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Why are all nice HTPC cases so expensive?!?!

V

VictorLazlo

Senior member
Why do the nice ones cost so much compared to normal cases? There isn't anything special about them that merits a higher price.

I'm looking for something along the lines of an Ahanix D.Vine 5, but $200 (case only) is a little rich for my blood.

Does anyone know of a good alternative (in the $100 range), or a place where I can get the D.Vine 5 for less?
 
I have no idea where to find cases for less, but to answer the question of why, it is because it is a niche market, and the people building this kind of PC want it to look good enough to go in their living room with the other HiFi equipment and are willing to pay the premium.

\Dan
 
expensive because they probably sell less of them than standard cases. It costs a lot of money to setup the manufacturing facilities, molds, etc. to make a case. So if they only sell a few thousand of one case verses twenty thousand of another, the cost per case goes way up on models that sell less.

Basically the same thing that EeyoreX said.
 
Originally posted by: Nerdwannabe
Cooler Master's ATC-620 is getting pretty close to $100.
Click to expand...

I second that recommendation, I just replaced the case on my HTPC from an Antec Sonata to a black 620 from Directron for $88.99. It's a pretty nifty case, fits full height PCI/AGP cards and a full size ATX powersupply (none of those gimpy 200w MATX powersupplies here!). Blends into my a/v rack alot better than the Sonata.
 
Originally posted by: Boogak
Originally posted by: Nerdwannabe
Cooler Master's ATC-620 is getting pretty close to $100.
Click to expand...

I second that recommendation, I just replaced the case on my HTPC from an Antec Sonata to a black 620 from Directron for $88.99. It's a pretty nifty case, fits full height PCI/AGP cards and a full size ATX powersupply (none of those gimpy 200w MATX powersupplies here!). Blends into my a/v rack alot better than the Sonata.
Click to expand...

I've set up a number of smaller desktop systems and have come to the conclusion that being able to run a full size ATX PSU is critical to having a quiet system. I have an ATC-600 which is pretty quiet even though the cooling is not great (nor does it need to be). But the smaller PSU's in small case just don't seem to move enough air unless they're at too high an rpm to be quiet. ATC-620 seems like another good choice.

 
Material
Front Panel 8mm Aluminum
Top Panel 1.5mm Aluminum
Side Panel 3.5mm Aluminum
Bottom Panel 4mm Aluminum
Cover 1.5mm Aluminum

There ya have it.
 
probably cause they're targeting a market that equates cost with value, extremely so.

Some of those guys will drop $5k on a pair of interconnects...
 
There are some cases for mATX mobos that would fit into the HT environment and aren't so large as cases like the DVine, etc. And don't carry the upmarket "prestige price".
. Look under Athenatech, Chenbro and Powmax/Leadman for some very neat examples.
.bh.
:moon:
 
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