KT-400 HTPC Case?

I didnt post it but i took everything out of the case. I am not sure if i will reuse the small fan. Also if you didn't notice on the 3rd pic from the bottom. I cut off a piece of the bottom that has the hole for one of the case feet.... Need to fix that somehow.... Any ideas?
 
...As for drilling out the holes, Wowcro you nailed it. It is a VERY time consuming task, isn't it? So, if anyone is interested in drilling out the holes, I should have been a little more up front about the mess and time it took. All in all, to drill the bottom and side panel holes, it took me somewhere around 2 1/2 hours (sanding / filing included).
It is a very time consuming process. I haven't done it to this case yet, but I'm in the process of doing something very similar on my other mod here. Shameless plug. :) I'm using steel mesh as a template and drilling holes in a plastic shroud. That way I get a flush clean look on the top of the case, rather than a recessed mesh. But there so many holes! So many.... :(

I never hooked up my 80mm fan but I see you still have yours installed. Are you going with a known higher quality fan or are you gonna try the one that came with your case? What about everyone else? Did y'all stick with the pre-installed 80mm or did you install a different one?
I used the stock fan. It's pretty quiet. Not sure how long it will last. But it feels like it's moving air pretty well and doing it relatively quietly, which is important for an HTPC. Couldn't hurt to replace it, but if ain't broke... :D
 
..I'm using steel mesh as a template and drilling holes in a plastic shroud. That way I get a flush clean look on the top of the case, rather than a recessed mesh. But there so many holes! So many.... :(

QFT !!!! Quick funny story.. My wife knows I mod computer cases but just a bit ago, she asked my why I got rid of the KT-400 and went with a "different one". I informed said wife that I did not get rid of the KT-400 and the the "different one" was the actual KT-400 case. She logged onto my ebay account and pointed out to me that they look NOTHING alike. My reply was, "Thank you sweetie" ..I told her that was the best compliment I had received from her in a while! It took me another 5 minutes or so to show her this thread as she read everyones progress with this case. She still can hardly believe it.. haha! [H]ard FTW!
 
Well couple of developments tonight.

1) the u-channel came - but somehow I ordered the wrong kind. This one is made out of hard plastic (nylon) so it will not work.
2) The parracord came in. It looks real nice. Now just waiting on the shrink wrap and heat gun.

3) I fixed the "error" from a couple of nights ago. I will try to get some pics of it tomorrow morning.
4) I drilled out some extra holes on the side of the case for the PSU exhaust (shameless copying OM's approach). Now that brings me to my next dilemma. Do I paint the case? I am leaning towards a no at this point. As long as I can find a decent u-channel we should be ok.

As promised new pics below!


Note the frack up I had to fix with the aluminum plate in the back and few rivets... Looks nasty but at least it will be on the bottom of the case. Also the rubber edging is just a rubber hose with a cut in it. Everything is sooo dirty and will need a nice cleaning.


View from the inside. The flash makes the mesh seem way too solid but it will pass through quite a lot of air.

You can also see some of the bigger holes on the right wall.
 
Last edited:
OK.. An update to my HTPC setup..

1. I took the Silverstone PCI Slot covers and the Scythe (4) fan controller to the powder coater. Having them done in FLAT BLACK to matcht he rest of the case.

2. Upon hearing that the P67 new revision boards are about to be released / shipped out to the retailers, I have re-formatted my 1TB Western Digital HDD with a fresh installed copy of Windows Vista Ultimate x64. My current "guts" in my computer that I am currently typing on will be the same "guts" that are going in my HTPC.

3. Upon hearing of the P67 re-release, that will leave me without a video card in my main computer. So.. I just dropped a few bills on a brand new GTX 580 and brand new Western Digital 1TB SATA3 HDD. (ouch)! -- literally just bought it at Newegg at 12:07pm today!

4. The only thing I lack is the P67 motherboard. As soon as I pick one up, I will move this P55 setup to my HTPC. Here is my final parts list for my HTPC:

- Gigabyte GA-P55-UD4P motherboard
- Intel i7 860 processor
- Scythe Big Shuriken CPU cooler
- Gskill DDR3 1600 CAS 7 (7-8-7-24) Ripjaws
- Corsair AX-750 750w modular GOLD CERTIFIED PSU
- XFX GTX 260 Black Edition video card
- LG 10x Internal Bluray CD/DVD ROM (with a brand new copy of ArcSoft TotalMedia 5 as the software)
- KT-400 heavily modded case.. (obviously) ..haha
- Westinghouse 42" 1080p monitor


It's getting close! I feel like a kid in a candy store.. haha.
 
QFT !!!! Quick funny story.. My wife knows I mod computer cases but just a bit ago, she asked my why I got rid of the KT-400 and went with a "different one". I informed said wife that I did not get rid of the KT-400 and the the "different one" was the actual KT-400 case. She logged onto my ebay account and pointed out to me that they look NOTHING alike. My reply was, "Thank you sweetie" ..I told her that was the best compliment I had received from her in a while! It took me another 5 minutes or so to show her this thread as she read everyones progress with this case. She still can hardly believe it.. haha! [H]ard FTW!

Hahaha, that's great! And what a nice compliment! My wife gets a kick out of how excited I get over modding and gaming and whatnot. :D
 
This thread has made my decisions to purchase the KT-400 better and better as this thread grows page by page.. I'm building my first dedicated HTPC and really liked the look of this case. It should be arriving in a couple of days and I'm excited to put my system together. I have a couple of questions for those of you who already have your hands on this case.

Officer Martinez:
I am curious as to why you built that enclosure around the power supply. I understand drilling the holes larger, but can't figure out closing the power supply off from the rest of the case. I also wonder if there is enough room at the rear of the case to mount the power supply in a more"traditional" location. I can't tell if the cage in the back is meant for HD's or not. Your case looks fantastic and I look forward to seeing more pictures of it.

My other concern is the fan mounting locations that were discussed earlier in this thread. I prematurely purchased a Corsair H50 cooler thinking it would be more efficient and quieter. However, after seeing the pictures in this thread... I'm not sure I can mount it in the space beside the mother board. I may have to mount the radiator inside( if it will fit) and the fan outside the case. I really don't want to do it that way. I've also thought about mounting it centered between the two fan places on the side. We'll see once the case comes in.

Thanks to the "pioneers" for the start of this thread. Thanks in advance for any help.
 
This thread has made my decisions to purchase the KT-400 better and better as this thread grows page by page.. I'm building my first dedicated HTPC and really liked the look of this case. It should be arriving in a couple of days and I'm excited to put my system together. I have a couple of questions for those of you who already have your hands on this case.

Officer Martinez:
I am curious as to why you built that enclosure around the power supply. I understand drilling the holes larger, but can't figure out closing the power supply off from the rest of the case. I also wonder if there is enough room at the rear of the case to mount the power supply in a more"traditional" location. I can't tell if the cage in the back is meant for HD's or not. Your case looks fantastic and I look forward to seeing more pictures of it.

My other concern is the fan mounting locations that were discussed earlier in this thread. I prematurely purchased a Corsair H50 cooler thinking it would be more efficient and quieter. However, after seeing the pictures in this thread... I'm not sure I can mount it in the space beside the mother board. I may have to mount the radiator inside( if it will fit) and the fan outside the case. I really don't want to do it that way. I've also thought about mounting it centered between the two fan places on the side. We'll see once the case comes in.

Thanks to the "pioneers" for the start of this thread. Thanks in advance for any help.

Hi.. thanks for the questions. The decision was made to build the enclosure because I felt the "factory" option was inferior. The mouting solution was "OK" but the air intake / exhaust probably would have been subpar for my needs. I also believe that closing off the power supply and the air surrounding the power supply on the internal portion of the case would decrease my internal case temps. Finally, I believe I could improve the aesthetics as well as the wire management within the case. All things considered, I decided to give it a go..

As for the mounting the power supply in the traditional location, it was a no-go. That was one of the first things I considered on my "things to do" list. Now, your H50 is interesting because its a good solution to cool that CPU but I do not believe it will fit right next to the CPU. I looked at the H70 but had to quickly dismiss it due to the lack of space. I am sure I could "mod" another 120mm hole on the top part of the case but unless you are very good at modding, it would probably look more "rigged up" vs. "OEM style". I'm glad you settled on this case and we are all definitely looking forward to seeing your pictures if you decide to modify this case!
 
Thanks for the response... I was curious and that sounds like a good reason to me. Was location at the back a no-go because it wouldn't fit or for some other reason? Would it be possible for you to measure the height of the side of the case opposite your psu? I think I'm going to have to figure out a way to mount the h50 radiator there. I'll have to fit it in between the back of the dvd drive and the back of the case somewhere. Thanks again.
 
Thanks for the response... I was curious and that sounds like a good reason to me. Was location at the back a no-go because it wouldn't fit or for some other reason? Would it be possible for you to measure the height of the side of the case opposite your psu? I think I'm going to have to figure out a way to mount the h50 radiator there. I'll have to fit it in between the back of the dvd drive and the back of the case somewhere. Thanks again.

It was a no-go because it's more or less a dead amount of space. The distance between the last opening of the PCI Slot to the end of the case is about 4 inches. The distance between the inside part of the case, from top to bottom is roughly 5 inches. A standard power supply nor a single radiator would fit in that space. Also to consider, you would have to relocate the power plug / power cord (and the 80mm fan but that's no biggie).
 
A slim/long psu could fit. But you will have to relocate the hd cage. Ordered some goodies from mnpctech. Ahh should I paint this case? OM yours looks zoo good!
 
A slim/long psu could fit. But you will have to relocate the hd cage. Ordered some goodies from mnpctech. Ahh should I paint this case? OM yours looks zoo good!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151090

That's the only decent one I could find. Thanks for the compliment : ) ..You may want to do a google search for local powder coaters in your area. It's a lifetime finish and you wouldn't have to worry about it peeling, chipping, flaking and really even scratching up from rings or fingernails. Powder coating is suppppppper durable. Heck, I even powder coated the metal on my motorcycles! (my bike and my wifes bike):

DSCN8080.jpg


DSCN7161.jpg
 
How much did a case powdercoat cost ? Seems too much if you are adding more than 30 in cost though...
 
How much did a case powdercoat cost ? Seems too much if you are adding more than 30 in cost though...

$60.. It's much more involved than just spraying paint on something and being done with it.. For powder coating, the metal is cleaned by either solvents or sand blasting (or both). The metal is completely stripped of paint or impurities, prepped, taped, powdered up in an even coat(s), baked at roughly 450 degrees and cooled. Pretty involved process so if you can find it for $30, they would totally be loosing money. Early on in my powder coating endeavors, I even bought a "home kit" and tried my hand at it by baking it in my oven.. OMG. I sobbed. No thank you.. LOL, I'll let a professional do it for me for a few extra bux.. hahaha!
 
My case has been working great so far. Very quiet running an i3 with stock fan. Looks awesome next to my black Pioneer receiver.
 
My case finally arrived today. Man! What a nice case. The H50 cooling is a no go though. Oh well.. it's very quiet with the stock fan.
 
My case finally arrived today. Man! What a nice case. The H50 cooling is a no go though. Oh well.. it's very quiet with the stock fan.

Glad to see your case arrived! I'm very interested in your cooling solution and / or any modification(s). I just checked my front door step and my GTX 580 was delivered.. woohoo! ..So, that means that I am just waiting on my P67 motherboard to be released before I start putting everything in my KT-400 case. C'mon MSI P67A-GD80.. hurry up and hit the shelves already! My HTPC is waiting! ..haha.
 


Heat gun came tonight. First fans sleeved. Not sure if I can get the SATA cords with this parracord. May need to think of something else.
 
Heat gun came tonight. First fans sleeved. Not sure if I can get the SATA cords with this parracord. May need to think of something else.

Nice. I just sleeved ALL of my cables yesterday (fan controller wires, case wires / USB / 1394 firewire / mic~headphone wires, etc). What a pain in the butt.. LOL. I'm going to make a command decision and hard mount my fan controller directly to the internal part of the case. I just need to go buy a small strip of rubber to prevent the bottom of the PCB from coming in direct contact with the metal portion of the case.
 
Nice. I just sleeved ALL of my cables yesterday (fan controller wires, case wires / USB / 1394 firewire / mic~headphone wires, etc). What a pain in the butt.. LOL. I'm going to make a command decision and hard mount my fan controller directly to the internal part of the case. I just need to go buy a small strip of rubber to prevent the bottom of the PCB from coming in direct contact with the metal portion of the case.

Just use like 4 or 5 pieces of packing tape, save yourself the trip to the store. Or electrical tape.
 
Yeah... those would be just fine and definitely do the job but I was going more for the aesthetics appeal. I'm sure I can go by any home improvement store and find what I'm looking for :)
 
Yeah... those would be just fine and definitely do the job but I was going more for the aesthetics appeal. I'm sure I can go by any home improvement store and find what I'm looking for :)

Rubber gasket material. Use it all the time. Generally in red/orange or black. I've used the thicker stuff for sound deadening in case panels. A little rubber cement; works like a champ. :) Available at most hardware stores; sold by the foot at many mom-n-pop places; 12"x12" sheet at the big box stores. Would you have guessed I used to work at an old hardware store!?? Haha :D
 
I got my htpc put together a couple of nights ago. We're doing a bathroom remodel at the same time, so I had to take "breaks" in between tasks to work on the computer. I ended up with just the stock fan. This computer is the quietest I've ever had. I got W7 installed and the only thing I had to do was install the LAN drivers from the CD. The only problem I've had so far is no audio through the HDMI. I'll have to figure that one out. The only "mod" I think I will be using on this case is removing the IR blaster and attaching the IR blaster that came with my Hauppauge 2250 to the bracket somehow. Once the remodel is done I'll show some pics.
 
Chop Shop Alert!!!!!!!

Ok so I finally got some time to chop the sides up.

Pics!



The main tool!


Clamps!


First Hole!


Second Hole!


Some sanding.


Extra.



Mock up.


Cutting the u channel and extra screw holes.


Now to finish some stuff up and maybe complete the assembly this weekend. I am surprised how easy it was to get near perfect holes with a 4 1/2 inch hole saw (thanks to mnpctech instruction videos).
 
The only problem I've had so far is no audio through the HDMI. I'll have to figure that one out.

The audio through HDMI should be an easy fix. Check your audio settings and make sure it's set to HDMI audio or SPDIF if you're using a jumper (like on a GTX260).

The only "mod" I think I will be using on this case is removing the IR blaster and attaching the IR blaster that came with my Hauppauge 2250 to the bracket somehow. Once the remodel is done I'll show some pics.

It's not an IR blaster on the front of the case, it's a receiver and it plugs into USB or IR input on your mobo. Should work with your 2250. If your 2250 came with a blaster, don't put it in your case, as that defeats the whole purpose of having it. It's for relaying IR info to other components via your computer (i.e. set top box, receiver, etc.).

IR receiver and IR blaster are often confused with one another. IR receiver receives signals from the remote (usually Sony protocol) and IR blaster "blasts" signals out to other components". :)
 
The side of the case only had 2 holes per fan. I thought it would rattle too much if I just left it like that so I added 2 more holes per 120mm fan.
 
The side of the case only had 2 holes per fan. I thought it would rattle too much if I just left it like that so I added 2 more holes per 120mm fan.

Oh I see it. It's painfully obvious now... :)
 
I just picked up one of these cases last night. I'm really impressed at how nice this case is for only being $50/shipped. I'm looking forward to building my HTPC.
 
Back
Top