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New Silverstone LC13 HTPC

It's a VERY, VERY NICE case indeed. I love the simple lines and the finish is just beautiful-- Glossy-smooth, reflective automotive enamel on the case and a solid aluminum bezel.

It went on sale in the U.S. last week. I'm definitely using one in the future for a build for a relative (I already have an LC03 and it's nice too).
 
I love my LC03. It's elegant with an understated, uncluttered appearance. It's built very solidly as well, all-metal construction. No plastic bezel parts unlike cheaper HTPC cases.

One does have to be willing to live with some limitations though-- Because it's so short at only 16 inches deep, it's going to be kind of cramped inside. For those people used to roomy towers, this can be a bit difficult to adjust to. You also have to use a quality 120mm-fan PSU like a Seasonic Super Tornado and an Arctic Silencer cooler for your vid card to keep the case temps down (I got those in mine, and my case temps never rise above 31C when ambient room temp is 25C, and my LC03 is an older version with just 1 60mm exhaust fan).

The other glaring limitation is the drive bay covers for the external 3.5" bays-- You will have to do some cutting and drilling to fit a hard disk behind one of those drive bay covers.

Overall, I am very pleased with my LC03.
 
i quite like the look of the LC13.

shame they couldn't produce something a little slimmer (read: 13cm high max) like the Coolermaster HTPC case...............
 
If you mean the Cavalier desktop case from Coolermaster, the only way Coolermaster could make it slim was by using a non-standard (shorter) PSU.

I don't think I like that compromise at all. That non-standard PSU ran hot and it was noisy, and worst of all, you can't change out the PSU, which was why I got rid of my Cavalier after just 1 month. 😛

Silverstone does have a low-profile MicroATX case though... The LC11. As with most MicroATX cases it does have a limited number of drive bays though.

I also got another HTPC using the Silverstone LC02. That one takes a Full ATX motherboard (!) in a package that is indeed under 12cm, but you are limited in the number of expansion slots because you need to use risers. And of course the PSU is also non-standard in this case, because of the limited amount of room available... Some may not find the non-standard PSU in the LC02 quiet enough or cool enough either, unfortunately.

My LC03 in its environs
The LC03 (closeup)

People who visit me usually couldn't tell if that LC03 was a computer, since it sits behind me (I'm using a wireless keyboard and mouse).

HTH.
 
Egads, where was this case a couple of months ago when I bought my LC03?

The LC13 probably would have solved my problems. The main problem (and it's a BIG one) with the LC03 is the 16" depth. This means the system memory on most motherboards is underneath the 5 1/4" drive bays and the memory almost touches the bay (if you have big heatsinks on the memory, forget it!). Also a moderately long video card in an LC03 simply will not fit (if you had something the length of a GeForce 6800 or FX5900 it probably wouldn't fit).

The LC13 looks almost identical to the LC03, except it's an inch deeper (17") and the cooling setup is a bit differant (it has a 92mm intake fan in the "normal" location instead of an 80mm intake underneath the 3.5" bay as-in the LC03).

I think the LC13 is a MUCH better case then the LC03. The only bad issue that seems to have carried over is there is still no reset button (one of those damnable "stick the paperclip in the hole" for a reset-button).

It looks like the LC13 is a winner. I wish it was available at the time I bought the LC03... the LC03 is too cramped for my liking. I'm still waiting to get my Enlight 7200 back from its custom-painting job... I'm having it professionally airbrushed midnight black. It's 18.8" deep, so I'll finally have a good-looking roomy desktop once I get it back.
 
the LC11 is a great case, ruined by a lack of good MATX AGP motherboards, and the lack of a PCI-E riser card alternative for the one good MATX PCI-E motherboard.

sort out either of these two problems and i would buy one in a shot.

is the Cavalier case likely to be any less noisy than your average silverstone case as both brands use a single medium sized intake, and two small outtake fans?

i would settle for a MATX case that could accept an ATX PSU laid flat so that the height stayed just tall enough to accept standard expansion cards, whilst keeping the width within the standard 430mm AV rack size.
 
You can get PCI Express risers HERE.

I guess you are going to get an LC11 now, hm? 😉

My LC03 is MUCH quieter than the Cavalier because I can put a quiet, well-vented PSU in there.
 
cheers, if that riser card will work with the Foxcon nForce4 board then i am on a winner.

the only other question is; has anyone seen a good review of the Foxcon MATX nForce4 board? i want to know if it uses the onboard Gig-E and firewall................
 
Yep, the 2U Rackmount PCIe 16x riser system (you need to buy both the riser and extender) will work with the Foxconn uATX mobo in the LC11 case.

Alternatively, you can get the one-piece combo 2U riser with 1 PCIe slot and 2 regular PCI-32 slots.

Basically the LC11 works like a MicroATX 2U rackmount case.
 
Thanks for all the info. Looks like I'll be waiting for the LC13 to hit the UK, or maybe look at one of them PCIX riser cards and an 11.....
 
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