Good HTPC case suggestions please!

[aoommen]

Hi All,

I'm trying to decide on a good case for my HTPC build, the rest of the build is as follows:

HDD: 3TB Hitachi Deskstar 7200 RPM SATA 6 Gb/s (already owned)
PSU: Corsair AX 430W ATX
MB: ASRock A75M FM1 AMD A75
APU: AMD A6-3650 Llano 2.6GHz
RAM: Corsair Vengance 8 GB (already owned, using 2 sticks from my recently built desktop)
ODD : Samsung 12X BD ROM & DVD Writer (already owned)
OS : Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
Keyboard : Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard K400
IR Receiver: Dell RC6 IR Receiver
Remote: Logitech Harmony One (already owned - so I am not looking at a fancy case with remote and software)

BUDGET for the CASE : Max $80 (preferably lesser, if $80 then preferably with a PSU)

My requirements from the case are:

1) that it be small enough to fit under in my media console (something like a AV reciever would be fine), Micro ATX MoBo compatible!
2) at least have have one full size 5.25" external bay for my ODD - not planning to spend on a slim drive for this build! 2 would be ideal, especially if there is no front display!
3) at least 2 internal 3.5" HDD bays!
3) good airflow and ventilation
4) does not look like a computer but looks more like a media device (Black please, as everything else is black!
5) this is not a deal breaker - but if it comes with a PSU, it be a good quality PSU (80 Plus Bronze if possible) - what wattage would be appropriate for my use?
6) Front LCD display would be great if it can fit within the budget

Please help suggest a good case for this build - this is my first time building an HTPC - so anyone who has had more experience dealing with such cases and builds please comment on the build as well!

Thanks in advance for all your help!

 

[Supercharged_Z06]

I'd recommend a Silverstone GD05B - I just ordered one myself after researching HTPC cases for quite a few hours over the course of a couple days. (I like to thoroughly research my PC related purchases - guess I'm a bit anal that way.

Anyway, here's what I ordered: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163166

Looks like a really great HTPC case - but a bit over your $80 limit. If you do go with it, you may want to consider this cpu heatsink/fan though due to clearance issues: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185172

I'm building a somewhat high end kitchen PC (Overclocked Sandy Bridge 2500K with lots of RAM - wife likes a fast machine. ) Anyway, I plan to mount the PC up on top of some cabinetry near the ceiling, with the screen/keyboard/mouse routed down through a wall a good 5 feet below it onto a small granite slab work area/desk.) I've already got the setup cabled - I'm currently running this way with a laptop up top, but want the laptop back. Anyway, I really like this Silverstone case as it's very shallow in depth and wide - a perfect fit for me. Looks like it would also work great on an audio/stereo rack.

Anyway, here's where mine is going in:

Good luck with your case hunt and hope my recommendation helped!

 

[Dangman]

I also recommend the Silverstone GD05B but from a different vendor: Amazon has that case with free shipping so it's only $5 over budget:
$85 - Silverstone GD05B mATX HTPC Case

 

[Supercharged_Z06]

Damn, nice find - wish I would have paid closer attention to shipping charges. New egg is typically pretty good, but I could have saved $19 going with Amazon.

 

[aoommen]

Thank you both!

That case looks good - definitely one in my consideration set now!

What do you guys thinks about this one - nMEDIAPC HTPC Case - it is bigger (ATX) & more deeper, it just might fit into my console!

Reason I'm thinking this is:

1) it looks plenty spacious inside, more HDD bays, more room for expansion.
2) can add an LCD console on the front panel - makes it look more like a media device!
3) good cooling - 2x80mm and 1X120mm fans included!
4) little less expensive and has a card reader already built in and a nice cover for all the inputs on the front!
5)good reviews, even the Silverstone had that - but all in all this one seems a little better.

What does anyone here think?

Thanks,

PS: @ supercharged - your setup looks great, I'll make sure my wife doesn't see it - otherwise she might want one too We have a space just like that, which is where all the unopened mail and stuff is kept now!

 

[Dangman]

My main issue with that nMedia case are those 80mm fans. Quiet 80mm fans don't usually move a lot of air and 80mm fans that push a decent amount of air tends to be loud. Not to mention that if you do fill that case up with hard drives, all that warmed air is gonna be dumped straight into the case where those two 80mm fans won't be able to fully pump out.

In terms of space, it's actually not that much more spacious than the GD05 since the GD05B can take up to a 11" video card whereas the nMedia case can only fit up to a 10" card.

 

[Supercharged_Z06]

PS: @ supercharged - your setup looks great, I'll make sure my wife doesn't see it - otherwise she might want one too We have a space just like that, which is where all the unopened mail and stuff is kept now!

Heh, thanks. I find myself using the "kitchen pc" all the time as well - so I'm making sure it's no slouch. (My monster gaming rig though is downstairs in the Man Cave - but during the day it's just easier and more convenient to use the PC upstairs for a quick net fix or email.) Yup, we used to dump all our mail there as well before the PC setup took the space over.

Air flow is definitely going to be better/quieter in the Silverstone. (3x 120mm fans vs. 2 80mm and a 120mm in the nMEDIAPC case). Boils down to less air flow in a larger case. The Silverstone also has the option to add in an additional 2 80mm fans into the rear of the case if desired for even more air flow - nice option to have if you really want/need to maximize airflow. The nMEdia is roughly 4" deeper and close to an inch taller than the Silverstone. The only reason I'd choose the nMEDIAPC over the Silverstone is if you really needed the full ATX mb form factor. For a true HTPC though, I would think that most folks would want to opt for the smaller mATX form factor.

 

[aoommen]

I'm kind of moving in that direction too, as far as the case is concerned, it would most probably be the GD05B that I would end up with.

The only other one I'm considering now is this Antec case. Costs are the same, as it comes with a pretty good quality PSU (80 Plus Bronze). I haven't got it yet because of the silver front panel, everything else in the media room is black, so this will stick out like a sore thumb!

Can I do a paint job pretty easily to correct that? Let me know what you think of this case!

Okay, I know this thread started with the case question, but I have an HDD related one for you, please comment!

I was planning to use an SSD as a boot drive but I changed my mind because the Crucial M4 64 GB SSD I was planning to get was from the Shell Shocker deal yesterday and I could not get to it on time - it got sold out in under an hour! Now I'm thinking of using this Western Digital VelociRaptor as the boot drive - let me know what do you think - is the re-certified a good deal?

 

[Supercharged_Z06]

Painting it yourself (via a can of spray paint) will never look as good as factory - at least in my experience. Now if you have access to some nice paint and the proper tools to prep/apply it, then going that route can work, but it can also be a lot of hassle - making sure it doesn't chip, buttons can still work, uniform coating, dust free environment to cure, etc. I'd only opt to painting it as a last resort - it's typically much easier to just buy it in the color you want.

As to using a re-certified drive (with only a 90 day warranty) as a system's primary boot drive... ummm, no, I wouldn't touch that. If you want a fast boot drive, definitely stick it out for a SSD. Wait a few days and another deal is bound to pop up. Set up a triggered email notifier on Slick Deals.

 

[Dangman]

The only other one I'm considering now is this Antec case. Costs are the same, as it comes with a pretty good quality PSU (80 Plus Bronze). I haven't got it yet because of the silver front panel, everything else in the media room is black, so this will stick out like a sore thumb!

That a good case. Only reason I stop recommendending it was that it was rarely close to its original $100 to $120 shipped price.

Can I do a paint job pretty easily to correct that? Let me know what you think of this case!

You can avoid some of the issues that Supercharged_Z06 mentioned by using vinyl dye/painting:
http://www.gideontech.com/content/articles/202/1

However if you already have all the paint and tools to prep/apply it and don't the mind the work, then do so. But if you have to start from scratch, you're better off with the GD05 unless you're planning on painting a bunch of other items.

I was planning to use an SSD as a boot drive but I changed my mind because the Crucial M4 64 GB SSD I was planning to get was from the Shell Shocker deal yesterday and I could not get to it on time - it got sold out in under an hour! Now I'm thinking of using this Western Digital VelociRaptor as the boot drive - let me know what do you think - is the re-certified a good deal?

No. The re-certified part and 90day warranty make it not a good deal.

 

[aoommen]

Thanks Danny & Supercharged!

The Raptor was kind of an impulse choice, I've decided to drop it and wait for an SSD, maybe I'll get a few good deals on Black Friday!

Regarding the case -

That a good case. Only reason I stop recommendending it was that it was rarely close to its original $100 to $120 shipped price.

- so at $108 shipped are you saying it is a good buy, IF I can do the painting myself or live with the sliver front panel ? I'm leaning more towards this because of 2 reasons, comes with a good quality PSU pre installed and it has 2 x 5.25" drive bays.

You can avoid some of the issues that Supercharged_Z06 mentioned by using vinyl dye/painting:
http://www.gideontech.com/content/articles/202/1

- that was some great information Danny, thank you! Is this the same product as the one mentioned in the article or should I get this?

Thanks again for all the help!

 

[Dangman]

Regarding the case - - so at $108 shipped are you saying it is a good buy, IF I can do the painting myself or live with the sliver front panel ?

Yes.

- that was some great information Danny, thank you! Is this the same product as the one mentioned in the article or should I get this?

Looks the same to me.

 

[aoommen]

Has anyone used or have heard about these Motherboards - ECS A75-M2 Socket FM1 A75 mATX AMD Motherboard? It is sold out on Newegg!

It is by far the cheapest I have seen with 6 - SATA III connectors and a USB 3.0 on board header as well as 2 USB 3.0 ports?

Would I regret it if I use this instead of AS Rock board I was planning on - it would save me $22 on the build, hence the question?

 

[Dangman]

ECS is generally known for their low-budget and therefore lower-quality motherboards. I'd reckon the AsRock being of higher quality than that ECS.

 

[aoommen]

Thanks to all who have helped with this build so far! I'm planning to wrap up and start ordering parts pretty soon! I've already picked up the PSU linked above from Newegg for $20 after MIR, as the promo was ending today!

Okay, I'm planning to go with the ECS A75F-M2 FM1 board - mainly because of the price and also read this article here!

Looks like both the ones I were considering are almost identical except for the price, plus this has a 3 year warranty!

But I read a few reviews on Newegg which stated that the depending on the memory used it might need to be set manually, I'm okay with doing this but has anyone heard about any problems with this board and the Corsair Vengeance memory I'm planning to use?

The documentation says that it supports DDR3 1600MHz, so hopefully it will detect that automatically! Did buy the Corsair PSU - $20 (after rebates) from Newegg as the promo was ending today!

I'm also thinking that I would most probably end up with the the nMediaPC case and planning to buy a nMediaPC LCD display !

@ Danny - The 80mm fans and the depth of the case were an issue that was delaying my decision for so long - I found out that the case has another 120mm fan bay from this video, which I plan to fill and maybe take out one of those 80mm fans if that is too loud!

My console is 16.6" deep and this case is 16.4" deep, but the back of the console is open on the sides, so I'm think this will fit if make sure the I/O port falls on the open area, so the wires can be easily connected/removed!

Any feedback or comments please?

 

[aoommen]

A couple more questions and I'll be done with this build, I promise, thanks for the help so far:

I'm decided on the platform - AMD LLano - but confused about which APU to pick. I stepped down from the Quad Core A6 (100W) to a lower TDP rated one (65W). Now the confusion is between two 65W TDP APU's, especially since the A6 (Triple Core) came on sale on newegg (with a promo code) for $89.99, and the other one I was looking for was the A4 (Dual Core) for $76 @ Microcenter (incl taxes)!

These are my questions:

1) Now I know that both these or even lower ones would work well for my purposes, but which would be the best bang for the buck / value for money proposition? Asking because the A6 is 2.1 GHz and the A4 is 2.7 GHz and $14 cheaper, what kind of performance diff would that make if any? I'm not planning on OC-ing or gaming right now with this build, might turn this into a basic desktop for my son 2-3 years later!

2) Also an SSD related question - I know OCZ and Sandforce based SSD's had a lot of problems with BSOD's and stuff; but I just read online that they released a firmware update to fix those issues specifically, has anyone used this firmware update, does it fix the issues that it claims to here. If it does then I would love to this OCZ SSD for $70, is that a good buy? Planning to use this as a boot drive for my Win 7 Home Premium 64 Bit OS install, would 60 GB be a big enough drive as a boot drive!

Thank You!

 

[Litfod]

I used that nMediaPC case for a basic HTPC. It's been ok, nothing earth-shattering but it does the job. In terms of noise it has been fine though, except when it started sounding like the bearings had gone in one of the fans, but then it stopped making the noise before I got around to replacing it. No heat issues, but I only have an SSD and on-board video in it.

 

[aoommen]

Thank you for sharing that! I am glad I found someone who actually owns one, I have a few questions for you Litfod; would be a great help if you could answer them for me!

You said it was "nothing earth shattering" - what did you not like or think the case missed, since I still haven't bought it, would be helpful for me to know, hence the question!
It does indeed have an extra 120mm fan bay on it right or was I mistaken?

This would be a great help: If you still use the case - could you please measure the depth of the case with the space for the wires to the I/O panel included to the front of the case and let me know?

Has the large footprint of the case been a problem for you?

Would you based on personal experience recommend that case or the Silverstone GD05B?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Dangman]

1) Now I know that both these or even lower ones would work well for my purposes, but which would be the best bang for the buck / value for money proposition? Asking because the A6 is 2.1 GHz and the A4 is 2.7 GHz and $14 cheaper, what kind of performance diff would that make if any? I'm not planning on OC-ing or gaming right now with this build, might turn this into a basic desktop for my son 2-3 years later!

You can usually add clock speed via overclocking. You can't add cores. So I recommend going with the A6.

2) Also an SSD related question - I know OCZ and Sandforce based SSD's had a lot of problems with BSOD's and stuff; but I just read online that they released a firmware update to fix those issues specifically, has anyone used this firmware update, does it fix the issues that it claims to here. If it does then I would love to this OCZ SSD for $70, is that a good buy? Planning to use this as a boot drive for my Win 7 Home Premium 64 Bit OS install, would 60 GB be a big enough drive as a boot drive!

Thank You!

You might want to ask this question over in the Data Storage subforum.

 

[Litfod]

Thank you for sharing that! I am glad I found someone who actually owns one, I have a few questions for you Litfod; would be a great help if you could answer them for me!

You said it was "nothing earth shattering" - what did you not like or think the case missed, since I still haven't bought it, would be helpful for me to know, hence the question!
It does indeed have an extra 120mm fan bay on it right or was I mistaken?

This would be a great help: If you still use the case - could you please measure the depth of the case with the space for the wires to the I/O panel included to the front of the case and let me know?

Has the large footprint of the case been a problem for you?

Would you based on personal experience recommend that case or the Silverstone GD05B?

Thanks in advance!

I don't know what to say really, I mean you get what you pay for so what you get is a basic steel case. I had some issues with the (fairly cheap and wobbly) power button being unresponsive and when I disassembled it I found one of the wires was trapped under the plunger, and the button had been screwed in place like that, so don't expect AAA build quality. The size isn't a problem for me, it's a perfect fit in the bedside table where it lives so although it's not really "compact" I don't need anything better/smaller.
It's not the sort of case where you build your PC and think "wow, this is nice to work with" like I last did with an Antec mini P180, but it's not horrible either.

I didn't even realise there was a 120mm fan on the side it's tucked in right next to the drive frame, and yes there's another (empty) bracket on the other side.

Not sure which dimension you're looking for... the total external depth is about 17", not including wires. I'd add a 2-3 inches for a fairly stiff hdmi cable. Say if you need anything more specific, it's easy enough for me to measure it.

Ultimately if the size works for you, I don't have any major criticisms of the case, esp for the price.

 

[Supercharged_Z06]

Finished the kitchen PC build with the Silverstone GD05B case up top. Love the case - fits perfectly on top of the cabinet and made for a very clean install. Having a 4.5Ghz quad core (2500k) with 16 gigs of RAM as a spare kitchen PC makes for an awfully fast recipe browser!

 

[Extreme Techinist]

The most "High end" PC

 

[aoommen]

@ Litfod - Thank you, that was really useful! Sorry for the late reply, was travelling for most of the last week!

Thank you for taking the time out to click and post pictures, especially the last one with the ruler, gives me all the info I needed! Appreciate it very much! I think I'm going to get it and the nMediaPC LCD module mainly for looks - any takes on that? Did you use one for your build?

On a different topic - I really liked the side-stand you are using, that might be something I need! Do you remember whether you got it online or in-store?

@ Supercharged - that looks great, glad you got your laptop back! Hope your Mrs. is also happy! Wow that spec list (unlocked i5 and 16GB RAM) blew me away, hope you have planned some better use for that system than being a recipe browser soon! Anyways, looks as great as before!