Ideal HTPC case? CoolerMaster ATC 611 GX1

[LeadMagnet]

I would like to hear what my fellow HTPC nuts think of this case.
CoolerMAster ATC-611-GX1

Specification :
Dimension (WxHxD): 423 x 140 x 445 mm
M/B Type: ATX
Weight: Case: 6.5 kg
Expansion Slots: 7
Material: All Aluminum Alloy
5.25" Drive Bay: 2 ( Exposed )
USB Port: Dual USB Ports and IEEE 1394 port 3.5"
Drive Bay: 1 ( Exposed ) ; 2 ( Shadow )
I/O Bracket: Standard ATX
P/S: Optional power supply unit 300 / 400 W
Cooling: 60 x 60 x 25 mm fan attached back side panel(exhaust)

I have emailed the company about the when/where to buy info but have gotten no reply. Have you guys herd anything?

I would love to get it, expecialy if it is simalry priced as the ATC-620 which is sub $100.

 

[Nerdwannabe]

They have problem locating a powerful enough power suppy (300W +) in flex ATX format.

I am using an ATC-620 at home right now and it blends in well with my receivers.
ATC-620 is the steel version of ATC-610, but front remains aluminum.

 

[LeadMagnet]

Nerdwannabe - What you said bring me to think that since it is all aluminum it will be priced like a ATC-610 or ATC-630 around $200, how does your case work as far as ventilation and handling noise?

 

[Nerdwannabe]

I am running the system with Durn 850, so there isn't much heat concern.

There is only one 60x60x25mm exhaust fan with the case. I disconnected the fan to eliminate all possible noise maker. Case temp stays around 30~35C with no fans. Now I have to figure out a way to quiet that noisy DVD rom.

 

[LeadMagnet]

Maybe rubber washers on the mounting screws would help?

 

[Zap]

I'm still waiting for the Antec Fusion Media Center case to become available. $110 plus $18 shipping for a good quality steel case with an Antec True380 power supply. It matches normal stereo equipment at 17" wide and supports standard ATX motherboards and power supplies. Sure, it doesn't match mini stereo components, but does match the full sized ones. Antec took some pains to make the case quiet, including using rubber grommets in all the hard drive mounts and leaving out the backside 80mm fan in the power supply (retaining the inside 92mm fan).

One problem with the case... not available yet. I've been waiting for it for a month. Originally it was supposed to become available around 3/17 or so, then it got pushed to 3/22, then 3/27. When 3/27 rolled around, still OOS but now no ETA.

 

[jagr10]

That Antec case you just posted a link to looks sweet.

 

[SMWinnie]

Originally posted by: Zap
I'm still waiting for the Antec Fusion Media Center case to become available. $110 plus $18 shipping for a good quality steel case with an Antec True380 power supply. It matches normal stereo equipment at 17" wide and supports standard ATX motherboards and power supplies. Sure, it doesn't match mini stereo components, but does match the full sized ones. Antec took some pains to make the case quiet, including using rubber grommets in all the hard drive mounts and leaving out the backside 80mm fan in the power supply (retaining the inside 92mm fan).

One problem with the case... not available yet. I've been waiting for it for a month. Originally it was supposed to become available around 3/17 or so, then it got pushed to 3/22, then 3/27. When 3/27 rolled around, still OOS but now no ETA.

Rumors on AVSforum indicate a five-week delay.

The other problem with this case is depth - 20".

 

[LeadMagnet]

Very nice a possible runner up

 

[Nerdwannabe]

20" depth will sure not fit in most stereo racks.

 

[Zap]

20" depth will sure not fit in most stereo racks

True. I'm going to have to build another stereo rack anyways (no more space) so I'm going to make sure this case fits. 20" is actually pretty deep, but not too much deeper than some components. For instance, rotary 5 CD changers typically are 16-18" deep. For the more archaic, turntables and laserdisc players were pretty deep. The benefit of the Antec case is low cost (relative to other HTPC cases) and standardized components (full-height cards, normal ATX power supply, normal ATX motherboard). The drawback is depth and weight (I've noticed some of these other HTPC cases are aluminum).

Rumors on AVSforum indicate a five-week delay.

Ah, well, darmnitshucksit! I'll keep waiting... got a few other projects to keep me busy right now. Replacing my "main" machine, plus just ordered another Shuttle mini-system to play with.

 

[LeadMagnet]

ZAP - What other components are you choosing for this system? Are you striving for low noise? What sound card?

 

[Zap]

Sound would be whatever's integrated into the motherboard. I'm not going to be playing any source that needs surround sound, so regular stereo sound is fine. I personally can't hear a difference between onboard sound and an add-on card, and any CPU hit is negligible for my purposes.

Low noise is a must, to a certain extent. I don't care about it being totally silent since when it's running I will be listening to the stereo, but I don't want it noisy. At this time I think I'll use a Zalman CNPS-3100+ on a Celeron 1.1A (may or may not overclock it, currently it's at 1.46GHz with a different cooler). Video card will be a Radeon 7500AIW. Hard drives will probably be some 60GB Maxtor 540X (5400RPM) drives. I may insulate the hard drives from the chassis and may replace the HSF on the video card with something else. Really, it'll depend on how noisy it is after I put it together. I've noticed that higher quality cases such as the Antec (using thicker metals) seem to already be quieter than cheaper cases.

Though I'm not looking to build my HTPC machine immediately I will want to build it soon after I finish my current projects. If the Antec case continues to be unavailable I will end up using a case that I already have, an Aopen small server tower.

 

[jagr10]

can't find that case anywhere either. Is it really new? or has it been around for a while?

 

[Zap]

It's so new that nobody has it yet.

 

[SgtBuddy]

I like this case....$542 loaded though :Q

 

[Nerdwannabe]

It's really a work of art.

 

[LeadMagnet]

all I can say is WOW what a case!!! I wish I had $600 to spend on a case, but I can only spend that on the entire system.