Cases and why is HTPC setups expensive?

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goobenet

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I've got quite a bit of older hardware around and decided to go the HTPC route a number of months ago. The only thing i put off was the case. Here's the gripe, why do case manufacturers assume that if you want a desktop style case, it's going to be used in a HTPC and overly inflate the prices? Look at the current offerings. The Silverstone cases are NOT worth the $200+ they're asking (Without a PSU mind you). Now look at the tower equivalent (Again without PSU) MAYBE $100?! FOR MORE METAL? Sheesh. (Gripe over, really)

So i ask you, what's a good full ATX motherboard case out there that doesn't require my first born as a down payment? Looks really aren't essential, but the form factor is, due to the cabinet my gear is in.
 
That question may be better suited for the Cases & Case Modding subforum.

Why do case manufacturers charge so much for "HTPC" cases? Simple. Because they can. People are willing to spend that much money on that type of case. It makes life unpleasant for cheapskates like me, but there's not a lot I can do about that beyond voting with my wallet.
 
Silverstone LC-10 $90

Silverstone LC-03 $130

Silverstone LC-02 $130

Silverstone LC-13 $90

Silverstone LC-17 $115

Silverstone LC-20 $120

Yeah, they are all Silverstone (which I personally think are worth every penny they cost). I'm using the LC-17 and have been very happy with it.

And here are a couple listings from a simple ATX Desktop search on Newegg...

Athenatech EVO $40 After Rebate

Coolermaster $93 (with 350 Watt PS)

Lian Li $110

Thermaltake $110

You did actually look around for prices at various hardware retail sites, right :p
 
I love my lc-13, it looks amazing, except the blue LED is so freakin bright, that's my only gripe about it. :D
 
Ladicius said:
I love my lc-13, it looks amazing, except the blue LED is so freakin bright, that's my only gripe about it. :D
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QFT! Why, just yesterday i ripped that fucker open and unplugged the Power LED. Was like a light house beacon at night it was.
 
I bought one of the nMedia htpc cases. It had some pretty cool features and such, and was relatively cheap (<$100). Once I had it in my hands, I fully understood WHY. Plastic everywhere... looked kinda Ok, but as soon as you *touched* it, you knew it was as cheap POS.

I then threw down ~ $160ish for a LC11M-S with power supply on sale. It is one of the finest examples of case craftsmanship that I have ever owned. Everything has a solid feel to it, and although it's pretty cramped, it just oozes "cool" (to me... ymmv). Yeah, it's kind of a lot of money to pay for "cool", and worse yet, now that I've moved, my HTPC isn't even visible from the living room, but I do not regret getting that case at all.

Basically what it comes down to is that companies throw a decent amount of R&D and *polish* into their HTPC cases. This is not cheap. Since these companies are, in fact, in business to make a profit they price these cases where the market will bear.

Now, all that being said, if I were faced with a HTPC case decision again right now, I would choose the antec nsk2400. Awesome case, looks pretty good, and is cheaper than most others. Kinda "plastic-y" in parts, but has enough metal on the outside to pull off the look. If the price is still too much for you, just hide an ugly old beige tower somewhere and call it a day!

-q
 
farscapesg1 said:
Silverstone LC-10 $90

Silverstone LC-03 $130

Silverstone LC-02 $130

Silverstone LC-13 $90

Silverstone LC-17 $115

Silverstone LC-20 $120

Yeah, they are all Silverstone (which I personally think are worth every penny they cost). I'm using the LC-17 and have been very happy with it.

And here are a couple listings from a simple ATX Desktop search on Newegg...

Athenatech EVO $40 After Rebate

Coolermaster $93 (with 350 Watt PS)

Lian Li $110

Thermaltake $110

You did actually look around for prices at various hardware retail sites, right :p
Click to expand...
Exactly. There are more then enough sub $150 HTPCs out there... wait. Pretty much any decent HTPC case is going to be under $150. The only ones that aren't are the ones with lots of extras like a touchscreen, etc.

I find this topic moronic, either the OP didn't even bother looking for a case or maybe he's been looking at cases marked in British pounds.
 
Silverstone is a company which has applied "specialty" pricing...but at least gives you something for it.
 
What are your thoughts on Touchscreen LCDs, LED readouts, etc on HTPC cases ? Useful, or just fluff not worth the extra $$.

Im getting ready to put a system together, but still trying to decide on the case. I am pretty much Silverstones bitch, so I will most likely go with them again.

Right now, I am kinda leaning twords the GD01MX
 
another reason HTPC cases are more expensive is that the market for the cases themselves is much smaller.

with increased production, the individual costs of the cases go down...and in the HTPC market there just really isnt that many people who need this form factor.
 
to be honest, I don't really know why you need a special HTPC case. Get a boring black box and stick it on the floor next to your sub, then use an external usb dvd drive positioned in your AV rack, along with a card reader and remote receiver. My current case was a $30 PC Club special, but nobody really notices it sat off to the side.
 
IanG said:
to be honest, I don't really know why you need a special HTPC case. Get a boring black box and stick it on the floor next to your sub, then use an external usb dvd drive positioned in your AV rack, along with a card reader and remote receiver. My current case was a $30 PC Club special, but nobody really notices it sat off to the side.
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I did this when I first built my HTPC. The wife was never really happy with it though. It was actually because of her that I bought the LC-17 to put in out entertainment center. ;)

Of course, with a 9-month old that has started crawling, a computer on the floor wouldn't work anymore. Espcially since she has a habit of pressing buttons on anything that she can reach. We had to move the stereo reciever up to the top of the cabinet because she would turn it off while we were watching TV, or play with the volume knob and either turn the sound off or crank it to max volume.
 
farscapesg1 said:
Of course, with a 9-month old that has started crawling, a computer on the floor wouldn't work anymore. Espcially since she has a habit of pressing buttons on anything that she can reach. We had to move the stereo reciever up to the top of the cabinet because she would turn it off while we were watching TV, or play with the volume knob and either turn the sound off or crank it to max volume.
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Thanks for reminding me to put a lock on the cabinet doors when I put the cable modem, router, and phone adapter under there tonight! We've got a 2-year-old with the exact same habits.
 
qfour20 said:
Now, all that being said, if I were faced with a HTPC case decision again right now, I would choose the antec nsk2400. Awesome case, looks pretty good, and is cheaper than most others. Kinda "plastic-y" in parts, but has enough metal on the outside to pull off the look. If the price is still too much for you, just hide an ugly old beige tower somewhere and call it a day!

-q
Click to expand...

Thats the one I just picked up. I broke down and bought a mATX board. Total cost for me was $178 for the case and mobo.
OP if you are willing to get a mATX thats a good deal. All thats in the case is the mobo, tuner card, HDDs and DVDRW. I am using the integrated gfx card and its working great for my needs, DVD's and AVI's. I will eventually break down and get cable or an antenna to use the tuner.
 
farscapesg1 said:
I did this when I first built my HTPC. The wife was never really happy with it though. It was actually because of her that I bought the LC-17 to put in out entertainment center. ;)

Of course, with a 9-month old that has started crawling, a computer on the floor wouldn't work anymore. Espcially since she has a habit of pressing buttons on anything that she can reach. We had to move the stereo reciever up to the top of the cabinet because she would turn it off while we were watching TV, or play with the volume knob and either turn the sound off or crank it to max volume.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've got a 1.5 yr old who loves it too, but putting the power button to 'deloay 4 sec' in bios, and power options to do nothing when the power button is pressed in windows, with a disconnected reset switch works out fairly well. There's also a program called 'cd-rom lock' that disables the eject button on dvd drives and comes in very handy.

The main rack has a glass/perspex door on it, which is child locked so fairly kiddie-proof. I can understand spending money for a nice case which looks good, but if you want something cheap, then a boring-box on the floor is pretty good.
 
A good case does cost $100. Things like higher quality metal, ergonomic design, motherboard trays, hard drive noise/vibrating insulated trays, and good fans all cost money. The case market is plenty competetive so it isn't like you're getting ripped off.

Most people who make HTPC's want desktop style cases so it can go with the other HT things they have.
 
Yes i did really look around, i have been for about a year. The unfortunate part of this is, nothing looks appealing to me. The silverstone LC-16M is the closest to anything worth looking at. Everything else just seems too cheap for what you pay for. I guess my original gripe was that all of the cases look the same, and all vendors had similar pricepoints. Looking through all the offerings on newegg, the only one that looks worth anything is the zalman hd160. Directron only has the nMedia line, and honestly, the 280 looks nice, except that ugly temp sensor lcd on the right side.

I guess i'm asking if anyone has done the homebrew HTPC case yet? And thus this thread is pointless, and should be in a different section.
 
the 16m has an lcd screen on it, that's a bit different than a regular htpc case :p, you are obviously gonna pay more for that. The case that I got, the lc-13, is made from aluminum and steel and is probably one of the most stout cases I have ever owned. If you haven't seen a bunch of them in person then I wouldn't say they were cheap, just my 2 cents.
 
goobenet said:
Yes i did really look around, i have been for about a year. The unfortunate part of this is, nothing looks appealing to me. The silverstone LC-16M is the closest to anything worth looking at. Everything else just seems too cheap for what you pay for. I guess my original gripe was that all of the cases look the same, and all vendors had similar pricepoints. Looking through all the offerings on newegg, the only one that looks worth anything is the zalman hd160. Directron only has the nMedia line, and honestly, the 280 looks nice, except that ugly temp sensor lcd on the right side.

I guess i'm asking if anyone has done the homebrew HTPC case yet? And thus this thread is pointless, and should be in a different section.
Click to expand...

Well, I can agree with you somewhat on the looks issue. It is hard to find a case that you feel has the appearance and features you want. As to being cheap, the Silverstone line is far from it. Personally, I prefer the metal cases to anything plastic.

The HD160 does look nice, but if you want a VFD or LCD display, you are going to have to pay more for those features. A volume control on a HTPC is pretty silly IMO. Who wants to get up and manually adjust the volume? And of course, it is aluminum, not steel. Personally, I don't think the price tag on the HD160 is worth it.

Really, that HD160 is real similar to the LC-17, except the LC-17 doesn't have a volume knob (worthless IMO) or a VFD/LCD (again, pretty useless IMO). The drives are stealthed and both have the I/O inputs hidden behind a door.
 
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