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Building a HTPC
Author: Dennis Garcia
Published: Monday, December 27, 2010
The Chassis
When building a HTPC you want to make sure the case you pick will not only hold all of your gear but also match your existing home theater installation. To make sure everything matched I needed to find a black half height case with minimal controls on the front bezel. Normally for this I would look at cases from Lain Li or Silverstone but for this build I needed something a little less expensive.
My choice, the nMediapc 1080P. This is a half height case design that comes with an aluminum faceplate, SECC steel chassis and acrylic flip down door. The case supports Micro ATX and Mini ITX motherboards and a full sized PSU.
My choice, the nMediapc 1080P. This is a half height case design that comes with an aluminum faceplate, SECC steel chassis and acrylic flip down door. The case supports Micro ATX and Mini ITX motherboards and a full sized PSU.
As with most cases the drives are positioned at the front of the case in a removable drive cage. There are technically five drive bays in this case, two 3.5" bays at the bottom, a single external 5.25" position on the top with two more "misc" bays next to it.
The case comes with front mounted audio ports, 2x USB ports and an all in one card reader. In terms of optional equipment you can purchase this case with a programmable LED display or add it later for about 20 dollars.
What home theater case would be complete without component style feet? No skimp here they are on all 4 corners.
