AOpen H360 as HTPC (client for media server)

plind · Post by **plind** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 5:10 am

Hi,

My intention is to build a simple client computer for a media server. The client computer just needs to play everything on the media server and needs no dvd player of its own or anything. I want to base the client on an AMD 690G board and I want to place it on the ground, preferably vertically. It seems that the AOpen H360 series is perfect for this (I'm looking at the quite stylish H360C (judging from the photo's)).

Does anyone have experience with this case? Especially with the noise level and thermal properties? Could you please share your experiences?

Thanks!

Pascal.

deebass · Post by **deebass** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 6:00 am

I've been using several Aopen H3xx cases for the last 6 years.

I think they're the best bang for the buck you can buy at this size. They are made of 1,0mm steel (although small, they feel heavy) and they come with good quality Fortron PSUs (I think somehow Aopen and Fortron belong to the same group) with temperature controlled fan (Fortron/Aopen calls it "Super Noise Killer")

The problem is that you can't hardly add any fan besides PSU and CPU fans (There's only an option for a 50mm mini-blower on the H360), but if room temperature is low and you use low power devices, you can have a quite quiet setup.

Try to get a unit with 300W PSU. This PSU usually has a 92mm fan (the standard PSU fan is 8cm) that should push more CFMs with less noise, although most noise in these cases is turbulence due to airflow passing thorough small holes everywhere.

So buy it, pick up an EE Athlon 64 and a "cool" harddrive (or put it suspended in 5,25'' bays) and you'll have a cheap setup with a very good compromise between quality, noise and performance.

plind · Post by **plind** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 6:51 am

Thanks for your quick reply, Deebass! I also had the feeling that this would be the "best bang for the buck" case for my needs.

Would you happen to have any suggestions for the best low noise processor cooler for a Athlon EE processor that will fit best in this case?

Also, would you happen to know if there's a way to build in an IR receptor that allows usage of a remote control?

Pascal.

autoboy · Post by **autoboy** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 8:19 am

Have you thought about the stand alone media players? Dlink, netgear, and now SageTV will be coming out with one.

plind · Post by **plind** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 11:56 am

Have you thought about the stand alone media players? Dlink, netgear, and now SageTV will be coming out with one.

Yeah, I have. It was my original intention to go for a Netgear EVA8000, but three main facts have turned me in the direction of a HTPC:
1. Looking at the Netgear forum, it is clear that a lot of people still have a lot of fundamental problems with the device and Netgear doesn't seem all to responsive in releasing firmware to solve these.
2. These out-of-the-box devices only support a limited amount of A/V formats and hardware and with an HTPC you have all the flexibility in the world.
3. The AMD 690G chipset seems like tremendous bang for the buck: for only 10% - 20% more than an EVA8000, I can assemble a very powerful HTPC.

Pascal.

deebass · Post by **deebass** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 12:07 am

plind wrote: Would you happen to have any suggestions for the best low noise processor cooler for a Athlon EE processor that will fit best in this case?

Inbox heatsink should be enough. It's kind a low profile one and when "fanmated" to 5-6V should be more than enough to cool an Athlon EE with much less noise than PSU noise (except if you happen to get an unbalanced fan

)

When you have your setup working flawlessly, if you feel that the air coming out from the PSU is just barely warm, you're going to focus on lowering PSU noise by changing the fan or reducing its voltage. You'll get better results with this approach than using a "fancy" CPU cooler.

Post by **MikeC** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 8:08 am

I've used this series of case a couple times in the past. It's ok, probably good for the $, but if you want low noise, it's a real challenge. The base noise level is not bad, but it's not SPCR-level --ie, it's not smooth enough, it's not quiet enough. No question the PSU and difficult of airflow are the main problems.

If you want better noise and cooling, the Antec 3480 is way better -- tho certainly nowhere as slim or small. But you do mention wanting to put it on the floor vertically, so it seems to me a viable option.