SilverStone ML03 - A brief HTPC Case Review (with pics)

[Brainonska511]

I got tired of my HEC 6T mATX case as my HTPC case. It was cheaply built (but it was cheap, which is why I got it in the first place) and it didn't fit in my Ikea tv stand, the latter presenting a problem for when I move over the summer (it would be just something else to find a spot on the floor...).

Anyway, I picked up a SilverStone ML03 HTPC case. It fits mATX and mITX boards, with case dimensions (lxwxh): 13.4"x17.3"x4.2" - the perfect size to squeeze into my Ikea stand, which is relatively shallow - maybe 16" deep overall.

The ML03 can fit at least 2 3.5" HDDs, but I think that might be problematic if you also have the optical drive bay occupied, as I ran my PSU cables through the 2nd drive bay. It can also supposedly fit up to 5 2.5" hard drives (no optical drive installed).

Install in the case was really easy and they provide pretty detailed instructions. They also provided a plethora of screws as well as 4 rubber washers for installing a hard drive mounted directly to the case (I didn't use this method). They also provide a few places in the case to attach cable ties.

The only caveats:

1. Watch your PSU and optical drive length. I managed to squeeze in a Lite-On IHOS104 Blu-Ray drive (186mm) with a 380W Antec EarthWatts. I had to use a right-angle SATA connector with one of the shorter PSU connectors to get it to fit. And be sure to connect the drive to its cables before screwing it into place. They recommend nothing over 170mm for the optical drive paired with a 140mm PSU. They do not recommend modular supplies, as the connectors tend to add more to the PSU length and cause problems in the small space. I routed my cables trough an empty drive bay.
2. You'll need half-height cards with low-profile brackets for this case.
3. You'll also want to watch your HSF height. The maximum height is about 67 or 70mm. A stock Athlon HSF would be fine (can't say anything about Intel as I don't know). I stuck a Big Shuriken in (~58mm tall) - easy to install and very quiet.

My configuration:
Asus M4A785-M (mATX, AM2+/AM3)
AMD Athlon II 250
Big Shuriken HSF (with Tuniq TX-2 thermal paste)
4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800
ATI Radeon HD5450
Antec EarthWatts 380W
Lite-On IHOS-104 Blu-Ray drive
Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1250 (single-tuner card)
PCI wireless G card
2 Enermax 80mm UC-8EB fans (they're very quiet)


Some pictures:

Power supply installed; the black plastic thing in the front of the case is for mounting a hard drive (or two if using 2.5" drives).

Board, HSF, and cards installed, hard drive and blu-ray yet to be installed

Everything installed (including 2 exhaust fans in the front and rear on the left side) except for the top, optional crossbeam (which is used if you were planning on stacking equipment).

Crossbeam installed. It easily clears the Big Shuriken HSF. My cabling job is a little on the messy side, but there isn't much room to hide the mess.

Final product sitting in my TV stand. Just need to get a right-angle coax adapter so I can push it in a little further. The blue LED lights are little on the bright side too, in case anyone is wondering.

Overall, it's a very quiet system now compared to when it was in the HEC 6T case.

 

[LikeLinus]

I've got the same case for my home theater. It's a great little case and It's good quality for the cheap price. I threw in a 400watt Silverstone PSU that has a silent 120mm fan. I also used arctic cooling f8 pwm 80mm fans and the unit overall is near silent. Very impressed overall and would definitely recommend. I did not put an optical drive in the unit yet. I really have no need from one and install everything via USB.

 

[Brainonska511]

I've got the same case for my home theater. It's a great little case and It's good quality for the cheap price. I threw in a 400watt Silverstone PSU that has a silent 120mm fan. I also used arctic cooling f8 pwm 80mm fans and the unit overall is near silent. Very impressed overall and would definitely recommend. I did not put an optical drive in the unit yet. I really have no need from one and install everything via USB.

I saw a few setups without optical drives; my HTPC is my blu-ray player though. Thankfully, a Newegg reviewer or two had the same optical drive/PSU setup as I do, so I didn't have to guess that it would all fit. I used the Enermax fans because my motherboard has only one fan header outside of the 4-pin CPU, and its a 3-pin connector. Hooked one fan up to that header and the other exhaust fan is just connected directly to the PSU.

I just wish I had known about this case back when I built my HTPC, but I don't think it was available at the time (November 2010) and I was trying to do it as cheap as possible.

 

[LikeLinus]

I saw a few setups without optical drives; my HTPC is my blu-ray player though. Thankfully, a Newegg reviewer or two had the same optical drive/PSU setup as I do, so I didn't have to guess that it would all fit. I used the Enermax fans because my motherboard has only one fan header outside of the 4-pin CPU, and its a 3-pin connector. Hooked one fan up to that header and the other exhaust fan is just connected directly to the PSU.

I just wish I had known about this case back when I built my HTPC, but I don't think it was available at the time (November 2010) and I was trying to do it as cheap as possible.

Me too. The first case I got Amazon had the wrong dimensions and the case ended up being too deep for my home theater credenza. I then got an Antec NSK1380 and the PSU was DOA!!! So after all that I found the ML03 which is the perfect depth and height and I've been happy with it ever since!

That is why I used Arctic Cool PWM fans. You connect the first fan to the 3 pin motherboard connector and then the fans daisy chain! That way the motherboard controls the speed of all the fans. I have two of them on the side of the case. One in the back and one in the middle. The CPU is towards the back and figured that was the best placement.

 

[Brainonska511]

Me too. The first case I got Amazon had the wrong dimensions and the case ended up being too deep for my home theater credenza. I then got an Antec NSK1380 and the PSU was DOA!!! So after all that I found the ML03 which is the perfect depth and height and I've been happy with it ever since!

That is why I used Arctic Cool PWM fans. You connect the first fan to the 3 pin motherboard connector and then the fans daisy chain! That way the motherboard controls the speed of all the fans. I have two of them on the side of the case. One in the back and one in the middle. The CPU is towards the back and figured that was the best placement.

Interesting. The 3-pin header on my motherboard, according to the manual, is not controlled by QFan (Asus' PWM) and I don't know if it can actually be controlled. The Enermax fans I picked up are 1500RPM, but they are virtually silent. I have to bring my ear near the case to hear anything. Before, I could hear the default case fan in the HEC tower and the stock heatsink from the couch, ~6 ft away.

The ML03 is definitely nice for dimensions though; it's kind of funny, because I was originally just thinking about changing out the fan and HSF in the original tower case since they were loud and then I started looking through HTPC cases, just for the hell of it. Most were at least 16" deep and then I ran across the ML03, which was pretty cheap and had a very shallow depth, making me decide to just do a transplant.

Edit:
What I should do is open up PC Probe II and see what chassis fan speed is, since one of the fans is connected to the mobo header.

 

[LikeLinus]

Interesting. The 3-pin header on my motherboard, according to the manual, is not controlled by QFan (Asus' PWM) and I don't know if it can actually be controlled. The Enermax fans I picked up are 1500RPM, but they are virtually silent. I have to bring my ear near the case to hear anything. Before, I could hear the default case fan in the HEC tower and the stock heatsink from the couch, ~6 ft away.

The ML03 is definitely nice for dimensions though; it's kind of funny, because I was originally just thinking about changing out the fan and HSF in the original tower case since they were loud and then I started looking through HTPC cases, just for the hell of it. Most were at least 16" deep and then I ran across the ML03, which was pretty cheap and had a very shallow depth, making me decide to just do a transplant.

Edit:
What I should do is open up PC Probe II and see what chassis fan speed is, since one of the fans is connected to the mobo header.

Oh ok, that does make a difference. I'm using a Gigabyte ga-880ga-ud3h, so that makes sense. Good setup and nice case you have!!

 

[piasabird]

I don't much care for this kind of TV Cabinet approach. I went with an Intel Setup but I don't use a TV Card or a video card. I cant even afford cable so I just watch shows on the Internet.

Cooler Master Elite 130 with intake fan
Gigabyte Z87N-Wifi ac wireless/Bluetooth
CX430M Power supply. Turned upside down to suck the air off the top of the CPU cooler and out the back of the case.
Hard Drive
DVD drive

Intel 4330 i3 3.5ghz, 4meg cache, HD4600 graphics, 54w
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116945
Purchased for $125 during Christmas Sale but it still sells for about $139.99
I bought it for the better graphics the extra 1meg of Cache.

I bought that specific motherboard because I wanted Wireless so I can move my TV around.

 

[Brainonska511]

I recently upgraded my budget system with a new set of budget components: A Pentium G3240 (Haswell), a Gigabyte H81M-H board mATX board, 8GB of DDR3, and a Corsair Force LS 60GB SSD, and Windows 8.1. With the loss of WMC, I'm giving XBMC a run (but I haven't had enough time with that to evaluate it).

One thing I noticed - the Gigabyte mATX board was a bit smaller (it does have 1 less card slot and 2 RAM slots less) than the old Asus mATX board I had been using. This made cable management a little bit easier. And knowing what I know now, I took some more serious planning with cable management, routing some cables, such as the P4 connector, the front audio connector, and one of the fan cables under the board. For the other cabling, I found some more cable ties that came with the case, including a snap in piece for the mainboard connector, which held it in place a little more when routing it under the 3.5" drive stand (top right of the picture).

The SSD is hiding on a 2.5" mount under the front of the blu-ray drive, with room for another 2.5" drive between the PSU and the existing SSD. Or I could move the SSD over and install a 3.5" drive in the front bay under the optical drive.

This time I stuck with the stock HSF from Intel (I think I accidentally tossed the other parts for my Big Shuriken HSF, but that thing is a pain to install because it's so large and the clip points fall under the HSF). Unless it's running at full speed (which has happened once: when the computer turns on), I can't hear the thing. The other nice part of the Gigabyte board is that the front LED does not flash when it is standby, which is great, because the light is still very bright.