Seems like most of these kinds of cases look great but aren't very efficient at getting rid of heat. I like the Cooler Master Cavalier 4 as that one has 3 fans but I'm wondering how it does with temps. Any feedback on this case?
Any good HTPC cases around?
- Thread starter perdomot
- Start date
Poor.
The Coolermaster Cavalier has those teeny-weeny little grilles on the side, through which that side-mounted 80mm fan can move absolutely no air.
The twin 60mm fans above the backplane work OK, but not adequate because the Cavalier's SFX-form factor PSU is a poor mover of air.
The top grille for the CPU can work in an open environment (like a desktop), but I think it does more harm than good in a home entertainment component rack environment-- It just sucks in hot air that was exhausted by the CPU and the twin 60's a few centimeters behind it.
Bottom line: I would avoid the Coolermaster Cavalier.
With the right PSU, desktop ATX HTPC cases can actually operate in a reasonable temperature range. I have a Seasonic Super Tornado 350 which has a 120mm fan and ventilates well, and my case temps in my Silverstone LC03 never rise above 30 degrees Celsius when ambient room temp is 25 degrees. I do have an Arctic ATI Silencer on my vid card to pipe the GPU's heat directly out of the case though.
HTH.
The Coolermaster Cavalier has those teeny-weeny little grilles on the side, through which that side-mounted 80mm fan can move absolutely no air.
The twin 60mm fans above the backplane work OK, but not adequate because the Cavalier's SFX-form factor PSU is a poor mover of air.
The top grille for the CPU can work in an open environment (like a desktop), but I think it does more harm than good in a home entertainment component rack environment-- It just sucks in hot air that was exhausted by the CPU and the twin 60's a few centimeters behind it.
Bottom line: I would avoid the Coolermaster Cavalier.
With the right PSU, desktop ATX HTPC cases can actually operate in a reasonable temperature range. I have a Seasonic Super Tornado 350 which has a 120mm fan and ventilates well, and my case temps in my Silverstone LC03 never rise above 30 degrees Celsius when ambient room temp is 25 degrees. I do have an Arctic ATI Silencer on my vid card to pipe the GPU's heat directly out of the case though.
HTH.
SunSamurai
Diamond Member
- Jan 16, 2005
- 3,914
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http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=15130
It supports mATX (I don't know what mobo you're working with) and I hear it's a pretty nice case. I liked it when I played around with it at Fry's.
It supports mATX (I don't know what mobo you're working with) and I hear it's a pretty nice case. I liked it when I played around with it at Fry's.
ahanix
silverstone
the best in my opinion, but $$
Some of those come with 60 mm fans, but they have plenty of room to make the hole larger and support bigger fans..
silverstone
the best in my opinion, but $$
Some of those come with 60 mm fans, but they have plenty of room to make the hole larger and support bigger fans..
The CoolerMaster Cavalier 4 also has a crummy 300watt SFX-format PSU... if you don't plan on having much more then a Pentium-3 in there, I suppose 300watts is fine, but you can't just stick any ATX PSU in there to replace it... so I would stay away from the Cavalier 4 for that reason alone!
The Silverstone SST-LC03 is a pretty good case if you need a full ATX case.
There are more options if you only want ATX micro, but there are slim pickins if you need a full-up rig in a custom desktop case.
The Silverstone SST-LC03 is a pretty good case if you need a full ATX case.
There are more options if you only want ATX micro, but there are slim pickins if you need a full-up rig in a custom desktop case.
Even though the Coolermaster Cavalier 4 was a complete piece of crap, surprisingly their MicroATX HTPC case is a winner. If I am building an HTPC around a MicroATX motherboard, the .Coolermaster ATC-620 would be a much better choice than the Enermax Venus.
The reason? Unlike the Enermax and many other uATX cases which uses SFX-form-factor PSUs, the ATC takes a standard full-size ATX PSU. And the ATC is well-ventilated as well.
I still like the Enermax Venus better - 2x80mm fan mounts (1 included) and for $82 + sh it comes with the great 270W Enermax SFX PSU that they spec at 20A on the 12V rail! That thing costs over $50 shippied all by itself... Coolermaster doesn't include a PSU and they located the PSU mounting wrong in the ATC-620 - should be near the top of the case for best cooling. Plus the Enermax is considerably more compact - a consideration in HTPC and other applications.
.bh.
.bh.
Actually, the Enermax is NOT "considerably more compact," and the PSU position in the Coolermaster IS near the top of the case.
The Enermax Venus and the Coolermaster ATC-620 are about the same size. The Enermax is actually thicker by about 1/2 inch (both can take full-height AGP and PCI cards), and about the same depth (17 inches). The most obvious difference is in the width, and even then the difference is small-- The Coolermaster is about 3 inches wider.
I'm not sure why you would think the way the PSU is mounted in the ATC-620 is "wrong". If you stand the case on its side like a tower, the PSU IS at the top of the case. And if you sit the case flat like a desktop, you can mount the PSU in two different orientations. I have a computer built with the ATC-620 using a Seasonic Super Tornado 350 PSU, with its 120mm fan face-up so that it can draw out hot air that has risen to the top of the case, just as you wanted. It will give you MUCH better ventilation than ANY uATX case using an SFX PSU including the Enermax, 80mm fans or not.
For the ATC-620 I built with the Seasonic ST350, case temps never rise above 31C when ambient is 25C. Much better than many SFX-psu cases I have built with.
I like having a choice in choosing the PSU. The ATC-620s I've built with the Seasonic PSUs are MUCH quieter than the Enermax. And you can throw in your favorite brand of PSU in there, including Fortrons, OCZs, Antecs, what have you, with higher amp ratings if you wish. You won't get such a wide choice of selections with cases using SFX PSUs.
The Coolermaster is almost the same size package as the Enermax but better options. Functionally, the ATC-620 is the superior HTPC case.
Venus - 14.2x15.9x5.9
ATC-620 - 17.5"x16.7x5.5" (WxDxH)
In desktop config - more than 3" narrower and nearly an inch shallower. In lots of situations, those differences are significant. Plus the Venus works well both horiz or vert - CM is pretty much designed for horiz.
Sorry but the ATC-620 has the PSU on the bottom of the case in DT configuration NOT the top - unless newegg's pix are totally wrong. The extra set of holes are nice, but nicer to have designed it correctly in the first place.
IAC, people can decide for themselves as I have no financial or ego investment in either model. I just know which I would spend MY money on...
.bh.
ATC-620 - 17.5"x16.7x5.5" (WxDxH)
In desktop config - more than 3" narrower and nearly an inch shallower. In lots of situations, those differences are significant. Plus the Venus works well both horiz or vert - CM is pretty much designed for horiz.
Sorry but the ATC-620 has the PSU on the bottom of the case in DT configuration NOT the top - unless newegg's pix are totally wrong. The extra set of holes are nice, but nicer to have designed it correctly in the first place.
IAC, people can decide for themselves as I have no financial or ego investment in either model. I just know which I would spend MY money on...
.bh.
Not "considerably" so though. They are in the same general size class (full-height cards and layout).
I still don't know why you would think the way the PSU is oriented in the ATC-620 is "wrong." You need to leave some headroom above the PSU to let it draw out the hot air rising to the top of a horizontal case. If you want to put the PSU flat against the top panel of a DT case with its fan facing down, the PSU would be sucking cool air out from near the bottom the case. Why would you want to do that?
I have built HTPCs with both types of cases and the ventilation of the ATC-620 IS superior to the Enermax. I know which one I would spend MY money on.
beatle
Diamond Member
- Apr 2, 2001
- 5,661
- 5
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I have the Coolermaster Cavalier 2 (identical to the 4, but with the addition of an analog vu meter on the front). It's a nice looking case, and I went with it over the ATC-620 for several reasons. I wanted to use fullsize hand-me-down motherboards. I also dig the analog meter on the front.
It also has superior cooling over the ATC-620. The addition of the 80mm intake on the side can help a bit, though not much. It has 2 60mm fans in the rear, compared to the ATC-620's single fan. Its PSU IS a bizzare SFX design which kinda bummed me out, but it works well for my config (1700+, 2 hds and a DVD drive. The PSU fan is also oriented to draw hot air directly off the CPU. In the ATC-620 you'll have to mount a standard ATX PSU upside down for it to perform any case cooling. The biggest cooling asset that the Cavalier 4 has going for it is the vent above the CPU. This is absolutely ideal for cooling. I've modded nearly every case I own with a case fan over the CPU. This gets cool air to the most important part of the system, the CPU. As a test, I covered up the vent. Temps have gone up 5C. The Cavalier also has a clever internal 3.5" bay for the hardrive. It has its own vent to allow the drive to cool off and not pollute the case with its heat.
Aside from its "proprietary" PSU, it's a great case. It's also a nice deal if you need a case with a PSU.
It also has superior cooling over the ATC-620. The addition of the 80mm intake on the side can help a bit, though not much. It has 2 60mm fans in the rear, compared to the ATC-620's single fan. Its PSU IS a bizzare SFX design which kinda bummed me out, but it works well for my config (1700+, 2 hds and a DVD drive. The PSU fan is also oriented to draw hot air directly off the CPU. In the ATC-620 you'll have to mount a standard ATX PSU upside down for it to perform any case cooling. The biggest cooling asset that the Cavalier 4 has going for it is the vent above the CPU. This is absolutely ideal for cooling. I've modded nearly every case I own with a case fan over the CPU. This gets cool air to the most important part of the system, the CPU. As a test, I covered up the vent. Temps have gone up 5C. The Cavalier also has a clever internal 3.5" bay for the hardrive. It has its own vent to allow the drive to cool off and not pollute the case with its heat.
Aside from its "proprietary" PSU, it's a great case. It's also a nice deal if you need a case with a PSU.
I've liked everything about the Coolermaster Cavalier 2/4 myself, EXCEPT THAT DAMN PSU.
I'm sorry, but a proprietary 300watt SFX PSU is absolutely UNACCEPTABLE! Anybody even remotely close to being a power user in 2005 is going to need more then 300 measly watts for a decent setup.
Sure, if you want a Powersupply that is going to be taxed from the very first boot and be stressed to the limit every minute of every day, by all means, get a Coolermaster Cavalier. Maybe you have money to replace burnt-out computer components, but I want a quality PSU in my computer, and I'm sorry, but a crummy 300watt SFX non-replaceable PSU is worthless to me.
I bought this case under the assumption "ATX CASE" meant "ATX PSU"... I was very wrong. I had every intention of throwing away the PSU and sticking my own ATX 480watt PSU in it's place, but then found out the PSU was not only worthless but unreplaceable. What a waste!
This case could be lined with gold, but hampered with this PSU, it's still a worthless case to anyone who needs decent and reliable power in 2005.
Stay away from the Coolermaster Cavailer HTPC series.
I'm sorry, but a proprietary 300watt SFX PSU is absolutely UNACCEPTABLE! Anybody even remotely close to being a power user in 2005 is going to need more then 300 measly watts for a decent setup.
Sure, if you want a Powersupply that is going to be taxed from the very first boot and be stressed to the limit every minute of every day, by all means, get a Coolermaster Cavalier. Maybe you have money to replace burnt-out computer components, but I want a quality PSU in my computer, and I'm sorry, but a crummy 300watt SFX non-replaceable PSU is worthless to me.
I bought this case under the assumption "ATX CASE" meant "ATX PSU"... I was very wrong. I had every intention of throwing away the PSU and sticking my own ATX 480watt PSU in it's place, but then found out the PSU was not only worthless but unreplaceable. What a waste!
This case could be lined with gold, but hampered with this PSU, it's still a worthless case to anyone who needs decent and reliable power in 2005.
Stay away from the Coolermaster Cavailer HTPC series.
beatle
Diamond Member
- Apr 2, 2001
- 5,661
- 5
- 81
You PSU fanatics... you're nuts.
Remember, this is a case designed for HTPCs, not gaming rigs. Your main issue with cramming a lot of power hungry components in a case like this is heat, not power draw.
You'd be surprised what will run on a 300w PSU. The A64 in my sig ran on a 330w Antec before I replaced it due to suggestions that my PSU could be causing my crashing problems (it wasn't the PSU). The Duallie in my sig also runs on a 300w, and its PSU is over 6 years old.
I made a thread earlier about the Cavalier 2/4 having a bizzare PSU, but after all, it's turned out to be a decent unit. The only thing I miss about my Antec are the fan only headers.
Remember, this is a case designed for HTPCs, not gaming rigs. Your main issue with cramming a lot of power hungry components in a case like this is heat, not power draw.
You'd be surprised what will run on a 300w PSU. The A64 in my sig ran on a 330w Antec before I replaced it due to suggestions that my PSU could be causing my crashing problems (it wasn't the PSU). The Duallie in my sig also runs on a 300w, and its PSU is over 6 years old.
I made a thread earlier about the Cavalier 2/4 having a bizzare PSU, but after all, it's turned out to be a decent unit. The only thing I miss about my Antec are the fan only headers.
And you'd be surprised by how much money you can flush down the toilet by ruining components with a cheap 300w PSU (which I doubt even puts out 300w, considering it's a low quality PSU to begin with).
If he uses it as a TRUE HTPC case with minimal components, he'll probably be just fine.
I wouldn't buy a HTPC case for a main desktop system if manufacturers bothered to make half-decent Desktop cases... call me old-fashioned but I never caught-on to towers, so I still use desktop cases for my main rigs which I build myself. Since finding a decent desktop case is next to impossible in todays world, us desktop lovers are forced to use HTPC cases if we want something other then a 1995 biege desktop case.
Yes, I'm crazy for packing a lot of components in desktop/HTPC cases, but it's a free country! Just can't stand reaching under my desk to get to a drive bay! Plus a desktop case makes a lovely monitor stand that puts everything at eye level.
If he's going to use it strictly as a HTPC case, a crummy, low-quality 300w PSU that probably doesn't even put out 300watts is probably just fine... but if he wants it for anything else, I thought I'd warn him just to be safe!
No harm, no foul!
How about rackmounting everything? you can get 1-7U rackmount server cases, rackmount your reciever (hope you got something decent as in Denon), a rackmount power conditioner, rackmount dvd play, rackmount ups, rackmount discrete amps, rackmount lighting controllers. you name it.
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