proposed minuet HTPC recommendations please

mynci · Post by **mynci** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 1:10 pm

i was blown away by antecs latest cases, specifically the overture. it seemed ideal, however at 19" deep it simply wont fit under my tv. therefore i have decided on the minuet case. the full system (or rather the important bits) are listed below.

case: antec minuet - does it have an 80mm fan in the psu (it will need swapping) what other fan mounts does it have? can i mount 80mm case fans?

athlon xp 2500+ (barton) - chosen for price/performance but please let me know if it runs too hot for the machine i propose.

512mb ram - not really of interest but here for completeness.

80-gb cuda IV - needs t be isolatable somehow in the minuet case.

cheap micro atx mobo: ASRock K7VM4
i would however love to get a mobo with a bit more grunt, perhaps a nforce2 bourd, if it had tv out. i know there are soem about but i cant find any availible to the uk. again recomendations are welcome.

video: Sapphire Radeon 7000 SDR 64MB TV-Out AGP x4 Retail Box
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products ... _uid=44664

i have no real preference on the video card, it simply must fit in the minuet case and have a decent tv out, does this card fit the bill? any recomendations?

the tv card will be the usb nebula electronics number, as it gets nothing but good reviews.

if any one can be bothered to offer any advice on this proposal it will be very much apreciated. even if its to rubish it all.

the silence with be provided by one of the many cooling solutions i have lying around, but with a view to mounting a panaflo atop a fairly hefty socket a hs.

thanks again.

edit: cant believe i mispelt panaflo. idiot.

mrzed · Post by **mrzed** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 2:44 pm

If you can wait a bit, and want decent TV out, microATX boards with the Radeon 9100 IGP chipset will be coming out soon. ATI has long had the rep for the best TV out of standard AGP cards. I see no reason why the integrated video would be any different.

Of course that rules out the Socket A price advantage. You would save a bit on the video card though, might help make the difference.

It would probably produce ever so slightly less heat than a discrete card too.

mynci · Post by **mynci** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 2:56 pm

mmm, perhaps, the card doesnt cost too much though and coupled with the cheap mobo and the amd pricing i reckon it wouldnt be a great saving, nice idea though thanks a lot. unless they turn out to be really cheap.
also i am now like an excited child and really want to get the system up and running, i have waited long enough, i feel.

wumpus · Post by **wumpus** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 3:03 pm

i would however love to get a mobo with a bit more grunt, perhaps a nforce2 bourd, if it had tv out. i know there are soem about but i cant find any availible to the uk. again recomendations are welcome.

How about the Chaintech Summit 7nif2?

http://www.chaintechusa.com/tw/eng/prod ... 3&PISNo=15

It's the one I have in my HTPC and it has integrated GeForce4 tv-out with s-video right on the motherboard. Other than the inability to undervolt, which isn't a very common in the mATX format anyway, I recommend it.. I also wasn't able to get the sp/dif digital output working with the onboard sound, but that might just be me (no optical/coax out bracket is included, so I had to fabricate my own).

It also updates to nForce2 Ultra (supports 200mhz FSB) with the latest BIOS.

Tv-out quality is quite good, easily comparable to my Tivo Series 2.

mynci · Post by **mynci** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 3:19 pm

i have actually looked at that one and can't find it anywhere in the uk. if anyone can pont me at it then it would make for a far more elegant solution, the only problem being the chipset fan, but ill sort that easily enough.

wumpus · Post by **wumpus** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 3:28 pm

did you try emailing summit sales dept? Surely somewhere in the EU that mobo must be available..

mynci · Post by **mynci** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 3:31 pm

just this second sent an email off, i wont hold my breath on a fast repose thoug, they have no retailers or even ressellers listed on there web site. if only new egg would start selling in the uk. (at the same prices)

Post by **MikeC** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 3:48 pm

2 points -

1) it IS a half height case -- if you want an AGP card, it'll have to be half height or be modded that way.
2) there is NO place for any case fan. A sticking point that they are addressing... it's why I am not reviewing it right now; they asked me to wait until a new version with a case cooling fan is introduced. A couple of weeks, I was told. I hope they don't consider that this is hush hush...

wumpus · Post by **wumpus** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 5:40 pm

Half-height is no problem as long as you're methodical about sticking to the onboard nForce2 stuff-- audio, lan, video, even s-video out (on the nif2).

But wow, no place for a case fan? So the only exhaust is the PSU? No way to even mod one in there somewhere?

If you're not committed to the Minuet, then I can recommend the ATC-620 I used for my HTPC

http://www.dansdata.com/atc620.htm

it is mATX and accepts standard power supplies and full height PCI cards which is nice. Be sure to toss that loud 60mm fan first! This case works well with the $35 fortron 120mm PSU as exhaust (another great tip I found here), and an undervolted 92mm panaflo mounted via the zalman PCI card bracket, blowing down on a passive northbridge and fanless akasa silver mountain ii. This arrangement will require nearly full voltage on the 92mm fan once you get into the 2.5ghz+ CPUs under full load, though..

Trip · Post by **Trip** » Mon Oct 06, 2003 10:09 pm

I second going with the ATC-610/620. They are some of the best that I've seen.

I can vouch for their high quality b/c i just got an ATC-600 in today and Lord is this thing beautiful. Though it's been discontinued, it's got brushed aluminum and everything. Coolermaster has thought of everything, the top and sides are not polished b/c that would show off scratches. There's also the 630, but it takes half sized cards (and is discontinued as well). All of these cases have fans. Read reviews of any case you're considering, they should tell you a lot. The 600 and 630 are still available, check pricewatch.com, but the 610/620 have an external 3.5 drive for floppies.

EDIT: only place left, that I know of, that sells 630s which are similar to case you're looking at now: http://www.sundialmicro.com/cgi-bin/sun ... 30b21.html

that whole thing about coolermaster leaving one drive slot open has been fixed in at least the atc-600, this case has both covered. Great first impression!

FrankL · Post by **FrankL** » Tue Oct 07, 2003 12:27 am

mrzed wrote:If you can wait a bit, and want decent TV out, microATX boards with the Radeon 9100 IGP chipset will be coming out soon. ATI has long had the rep for the best TV out of standard AGP cards. I see no reason why the integrated video would be any different.

Of course that rules out the Socket A price advantage. You would save a bit on the video card though, might help make the difference.

It would probably produce ever so slightly less heat than a discrete card too.

umm last time I checked my G400 still had much better tv-out quality than my Sapphire 9700 Pro.

mynci · Post by **mynci** » Tue Oct 07, 2003 12:33 am

well how glad am i that i posted my annoying list of questions, no fan in the minuet, what an oversite. if only the overture was a few inches shorter.

i was less concerned about the half height thing, as i could get a half height card for cheap and an external tv decoder, but the lack of fan thing has ruined that case altogether.

i cant find the coolermaster availible in the uk and i suspect it would be well over £100 if i did, the only other option i am left with is:
http://english.aopen.com.tw/products/ho ... series.htm

the h340h specifically, its not as pretty as the minuet and i guess no where near as well made as the antec or coolermaster solutions, but at about £40 i am happy to mod away on it. it has no case fan either but is 80mm high (as it has an 80mm fan in the psu) so i can perhaps boost the airflow with an extra fan on one of the sides/top.

any one got any recommendations on this one? or suppliers for the coolermaster one (and an m-atx w/tvout.) in the uk?

thanks you all so very much, you have saved me wasting a lot of money and time.

Fabool · Post by **Fabool** » Tue Oct 07, 2003 9:05 am

How loud are those Coolermaster ATC-600/620 cases with the 60mm fans? You probably can't fit 80mm fans in there with 60<->80 adapters, can you?

I'm really considering whether to get a SFF box or a Coolermaster 620. Although the Coolermaster would be a tight fit on my desk, I might just get it if it can be made fairly quiet without any extreme measures since it offers more expansion capabilities.

wumpus · Post by **wumpus** » Tue Oct 07, 2003 10:54 am

Well, like I was saying: you can make the 620 work with a 120mm equipped power supply as exhaust, and a CPU fan (in my case the zalman PCI bracket assembly, but the effect is the same). Just remove and cover over the hole where the 60mm fan was. It's loud..

Rory B. · Post by **Rory B.** » Tue Oct 07, 2003 3:01 pm

If your processor has fairly low heat output, you could even work out a fan-duct type thing (Dell-style) with the PSU and a Zalman flower cooler and then put a thermally-controlled fan in the PSU that would speed up when the going got tough. Gainward makes a GeForce4 MX440-based board that is low profile. Directron has it.

mynci · Post by **mynci** » Tue Oct 07, 2003 3:23 pm

mm, ive found dabs are selling the coolermaster cases (easy if you search on cooler master not coolermaster) but they want just over £200 for them.

are there any other options, that take full height pci cards, look pretty and dont cost so much? if not its looks like that cheap aopen is coming my way.

cheers

Post by **MikeC** » Tue Oct 07, 2003 3:38 pm

Have you considered the new D.vines? There's 6 & 7 -- 6 is very cool looking, US$250; 7 is pretty nice too, $100 cheaper. by www.ahanix.com, www.colorcase.com sells them -- don't know who else.

Also, if you are into waiting, the revised version of the Minuet is coming in a couple weeks - 80mm case fan now possible.

mynci · Post by **mynci** » Tue Oct 07, 2003 3:47 pm

oh, now you have me thinking of waiting, mike.
the minuet with an 80mm case fan, and a swap out on the psu fan, would be much better than botching the aopen case, it looks like ill just have to wait a few weeks then, though i've no idea how long the revised cases will take to filter to the uk.
mind you time i remove the stamped grilles my warranties will be gone on the minuet and ill be no better off than if i botch the aopen case.

this is all far too complicated. could you ask antec to trim the overture down by a few inches in its depth, its just too deep to fit under my tv - that would be the best solution.

i do like the d vines but they are too expensive really, if they are 250 usd then i wouldnt expect to be able to get them here for much less than £200, the joys of living on an island, i guess. also they have made the mistake of making the led panel on them out of green leds, everone knows leds should be blue, its a rule or something.

Post by **MikeC** » Tue Oct 07, 2003 4:11 pm

Some people gut old VCRs & turn them into HTPCs...

Trip · Post by **Trip** » Tue Oct 07, 2003 5:31 pm

ha, some make em out of bread boxes

mrzed · Post by **mrzed** » Tue Oct 07, 2003 7:53 pm

If you're handy, and have access to some decent tools, why not give it a try? Or, if you feel really ambitious, fabricate it from scratch. As soon as I get a decent job I plan on making my own case myself. Build to your own specs.

Wood is nice, if you don't like the wood look you can use MDF and paint it to look like anything you want. Bonus points for sound damping characteristics too. Easier to work with than metal (for most of us). If you worried about RFI, you can always line it with foil or some thin metal mesh.

Either way, you should follow your own advice and wait for the right thing. Chances are, posting a question like this you wouldn't be happy in the long run if you settled for that skanky Aopen.

Fabool · Post by **Fabool** » Tue Oct 07, 2003 8:14 pm

Silverstone has a nice desktop-case. It's just a tad bigger than the Coolermaster 620, takes full ATX motherboards and has 80mm exhaust. Plus it looks nice. Not really surprising since the company has many ex-Coolermaster people working there.

http://www.silverstonetek.com.tw/produc ... t-lc01.asp

Might consider it if I could get it where I live. They also have one smaller case that takes low profile cards, but not an option for me since I require a good card for 3d work.

mynci · Post by **mynci** » Wed Oct 08, 2003 1:30 am

just for the record, pc world are the only uk retailer of the chaintech 7nif2, chaintech told me about the only trad resseller as well and if i were to get it from them at cost it would cost me £2 more than pcworld - thats a first i think - pc world is the cheapest. whatever next. perhaps if i wait fr the case then it will become availible from other sources.

thank you all for your replies and i think mrzed is probably right, i wouldnt be happy with the aopen, although i think skanky may be a little strong. its not hideous is it?

last question (probably) will the graphics card found at the link below fit into the minuet case? nowhere can i find physical measurements, but it seems as though it is half height (as its not full height).
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?
action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=44664
thank you all again.

mrzed · Post by **mrzed** » Wed Oct 08, 2003 6:59 am

thank you all for your replies and i think mrzed is probably right, i wouldnt be happy with the aopen, although i think skanky may be a little strong. its not hideous is it?

I probably should have included a

after my Skanky comment.

The Aopen is just as indifferent IMO as almost any other generic case. You obviously want something better than that.

mynci · Post by **mynci** » Wed Oct 08, 2003 7:08 am

i thought my aesthetic judgement had been seriously impared then

i think ill end up building the machine in a case i have laying around and then tranfer it to the minuet when i get my hands on it. otherwise ill have to wait ages before playing with my new toy.

ps if the antec rep could hazzard a guess as to when uk suppliers like computer 2000 will have the new case, it would be great.

kamina · Post by **kamina** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 1:45 am

MikeC wrote:2 points -

1) it IS a half height case -- if you want an AGP card, it'll have to be half height or be modded that way.
2) there is NO place for any case fan. A sticking point that they are addressing... it's why I am not reviewing it right now; they asked me to wait until a new version with a case cooling fan is introduced. A couple of weeks, I was told. I hope they don't consider that this is hush hush...

Have you heard anything about this yet? There is not a very good selection of small goodlooking cases available in finland, but I do consider some kind of case cooling to be a necessity.

Post by **MikeC** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 7:24 am

kamina --

It now comes with a mid-side 80mm vent with very open grill, on PSU side. I've managed to build a quiet system in this case -- with a fair amount of modding. The PSU fan had to be changed, and a NoVibesIII was forced in place. A Panaflo 80L w/fanmate1 was used for case cooling. A lot of work, but in the end, a very quiet system. This story to come soon. No question the case looks fantastic. I recommend black or silver-faced optical / floppy drive. I used black, and it looks very sharp.

Trip · Post by **Trip** » Tue Dec 09, 2003 8:44 am

Fabool wrote:How loud are those Coolermaster ATC-600/620 cases with the 60mm fans? You probably can't fit 80mm fans in there with 60<->80 adapters, can you?

60 to 80mm adapter fits for the exhaust, not the 2 intake on the atc-600.

I replaced the louder Y.S. Tech fans with ADDA 60mm quiet fans from: http://phamcomputer.safeshopper.com/43/79.htm?681

Obviously they aren't 16.1dBA, but they are very quiet. If undervolted they are quieter, I think, than the famous L1A but push MUCH less air. Even so, the airflow is good.