POLL: Which HTPC case do you find more attractive?

Based on looks alone, which case do you find more attractive and would be more welcome along with your other AV gear?
Keep in mind, that although you cannot see the LCD on the first one, it is indeed the same as the other one.

Antec Fusion Black


Thermaltake DH101

I'm pretty sure it's brushed as well. Perhaps that angle isn't the best.

Both of the above are very nice cases. I like the Thermaltake because it hides the front USB & audio hookups. That makes it less obvious that its a PC in the living room. Also, I like the two-tone aluminum which would match either black or silver AV gear. Plus, the Fusion cases have become the typical case to use in HTPC builds it seems, and I like things that stray from the ordinary.

I wish my Soundgraph front panel had the black background with blue lettering like the picture shows. My case has the opposite: blue background with black letters and I think it's too bright.

I have the Moneual Moncaso 832P:



According to Soundgraph's website, they have all sorts of different combinations for LCD displays that are available for OEM. The website doesn't give any purchasing info though. I guess you have to contact their sales dept.

Have you looked at silverstone's offerings?

How about ditching the VFD. This is what I rock at home, I spent under $120 on it:

Otherwise do the Antec. What is the price range anyway? Does the antec fit full ATX. IIRC i didn't get it because it was mATX or used half height PCI cards.

The advanced cooling properties and silent operation make my antec a winner. I can barely hear the zalman video card cooler in it.

In My case yes:
Asus P5K, Old mobo didn't have enough slots & space for Radeon HD2600XT, Wifi Card (no ethernet in livingroom), & TV Tuner, both existing PCI cards. PCI slots blocked space for cooling on HD2600. Modern mATX have 1, maybe 2 PCI slots. And PCI-e is still sadly underutilized (slowly starting to change). I still want to add a PCIe TV Wonder 650 Pro Dual Tuner HD combo card.

Although the new amd solutions with HD3200 graphics on board would make me think about going mATX.

Antec Fusion Black + AMD 780G (w/ HD3200) + Athlon64 X2 4850e & Giant passive cooler FTW.

http://www.hothardware.com/article [...] _Preview_/

Thermaltake.

If it's sitting in the living room you don't want usb ports showing

Yeah, my left brain tells me the Antec is the way to go, and it would seem to offer better cooling/air flow. But, I'm a sucker for aesthetics, and concealed ports, in addition to the more meaty look of the Tt case, is pretty attractive IMHO. But, I can't help but think that the Tt would also keep things moving inside with its front 120mm fan and very good ventilation throughout. As for price, they can be bought for the same price now, aside from the lacking PSU in the Tt. That Zalman is pretty sweet too!

OK, its nowhere in the same league as those, but I love it anyway:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applica [...] u=ULT33116

This will contain a 4850e and Gigabyte 780G. Total power should be 60W idle and <120W load!

I voted Antec because its a little slimmer and i like the dual side fans.

MATX should be good enough for a HTPC and AMD's new chipsets would work great.

NEITHER! I'm pretty set on the Omaura TF11 from Dell with the OLED display kit. One sweet price BTW on a very high quality chassis - way better than that Thermaltake. Thanks for recommendations!

Hmmm...

I've been looking for an appropriate case for my next HTPC for several months now. The one I keep coming back to the same one:

SILVERSTONE Black Aluminum Crown Series CW02B-MXR ATX Media Center




Basically my criterias are as follows:

1. ATX Mobo compatible
2. At least 6 drive bays
3. Tall enough for a 150mm heatsink (my current Scythe Ninja Plus)
4. 120mm Exhaust fan, but 80mm is acceptable.
5. Good ventilation


My only concern is that I've read it only takes up to a 12" x 9" mobo. My MSI 975X Platinum is 12" x 9.5". Yet there is no other case (excluding the silver version) that meets most of my requirements.

I suppose I will take my chances and order this case. If necessary I will buy another mobo that's no larger than 12" x 9".

How much is it? I see $220 for just the case. What about your display and PSU?

I thought that would be way out of the budget.