input. The audio will be via SPDIF into a 500 watt Pioneer 5.1 receiver : )

I still like the nMEDIAPC 6000B and if I had bought it, I probably would NOT have modded it at all. As for the KT-400, more than likely I will basically chop the entire sides of the KT-400 completely off and use these to help improve airflow (just have to find some decently quiet 120mm fans that are NOT going to break the bank) :

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the PSU position of KT series really suck. we can't use the psu swithout mod
i think you just need to add a 120mm low speed fan that's good enough because the vents are everywhere.

htpc you don't need a monster system. a c2d cpu is more than enough. gtx260 generates too much heat

don't forget to take some screenshots after modded
 
I got that case off eBay. It comes in tomorrow (Friday). :D

And I also have an GTX260 (10.5" long) card. But I don't think it will fit. Not just because of it's length (hitting the PSU), but because of the two 6-pin power plugs on the side of the card. I doubt it will clear the case cover. You can see in the picture above that the "L" part of the PCI slots, where the mounting screw goes, is just about level with the top edge of the case. The cables stick out another 0.5" beyond the side of the card. But I hope I'm wrong, though I don't think I am (unless you have a version of the GTX260 that has end-mounted power plugs, rather than side-mounted.

But just in case, I ordered a GTX460 from Newegg to remedy this and get a small upgrade. I'll post some pictures of the fit of both cards when I get them delivered.

I also have a Silverstone LC13 E htpc case coming in as well (if anyone cares..). All kinds of room in that case.
 
UMC, many users game from their couches, like myself, so a hefty graphics card is necessary. Plus, most GTX260s have a rear exhaust, which won't induce too much ambient heat into the case, No more than a smaller unducted card. :)
 
I got that case off eBay. It comes in tomorrow (Friday). :D

And I also have an GTX260 (10.5" long) card. But I don't think it will fit. Not just because of it's length (hitting the PSU), but because of the two 6-pin power plugs on the side of the card. I doubt it will clear the case cover. You can see in the picture above that the "L" part of the PCI slots, where the mounting screw goes, is just about level with the top edge of the case. The cables stick out another 0.5" beyond the side of the card. But I hope I'm wrong, though I don't think I am (unless you have a version of the GTX260 that has end-mounted power plugs, rather than side-mounted..

If you're feeling ballsy, pull the pins out of the power connectors and insert them individually in to the sockets on the card. Removing the plastic plug portion should get you enough space to close the sides, especially if you split the multi-part cable down 6-8" and run half the wires one way over top of the card and half over the bottom to lessen the bulk at the point you need to bend them.
 
Oof, that would be ballsy :eek: But totally doable. Can you snap those pins back into the plastic plug housing if you have a change of heart? I'd hate to jack up a decent PSU cable. But my PSU is modular, so I guess I could just replace the PCIx branch if need be.

I'd love to keep my GTX260, but I've already ordered the GTX460 (only 8.5" long and end-mounted plugs). Plus I think I might have a buyer for my 260 already. Hope so anyways.

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Yeah, they should snap back in, and if they get somehow boogered up you can order replacement to crimp on for like $1. not a big deal.
 
Watching. Probably won't be as crazy as last time (less lime green) but you do good work.

QFT! I think this build will be a little more conservative compaired to the last HTPC build!


the PSU position of KT series really suck. we can't use the psu swithout mod
i think you just need to add a 120mm low speed fan that's good enough because the vents are everywhere.

htpc you don't need a monster system. a c2d cpu is more than enough. gtx260 generates too much heat

don't forget to take some screenshots after modded

Yeah.. I was looking hard at the placement of the PSU. I think it will be fine where it's at but I was curious if there was room at the back part of the case to mount it in a more traditional configuration. No such luck. But you're right about the C2D being more than enough.. As far as HTPC's go, this build is really high end and should seriously last a VERY long time (maybe half a decade)? ..if everything stays working / nothing burns out. I will be sure to take PLENTY of pics. It's always nice to go thru peoples worklogs to see how they adapted stuff or made things work.. I love peoples creativity.


I got that case off eBay. It comes in tomorrow (Friday). :D

And I also have an GTX260 (10.5" long) card. But I don't think it will fit. Not just because of it's length (hitting the PSU), but because of the two 6-pin power plugs on the side of the card. I doubt it will clear the case cover. You can see in the picture above that the "L" part of the PCI slots, where the mounting screw goes, is just about level with the top edge of the case. The cables stick out another 0.5" beyond the side of the card. But I hope I'm wrong, though I don't think I am (unless you have a version of the GTX260 that has end-mounted power plugs, rather than side-mounted.

But just in case, I ordered a GTX460 from Newegg to remedy this and get a small upgrade. I'll post some pictures of the fit of both cards when I get them delivered.

I also have a Silverstone LC13 E htpc case coming in as well (if anyone cares..). All kinds of room in that case.

Holy cow! You're right! Definitely let me know when your case comes in. I'd be interested if its maybe 1/4" to 1/2" too tall. With that being said, I went online and looked for a right angle shortened solution. I didn't find one. So, I went upstairs and found a few 6-pin connectors. I just might try to mod the connectors themselves to see if it helps!


UMC, many users game from their couches, like myself, so a hefty graphics card is necessary. Plus, most GTX260s have a rear exhaust, which won't induce too much ambient heat into the case, No more than a smaller unducted card. :)

Although I don't plan to do any gaming on my HTPC, that doesn't mean that I won't. I just might be one of those guys like you said, who games from their couch.. hehe! Heat wise, I am not in the least bit worried about heat.. I've got that part covered! ..haha!


If you're feeling ballsy, pull the pins out of the power connectors and insert them individually in to the sockets on the card. Removing the plastic plug portion should get you enough space to close the sides, especially if you split the multi-part cable down 6-8" and run half the wires one way over top of the card and half over the bottom to lessen the bulk at the point you need to bend them.

Yep, you know me silent-circuit.. I feel ballsy! One way or another, I'm sure a solution will work itself out.


Oof, that would be ballsy :eek: But totally doable. Can you snap those pins back into the plastic plug housing if you have a change of heart? I'd hate to jack up a decent PSU cable. But my PSU is modular, so I guess I could just replace the PCIx branch if need be.

I'd love to keep my GTX260, but I've already ordered the GTX460 (only 8.5" long and end-mounted plugs). Plus I think I might have a buyer for my 260 already. Hope so anyways.

Well I have an extra 8800GTS 640mb. I WISH I had a GTX 460 laying around.. haha. Not my first choice but the pins on my 8800GTS are on the back of the card. The GTX 260 would be a pretty big punch in the nutz for a HTPC but the only thing holding me back on that is the PCI-E connector (but I'm working on it) ;)
 
I just found a couple 6-pin connectors. I snapped a picture of one that is "normal" size and the other one I cut in half with a dremel just now. Hmm.. I just shed off about 3/8 of an inch. I can probably dremel it down another 1/8th of an inch! I wonder if that would be enough for clearance?

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i would advise you to sell your 8800 GTS and buy a new one with less power requirement = less heat
that will help running the HTPC colder.

Best of luck
 
i would advise you to sell your 8800 GTS and buy a new one with less power requirement = less heat
that will help running the HTPC colder.

Best of luck

In the traditional sense, yes, that is very good information. However, heat isn't really going to be an issue with THIS HTPC build : )

One of the few things that I do NOT have laying around is a power supply. I just purchased the Corsair Professional Series AX750 750w PSU : ) ..it's a nice PSU with plenty of clean power for my needs and it carries an 80 PLUS GOLD Certification.
 
I just found a couple 6-pin connectors. I snapped a picture of one that is "normal" size and the other one I cut in half with a dremel just now. Hmm.. I just shed off about 3/8 of an inch. I can probably dremel it down another 1/8th of an inch! I wonder if that would be enough for clearance?

Nice work, Officer! Gotta love those Dremels. That's bound to make plenty of room. I'll take some good photos of both the GTX460 and GTX260 crammed in there (separately of course) and take some measurements too. I'm eager to find out. I know the 460 will fit no problem, but I'd love to be able to use the 260 instead.

Delivery on my KT400 htpc case is held up :( (because of weather I'm assuming). But hopefully by Monday!
 
To who ever has a KT400 already in their possession, how tall of a CPU cooler can you fit in there? And what is the measurement of the between the side of full-sized PCI card and the lid of the case?

It's killing me not having one in front of me to look at. I'm already planning mods for a case that I don't have yet. Sick.:rolleyes:
 
Nice work, Officer! Gotta love those Dremels. That's bound to make plenty of room. I'll take some good photos of both the GTX460 and GTX260 crammed in there (separately of course) and take some measurements too. I'm eager to find out. I know the 460 will fit no problem, but I'd love to be able to use the 260 instead.

Delivery on my KT400 htpc case is held up :( (because of weather I'm assuming). But hopefully by Monday!

Thank ya cmadki4! OMG.. yep, the weather was super crazy this morning (really all day pretty much). It was like 17 degrees most of the day with plenty of snow and ice. I was on patrol when I saw an 18 wheeler totally T-Bone a little Dodge Caliber.. I was like... DOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, that's gonna leave a mark. ..hehe

To who ever has a KT400 already in their possession, how tall of a CPU cooler can you fit in there? And what is the measurement of the between the side of full-sized PCI card and the lid of the case?

It's killing me not having one in front of me to look at. I'm already planning mods for a case that I don't have yet. Sick.:rolleyes:

For this VERY reason, I didn't buy a CPU cooler. I wanted to.. real bad! I think our case might be limited to a 92mm fan type setup (instead of a 120mm fan cpu cooler).
 
Officer, has your KT400 come in yet? Mine is "Out for Delivery" as we speak. It shouldn't be sitting pretty on the porch when I get home from work. :D
 
Officer, has your KT400 come in yet? Mine is "Out for Delivery" as we speak. It shouldn't be sitting pretty on the porch when I get home from work. :D

I am off today and I am in the EXACT same boat as you.. When I made my payment on "The Bay", the guy told me that we are about 60 miles apart (I am in Ft Worth, Texas and he is in Rockwall, Texas). Shipping should be only 1 or 2 days. It was scheduled for yesterday but something weird is on my tracking information page. (In my best impression to sound like a military voice over the radio).. "WTF... Over?" ..lol

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I just received my case.. I must say, much to my surprise, not bad! ..I think it will make a wonderful addition to my home theater.. Oh, this should be a fun mod project : ) ...pics soon to follow!
 
Got the case in today too and I'm impressed! For $50 it's a really nice case. Shoot, for $80 it would be a good deal. Really solid aluminum front, tough powder coating. And it looks just fine too.

Here are some pics of the GTX260 crammed in there and the GTX460 sitting pretty no problem. That's the stock power supply, which I will NOT be using. My PSU cable placement is a little different giving the card a little more wiggle room.

GTX260 Mounted:
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GTX460 Mounted:
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Side Inputs:
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Here is compared to a Silverstone LC13E-B. About 1" taller and just as wide and deep. PSU placement is much better on the LC13E than the KT400, but that's what makes it taller.

Officer, the KT400 should be a great starting point for modding. I think the PSU mounting bracket can be shortened up to bring the PSU closer to the side of the case. Even the GTX260 or similar card would fit then.

BUT, I still have my doubts about the PCIE power plugs clearing the sides of the case, even modified... Break out your wicked Dremel skills!

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I've already removed the included power supply and realized that a standard 120mm fan will NOT mount nearest the CD ROM mounting position. So, it looks like I am going to have to buy (2) thin 120mm fans for one side of this case..
 
So what is your idea? To put some 120's on blowing in from the top panel? I might just grab one of these myself and cut a 140mm hole in with my drill press and a circle cutter run a single 140 blowing in. Or would this be a bad idea?

Where does the PSU draw air from?
 
120s from the side I think -- but they have to be thin cause the optical drive mounts right next to them. Look at pics above. The "GTX460 mounted" pic in particular shows the fan mounts clearly.
 
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So what is your idea? To put some 120's on blowing in from the top panel? I might just grab one of these myself and cut a 140mm hole in with my drill press and a circle cutter run a single 140 blowing in. Or would this be a bad idea?

Where does the PSU draw air from?

I think I am going to stick to mounting (4) 120's on the sides. The 120's fit height wise however the (2) 120's by the cdrom tray needs to be thin like these: http://www.performance-pcs.com/cata...e=product_info&cPath=36_408&products_id=27031

120s from the side I think -- but they have to be thin cause the optical drive mounts right next to them. Look at pics above. The "GTX460 mounted" pic in particular shows the fan mounts clearly.

Yep.. I think your right silent-circuit.

I didn't think the sides would fit a 120mm?

I was thinking to use something like this. http://www.amazon.com/General-Tools..._1?ie=UTF8&s=industrial&qid=1297219672&sr=8-1

It's going to be interesting how each of us does their air intake / exhaust needs.. !
 
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So what is your idea? To put some 120's on blowing in from the top panel? I might just grab one of these myself and cut a 140mm hole in with my drill press and a circle cutter run a single 140 blowing in. Or would this be a bad idea?

I'd be weary of mounting any fans to the top of the case. There is really not any head room above the PCI slots (unless they are unoccupied or occupied by slims cards) and not really any room above the CPU unless you have a stock or low profile cooler.

Here is what I may do:
1. Isolate the PSU. Cut an intake hole in the bottom of the case, exhaust it out the side the way it currently is and fill in the gaps to make that the only air flow in that section of the case.
2. Mount two (2) slim 120mm fans on the side of the case by the CPU as exhaust. Air will be drawn in from the top of the case and the nooks and crannies in the front panel.

With the GPU exhausting itself and a decent CPU cooler, this should be plenty of air floor for even a gaming HTPC with GTX260 "heater" in it.

Where does the PSU draw air from?

From the bottom. The PSU is resting about 0.5" above the floor of the case.
 
Got a Harbor Freight Tools near you? You can get a whole set of hole saws for less than that there. Not saying they're super-great quality or anything, but they do the job.

If you have a drill press, those circle cutters are ideal, because you can set any diameter you need up to 6" or so (depending on the model. And they're available at Harbor Freight as well. Love that place.

Justintoxicated, where do you plan on cutting holes? I'd say the sides or the bottom are your best bet. Cutting holes and mounting fans on the top cover with that little of head room may not be ideal.

As you can see below, the clearance above a standard sized card in the KT400 is minimal. 0.25" at best. Side mounted 6-pin PCIE power plugs and top cover mounted fans are not very practical on this case.
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My case is now completely dismantled to the frame. Evenually, I will drill the rivets out right before I send the "raw" completed case to the powder coater. If my measurements are correct, I can fit a hard drive directly under the CDROM. I will fabricate a hard drive mount and then mount it in. Also, I am going to try my hand at "re-engineering" / fabricating a "better" power supply mount as mentioned before. Closing off the PSU is an excellent idea. I'm still out on the supplied right angle power cord extender. My Corsair AX750 PSU comes wtih a 16 gauge power cord. The supplied power cable is listed as .75mm (right around 21 gauge). If I was planning to heavily overclock this rig, I would trash this cord in a minute. However, for HTPC use, I'm assuming it would be "OK". Here are the pictures of my progress so far.. (pictures at all four angles plus a top shot)


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Looks roomy with all that stuff out. Great pictures, Officer. I'll be watching your progress closely with great interest.

To the OP: I would recommend this case to anyone, modder or not. High quality construction, solid, good styling and houses a ATX mobo at a reasonable overall height (about as short as you'll get without going slim SFF. (Just thought I'd recap for the purpose of the original posted question). :cool:
 
Looks roomy with all that stuff out. Great pictures, Officer. I'll be watching your progress closely with great interest.

To the OP: I would recommend this case to anyone, modder or not. High quality construction, solid, good styling and houses a ATX mobo at a reasonable overall height (about as short as you'll get without going slim SFF. (Just thought I'd recap for the purpose of the original posted question). :cool:

Thanks cmadki4. It's really not bad especially considering the price! Of course, it's not the same quality as a Lian Li or similar brand case but it's VERY stylish, roomy enough for an ATX board and obviously isn't hard on the wallet. As for modding, I've started on my very first [H]ard mod, starting with the power supply area. I'm keeping the power supply in it's original configuration but I really want my power supply to breathe well. So, I'm increasing the size those tiny intake / exhaust holes. I've done (3) passes, only increasing to the next size drill bit (to avoid "kinking" or otherwise tearing the thinner wall of each hole). Here are the drill bit sizes that I used (in case anyone else wants to do this little time consuming mod.. hehe). I started with a 13/64 bit.. then a 7/32 and finally ended up on my last bit size of 15/64. If I go any bigger, I fear that the structural rigidity would be compromised. I put a piece of paper inside the case so you can see the hole size difference. Obviously on the right, those holes are the new drilled out ones. On the left, those are the "stock" holes. Big difference! My power supply is going to love me! ..haha!


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Sweeet. Love the larger hole pattern. Functional and killer looking. That will make a huge difference I'm sure.

I was thinking about the PSU extension cable that runs to the back of the case. I think the existing cable is fine. Almost all power cables of that size can handle at least 35A of 110AC. And one that short is even less of a concern. I'd just use it. If you feel any warmth off it after heavy GPU usage, shut'er down and swap in a homemade franken-cord.

That heavy aluminum front panel also has some potential for some nice mill work. Like pocketing out a logo, letters or ribbed heatsink-like pattern. If one so desired.
 
Yea using a circle cutter in areas already drilled may not work to well, and since adding fans to the top is out drilling out the holes would be the best way to go.

I wasn't planning anything nearly as fancy as what you are doing. I look forward to seeing your progress. What are the benefits of the KT400 over the KT600? I think it looks a bit cleaner?
 
Internally I believe the KT400 and KT600 are the exact same. The only difference being the front panel. Volume control and 2x20 display is all you gain. Honestly, I prefer the simplicity of the KT400 over the KT600, but both look good. KT600 is a little more 'home theater', whereas the KT400 is a bit more utilitarian and brutish (which is kind of why I like it). But same frame/layout.
 
Sweeet. Love the larger hole pattern. Functional and killer looking. That will make a huge difference I'm sure.

I was thinking about the PSU extension cable that runs to the back of the case. I think the existing cable is fine. Almost all power cables of that size can handle at least 35A of 110AC. And one that short is even less of a concern. I'd just use it. If you feel any warmth off it after heavy GPU usage, shut'er down and swap in a homemade franken-cord.

That heavy aluminum front panel also has some potential for some nice mill work. Like pocketing out a logo, letters or ribbed heatsink-like pattern. If one so desired.

Thanks! I will keep an eye on the power cord but I think you're right. As for the drilled holes, I ended up finishing the side panel so I started on the bottom. I decided it add a few more rows of holes.. They aren't 100% perfect but it's on the bottom of the case. I just finished up and here is the MUCH improved intake area where the PSU will be sucking in air:

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