Hey!

I'm looking for a HTPC case with sleek minimalistic design and NOT deeper than 35-37 cm (about 14 inches).

I know it's hard to find a resonably high (about 12-13 cm) case like this, so I'm ready to compromise a bit.

The HTPC has to be able to run FullHD smoothly. Right now I have a atx motherboard and a 8800GT, but I know I might have to change this. Any tips for a great HTPC board with integrated HDMI output that easily runs FullHD?

Might consider a PicoPSU too. How much do they run? about 70 bucks on ebay? And, will 90w be enough for a C2D E6850? Will run 2 harddrives too.


Thanks for comments and suggestions!

Cheers!

Silverstone GD02. Lian Li PC-C37. These are both nice in that they take standard ATX PSU. There are other Lian Li and SIlverstone models that are the right size, but they tend to come with noisy TFX PSU.

The Monuel 312B is 14.5" deep, and about 4" high.

if you're willing to add an extra centimeter, the lian li pc x500 (tyr series) is a very goodlooking case of 38 centimeter depth, fitting a 8800 gts (or any other card up to 27.5 mm long. it is quite high though, at 58.5mm and has a width of 230mm.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/vi ... 091980b6da

http://www.apextechusa.com/products.asp?pID=116

In-Win has some interesting cases to consider for mini-itx and micro-atx and you could always mod em to improve cooling and noise.

http://www.in-win.us/products_pccase.php

You migth want to consider the Zotac geforce 9300 wifi mini-itx, got a 775 socket and can do full HD smooth. Be in mind that only the new version of this board (version 3) support usb wakeup from s3.

There are NVIDIA 9300 and 9400 µATX boards from Gigabyte and Asus . . . Since he doesn't actually need mini-ITX, no reason to go slumming with Zotac.

Well, ive been looking for weeks for a slim depth micro-atx case for weeks. I found a few with the correct depth, but they were ugly as hell.

So im forced to go mini-itx, thats why i gave a different solution to the problem...

Edit:
The micro atx board is only 244mm by 244 mm, and i cant find a good looking case with a 350mm depth...

Yes, the magic number for µATX cases seems to be right around 37-38cm, which seems unnecessarily deep. As a previous poster mentioned, full sized graphics cards can actually be close 30cm long, so that might be part of the explanation. I think a bigger issue is that case makers seem unwilling to be particularly creative with layout to achieve certain dimensions -- they'll do it for other reasons, but not minimizing case size. Clearly case minimization is still a niche concern.

http://www.atechfabrication.com/product ... k_3500.htm

13" deep and 5 1/4" high (33 x 13 cm) with uATX motherboard and regular PSU. Nice looking, but you pay for it (no mention of budget except the concern over PicoPSU prices).

I have an older Silverstone ENP-2224B PSU, as well as a new Seasonic SS-300TFX and neither is noisy. Even if they where, it is a problem easily solved with a fan swap.

I have been on a quest to find a slim HTPC case to replace my original Antec Fusion 430. I have literally been looking for months... There are plenty of slim cases out there, but none that have good airflow and can be cooled quietly...

The 2 HTPC motherboards I'm considering are the Gigabyte GA-E7AUM-DS2H matx and the Zotac 9300 itx paired with an E5200. As mentioned there are some teething problems with the Zotac board, as well as the S3 resume problem, many people seem to have turned their motherboards into bricks when updating the bios, as there is no bios recovery mechanism... So I'm sticking with Gigabyte.

The best looking case I've found is the GMC AVC-S7 (H,W,D 67x430x340).

Unfortunately I can't get hold of this case in the UK, and even if I could, the power supply would have to go and the airflow is non existent...

The other case that might interest you is OriginAE S10V (H,W,D 115x435x390). Its expensive and starting to get a little deep for you...

All things considered I'm sticking with my Fusion. I have just ordered a Scythe Minja, and will run it with an Enermax Modu 82+ 425W, 2.5 laptop drive and one old Nexus Orange 120mm @ 5v and stuff it with AcoustiPac. If the power consumption is low enough I'll use a 150W PicoPSU.

With the money I've saved, I'll buy a new TV stand that can properly accomodate the depth of the Fusion.

So to cut a long story short, I know its slightly too big (H,W,D 146x445x414). But if I were you I'd get an Antec Fusion 430...

I guess these things are always relative. The problem with TFX is they tend to use 80mm fans and I've never heard a good sounding 80mm that wasn't a sleeve bearing (which is not something I like to use in a PSU, but maybe it would be ok for TFX given the "sideways" orientation).

True.

One I would like to try is the Silverstone LC04. Very dificult to find in Canada (at least in black). It would match up with my audio equipment and fit on my audio rack.

I am not a video/multichannel guy, but I don't think video/multichannel components are 16-17" deep, and that racks/cabinets would be designed accordingly. My Panasonic DVD/VCR/HDD combo is the biggest video component I have. At 16.75"Wx13"Dx3.75"H it could easily fit a micro atx board, 2x3.5"HDD, possibly a 5.25"Optical, and low profile video card, and still fit on my rack. Add a couple of inches in height, and a 5.25" Optical and full sized video card would be possible. Maybe a full sized PSU could be squeezed in as well.

I just don't think many of the designs I see are very well thought out.

I get the impression that case manufacturers don't want to make products that they believe are too niche.

If they only specify the use of a single 2.5 hdd and a slot loading odd, that will only accomodate a dc/dc type psu then that is pretty niche. They have to make the price high because they are not going to shift as many units...

Take the new OrigenAE M10 (itx), its probably going to sell for £350. But it uses horrible 60mm fans. Looks fantastic, but would probably be noisey just trying to cool an Atom in there?

Actually, the high end A/V gear does tend to be >16" deep. The people who spend the big bucks on this stuff like it big and heavy. Still, that audience is even more niche than HTPC, so it is really no excuse.


I agree. Due to the low-margin nature of the business, most case/accessory design is very copy-cat. The bad thing about this is that if you want something different, you're pretty screwed. The good thing is that if a new product comes along that is innovative in a useful way, soon there will be a proliferation of copies driving down price. That there are some cases out there that are fairly near misses (Silverstone, Lian Li, and Antec have some contenders), gives me hope that breakthrough isn't too far off. My bet is that, as per usual, once all the interest has completely moved on to mini-ITX there will finally come out some really great µATX HTPC cases

Ive seen those cases and they are nice... I think they have a fair price, only problem is that i live in denmark so with shipping and tax a $400 can cost more that $1000 and no way to RMA if something is wrong...

When will the Grandia GD04 be released?

looks like a superb case, but I can't find it anywhere for purchase?

Vet ej.

The GD04 is currently being finalized for production. If everything goes well, it should be available for purchase as soon as September.

I'm currently looking for a very short depth HTPC case as well. I like my Antec 2400 very much, but it's just way too deep for a particular need.

Has anybody ever used one of In-Win's mini-ITX cases? The BM639 looks like a decent possibility to me, matched with the Zotac 9300 board. Maybe put in a Scythe Schuriken to keep it cool.

I'm in for that GD04.

I was about to get the 2480, but this thing has smaller volume and 3x 120mm fans to boot. Wondering about fan placement though, but the all black front will match my components much better.

I finally gave up and ordered a hifi2000 3U Pesante enclosure, which I will modify to my needs:

http://www.modushop.biz/ecommerce/cat073_l2.php?n=1

Below is a shot of the GD04 on top of an Onkyo receiver, the case looks bigger from this angle than in actuality though. The dimensions are: 440mm (W) x 150mm (H) x 322mm (D)

nice!

square power/reset buttons look clunky though.

I thought they were round from Computex pics.

http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,6873 ... w=original

Is that the final model/revsion you are showing?

The pic I showed is closest to the production version of the case. We had debated on the button shape ourselves and found the current square ones to give the front panel better balanced look!