Found the perfect mini-itx HTPC case! :)
#1
I know that there is a lot of discussion about HTPC HW...escpecially about cases for those that want to use a mini-itx solution like the Zotac motherboards.

I also liked the idea of my HTPC belding in with the rest of my AV equipment (DVD Player, SAT/Cable Box, A/V Receiver, etc.). I think I may have found the perfect case for such an endeavor:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...-_-Product

This case is meant to mount an LCD monitor directly to it, but, you do not need to use that hardware. It will not leave a gaping hole in the top of the case if you don't. It comes with a 65W which I decided to remove since I am using this with my Zotac IONITX-A-U board (90W external adapter). Everyhting fits nicely including my BD-ROM, 2.5" SSD (although you can fit a 3.5" HD), and the CPU fan.

The unit blends in nicely with the rest of my equipment sicen it is only 10" deep and 17.5" wide (pretty close to standard). People are surprised when I tell them it is a computer and not a DVD or BD player. One last note...it is VERY well constructed...heavier metal and no sharp edges. My last project will be to find a nice place insid the case to mount an IR receiver (may have to make a hole for this).

Just thought I would pass this along and hope it helps someone.

John
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#2
Looks good but not sure why it has a mount ?

Any reason why you got Zotac ION with power supply ?

To get 1080P playback:
Intel BOXD510MO Intel Atom D510 Intel NM10 Mini ITX Motherboard/CPU Combo
Broadcom Mini PCI Express Card
The normal XBMC log IS NOT a debug log, to enable debug logging you must toggle it on under XBMC Settings - System or in advancedsettings.xml. Use XBMC Debug Log Addon to retrieve it.
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#3
CrashX Wrote:Looks good but not sure why it has a mount ?

I think this case was designed more for industrial purposes. The case comes with the mount not even attached. I was afraid it would look weird without having it attached (like a visible footprint) but it looks like any other case.

Quote:Any reason why you got Zotac ION with power supply ?

I wanted the power external merely for cabel management and airflow considerations. Internal power supplies drive me nuts with all of the damn power leads!

I also wanted the Zotac for the Coax and Optical outs (I don't have an A.V receiver that does HDMI switching).
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#4
johnodon Wrote:I think this case was designed more for industrial purposes. The case comes with the mount not even attached. I was afraid it would look weird without having it attached (like a visible footprint) but it looks like any other case.



I wanted the power external merely for cabel management and airflow considerations. Internal power supplies drive me nuts with all of the damn power leads!

I also wanted the Zotac for the Coax and Optical outs (I don't have an A.V receiver that does HDMI switching).

what do you think about the cases from http://www.hifiatx.com? it looks very good and you can use passive cooling via heatpipes etc...
greetings, Stephan

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#5
openelec.tv Wrote:what do you think about the cases from http://www.hifiatx.com? it looks very good and you can use passive cooling via heatpipes etc...


Absolutely love them...just out of my price range!
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#6
I like this case too and I want to make HTPC computer based on zotac ionitx motherboard like yo done
Can you please give her the other components you used?

best regards,

Majdus
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#7
majdus Wrote:I like this case too and I want to make HTPC computer based on zotac ionitx motherboard like yo done
Can you please give her the other components you used?

best regards,

Majdus

do you mean the hifiatx.com case or that johnodon means?
greetings, Stephan

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#8
CrashX Wrote:To get 1080P playback:
Intel BOXD510MO Intel Atom D510 Intel NM10 Mini ITX Motherboard/CPU Combo
Broadcom Mini PCI Express Card
No HDMI :-(
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#9
spicemuseum Wrote:No HDMI :-(

but this http://pdde.zotac.com/index.php?page=sho...t&Itemid=1
greetings, Stephan

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#10
This case is very nice Smile and has good price
http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?Family=Mjkx
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#11
openelec.tv Wrote:but this http://pdde.zotac.com/index.php?page=sho...t&Itemid=1
That looks like exactly what I've been waiting for.

...further details here:
http://tech.tbreak.com/2010/01/zotac-and...platforms/
Looks like it has a spare slot for a Broadcom Crystal card to make it full 1080p too.
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#12
majdus Wrote:I like this case too and I want to make HTPC computer based on zotac ionitx motherboard like yo done
Can you please give her the other components you used?

best regards,

Majdus

Sorry I have not been around in a while. Here are the specs of my HTPC:

Case: GIGABYTE GZ-SPIM51-P0B http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811233060
MB: Zotac IONITX-A-U http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6813500027
Memory: CORSAIR XMS2 4GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6820145184
HD: SanDisk SATA 5000 2.5″ SSD 16gb http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...K:MEWNX:IT
2.5 - 3.5 HD adapter: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6816215157
BDROM: LITE-ON iHOS104-08 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6827106326

Hope this helps! Everything fits perfectly in that case...including the CPU fan that came with the MB.

John
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#13
I love that Gigabyte case and the price. It's one of the few I've seen that will accept a full sized optical drive and hard drives. And it will fit TWO 3.5" disks as well, wow!

It's possible that the power supply would need to be upgraded to support even an Atom based mobo with two hard disks in there (spin-up load on the hard disks will be much higher than idle), but it might work, especially if you were smart and could get the hard disks to only spin up when needed.

Or you could get this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811123122
PHWOAR!
If only you could get an ION motherboard with 6 SATA connectors to fully load that baby up....
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#14
pfennig Wrote:It's possible that the power supply would need to be upgraded to support even an Atom based mobo with two hard disks in there (spin-up load on the hard disks will be much higher than idle)
Should the supplied 65W PSU not be enough if I have a Zotac ION F-E and only one HDD plus on Blu-ray drive?
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#15
StockBroker Wrote:Should the supplied 65W PSU not be enough if I have a Zotac ION F-E and only one HDD plus on Blu-ray drive?

I don't have a definitive answer, I just have heard through the grapevine that even with low power systems you may need a beefier than expected power supply to be able to cope with HD startup loads.

In a single-HD scenario, I would think you would be fine.
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Found the perfect mini-itx HTPC case! :)0