I'm still reading more review, phew. The terminology I used for the sound dampening stuff is not correct.
MikeC wrote:
2) For additional storage, just use eSATA -- a terabyte drive 5 feet away on a foam pad in an Antec MX1 will be plenty and quiet.
Until they change the price of external drives and enclosures, this is too expensive. The total capacity will grow to 3TB in a couple years. Also, I don't have any space 5 or 10 feets away.
The second disk can be mounted the same way on the left side of the case, but after that I will need a creative DIY solution.
I'm happy with eSATA for monthly backups, not for something to be kept powered in the living room all the time.
MikeC wrote:
3) This will probably work fine -- but play with blow direction. When you're ready to fix them in place, use thick double-sided sticky tape and you'll get vibration damping too.
Interesting DIY idea. I must find black tape, though, otherwise it would look bad on the front sides. I also enquired my retailer about the black/white nexus. The orange one is a definite no-no for the "front sides" vents.
MikeC wrote:
4) Not sure of 60mm fans are worth it. I'd avoid them unless necessary. You'd have to cut away the silly "grill" in the back anyway. Try the extra 120mm fan instead.
Agreed. Ditched the 60mm, I'll use a third 120 mm.
I have free will on which side to mount the fan on the ninja mini and that could help the airflow. Pushing towards that back silly grill may be the best option.
MikeC wrote:
5/6) The amp will stop the panel from vibrating much; and there won't be much to begin with. You don't need magic fleece. You might benefit from a bit of acoustic damping, however, just a small patch or two to break up standing waves that will case the AIR in the case to resonate. (This is true for just about every case, btw.)
Please explain which kind of acoustic damping stuff should be used here.
Also, next year I will replace that 2.0 amp with a 7.1 HT one that could be too heavy to be put on top of this case, so the HTPC will pop-up and the vibration problem will be present again. So I would prefer to address it right now. I'm reading about different materials and brands, but I dont have a great choice here.
More about the mainboard and heat on the other thread.