Where's a good place to find HTPC cases?

[bovinda]

I feel like there are a bunch of HTPC cases and HTPC cases out there, with no obvious source for reviews or links. Sure, Silent PC Review has occasional reviews, as does Anandtech, but is there any place with a good list of HTPC cases or case makers? The only two that I really know of are Silverstone and Lian Li.

 

[BoomerD]

A quick Googling sez...almost anywhere.

Newegg and Amazon are the two places I usually buy from.

(but I've never bought a dedicated HTPC case)

 

[bovinda]

Yeah...I've quick googled many a time, and I've browsed Newegg and Amazon quite a bit. Haven't come up with any great sources from my googles. And Newegg doesn't have a huge selection, and Amazon is organized horribly for searching for cases with features. They also don't have a section for HTPC cases specifically. So...still looking. Thanks though.

 

[Zap]

It depends on what you are looking for in an HTPC. Many brands have a token HTPC case and there are cheap ones and expensive ones. Also, some people consider any desktop style case to be HTPC-ish, while some won't consider it an HTPC unless it has an IR receiver, volume knob and VFD built-in. Some want their HTPC to be super small/thin like a DVD player, while others want to cram a full fledged gaming rig + file server into a monster full ATX HTPC chassis. Then of course there is the Thermaltake Mozart which some consider an HTPC chassis, even though it more closely resembles a small refrigerator than stereo equipment.

 

[bovinda]

Well...I guess kind of all of the above, since I mainly want to see what is out there. IR receiver, volume knob, and VFD are not requirements necessarily; I feel like I haven't seen or heard about a VFD yet that was well-integrated into an HTPC case.

In terms of form factor, full-size or slim design is ideal, as it at least be able to sit in the company of other AV equipment. If it's a nice looking horizontal case, that may be just fine, I suppose.

The lines I'm most familiar with are Silverstone's and Lian Li's, and now Thermaltake's (that Mozart you mentioned is kinda hiddy, isn't it - hard to imagine that sitting in a living room!). Any other suggestions are welcome!

 

[BoomerD]

http://www.xoxide.com/hometheater.html

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/Category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=3427

 

[MadScientist]

What's your budget? Lian Li and Silverstone make some excellent HTPC cases. I have the Lian Li PC-C37 Muse. It's only 4 1/4" tall, but will hold a full size PSU, 2-3.5" HDs, and 5.25" DVD drive. My second choice was the Silverstone Grandia GD05. Bigger than the Lian Li, cheaper, but a bit too tall for the shelf of my TV stand.

Here's a pic of my setup; Gigabyte GA-H55M-S2H micro H55 ATX MB, an i3-530 CPU, 4GB DDR3 G.Skill ram, my old Antec Neopower 480W modular PSU, a 500GB Hitachi HD, a Samsung SH223C DVD burner for now (may go blu-ray later), a Scythe Shuriken CPU heat sink, and a TRENDnet TEW-648UB IEEE 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 mini wireless adapter. I tried a low profile Airlink101 802.11g wireless PCI card but was getting dropouts when streaming video and internet disconnects.
I'm satisfied with the quality of the onboard Intel HD graphics with my 50" LG plasma TV so I have no immediate plans to install a video card.
I use an HDMI cable from the MB to the TV for video/sound and a S/PIF (toslink) cable from the MB to my receiver for surround sound through my speakers.

http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product04.php?cl_index=1&sc_index=26&ss_index=68

http://www.silverstonetek.com/

 

[Zap]

My second choice was the Silverstone Grandia GD05.

That would be my first choice if I were to buy one today. I currently use an Antec NSK2480 which is the same chassis as one of their Fusion HTPC cases. The GD05 is actually somewhat similar, but what I like about it is that it is not as deep. I hate HTPC cases that are so deep they end up sticking out past your other equipment.

 

[Slugbait]

...and Amazon is organized horribly for searching for cases with features

Searching Amazon for anything can be very painful.

I was in the same boat six months ago, and almost made a bad choice because I was concerned about price. Fallen Kell gave me several much better options, and the prices weren't too much more...so I went with the Silverstone LC-17B. Dumped all other components except my ES receiver, and people who come over think the LC-17 is a pre-amp until they notice the bay covers.

IMO, the LC-17's front panel is cleaner than the Grandia series. And it has a second external bay, and appears to have more internal working room. The LC-20 seems to have the same chassis, but different front panel...the 5.25" bay door really turns me off. I still occassionally look around at HTPC cases, but if I had to choose again today, I'd still go with the LC-17.

The only bummer: the LC-17 was almost tall enough to take my Tuniq Tower. If quiet+effective CPU cooling is important to you, there should be numerous aftermarket HSFs that will fit well.

 

[SirGCal]

My problem is there just isn't an HTPC case that I truely desire... There's always something about them that I'd rather have different... I've 4 HTPCs in the home right now and I'm very happy with their performance but not one of the cases is what I would call 'ideal'. I keep looking though. I search for cases through the manufacturer's websites then google to find who has the ones I'm after. So far Newegg has the best searchable listing, but for HTPC or uATX or slim or other small form factor cases, they just don't have a ton. I've ordered a few direct and while they all tend to work just fine, none have 'blown my skirt up' per-say... I just keep looking or if I get bored enough, maybe I'll cut my own.

 

[bovinda]

Hey guys, thanks for the feedback. This thread has given me some good ideas. I'll just need to keep my eyes open.

The Silverstone Grandia GD05 is actually the most recent case I've used for an HTPC build about a month ago. It is nice. The only things I would've liked on it would've been a 3.5" external slot (for a multimedia reader), an IR receiver, and a slim form factor (like SirGCal says, hard to find one that's just right). But it was easy to work with, looks nice overall and fits well with my receiver.

Silverstone's new Milo case also looks interesting to me, though still not perfect.

Some of the nmedia cases on Newegg look interesting, but I just don't have any idea about the build quality of those cases or how quiet they might be (quiet is very important too, of course, although I know it's largely a function of the fans and coolers used).

 

[bovinda]

...the 5.25" bay door really turns me off.

I agree; I don't like bay doors in HTPC cases generally, though that's just me. I liked the LC-17 and 20 a lot otherwise.

Anyone had a display module they've used that they liked in particular? Either included as a VFD or an aftermarket one you fit into a 5.25" drive spot? I've always wondered about those, they seem like they could be cool if you found one that worked well.

 

[Slugbait]

Not many people splurge on something like that, so it's hard to get decent recommendations. The following looked pretty cool:

http://www.amazon.com/Antec-30125-Elite-Multimedia-Station/dp/B001B8Y09C

Everything else is around $100. Silverstone also sells cases with VFD (including the Lascala series), but they sell for about $100 more than a case without VFD. So $30 for that Antec one might turn out to do what you need at a bargain price. A guy at TGB seems to have gotten it working well with MCE: http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/t/96091.aspx