Self build Media centre Case

Redmikee

Hi,
I am looking to build a new media centre PC and wonder if anyone has any recommendations for a good case
Not many stores stock these to go and take a look at and trying to judge the quality online is a bit difficult.
So can you recommend the case you used or should I avoid it at all costs, please let me know.
Thanks

Mike

Mark_LJ

Redmikee wrote:

Hi,
I am looking to build a new media centre PC and wonder if anyone has any recommendations for a good case
Not many stores stock these to go and take a look at and trying to judge the quality online is a bit difficult.
So can you recommend the case you used or should I avoid it at all costs, please let me know.
Thanks

Mike

What sort of price range Mike?
I'm just in the process of ordering the Zalman HD160 which is on the pricy side (I'm not paying so its ok). The Silverstone range is worth looking at. They make very solid cases and are in a variety of styles. A mate also had the Thermaltake Tenor which was rather smart and slightly less expensive. I've also had an Antec Overture which is a very solid case and has plenty of space to work in - not as nice to look at as some of the newer stuff but very well built with a nice psu fitted as standard.
In respect of cases to avoid I can't really bring any to mind that I've been warned to steer clear of.

wolfman

I've always found size to be an issue. The Antec Overture is a great case, nice looking, runs cool, plenty of space, but it's still big in comparison to my dvd player etc...

And any cases that are smaller either run hot, or can't fit the cards you want. It's quite frustrating.

The Silverstone range look very nice, although a little overpriced in my opinion. A barebone system might be worth considering. Something like a Shuttle. Asus do some nice, small and fairly (ish) priced barebone systems. You'll need to research them though as they won't fit everything a standard ATX case will.

Zalman HD160, very nice.

Mark_LJ

wolfman wrote:

I've always found size to be an issue. The Antec Overture is a great case, nice looking, runs cool, plenty of space, but it's still big in comparison to my dvd player etc...

It actually surprised me when I got it - I somehow expected something the size of a 'boxy' DVD recorder but its quite a bit bigger.

wolfman

It's the depth that got me. Still a good case though, especially if you can hide it away, or have space in your living room.

Another alternative would be to wait until homebrew can be run on the X360. It's a pretty powerful system, I'm sure there'll be all sorts of stuff for it. It's just a matter of waiting though (could still be a few months longer). They've only just got backups to work, let alone run unsigned homebrew apps.

Redmikee

Thanks for your replies, I was looking at the Zalman one last night before I posted, Maybe I'll check the prices of those.
Mike.

Redmikee

By the way what is homebrew?
Mike

wolfman

Software that has been written by the community. People write all kinds of applications for consoles such as the Xbox and PSP. It's often better than what the console already has, and the coders listen to what people want. Xbox Media Center is a excellent example.