What's the case to get these days? It needs to look nice (brushed aluminum or equivalent).
ATX mobo capable
Black
very quiet
size not too important.
Under $150 with or without PS.
Recommendations?
Thanks.
Robert
Black quiet HTPC case recommendation?
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Devonavar
Not the PC-C35. If you need full ATX, they have PC-C30 :
http://www.lian-li.com/product/product0 ... s_index=34
http://www.lian-li.com/product/product0 ... s_index=34
OrigenAE X11 or it's manufactured twin Zalman HD160.
I have the OrigenAE. The VFD is a little gimmicky and not all that practical from typical HTPC distances, but it works. If you 5v-mod the included fans they are almost silent. The HDD fan is a little clicky, so replacing with another B/B fan might be the best idea to cool the HDDs.
My biggest mod was to remove the HDD cage and mount a WD5000KS on Sorbothane blocks in it's place.
Also, the VFD has an IR module built-in that is MCE compatible and capable of learning just about any command you can think of. The software needs some work as it's not the most intuitive, but you can't have everything.
I have the OrigenAE. The VFD is a little gimmicky and not all that practical from typical HTPC distances, but it works. If you 5v-mod the included fans they are almost silent. The HDD fan is a little clicky, so replacing with another B/B fan might be the best idea to cool the HDDs.
My biggest mod was to remove the HDD cage and mount a WD5000KS on Sorbothane blocks in it's place.
Also, the VFD has an IR module built-in that is MCE compatible and capable of learning just about any command you can think of. The software needs some work as it's not the most intuitive, but you can't have everything.
I believe they are essentially the same case (at least internally). The both use the IMON system for VFD/IR control, which if using MCE is not very helpful, but can be more useful with standard media software (WinAMP, ZoomPlayer, etc).
If you slow the included fans down, or switch them for quieter ones, I'm sure the case could be a good home for a quiet HTPC. The biggest problem you'lls get from any aluminum case is the vibrations from the optical drive and HDDs. Depending on the number of HDDs you have you may want to consider removing the included drive trays and fashioning something yourself to allow you to soft-mount your HDDs. It will go a long way to keeping the system quiet. You may also want to look into dampening the case in certain areas to lessen the perceived loudness of any noise that is generated (search on "vinyl floor tiles" if you dare).
If you slow the included fans down, or switch them for quieter ones, I'm sure the case could be a good home for a quiet HTPC. The biggest problem you'lls get from any aluminum case is the vibrations from the optical drive and HDDs. Depending on the number of HDDs you have you may want to consider removing the included drive trays and fashioning something yourself to allow you to soft-mount your HDDs. It will go a long way to keeping the system quiet. You may also want to look into dampening the case in certain areas to lessen the perceived loudness of any noise that is generated (search on "vinyl floor tiles" if you dare).
Thanks for the input. I'd buy it without the IMON, no real need for it. I guess I'm particularly interested in whether either case has decent airflow. I've previously built an HTPC in an LC02, which after replacing the PSU and the fans on the CPU and GPU is pretty quiet, but overheats if I put the top on the case because I just can't get enough air into it 
I'm considering putting my main system (E6400 CPU, 6200LE GPU, 3 suspended 3.5" HDDs, optical drive, 3 TV Tuners, S12 430 PSU, currently in an SLK3000B case) in the L20, but I don't want to give myself another impossible cooling problem.
On the other hand, I'd rather not have this huge tower case in my living room if at all possible. If anyone has any alternative suggestions of a decent looking, not too expensive HTPC case with good cooling I'm interested!
I'm considering putting my main system (E6400 CPU, 6200LE GPU, 3 suspended 3.5" HDDs, optical drive, 3 TV Tuners, S12 430 PSU, currently in an SLK3000B case) in the L20, but I don't want to give myself another impossible cooling problem.
On the other hand, I'd rather not have this huge tower case in my living room if at all possible. If anyone has any alternative suggestions of a decent looking, not too expensive HTPC case with good cooling I'm interested!
Solo Sideways
Hi.
Just using an Antec Solo here. Turned on it's side with the power button and external USBs at the bottom. Love the cases, I have two so far and will get another. Must be popular, because the price on the Egg has gone up (got mine for eighty-five each plus shipping). Working out really well and fits right in with my other mostly silver audio and grey media equipment.
It's low noise but not silent, with a Seasonic 480W ps, Zalman VF-700 modded BFG Nvidia 7600GT running as low as it goes with the Fanmate, Nexus AOP 64 CPU cooler, gig of Corsair value stuff, all with an MSI 939 matx and Athlon 3200 Venice core. Two Lite-on, one rewriter and one rom, black faced.
Four 250G hardrives, 60 gig worth of ogg files and the rest is video. Powered by Ubuntu 7.04, Quod Libet and Grip for audio, Xine and dvd:rip for Video. I've been using Linux since '95 but even I'm impressed by how well the software is working out for a media center, it was an aggravation doing it on Windows. Sorry for the long winded reply, but for a media center that is easy to work with and holds a lot of stuff, the Solo has worked out great for me.
Just using an Antec Solo here. Turned on it's side with the power button and external USBs at the bottom. Love the cases, I have two so far and will get another. Must be popular, because the price on the Egg has gone up (got mine for eighty-five each plus shipping). Working out really well and fits right in with my other mostly silver audio and grey media equipment.
It's low noise but not silent, with a Seasonic 480W ps, Zalman VF-700 modded BFG Nvidia 7600GT running as low as it goes with the Fanmate, Nexus AOP 64 CPU cooler, gig of Corsair value stuff, all with an MSI 939 matx and Athlon 3200 Venice core. Two Lite-on, one rewriter and one rom, black faced.
Four 250G hardrives, 60 gig worth of ogg files and the rest is video. Powered by Ubuntu 7.04, Quod Libet and Grip for audio, Xine and dvd:rip for Video. I've been using Linux since '95 but even I'm impressed by how well the software is working out for a media center, it was an aggravation doing it on Windows. Sorry for the long winded reply, but for a media center that is easy to work with and holds a lot of stuff, the Solo has worked out great for me.
Solo
Another vote for Antec Solo! It is specifically designed for quiet computing.
If not sufficient as is, you can enhance the air flow by detaching the filters. Also the filter holding part is separate and can be omitted for improving the air flow even more. Personally I went even further than that, but my Solo is now practically silent.
If not sufficient as is, you can enhance the air flow by detaching the filters. Also the filter holding part is separate and can be omitted for improving the air flow even more. Personally I went even further than that, but my Solo is now practically silent.