Best HTPC Cases Suggestions?

[ttechf]

Hey,

I was wondering if anyone could give me any HTPC case suggestions.


A little info about what I am looking for if possible.

- A decent amount of room for a heatsink - Want to put an i5 or i7 K series in it so I'd like to overclock but nothing insane.
- suggestions for some I can use an all in one water cooling unit for and suggestions for some that I can do just air cooling

- NOT too thin, but not too big
- Nice looking
- Some suggestions with LCD display and some with not an LCD Display
- Enough room for the following

- 1 Video Card
- 2 hard drives - 1 SSD and 1 HDD
- 2 DVD Burner drives

I DO know some of these run expensive. That's fine. You can show me $500 - $600 models but as always, cheaper is better.

If anyone can throw any suggestions at me, it would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks!! : )

 

[Fallen Kell]

Small, quiet, powerful, choose 2. That is the unfortunate side of a HTPC case. I choose quiet and powerful, as a result I have a large case (an Antec Remote Fusion Max case).

Your requirement for 2 DVD drives will be difficult to meet on most current cases, and in fact will rule out just about everything I can think of except for a few older cases which are not even made anymore (Coolermaster CM Media 280, and Lian Li PC-C32). The Lian Li suffers from poor air intake and may not be good for an overclocked CPU. The Coolermaster on the other hand would be perfectly fine with ample air intake and exhaust, it is just very big, a little fugly, and extremely hard to find anymore.

 

[Zap]

Your requirement for 2 DVD drives will be difficult to meet on most current cases

This is what I think as well.

AIO water cooling won't work on most HTPC cases due to clearance issues.

Check out the Silverstone Grandia GD04/GD05 and the Lian Li PC-C50 series. Those are micro ATX and can hold a reasonable graphics card, has dual 120mm fans next to the CPU area, take normal ATX PSUs, can take your drive choices except only one optical, and can take decent sized heatsinks as long as they aren't tower style (except Scythe Mini Ninja fits).

 

[ttechf]

I dont NEED 2 dvd drives, just recommend me ones with only 1 drive then. Also, a few AIO water cooling units don't really have to worry about clearance issues. Like this one by thermaltake - http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?C=1444&ID=2115

Like all you need is 2 inches of clearance. All the cases I've looked at have that.

 

[ttechf]

I looked around and it looks like thermaltake has SOME REALLY NICE cases

- http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?C=1320&ID=1431
- http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?C=1319&ID=1425

But also this other company Moneual, very nice and sleek

- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811280022
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811280026

 

[lsv]

I looked around and it looks like thermaltake has SOME REALLY NICE cases

- http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?C=1320&ID=1431
- http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?C=1319&ID=1425

But also this other company Moneual, very nice and sleek

- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811280022
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811280026

$449 for that last case... ew.

OP why do you need an HTPC case shaped like that? Why not just shove your build in a Fractal R3 or something and be done?

 

[ttechf]

$449 for that last case... ew.

OP why do you need an HTPC case shaped like that? Why not just shove your build in a Fractal R3 or something and be done?

Hey, I don't NEED a case shaped like that but I it makes a lot of of sense for me.

I want to save space. It also looks sleek and classy. I can easily put it on one of my glass shelves where my plasma tv sits on underneath.

I did a paint drawing to better depict what I WANT my setup to be with what I have to work with. I only have one room to work with.

http://i.imgur.com/Z3pV7.jpg

Right now, I do have a laptop, I have that tv, I have that desk on the right, I have that tv stand on the left already too. Only thing I don't have is that PC monitor I put on the desk and the HTPC on one of my free rack shelves on my glass tv stand. That glass tv stand and that glass desk are RIGHT SMACK DAB next to each other. From the right side of the tv to the left side of the glass desk, they are literally 6 inches apart. So I say why not have my computer on the glass rack? Run the cord to my monitor which sits on my desk? Also some of you may say, why not use just the tv as your monitor. I just don't want it. Plus the monitor I buy would end up being a bit nicer than the tv I have anyway. I just like still having an actual monitor that IS a monitor.

Well, I hope I answered that and maybe people have more input they can give me and case suggestions, lol. Thank you. : )

 

[Chapbass]

How about the Wesena E7T? No dual DVD drives, but the rest should work I think (assuming you can go microATX)

http://www.shop.perfecthometheater....-chassis-w-touch-screen-HTPC-e7T-B-w-logo.htm

 

[Raswan]

The bigger question should be why you need to put an i7k in an htpc, unless this is going to be doing double duty as your main for that PC monitor in the picture as well as an htpc.

 

[ttechf]

The bigger question should be why you need to put an i7k in an htpc, unless this is going to be doing double duty as your main for that PC monitor in the picture as well as an htpc.

Hey,

Yes. This will be my everything computer and i dont want to upgrade for many years so thats why i thought of the i5 or i7 processor. It will serve dual purposes.

Also, yes i will be using micro atx.

 

[Kenmitch]

Hey,

Yes. This will be my everything computer and i dont want to upgrade for many years so thats why i thought of the i5 or i7 processor. It will serve dual purposes.

Also, yes i will be using micro atx.

What kinda video card are you plan on running? Some of them can get pretty long.

 

[Zap]

I want to save space. It also looks sleek and classy. I can easily put it on one of my glass shelves where my plasma tv sits on underneath.

Check the DEPTH of the case, add a few inches for cables to run out the back, and then measure your glass shelf.

That Moneual Platinum is 19.5" deep. Add around 2.5" for cabling to go out the back, and you are at the front of the case being 22" from the wall, almost 2 feet! I've been in these situations before, where the HTPC stuck out past other equipment (AV receiver, etc.) and even out past the end of the shelf.

The Silverstone and Lian Li cases I mentioned earlier are not nearly as deep. For instance the Lian Li PC-C50B is a mere 12.8" deep and can still hold a decent sized graphics card and plenty of drives. I've had a GeForce GTX 460 in mine with Core i5, three 3.5" HDDs, one optical and one SSD - and it has room for 2 more 2.5" drives.

The simliar layout Silverstone cases aren't quite laid out as nice, but are cheaper (check Amazon - often same pricing as Newegg but with free shipping). Holds fewer drives and has less room for CPU cooler than the Lian Li, plus it may not work with graphics cards that have the power connector on top. Still, super inexpensive!

 

[ttechf]

What kinda video card are you plan on running? Some of them can get pretty long.

Im not running anything crazy, I think the few I was looking at the maximum length was like 9.6 inches. which seems to be nothing crazy.

 

[ttechf]

Check the DEPTH of the case, add a few inches for cables to run out the back, and then measure your glass shelf.

That Moneual Platinum is 19.5" deep. Add around 2.5" for cabling to go out the back, and you are at the front of the case being 22" from the wall, almost 2 feet! I've been in these situations before, where the HTPC stuck out past other equipment (AV receiver, etc.) and even out past the end of the shelf.

The Silverstone and Lian Li cases I mentioned earlier are not nearly as deep. For instance the Lian Li PC-C50B is a mere 12.8" deep and can still hold a decent sized graphics card and plenty of drives. I've had a GeForce GTX 460 in mine with Core i5, three 3.5" HDDs, one optical and one SSD - and it has room for 2 more 2.5" drives.

The simliar layout Silverstone cases aren't quite laid out as nice, but are cheaper (check Amazon - often same pricing as Newegg but with free shipping). Holds fewer drives and has less room for CPU cooler than the Lian Li, plus it may not work with graphics cards that have the power connector on top. Still, super inexpensive!

Okay, just measured from the front of my glass shelving to the back. That is 17.5 inches. Thanks for that. So anything more than 17.5 inches and it will start to stick out.

On the upper shelf I have 5.5 inches of clearance. On the lower shelf, I have 8 inches of clearance.

I'll have to check on some things. : )

 

[Fallen Kell]

Well, I think your request has just been answered. Looks like Lian Li just released a new case which might fit what you are looking for (well might be a little bigger then you were looking for but will will work in your lower shelf).

http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=580&cl_index=1&sc_index=26&ss_index=68

2x 5.25 bays, room for large air cooling on CPU, space for dual slot graphics card up to 14" in length... And it is just over 16" in depth, and 7" in height.

I think if I was in the market, that would probably be my next case (then again, I really do like that I can fit a Noctua NH-D14 in my current case, that would be 2cm too tall for this Lain Li case)

 

[Zap]

Okay, just measured from the front of my glass shelving to the back. That is 17.5 inches. Thanks for that. So anything more than 17.5 inches and it will start to stick out.

You will also want to consider the cables sticking out the back of the computer, because you won't be able to butt the computer against the wall. Look at the cables on the back of any computer you have, and see how many inches your computer has to be from the wall before damaging your cables. You'll probably have to add at least 2" to the depth to account for cables.