Asus P3-P5G33 Barebone Slim PC

Post by **MikeC** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 4:03 pm

jessekopelman · Post by **jessekopelman** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 8:53 pm

I hate this case shape. Who cares if it is slim if it is 398 mm (15.67") deep? You'd be hard pressed to buy a TV that fat, these days -- ruining the whole HTPC appeal. Meanwhile, the short height gives you the double hassle of minimal heatsink selection and dealing with low profile expansion cards as well. Why not make super narrow ÂµATX cases by placing a side-by-side drive cage under the MB? That way the case would better match modern STB and DVD players that are generally well under 300 mm deep.

neon joe · Post by **neon joe** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 9:31 pm

I have yet to find a slim, affordable HT case that I like... and I'm still waiting

Ah, well, you can't have everything...

Also, the 3rd to the last paragraph on the last page is:
Not only is it better for the environment, it's an excellent for marketing.

The 'an' should probably be removed.

Jesse... the drive cage under the mb is a great idea - wish someone would do it (Antec, are you listening?)

jessekopelman · Post by **jessekopelman** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 1:55 pm

neon joe wrote:Jesse... the drive cage under the mb is a great idea - wish someone would do it (Antec, are you listening?)

I can't claim 100% originality here. The Mac Mini has the HD directly beneath the MB (and the optical directly above, which they can get away with by using a mobile CPU/MB/heatsink setup). I'm pretty sure the Asus Mini is exactly the same. Those are both proprietary SFF, though. My thought is that the ÂµATX form factor would actually be large enough to have two side-by-side drives underneath, eliminating the need for anything to be above the MB, blocking airflow and requiring mobile parts.

practal · Post by **practal** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 8:18 am

I personally like this case. I saw a review of the previous version, 965 chipset, and decided to buy one. The PSU and Case are identical with these two models. Ive done a few builds in the case and been very pleased with it.

The case takes a standard mATX board. The Scythe Shuriken, Zalman CNPS8000, and the Thermalright XP-120 are heatsinks that perform well in the case. A slim 80mm or 92mm could be mounted above one of the above mentioned heatsinks if needed for an intake.

I have an 80mm Nexus fan mounted on the right of the case acting as an exhaust. If you use a Pico PSU you may be able to mount an additional 80mm in the back if desired.

I currently have an Opteron 1212 HE @2.0Ghz 1.05v and it never exceeds 41C under full load. I use an XP-120 fanless and have just the 80mm Nexus exhausting out of the case. The only other fan in the system is the PSUs stock 70mm fan.

wayner · Post by **wayner** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 5:20 pm

Why wouldn't they make this PC with the P5-VM HDMI mobo? Wouldn't that make a lot more sense giving you HDMI plus dual video outputs?

Post by **MikeC** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 4:40 pm

The review sample is now available for purchase at deep discount -- see the SPCR Lab Clearance Corner.

Asus P3-P5G33 Barebone Slim PC

Asus P3-P5G33 Barebone Slim PC

Re: Asus P3-P5G33 Barebone Slim PC

Re: Asus P3-P5G33 Barebone Slim PC