Silverstone GD01 and LC17 HTPC Cases

[Fueled]

Sorry to resurrect this post after such a long time, but I'm preparing my first HTPC build and I was thinking of basing it inside the LC17. My rig will be a gaming-HTPC.

My question is about the choice of CPU cooler. It will have to be powerful enough to cool down my AMD Phenom II X3 720 (TDP of 95W), but low enough to fit in this case.
At first I was interested by the Scythe Kabuto, as it had a low profile and good reviews, but I realise now it makes no sense in this case, as it is a top-down cooler (I'm a newbie, so hopefully someone can correct me if my assumption is wrong).

Other contenders:
- Zalman CNPS9500A LED
- Scythe Ninja Mini

But I'm not sure if they'll be enough to cool a 95W CPU.
I can't find any of the mentioned Thermalright Ultra or Ultima 90 around here.

Anyone has experience with this case regarding moderately powerful CPU coolers?
Otherwise I might have to go with a bigger case, such as the Antec Fusion Remote Max, but it's a good deal more expensive.

Thanks!

[MikeC]

Scythe Ninja Mini will work fine. This HS was tested with a 95W TDP Pentium D -- just 24C temp rise over ambient with fan set to 7V, ~19 dBA/1m. You'll never push your CPU that hard with real apps.

[Riffer]

The LC17 is not a small case. It is 170mm High, so all but the biggest coolers will fit. I don't have mine any more, so I can't measure for you, but you might be able to fit something in there up to about 130mm high. My brother-in-law got a Nexus LXM-8200 in there, but I am not sure if the case panel fit 100%.

[Fueled]

Thanks to both of you for your answers!
I'll then reconsider the Mini (or the CNPS9500) when I have chosen the motherboard and RAM and verified clearance issues.

@Riffer: I know the LC17 is not small per HTPC standards, but most CPU coolers reviews I've seen until now are for tower heatsinks that reach between 150 and 160mm high. I felt limited in my choice, hence why I thought going for a bigger case.

Thanks again!

[Fueled]

Please bear with me, as I have another question.
It is said in the review that "the PSU, ideally, should be a 120mm fan design — an easy requirement to fulfill, as almost all retail ATX12V power supplies sport 120mm fans" (on page 2).

The following might sound like a stupid question, but would a 135mm fan PSU (such as the COOLERMASTER Silent Pro M700) or even a 140mm fan PSU (such as the Corsair HX750W) be equally ideal?
Does the phrase "should be a 120mm fan design" implies 120mm or more?

Thanks again!

[Riffer]

Please bear with me, as I have another question.
It is said in the review that "the PSU, ideally, should be a 120mm fan design — an easy requirement to fulfill, as almost all retail ATX12V power supplies sport 120mm fans" (on page 2).

The following might sound like a stupid question, but would a 135mm fan PSU (such as the COOLERMASTER Silent Pro M700) or even a 140mm fan PSU (such as the Corsair HX750W) be equally ideal?
Does the phrase "should be a 120mm fan design" implies 120mm or more?

Thanks again!

Correct.

The LC17 is designed for the PSU to take air from the outside of the case, which would imply a fan at the bottom of the PSU.

I actually used a standard PSU with the fan at the back sucking air through the case, to help with cooling the inside of the case.

[fishbone]

Hello,

I'm new down here and after reading interesting topics i decided to register.

My objective for building my HTPC:

-Minimum 6HDD
-as much silence as possible
- HD video playback
- i don't play games

I'm interested by the GD01 case which if my understanding is correct is an evolution of the LC20.

I have read some Graphic cards such as 5770 can fit inside but require to remove the HDD cage i.e -2HDD which i don't want to compromise...

Question: Which graphic card can fit without having to remove the HDD Cage? What is the absolute max length the graphic card can have to be able to fit without removing the HDD Cage?

This is very important for me before i start buying.

If you can recommend me any good motherboard with minimum 8 SATA and which could fit perfectly along the 6 HDD, i will also be happy .

I was looking at HIS HD 5750 iCooler IV 1GB 12.5×4×19.7cm (HxWxD) cm or HIS HD 5750 IceQ+ 1GB 12.5×4.2×21.3cm (HxWxD) cm or HIS HD 5670 IceQ 1GB12.5×4.1×18.3cm (HxWxD) cm (might seem an overkill since i don't play at the moment but i guess the card will still be ok if i decinde to play a few games in a near future). Noise is very low despite the fan but the issue is the length .


Thanks in advance for your help and advise

Cheers

Fish