PDA

View Full Version : A review of my new HTPC Case


Drew@PSU
08-23-08, 05:01 PM
So,
I had previously put my HTPC case in a ThermalTake Swing ( first case, first mod, etc etc etc ), but it was time for a big boy style case. So on ratbuddy's suggestion here (http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=571216), I got the Lian-Li PC-C32, a big mother-hubber of a HTPC case, for ATX motherboards.

The old on the left, new on the right.
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff107/DrewAtPSU/2b7ad0f0.jpg

Little dusty sitting on the carpet all that time.....
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff107/DrewAtPSU/9f79583f.jpg

This is what's going into the new case....
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff107/DrewAtPSU/91f541c0.jpg
That's a Hauppauge PVR-150, an eVGA 7800GT, 3 hard drives ( a 160 ide, and 2 SATA 500s ), my A8N-SLI with 4400x2 and XP-120, a Dual Layer burner and a Corsair HX520.

Overall, the case was great, lots of neat stuff, but two problems bothered me. This extra motherboard standoff was rather in-explicable....why do I need this?
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff107/DrewAtPSU/96b18568.jpg

No matter, dremeled and taped over, no problem:
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff107/DrewAtPSU/7b118a84.jpg

The other issue was the IO shield....when I exchanged IO shields, I couldn't fit the motherboard in. The shield kept pushing that end of the motherboard off the standings....so I just stuck it on the outside and finished installing it :)

The case has removable cages for bother the 5.25 and the hard drive racks, quite a neat mechanism actually. I later switched up the CD Drive and system HD so they could get better airflow ( or at least so the HD could get SOME airflow ).
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff107/DrewAtPSU/f28dba0c.jpg

So this is all the stuff in, no wire management in this picture, but I did do some. The center bar there has a pair of spots for fans, which are handy.
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff107/DrewAtPSU/98ade9fa.jpg

So, all the stuff in, and the HTPC in its home......beneath my TV, on a piece of cardboard.....yeah, I know, a decent TV stand is next on my list now that I've got something decent to put in it.
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff107/DrewAtPSU/4a5c07f6.jpg

Here is my TV, with the HTPC serving me up some Futurama.
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff107/DrewAtPSU/2f8efdb2.jpg

Overall, it's a great case, plenty of room, and very light. It's pretty deep, so measure your TV stand to check ( the case comes to about 21 1/2" deep. ) If you guys have anymore questions, just let me know. I've got a few more pics, not very good, but I'll throw them up if you want.

satandole666
08-25-08, 12:47 AM
Seems like a nice case.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one afraid of over-sized HTPCs. Mine is easily the largest component in my setup and is obviously a computer.

Either way, good work.

LandShark
08-25-08, 10:20 PM
looks nice! I'm thinking to get the C37/C36 version for my new htpc client too.

Drew@PSU
08-28-08, 09:31 PM
It does have a sleek look I'm very attached to, I'm glad I got it. My TT Swing was a decent case, but just doesn't look like it belongs under a TV :)

LandShark
08-28-08, 11:52 PM
how's the cooling and noise performance??

Neuromancer
08-29-08, 12:05 AM
Looks nice. I love the big HTPC cases too. I have the silverstons LC-20 in silver. Black is much sexier. Just wish it had room for 120's :(

Drew@PSU
08-29-08, 08:26 AM
Cooling seems to be no problem, although I don't have any temp sensor stuff on it, since it's all running stock. Noise-wise, it seems to be a bit louder than the swing, probably since it's thinner and I stuck that noise-reduction foam on the panels. I wouldn't bother with the foam though. When I get back on Monday or Tuesday I'll try and get some actual numbers and see if I can't make it a little quieter.