Favorite HTPC Case?

[Brent]

I'm on the hunt for the nicest, best looking, best deals etc HTPC cases. Which ones are you using? Which ones are your favorites and why?

I'm using an old Antec NSK2400 that I built years ago (and rebuilt) for one, but my server uses the Antec 900.

What do you use or plan to use in the future?

[Skirge01]

I'm planning to stick with my Antec Fusion for the foreseeable future. It's served me very well and I love the internal design, as well as the external look. Most of my other equipment is black, so the aluminum doesn't really match, but it still looks damn good next to it all.

[evilpenguin]

I'm all about Shuttle PC's. I used them for both my last HTPC and my current gaming machine. They look great, come with 90% of the parts you'll need, and the cabling and cooling are all done for you.

[rrhorer]

Brent,

I settled on a Silverstone SST-LC13B-E (black) for its clean appearance and ability to accommodate 4 x 3.5" HDDs. It also comes in silver. It's fairly roomy but is not toolless and some fan noise from the two 80 mm rear fans is noticeable up close. I got mine for a very good price from NewEgg (incl. mail-in rebate); but, they do not seem to have it now.

[Fuzzy]

I just use whatever cheap ATX case I can find.. Ideally the HTPC should never be seen anyways... should be hidden away, preferrably in another room entirely...

[Polypro]

Customized Zalman HD135 (Just 2 HDs, flipped on their sides, and 2x120mm Fans in there). It probably won't be a "deal", but damn is it a good looking case. Oh, and Win7 renders the VFD useless...VLSystems hasn't upgraded the software since '08. No matter, I can't see it from across the room anyway. Same height as my Onkyo 606. A Ninja Mini fit's fine.

P

[SWKerr]

I suppose it really depends on your space and purpose. If it will be out in the open and seen then looks are important. If it will be out in the open then very low noise levels are important. Space and expandability are important if it will also be your capture and storage machine.

If it will be seen I like: SILVERSTONE LC17-B or GD01S-R.
They are a big cases but will fit in a space designed for a most stereo components. Fits a full ATX board and designed for 6x3.5 x5.25 drives. These will meet almost any HTPC need.
**I think any special displays on the case are useless and not worth the extra money.
** I seldom use my DVD\BluRay drive as I rip everything to the server but it is still nice to have for occasional immediate gratification.
** I like it to match the TV and AV receiver as much as possible so Aluminum and Black or Silver.
** I have never used any input on the front of the case short of a USB slot.

If it will be in a cabinet then it really doesn't matter. I like the Antec 300. Well built, expandable and quite for only $55.

I have not found a small case that can handle dispersing the heat from a decent motherboard\cpu combo without a significant amount of noise. I really like something with good cross airflow and fits 120mm fans. You can't have that in a small case.

Some of these Atom solution's are tiny but ugly and not terribly cheap. I like the new Dell Zino and Mac Mini but even then you need the right place to put it. I put a Shuttle in my Entertainment cabinet a few years ago and it didn't leave enough room for anything else useful on the shelf and look funny there with all that extra space.

I think there is no perfect case for everyone.

[MitchSchaft]

nMEDIAPC's 5000B is another good one. I've had mine for a year now I guess. Plenty of room for hard drives, the cooling setup is decent and quiet, plenty of front-panel connections for peripherals and it looks pretty cool.

It's slightly larger than my Yamaha receiver, though.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811204035

http://www.nmediapc.com/htpc5000.htm

[SWKerr]

Originally Posted by MitchSchaft

nMEDIAPC's 5000B is another good one. I've had mine for a year now I guess. Plenty of room for hard drives, the cooling setup is decent and quiet, plenty of front-panel connections for peripherals and it looks pretty cool.

It's slightly larger than my Yamaha receiver, though.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811204035

http://www.nmediapc.com/htpc5000.htm

I had a very similar nMedia case. I accidentally broke the door moving it around. (Sill looked good when the door was closed) I replaced it with one that had the same basic layout but no door on the front. No more Plastic doors for me. For a small case it is well laid out but I still need to remove the Power supply to remove the hard drives. I still use it today but even after replacing the small case fans it is not a quite as my Antec 300. I cant hear it in the Entertainment Center so no big deal. Still. Over all a good case for the money.

[MitchSchaft]

Ahhh, but the door is aluminum.

[SWKerr]

Originally Posted by MitchSchaft

Ahhh, but the door is aluminum.

Glad they made that Upgrade to the door. Can you access the hard drive bay now without removing the Power unit? Those were my only real issues?

[MitchSchaft]

Yeah, that's totally seperate. You must be talking about a completely different monster .

[SWKerr]

Originally Posted by MitchSchaft

Yeah, that's totally seperate. You must be talking about a completely different monster .

After looking it up it is fairly different. (About 4 years old)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811204004
Newegg must keep these links for ever. Bought in 3/2006.
Gave it to my dad so have not seen it in awhile. If you can see the pics it still looks pretty similar but I can see where the DVD was moved to the right which is probably what fixed the hard drive access problem. Nice to know nMedia is using less plastic now.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811204016
Bought this 11/06. I don't miss the door at all have never used anything but the USB on the front panel. This one had more metal on the face plate but the same basic design. They have both seen multiple board swaps since then.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811163112
I like this case that I bought for my son's computer recently but it would look funny in an entertainment center. It is similar to my old shuttle but fits a normal sized PSU and micorATX. I would recommend it if you had the right spot.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129046
Most recent friend HTPC build. I liked the way it looked and seemed well built but a little tight for my tastes. (Special power supply keeps it off my recommended list.)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811163054
Still like this as the best overall HTPC case. Well built and large. Nothing that breaks with good airflow.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129042
Can't beat the Antec 300. Got the last one for $52 shipped. I have 3 for personal use and built 4 for other people and everyone loves them.

I have tried several smaller cases but they all required special power supplies that are loud and difficult to replace. I am hoping someone will want me to build them a Atom system soon so I can fully test it as a HTPC. I think they have some potential for a really small case but I question the utility for personal use.

[davephan]

If you are using extenders and the SageTV computer is located in the basement or closet, then the case appearance isn't that important. I think the best choice in that situation is a full tower that has a lot of space for many drives. I selected a case that is basic black, looks like a server case, can hold many drives and two power supplies. I have 12 drives in the case now, and could probably add another six or more drives with another raid controller.

If you don't plan to locate your SageTV computer in a out of the way room, then you should pay the most attention to keeping the computer as silent as possible.

Dave

[heatvent]

Hide it! Unless it's fanless and hard drive less, nothing is silent. Don't know why but if there's a PC in the room and you built it, you will hear it over everything else. That's what basements are for. Spend your time and money running network cable to your extenders rather than trying to get your PC to not be heard.

[Fuzzy]

Or, as in my case, HDMI and USB cables... why clutter up the living room with a 'massive' hd-200.. ;-)

[sic0048]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

Or, as in my case, HDMI and USB cables... why clutter up the living room with a 'massive' hd-200.. ;-)

+1 - nothing like the look of a clean wall mounted TV. Having SageTV and other devices available without looking at them is a real plus.

[david1234]

Originally Posted by Skirge01

I'm planning to stick with my Antec Fusion for the foreseeable future. It's served me very well and I love the internal design, as well as the external look. Most of my other equipment is black, so the aluminum doesn't really match, but it still looks damn good next to it all.

The fusion is an awesome case, even if the vfd doesn't work right for anything but WMC! And, it was too deep for the cabinet it was supposed to go into, if I wanted to plug in a video cable. Stupid DVI-HDMI adaptor and volume knob were just too much.

Now that I've switched to a server and extenders, I'm using the fusion case for my workstation. My sage server is now running in an old, beige box.

Anybody know what a gently used fusion is worth?

[Fallen Kell]

Originally Posted by heatvent

Hide it! Unless it's fanless and hard drive less, nothing is silent. Don't know why but if there's a PC in the room and you built it, you will hear it over everything else. That's what basements are for. Spend your time and money running network cable to your extenders rather than trying to get your PC to not be heard.

I completely disagree with this statement. If there is a PC in the room and you built it, you could have made it silent.

Case in point, my system is now as follows:
Antec Remote Fusion Max case
Gigabyte X48-DQ6 motherboard
Intel E6600 (overclocked to 3GHz)
Scythe Ninja Plus Rev B heatsink
2x Western Digital Green 2TB hard drives
1x Seagate 7200.11 750GB hard drive
LG Blu-Ray burner/HD DVD combo drive
Powercolor HD5750 SCS3 video card (fanless)
Enermax Modu 82+ 625W power supply
140mm Nocuta fan @ 7V (side fan)
120mm S-Flex F @ 5V (internal/intake fan)
120mm S-Flex F @7V (rear exhaust)

At normal usage, it is under 24db. Under torture test/benchmarking it gets to 27-28db (from about 1 meter away). When the heater or ac turn are on, you can not hear the PC, let alone if the TV is on.

[AWS]

Originally Posted by sic0048

+1 - nothing like the look of a clean wall mounted TV. Having SageTV and other devices available without looking at them is a real plus.

I agree with sic0048 and the others who try to hide the Sage box. Unfortunatly in my situation I am unable to hide the case. I went with an Antec P180 (back when it was new) and then stuffed the voids and covered the flat areas with anti-noise padding. Can't hear a thing in the box. What I like about it is that it has a very plane, simple look - just a black box. I really like the simple, clean looks of a black box.

AWS