Antec Minuet: What exactly is low-profile?

[Todd33]

I assumed it meant the card was not any taller than the silver bracket that the screw holds it in with, but I think I'm wrong. Anyone care to clarify?

 

[psiu]

From the reviews I have seen it means half-height cards....which means there's gonna be a bit of a challenge getting a video card.

 

[Todd33]

No, I found video cards, it's the TV tuner I want that is not low-profile. Also sound cards are impossible to find low-profile if the on board happens to stink.

 

[psiu]

On the bright side, some of the TV tuner cards look like they have enough free space and the card itself is low enough that you might be able to....um....fix it yourself. Got a Dremel?

Sound cards look a lot less fun. There's the USB route (which also goes for the TV tuners), but I have no clue about the quality of those...I would imagine the lower priced ones are not going to be better than any onboard audio nowadays.

Not to mention there'd be this thing hanging off your computer.

I guess try to pick the motherboard that has the best combination of features you're looking for...and the best onboard audio as a tiebreaker...

...and a 1/2 hour later....good luck with the tv/sound half height search....

 

[Zepper]

That's why you don't buy cases like the Minuet without doing careful needs assessment ahead of time. Unless you are sure, without any doubt, that you can do without standard height cards forever, don't do it! There are plenty of cases out there that are quite compact and don't need low-pro cards. Things with a limited market like the tuner cards are unlikely ever to be made in low-pro. And since there is built-in sound, who needs a sound card, right? Although you would think by now (these low cases aren't anything new) the card mfrs. would be making all their cards low-pro and including two interchangable brackets. But then, there are some cards that fill the strap with connectors - if not there, where do they go? Other low-pro cases get around it (see Silverstone) by supplying PCI slot cards that allow standard add-on cards to be used mounted parallel to the mobo.
. Look at the Ahanix Extreme (X119, X120), the Athenatech A100 series, Chenbro etc. for some compact, non-low-pro cases.
.bh.

 

[Todd33]

Ya I've changed my mind to an Overture, it's just more expensive.