Htpc Media

Htpc Media

How to build a silent PC or Home Theater PC

Step 1 - Choose your case.

Although the availability of cases in small PCs factor increasingly widespread, as the availability of small form factor motherboards and components, the choices are not as varied as the cases of sizes standard components. Also, you'll realize that small form factor components tend to be more expensive.

The next thing you need to deal with the problem of heat. Cramming the latest technology in a tiny inevitably makes components that generate a huge amount heat (CPU, graphics card, northbridge, etc.) that is closer, so more emphasis on cooling. Even if you can cool the tiny platform Large fans you then encounter another problem, sound. Teeny-weeny sure your home theater PC is smaller than a poodle puppy and good looks to near your television, but it generates the equivalent of a 747 during takeoff. Defeats the object I think you'll agree.

Say goodbye to dreams of an ultra small HTPC because it'll just cause you headaches. Me personally, I functionality value on aesthetics, with that in mind I went for a huge case full tower PC that was built for operation Quiet and has the advantage of looking good too. I went into the Thermaltake Armor case in black. After a while you get used to the room before and it becomes integral part of everyday life. Remember that you do not have to put your HTPC near your TV, you can store behind the sofa. If your case will be on show it's a good idea to choose your components to match the color of a watch.

Step 2 - Choose your processor.

There are only 2 manufacturers of processor you should consider, Intel and AMD. There are other processor manufacturers, but they are relatively scarce and you will have trouble trying to find parts that are compatible. Personally, I have always been AMD processors with auto construction projects, they perform in conjunction with Intel and are usually cheaper compared to a comparable basis with Intel chips. Your choice of processor speed is entirely up to you, some people like to go for the fastest they can afford, if True, you need a processor fast enough, you do need to go too far if you are simply using the media center PC in the living room to watch television and listening to music. If you plan to use your media center PC for anything else such as games or video editing then you need really focus on buying a higher-end model of the processor. Do not forget that usually the faster processor, more it produces heat, and heat is the only thing we're trying to minimize due to cooling. In my HTPC I opted for an AMD Athlon XP 2400 +. This processor is far from fast by today's standards but it does work well using Windows Media Center 2005 (and Windows Vista) and faces quite well with games that I run on occasion. This processor is really cheap today as it was replaced, a quick search ebay sees some 2400 + XP processors selling for under £ 40. If I were building again today, I'd probably opt for a processor which correspond motherboard socket 940, as this would ensure that the PC is expandable in the future if I need.

Step 3 - Select your motherboard (or motherboard).

The motherboard will purchase your key, it might not be the most expensive component, but Choosing a motherboard can properly optimize the performance of all other components that will join it. You do not want to spend £ 200 on a processor that does not work to its capacity due to a bad choice for your motherboard you £ 50? Your choice of motherboard will be mainly determined by your choice of processor. If you chose an AMD XP 2400 + processor that I like then you must choose a Socket A motherboard. If you choose a processor Recent AMD as AMD Sempron 3600 + for example, then you'll probably need a socket 940 motherboard. If you have chosen a new Intel Pentium as D 930, you'll probably need a socket 775 motherboard. Look at the manufacturer's documentation that accompanies the processor and it will tell you what hold the card mother that he will fit into. Please note that you must buy the right motherboard that will fit your processor, otherwise the two together does not in anyway and they are quite incompatible.

Now you have determined what 'socket' of the motherboard you need, it's time to go around. Make sure you buy a motherboard with a chipset manufacturer decent as Nvidia (nForce chipset), Intel, VIA or (chipset motherboard manages data traffic between the processor, memory and peripherals you have installed). If you plan to use your Media Center PC primarily for watching TV and listening to music, then you may want to choose a motherboard with on a graphics card (integrated graphics card to the motherboard), aboard his card, and LAN card / wireless card. It would almost take care Most of the components you would need on a single board. If you use your Media Center to play at any point my advice would be to choose a motherboard that does not take into account the graphics card to integrated graphics motherboards, but they do the work of video display adequately do not tend to be powerful when it comes to games. You can also opt for a separate sound card that provides better sound quality while depends on the severity of the sound you are going to come from your HTPC, mostly I think the board would (hint: if to go on board sound or a separate sound card, make sure it capable of at least 5.1 surround sound for use when watching DVDs. Even if you do plan on using 2 speakers, these cards can be configured for 2 speaker output). In my HTPC I opted for the MSI K7N2 Delta-L socket A motherboard. It came with onboard LAN and onboard 5.1 sound but I chose to add a separate sound card for reasons I shall disclose later.

Step 4 - Choose your hard drive (HDD).

This should be pretty easy. More fundamentally, it is much better. Want more space than you can if you plan to record a large number of films and programs. Do not be tempted to go for the 10,000 rpm HDD models but as they are stronger and generate much heat, you probably will not see much of a performance gain by using this type of hard disk in a Media Center anyway. In my setup I went for the Maxtor DiamondMax 10 300 GB 7200 rpm IDE hard drive which is plenty of room for all my recordings of movies and music, I also use my Media Center PC as a file server for my other PC and laptop, so my suggestion is that nearly 300 GB of hard drive space will suffice. Be sure choose the type of hard disk interface connection that fits your motherboard, ie if your motherboard supports SATA interface choose a hard drive which also uses the SATA interface. Notice that the two interfaces (SATA and IDE) are not interchangeable. The latest motherboards come usually with two interfaces integrated into the card so you should not be a problem.

Hard drives are also a big contributor the problem of noise and heat, it might be a good idea to invest in a hard drive silencer / cooler, I want my HTPC to be as quiet as possible and I went to the Scythe Quiet Drive, which is a silent and cool hard drive in one.

Step 5 - Choose your memory (RAM).

The main thing to look for when buying RAM (Random Access Memory) is to make sure it is compatible with the motherboard you purchased. If your motherboard says it supports DDR400, so that means it only supports RAM is Double Data Rate (DDR) and only support RAM speed to 400MHz (RAM speed so that it works too). In some cases, if a motherboard says it supports up This also means that DDR400 will support the formats below, for example, a motherboard can also support DDR400 DDR333, DDR266 and DDR200 memory modules RAM. It should be noted that you can not use in a DDR SDRAM interface and vice versa. Another thing not to miss is that if your motherboard supports Dual Channel RAM. The idea behind Dual Channel RAM, is that you install two identical RAM modules on your motherboard in banks that are designated for Dual Channel operation. The data that comes from your processor is then effectively divided into two parts, the first part is sent to the RAM module first and second part is sent to the other RAM module. Because data are divided into 2 interlaced which has the theoretical effect doubling the read / write data that are sent and received by the processor. If that's the way you want to go with your HTPC then you should be looking for a kit Dual Channel RAM. It should be noted that just because your motherboard says it has dual channel capabilities this does not mean you have to use a kit Dual Channel RAM, you can simply use the module 1 of RAM if you want and it will still do the job, but not as fast as it could be. Once you've determined the speed and type of RAM required, it is time to look at how RAM you really need. Again my opinion is bigger is better, but do not go over. I used a Corsair 1GB DDR 400 Dual Channel Kit (2 identical modules of 512 MB of RAM) in my setup and runs perfectly.

Stage - 6 Choose your DVD drive.

It's pretty simple, because you will need a DVD player capable of playing all formats of disc, and also able to write to all disk formats when you need Backup movies or music, have a dual-layer DVD writer + R and-R formats. The speed with which he writes is totally up to you, generally more fast it can write on a disc the more expensive it will be. Make sure you choose one with a color that will match your case, but where he will hold out like a sore thumb. In general, a good brand of DVD burner that will write all formats cost around £ 30. The brand of DVD burner I chose is a LiteOn. I had much experience with this manufacturer of DVD players and I can tell you they are a good value for money.

Step - 7 Choose your graphics card.

If you opted for the motherboard with the graphics card you can skip this part because it does not apply. If you chose to go for a graphics card so I guess it's because you also intend to use your Media Center PC for gaming. With this option, the sky is the limit with graphics cards, high-end cards can cost you more than all other components of the PC combined. I found by experience the cards that cost about £ 120 for the brand in general work very well with games and they will not break the bank. Do not forget that the most powerful the graphics card then usually the hotter and more cooling to be applied. Graphics cards are known to have cooling Worst poll fans that whine just the right height that crazy. If you chose to go for a graphics card then it might be helpful to this small more and buying a fanless heatsink to go with it. This is the option I went and you'll really appreciate in the long term. Note also the different types of production on the card such as S-Video, etc., as this whether the card is compatible with the entries your current TV.

Step - 8 Choose your diet.

Power generally be quite noisy because of the amount of energy they have to face during the implementation of all components of your system. Remember the power generally = heat = noise cooling. If you have an unlimited budget so I would say to go for a fanless power supply as they are ideal, they generally have large radiators and pipe technology using heat to dissipate heat. The disadvantage of this is that they cost a small fortune for one who is any good. My recommendation would be to go for a power supply with a fairly large, which is presented as "silent" and includes a 120mm fan. Remember that you need a diet that can provide more power than the sum of the maximum power all the elements that make up your system. My general experience with power is that you can not really trust it says on the box. If he says he is quiet and costs £ 10, then what you can find is that it is silent about one minute before turn it on, once you turn it on it looks like a small hovercraft! To achieve a quiet power about using a large fan is really a case of getting what you pay. In my opinion, you must pass between £ 30 and £ 40 for decent food that could be called silence, unless you're feeling brave, you can do what I have done. I'm pretty reluctant to spend money where I think I'm torn. In the case of so-called decent "silent" power supplies, I think people are supported on the odds for what is basically a bog standard power a fan with a little better (no doubt someone will tell me the other factors justifying feed costs more). In this spirit, I took my 500W power supply Qtec "silent" 120mm fan which costs £ 15 (this power is about as close to silent as possible) and have exchanged the fan for a really silent Zalman fan SilenX 120mm Vario Puresilence. Hey presto a diet very very quiet and all costs, it was £ 25 in total and a little screwdriver action!

* WARNING * If you choose swap your power supply fan to another as the manufacturer's specifications, then you do so at your own risk. It could cause a fire and will certainly invalidate your warranty. I will not be held responsible for any damage that may occur due to a malfunction in your diet.

Step 9 - Choose your cooling.

Now This is a biggy, what you want is as much cooling as possible a number of case fans. While being as quiet as possible is most fans better, bigger fan rotation is slow (While offering the same air flow) = less noise. You might also want to think about exchanging the standard radiators, which come with your CPU, northbridge chipset and graphics cards without the fan. I have already chosen a graphics card that came with a heatsink without a fan if it was just a matter of finding a heat sink without appropriate fan for my CPU and the northbridge. There were many options to choose from, but I opted for the Thermaltake SilentTower which cost £ 20 from DCS Doncaster for my processor because it will run fine without a fan, but you can also add 2 large 90mm fans for cooling extra if you want. For my northbridge I opted for the Zalman ZM-NB47J Silent Heatsink mother was £ 6.00 QuietPC. Of course, if you are fanless radiators will use in your configuration, then it puts more emphasis on the need for case fans, if you have not exhausted by adequate heat in your case, then the heat from your radiators warm all components of your system and compromise, so performance, or worst case a component fails. This is the main reason I chose the Thermaltake Armor case, it has loads of ventilation and is supplied with 2 x 120mm x 90mm 2 fans silent. If you need to buy silent fans, I recommend the website of Pure Silence. I bought one of the 120mm fans silent from their site to replace that of my diet and I can confirm that they are fatally silent.

I also recommend that you buy a fan speed controller, it is usually a device that fits in a 5.25-inch bays at the front of your PC It lets you control the exact speed of your fans, it means that you can make your PC quieter than you'd like, but also be able ramp-up all the fan speed if you need that little extra cooling.

I opted for the Thermaltake Hardcano13 which cost £ 36.75 from DCS Doncaster because it matched my case and also came with a card reader to boot.

Step 10 - Choose your TV tuner card.

There are many different options that you can go when choosing a TV tuner card. Some cards are just a tuner Simple analog, some digital HDTV capabilities, some have 2 tuners on the same card that you can watch one channel while recording another, and some are combinations of the above. You must think to yourself what you use your PC for it just to watch television or do you plan to download videos from your camcorder anytime soon, if the answer is yes, then you want a kind of AV input.

Bearing in mind that all TV is due to switch to digital transmission in the United Kingdom, and the advent digital HDTV, I opted for the Dvico Fusion HDTV DVB-T tuner double that cost 114.95 pounds from theglowlounge. This card comes with a remote well built, works great, and also has an AV input, you can read a detailed critique of this card johnsreviews.

Step 11 - Choose your equipment.

Now that you've selected all the components necessary it is time to choose your testers. You have the option of the classic style of the TV remote or you can be really flashy and go on a media center keyboard complete, or both!

Microsoft makes good quality products for Windows Media Center, which is of course 100% compatible and require little in the way put in place. There are many other third party products that are well worth watching though, I chose to go for the Logitech Cordless Desktop S 510 Media Remote with which costs £ 49.99 from Dixons what we, the remote takes some setting up due to the customizable keys, but nothing too difficult even if you have little experience with computers. What I liked about this remote is that it is smaller than most other Media Center remotes, and it has a unique scroll wheel in the center that lets you fly through the menus and TV guides to speed of lightning! Most of the Media Center remote will work, it all comes down to a matter of personal taste.

Step 12 - Assembly.

So that's what you've selected all your components, set all in front of you, but have no idea where to start. Well, I could spend another month writing pages and pages of instructions on how to install and configure all components PC for optimal performance, but I think the following videos can explain equally well and in less time!

Please note that educational videos for the construction of general PC, but exactly the same principles apply to the construction of a PC Home Movies.

About the Author

You can find more reviews and how to's by visiting John's Reviews

nMEDIAPC Black HTPC 1000B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $69.99 Combining silence, style, easy media access convenience, and affordability, the new HTPC 1000 series is a state-of-art media center HTPC case with hair line brushed aluminum panel. When we design the case, we think what our end user is thinking. It's the right size for an AV case or build to place in a home theater environment. It's user friendly with expandable data storage space and runs quiet and cool. If that weren't enough, the HTPC 1000 includes all the options for a 20x2 LCD Media Center display and our award winning HTPCKB wireless Keyboard and Remote set for a complete HTPC solution. HTPC 1000 is superior in functionality as well as in design. Power Supply: No Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 4 Expansion Slots: 4 Slots / Full Size Front USB Ports: USB 2.0 x 2 Front Audio Ports: High Definition Audio x 2 (support AC 97) Front Card Reader: All in one Card Reader (SDHC 2.0 compliance - high capacity & speed)

nMEDIAPC Black HTPC 5000B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $49.99 Combining silence, style, easy media access convenience, and affordability, the new HTPC 5000 series is a state-of-art media center HTPC case with hair line brushed aluminum cover and acrylic mirror panel. When we design the case, we think what our end user is thinking. It's the right size for an AV case or build to place in a home theater environment. It's user friendly with expandable data storage space and runs quiet and cool. If that weren't enough, the HTPC 1000 includes all the options for a 20x2 LCD Media Center display and our award winning HTPCKB wireless Keyboard and Remote set for a complete HTPC solution. HTPC 5000 is superior in functionality as well as in design. Power Supply: No Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX / Mini-ITX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 4 Expansion Slots: 4 Front USB Ports: USB 2.0 x 2 Front Audio Ports: High Definition Audio x 2 (support AC 97) Front Card Reader: All in one Card Reader (SDHC 2.0 compliance - high capacity & speed)

nMEDIAPC Red Wood HTPC 8000 ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $89.99 nMediaPC is proud to introduce the first Wooden HTPC Case. The classic looking HTPC 8000 case not only will meet your HTPC needs, with its smart internal design, it can easily surpass any gamer's expectations. It supports full a ATX motherboard; ATX PSU and all full length video cards. It also features one 140mm case fan to make your build a completely silent system. Direct air flow from front to back design improves the heat performance significantly. Not enough? Feel free to add two 92mm fans in the front, behind the panel. Power Supply: No Motherboard Compatibility: ATX, Micro-ATX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 4 Expansion Slots: 7 Front USB Ports: USB 2.0 x 2 Front Audio Ports: High Definition Audio x 2 (AC 97 compliance) Front Card Reader: All in one Card Reader (SDHC 2.0 compliance - high capacity & speed)

nMEDIAPC Black HTPC 2000B ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $89.99 The nMediapc HTPC 2000 Series let you build an HTPC that won't look out of place when you put it with the rest of your A/V equipment. It supports all standard form factor ATX/Micro ATX/ITX components and allows six HDDs in this case to meet your media center storage needs. So, with the right choices in components this one box can eliminate a number of standard AV components. Keeping all the components cool it comes with two 80mm case fans and one 120mm HDD fan. Top and side vents are included to help with air flow. Power Supply: No Motherboard Compatibility: ATX, Micro ATX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 6 Expansion Slots: 7 Front USB Ports: USB 2.0 x 2 Front Audio Ports: High Definition Audio (AC 97 compliance also) Front Card Reader: All in one Card Reader (SDHC 2.0 compliance - high capacity & speed)

nMEDIAPC Black HTPC 6000B ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $69.99 The nMediapc HTPC 6000 Series let you build an HTPC that won't look out of place when you put it with the rest of your A/V equipment. It supports all standard form factor ATX/Micro ATX/ITX components and allows six HDDs in this case to meet your media center storage needs. So, with the right choices in components this one box can eliminate a number of standard AV components. Keeping all the components cool it comes with two 80mm case fans and one 120mm HDD fan. Top and side vents are included to help with air flow. Power Supply: No Motherboard Compatibility: ATX, Micro ATX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 5 Expansion Slots: 7 Front USB Ports: USB 2.0 x 2 Front Audio Ports: High Definition Audio x 2 (support AC 97) Front Card Reader: All in one Card Reader (SDHC 2.0 compliance - high capacity & speed)

nMEDIAPC Black HTPC 7000B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $79.99 Power Supply: No Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 3 Expansion Slots: 4 Slots / Full Size on length and height Front USB Ports: USB 2.0 x 1; USB 3.0 x 1 Front Audio Ports: High Definition Audio x 2 (AC 97 compliance) Front Display: Blue Text 20X2 Programmable LCD display module with Internal USB connector, support Windows, Media Center Edition 2005, Vista and Window 7 Media Center Edition operating systems. (Optional, not included)

nMEDIAPC Silver HTPC 5000S Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $79.99 Power Supply: No Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 4 Expansion Slots: 4 Front USB Ports: USB 2.0 x 2 Front Audio Ports: High Definition Audio x 2 (support AC 97) Front Card Reader: All in one Card Reader (SDHC 2.0 compliance - high capacity & speed)

nMEDIAPC Black HTPC 1080P Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $49.99 Power Supply: No Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX / Mini-ITX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 3 Expansion Slots: 4 Front USB Ports: Yes Front Audio Ports: High Definition Audio x 2 (support AC 97) Front Card Reader: All in one Card Reader (SDHC 2.0 compliance - high capacity & speed)

nMEDIAPC Silver HTPC 1000S Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $79.99 Power Supply: No Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 4 Expansion Slots: 4 Slots / Full Size Front USB Ports: USB 2.0 x 2 Front Audio Ports: High Definition Audio x 2 (support AC 97) Front Card Reader: All in one Card Reader (SDHC 2.0 compliance - high capacity & speed)

hec Black ITX ITX200B Mini ITX Media Center / HTPC Case $49.99 The HEC ITX200B HTPC case offers stylish design that blends beautifully into your media center! The sleek black exterior is constructed of 0.7mm thick SECC Japanese steel. Convenient front I/O panel allows easy access to 2 USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA connector, and audio in/out. Detachable case feet allow you to stand the case on its bottom or side. Inside the case, you’ll find a motherboard tray to support your Mini-ITX motherboard and adequate space for one 5.25" slim ODD and one 3.5� internal drive. The side and top vents and 60mm rear exhaust fan will keep everything cool, and the included 200-watt Active PFC power supply will keep it all running smoothly! The Hec ITX200B offers your HTPC system superior style and function. Power Supply: 200W Motherboard Compatibility: Mini ITX Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 1 Front USB Ports: Yes Front Audio Ports: Yes Front eSATA Ports: Yes 60mm Fans: 1 x 60mm rear-mounted cooling fan Features: Slim ODD x 1 Built-in CAG1.1 Air Guide Top cover vent holes support Intel Fly Creek and Eklo main-steam Mini ITX MB Thermal Request Default with HEC120SNFX Power Supply Could be vertical stand up as a tower or horizontal desktop Come with two foot stands Optional intrusion switch supported Optional latch kits on back cover Optional metal covers for drive bays Optional liner conductive spring for PCI slots

APEX Black DM-318 Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $46.99 Apex’s DM-318 case is a great choice for instances where you don’t have a lot of space for a system. It would work well in kiosks or as a video wall controller. You could also use it to control information signs in a hotel or airport. Its small size would also make it a good choice for a HTPC. The drive bay housing tilts up for easy installation. There are two external bays, one 5.25� and one 3.5�. There is also a 3.5� hard drive bay. The front panel also has a FireWire, two audio jacks and two USB ports. Once everything is installed put the lid back on and you’re good to go. Power Supply: ATX12V Flex 275W Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX / Flex ATX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 External 3.5" Drive Bays: 1 Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 1 Expansion Slots: 4 Low-Profile Expansion Front USB Ports: Yes Front FireWire Ports: Yes

APEX Black DM-387 Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $39.99 Apex’s DM-387 case is a great choice for instances where you don’t have a lot of space for a system. It would work well in kiosks or as a video wall controller. You could also use it to control information signs in a hotel or airport. Its small size would also make it a good choice for an HTPC. The drive bay housing tilts up for easy installation. There are two external bays, one 5.25� and one 3.5�. There is also a 3.5� hard drive bay. The front panel also has two audio jacks and two USB ports. Once everything is installed put the lid back on and you’re good to go. Power Supply: Flex 275W Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX / Flex ATX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 External 3.5" Drive Bays: 1 Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 1 Expansion Slots: 4 Low-Profile Expansion Front USB Ports: Yes Front Audio Ports: Yes

APEVIA Black X-MASTER-BK/500 ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $79.99 The X-Master boasts improved cooling over previous models, a 500W PSU with its own 120mm fan, durable steel handle for easy portability, and a unique, modern black exterior. Its dual 80 mm rear fans sport blue UV light. The front panel gives you On/Off switch, reset button, two USB 2.0 ports, 1 FireWire, and 2 audio ports. The interior features bays for two external 5.25� drives, a 3.5� external drive, an internal 3.5� drives, a motherboard tray, which supports ATX, Micro ATX or Baby AT motherboard, and 7 expansion slots. The case can be positioned horizontally as a tower, or vertically as a desktop. Whether you’re building from the ground up, or looking to upgrade your current HTPC system, the X-Master is a black blend of style and function. Power Supply: 500W Motherboard Compatibility: ATX, Micro-ATX, Baby AT External 5.25" Drive Bays: 2 External 3.5" Drive Bays: 1 Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 1 Expansion Slots: 7 Front USB Ports: Yes Front FireWire Ports: Yes

XION HTPC Series XON-810PCB-RD icro ATX / Mini ITX Slim Desktop Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case w/ 450W Power Supply $50.99 Give your home theater PC a kick in the case with Xion XON-810PCB-RD HTPC case. As all other products, Xion skimped on nothing when it made this stylish case: all the options were included, all the requirements exceeded, and it's a knockout value. They started with the basics -- the fans. The designers went big for maximum air flow with an 80mm top exhaust fan. A plethora of features such as dual vents design, 5 in 1 card reader, smooth edge and dual position setup-vertical and horizontal make this case a good asset for your HTPC system. The included 450W PSU can handle all power needs of your components. As an added bonus, a premium keyboard & mouse set with multimedia hot key functions makes controlling your system a breeze. Power Supply: Yes, 450W Power Supply Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX / Mini ITX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 1 Expansion Slots: 4 (Mini Slots) Front USB Ports: USB x 2 Front FireWire Ports: No Front Audio Ports: Audio x 2

nMEDIAPC HTPC 1080iP Typical 60W, Maxiaum 85W DC to ATX Integrated Power Module with DC Adaptor - for HTPC 1080i Case $29.99 Media Center PC or Home Theater PC must be "Quiet". So, to offer an integrated solution, nMEDIAPC brings in the modulated DC-to-ATX fanless HTPC 1080iP exclusively designed for the HTPC 1080i Mini-ITX case, which delivers high efficiency and green power that saves the energy. Fans: 0 Main Connector: 20+4Pin +12V Rails: Single PCI-Express Connector: No SATA Power Connector: 1 Input Voltage: 115 / 230 V Input Frequency Range: 50/60 Hz Output: +3.3V@5A, +5V@5A, +12V@3A, -12V@0.1A, +5VSB@1A

SILVERSTONE Black GRANDIA GD04B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $86.99 The Grandia GD04 is an incredible product that combines years of SilverStone expertise in SFF (Small form factor) and HTPC (Home Theater Personal Computer) chassis design. It has a beautifully proportioned exterior and powerful thermal capability that rivals the best tower chassis. From the front, the GD04 is shaped similarly to most home theater components, but the depth was reduced to a mere 323mm. This overall size of 21.5 liters in volume actually makes the case one liter smaller than SilverStone’s own Micro-ATX Sugo cases! Even though GD04’s diminutive size allows it to easily integrate into any home theater cabinet, it can still accommodate an impressive list of standard components such as 5.25� optical drive, two 3.5� hard drives, a 2.5� SSD, a standard ATX power supply, and two high-end graphics cards up to 11 inches. Cooling duty in the GD04 is handled by three filtered 120mm fans designed with the same positive air pressure as the Fortress FT01, this enables class-leading cooling efficiency, red Power Supply: No Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: Internal: 3.5" x 2 , 2.5" x 1 or 3.5" x 1 , 2.5" x 2 Expansion Slots: 5 Front USB Ports: Yes Front Audio Ports: Yes 120mm Fans: 2 x 120mm right side intake fans 1 x 120mm left side intake fan

SILVERSTONE Black MILO Series ML03B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $59.99 Continuing where the popular Grandia GD05 left off, the Milo ML03 HTPC case again combines the full size features of Grandia series with small form factor dimensions. The slimmer Milo ML03 has a profile of 105mm height and 340mm depth, making it extremely easy to integrate into any living room furniture. Incredibly, this case can accommodate up to three 3.5� hard drives or five 2.5� HDD/SSD through its smartly designed drive cages that can mount either size without any use of adapters. For cooling, the ML03 can be fitted with up to four 80mm fans so users can choose to build a quiet system with low power components or a powerful HTPC with 140W CPU if needed. There are also numerous small touches including pre-cut hole for VGA (D-SUB) connector, Kensington lock support, and an additional full size expansion slot for installing extra motherboard I/O, fan controller, or accessories products such as CLEARCMOS. For those looking to build an HTPC with good expansion and cooling capability but has limited room a Power Supply: No Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX, Mini-DTX, Mini-ITX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 (compatible with one 3.5" HDD or two 2.5" HDD/SSD) Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 2 (compatible with one 2.5" HDD each) Expansion Slots: 4 low profile +1 utility Front USB Ports: USB 3.0 x 2 (backwards compatible with USB 2.0) Front FireWire Ports: No Front Audio Ports: audio x , MIC x 1

Antec Inc FusionRemoteMax Standard ATX HTPC case $310.08 The Fusion Remote Max enclosure delivers the ultimate home theater experience. This case features a stylish aluminum front bezel with an LCD a builtin IR receiver and a remote control to work with media center applications. Standard ATX motherboard support provides maximum hardware customizability in a home theater PC case.

LIAN LI Black PC-C33B ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $149.99 Power Supply: No Motherboard Compatibility: ATX / Micro-ATX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 2 Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 4 Expansion Slots: 7 Front USB Ports: Yes Front FireWire Ports: Yes Front Audio Ports: Yes

IN WIN Black IW-BQ656T.AD80TBL Mini ITX Media Center / HTPC Case $59.99 Power Supply: 80W Internal PSU (IP-AD80A7-2) Motherboard Compatibility: Mini ITX Front USB Ports: No Front FireWire Ports: No Front Audio Ports: No Front eSATA Ports: No Front Card Reader: No Remote Control Module: Yes

Moneual Black MonCaso 312B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $209.99 Power Supply: No Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 3 Expansion Slots: 4 Front USB Ports: Yes Front FireWire Ports: Yes Front Audio Ports: Yes

LIAN LI Silver PC-Q05A Mini ITX Media Center / HTPC Case $79.99 Power Supply: No Motherboard Compatibility: For intel DH-61AG only Side Air duct: No Features: HDD bay: 2.5" HDD x 2 Height: 1.85" Width: 11.18" Depth: 12.09" Weight: 1.77 lbs.

LIAN LI Black PC-Q09FNB Mini ITX Media Center / HTPC Case $149.99 Power Supply: Micor-ATX PSU / OPTPUT: 300W / Efficiency: 80% (80-PLUS) Include Motherboard Compatibility: Mini ITX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 Slim ODD Front USB Ports: USB 3.0 x 2 120mm Fans: 1 x 120mm Rear Fan Side Air duct: No Features: HDD bay: 3.5-Inch HDD x 1 / 2.5-Inch HDD x 2 CPU cooler height: 50mm Height: 5.31"

LIAN LI Silver PC-Q12A Mini ITX Media Center / HTPC Case $154.99 Power Supply: Micor-ATX PSU / OPTPUT: 300W / Efficiency: 80% (80-PLUS) Include Motherboard Compatibility: Mini ITX Front USB Ports: USB 3.0 x 2 80mm Fans: 1 x 80mm Top Fan Side Air duct: No Features: HDD Bay: 2.5-Inch HDD x 4 CPU cooler height: 55mm Height: 14.37" Width: 3.46"

LIAN LI Black PC-Q12B Mini ITX Media Center / HTPC Case $154.99 Power Supply: Micor-ATX PSU / OPTPUT: 300W / Efficiency: 80% (80-PLUS) Include Motherboard Compatibility: Mini ITX Front USB Ports: USB 3.0 x 2 80mm Fans: 1 x 80mm Top Fan Side Air duct: No Features: HDD Bay: 2.5-Inch HDD x 4 CPU cooler height: 55mm Height: 14.37" Width: 3.46"

LIAN LI Silver PC-Q15A Mini ITX Media Center / HTPC Case $179.99 Power Supply: Micor-ATX PSU / OPTPUT: 300W / Efficiency: 80% (80-PLUS) Include Motherboard Compatibility: Mini ITX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 Expansion Slots: 1 Front USB Ports: USB 3.0 x 2 120mm Fans: 1 x 120mm Front Fan Side Air duct: No Features: HDD Bay: 3.5-Inch HDD x 1 (Hotswap) / 2.5-Inch HDD x 3 VGA Card length: 250mm CPU cooler height: 100mm

LIAN LI Silver PC-Q09FNA Mini ITX Media Center / HTPC Case $149.99 Power Supply: Micor-ATX PSU / OPTPUT: 300W / Efficiency: 80% (80-PLUS) Include Motherboard Compatibility: Mini ITX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 Slim ODD Front USB Ports: USB 3.0 x 2 120mm Fans: 1 x 120mm Rear Fan Side Air duct: No Features: HDD bay: 3.5-Inch HDD x 1 / 2.5-Inch HDD x 2 CPU cooler height: 50mm Height: 5.31"

LIAN LI Black PC-Q15B Mini ITX Media Center / HTPC Case $179.99 Power Supply: Micor-ATX PSU / OPTPUT: 300W / Efficiency: 80% (80-PLUS) Include Motherboard Compatibility: Mini ITX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 Expansion Slots: 1 Front USB Ports: USB 3.0 x 2 120mm Fans: 1 x 120mm Front Fan Side Air duct: No Features: HDD Bay: 3.5-Inch HDD x 1 (Hotswap) / 2.5-Inch HDD x 3 VGA Card length: 250mm CPU cooler height: 100mm

LIAN LI Silver PC-Q18A Mini ITX Media Center / HTPC Case $159.99 Power Supply: No Motherboard Compatibility: Mini-ITX / Mini-DTX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 Expansion Slots: 2 Front USB Ports: USB 3.0 x 2 Front Audio Ports: HD Audio 140mm Fans: 1 x 140mm Front Fan 1 x 140mm Top Fan Side Air duct: No

LIAN LI Black PC-Q18B Mini ITX Media Center / HTPC Case $159.99 Power Supply: No Motherboard Compatibility: Mini-ITX / Mini-DTX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 Expansion Slots: 2 Front USB Ports: USB 3.0 x 2 Front Audio Ports: HD Audio 140mm Fans: 1 x 140mm Front Fan 1 x 140mm Top Fan Side Air duct: No

LIAN LI Silver PC-Q25A Mini ITX Media Center / HTPC Case $129.99 Power Supply: No Motherboard Compatibility: Mini-ITX / Mini-DTX Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 7 Expansion Slots: 2 Front USB Ports: No Front FireWire Ports: No Front Audio Ports: No Front eSATA Ports: No

LIAN LI Black PC-V353B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $169.99 Power Supply: No Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX / Mini ITX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 External 3.5" Drive Bays: None Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 2 Expansion Slots: 4 Front USB Ports: USB 3.0 x 2 Front FireWire Ports: No

LIAN LI Silver PC-V353A Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $149.99 Power Supply: No Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX / Mini ITX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 External 3.5" Drive Bays: None Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 2 Expansion Slots: 4 Front USB Ports: USB 3.0 x 2 Front FireWire Ports: No

LIAN LI Black PC-C50B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $159.99 Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX / Mini ITX / Mini DTX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 3 Expansion Slots: 4 Front USB Ports: USB3.0 x 2 Front Audio Ports: Yes Front eSATA Ports: Yes Front Card Reader: Yes

hec Black 7K09BBA30FNRX Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $59.99 Power Supply: 300W Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 External 3.5" Drive Bays: 1 Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 1 Expansion Slots: 4 Front USB Ports: Yes Front FireWire Ports: Yes

LIAN LI Black PC-C37U Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $149.99 Power Supply: 300W Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 1 ( With C-01 Aluminum ODD Bezel) Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 2 Expansion Slots: 4 Front USB Ports: USB 3.0 x 2 Front FireWire Ports: No Front Audio Ports: HD Audio

Moneual Black MonCaso 320B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $249.99 Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 3 Expansion Slots: 4 Front USB Ports: Yes Front Card Reader: SD/MMC/SDHC Card Reader Height: 4.13" Width: 17" Depth: 14.5"

Moneual Silver MonCaso 320S Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $239.99 Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 3 Expansion Slots: 4 Front USB Ports: Yes Front Card Reader: SD/MMC/SDHC Card Reader Height: 4.13" Width: 17" Depth: 14.5"

SILVERSTONE Black Lascala Series SST-LC13B-E-USB3.0 ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $124.99 Motherboard Compatibility: ATX, Micro-ATX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 2 External 3.5" Drive Bays: 2 Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 4 Expansion Slots: 7 Front USB Ports: USB 3.0 x 2 Front FireWire Ports: IEEE1394 x 1 Front Audio Ports: Audio x 1 MIC x 1

LIAN LI Black PC-C60B ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $189.99 Power Supply: No Motherboard Compatibility: ATX / Micro-ATX / Mini-ITX External 5.25" Drive Bays: 2 External 3.5" Drive Bays: None Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 6 (Can be convert to 2.5" HDD) Expansion Slots: 7 Front USB Ports: USB 3.0 x 1 / USB 2.0 x 1 Front FireWire Ports: No