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Oh really CM 690 III (it's a popular case -- they made three versions of it):

http://www.coolermaster.com/ca...

Antec 280:

http://www.antec.com/product.p...

Same deal with a high end Lian Li PC-A79:

http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_p...

I know they sell cases where the PSU's are at the bottom. It's a gimmick to sell cases to people that think that's a better design. It's not. The one and only benifit is the weight of the case is now at the bottom and it's less likely to tip. But heat wise, the PSU is the biggest offender in your case. It's also one of the most heat tolerant components. A good, basic, design has large fans in the PSU pulling air IN from the case and exiting the PSU out. All other fans are blowing IN to the case so all airflow enters the case first, travels through and then exits the PSU.

If you have the PSU mounted at the bottom of the case, he will radiate from the PSU up into the rest of the case. Also, as the hot air exits the PSU it will rise past your input fans causing them to recirculate that warm air again!

Oh really CM 690 III (it's a popular case -- they made three versions of it):
http://www.coolermaster.com/ca...

Antec 280:
http://www.antec.com/product.p...

Same deal with a high end Lian Li PC-A79:
http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_p...

desktop computers have filters?

Yes, if you buy a good case. I have an Antec 1200 which has four removable, washable filters. I wish I had the patience to clean them once a month, because they get dirty very quickly. This design isn't the best, it still requires quite a bit of disassembly to get at the filters (which is why I don't clean them more often).

I highly recommend everyone buy a case with filters. I bet poor cooling from dust is the #1 cause of hardware failures. Don't forget to clean your laptops too.

Or... I have an Antec NSK 2480 for my MythTV system. I painted the front panel black enamel and it looks like a home theater component. It's about $120 from Newegg / Amazon. Super quiet.

I put a blue Crystalfontz 20x2 LCD display I had laying around in the upper bay (edges and mount also painted black enamel) and the DVD reader (black front) in the lower. LED encircling the power button glows blue.

Very nice, if I say so myself.

I tried out the WD TV Live and was impressed by it. I was streaming recorded content from MythTV using UPnP/DLNA and tried a number of other media files over USB and it was able to play them quite nicely. I played a bit of content recorded from a HD-PVR (in 720p) and it played back nicely.

Based on size, features, and price it is a worthy consideration. One of my co-workers owns 2 WD TV Live and at least 1 of the original WD TV. He has been very happy with them. Currently at least one of his WD TV Live is running the b-rad firmware.

I built a HTPC, along with some friends, several years ago to run MythTV. I have been very pleased with the result. It took a while to decide on the hardware. I have a system that sits with the TV. It is reasonably quiet., basically I only hear it a little when all sound is off and even then mostly when I walk closer. I looked for cases with Silicon mounts for HDs and 120mm fans (1/2 speed switch). I've got a passively cooled video card. We picked the Antec Fusion and I have been really pleased with it. There is also the NSK2480 without VFD and the MicroFusion now. One friend even built a second machine using basically the NSK2480 since he like the Fusion case design so much.

That said, I have been looking for a nice compact low cost front end that I can use if I get a second TV. Ideally I would like to run mythfrontend since it provides complete support with mythbackend (LiveTV, Commercial flags, etc). The devices I have primarily considered over the years are the HD TV Live, popcorn hour, Apple TV/Mac Mini (only if I can install Linux and run Mythfrontend), or a itx computer.

Based on how content is being accessed is the primary consideration along with required features. Aside from the LiveTV and commercial flag limitations with MythTV, I am currently most interested in the WD TV Live based on my criteria - small, networked, HD, significant codec support (MPEG2, DivX, Xvid, h.264, ogg, ac-3, etc), cheap. I had been looking for a device for several years and I became excited when the the WD TV Live came out. It is the closest device to what I'm looking for. I figure I can even just make LiveTV on MythTV accessible over UPnP with a little effort.

Even on a normal performance metric, I can't tell you the slim I cited is a better deal than the Apple Mini. My problem is with people who think that the entry point in PC hardware isn't as low as it is.

FYI the Slim is 37.79cm x 10.6cm x 43.31cm at 7.3kg and the Mini is only 5.08 cm x 16.51 cm x 16.51 cm at 1.31 kg. Personally though, I'm tempted by one of these.

Companies like Antec and Seasonic have been incorporating DC-DC converters in their newer power supplies. It's even advertised in the product pages. The DC to DC design is becoming more and more widespread in PSU because they're much more efficient than the older design.

I'm not sure. I have an Antec 300 case, which puts the CPU up in the top corner and has a 120mm behind it and a 140mm fan above it. I have a good sized CPU cooler which i run without a fan, and the CPU stays cool and silent.

The BTX layout is better then some ATX cases, but it's just not categorically better then all ATX designs. There's not enough reason to switch, so the market hasn't.

Some of Antec's power supplies, like the True Control II-550 have a motherboard fan power and a few dedicated 4 pin molex fan only plugs. The motherboard plug lets the power supply use the motherboard temperature readings to adjust the voltage to the attached fans.

It also comes with an optional 5-1/4 bay panel with 4 dials that let you control minimum fan voltage, vcore, and one other voltages.

I guess not exactly the same as direct motherboard control, but then you don't need like 4 chassis fan headers on the board to achieve a similar effect. If you have those 3 position Low/Med/High fans antec sells, they suggest setting it to High if using the TrueControl II to control them.

http://www.antec.com/usa/productDetails.php?lan=us&id=22552

However, the current article says the loud fan problem seems to be caused by incompatibilies between the motherboard/case fan controller and OS X (and maybe the hacked EFI). If the same motherboard/case was used with Windows, it would surely be much quieter.

However, I have seen a computer that was in the form factor you speak of. Was at a friend's house. Can't remember the manufacturer of it though....unfortunately. It looked pretty nifty.

80 PLUS rocks. Why can't I do a search for 80 PLUS-certified power supplies on newegg.com? And for some PSUs they sell that are 80 PLUS, Newegg's product page doesn't even tell you.

For example, this Antec EA380 Newegg product page doesn't even mention 80 PLUS, but clicking through to the manufacturer's product page clearly shows the 80 PLUS logo.

C'mon newegg! Get with it!

A very quiet dual-core system will easily fit into a home-theatre system (I use an antec fusion). It is inaudible more than five feet away. Plus, since the system is usually behind a door in a cabinet, with other things making much more noise (speakers), ultra-quiet isn't as important as you would think.

--Glenn

I'm with you -- I don't mind that my Yamaha receiver requires space above it for cooling (see pictures), but please, please would people try to stick to sane form factors for A/V gear? I know its neat to have little cubes here and little top-loading thingies there, but they are very inefficient to lay out.

That's why I'd rather they build it into a nice ATX desktop-like case like this one from Antec, which IMHO would be perfect.

And yet, there are some truly beautiful PC cases available out there. I bought a new one a couple days ago because I was tired of having a drab tan box taking up desk real estate, as an example (wanted something quieter, too)... ever seen Antec's Lifestyles series of cases? http://www.antec.com/us/pro_en_lifeStyle.html .... mine's an Overture II. Looks really nice, actually, with my black/silver keyboard, silver trackball, and black LCD.

Not a fan of Antec? Thermaltake is making some really nice chassis, too. For me, it was a toss-up between the Antec I bought and Thermaltake's "Bach". Aspire is making some gorgeous PC cases... even Lian Li has given up making cases that are only functional and has started making some really nice-looking cases. Personally, I don't see any problem with encouraging OEM manufacturers to start making computers that look equally nice. Maybe the wording is a little suspect, but if it ultimately leads to more off-the-shelf hardware that looks good as well as works well, then who am I to complain? For the people who are concerned about keeping the price to a minimum, you'll still be able to get the grey box, cheap integrated hardware, and I doubt Ubuntu is going to go away any time soon. (though personally I prefer Slack, I do have to admit that apt-get is the best package management tool out there, which is incredibly important for breaking into the desktop market....)

As an aside, I'm also beta testing Vista 64-bit, and quite honestly, I'm favourably impressed. In the month since I started using it, I've seen exactly one fatal OE, and it didn't bring down the system. The game I was playing crashed, and I was able to restart the game without having to reboot the system, and keep playing. It also has some really nice eye candy... while we all know OS/X had it years ago, it is nice to see MS finally getting on that bandwagon. I probably won't buy it when it's released, but that's more because of the price. I'll probably check my school's MSDN connection and hope there's a version of it there, instead. :-) MS is just trying to rebrand themselves, and I can't fault them for that at all. We've all seen those "I'm a PC and I'm a Mac" commercials.

LG already offers a glossy black laptop (T1 Express Dual).

http://www.lge.com/products/model/detail/t1%20expr ess%20dual.jhtml

And Antec has been offering glossy black HTPC cases for a while now.

http://www.antec.com/uk/pro_en_lifeStyle.html

Looks like Apple is behind in the game this time.

It's definitely not as portable as the hot glue pads above, but it does its job well on my desk and keeps the heat away from my legs on the couch.

If you want more info, there's Antec's Website, a quick Google search turned up a good review, and they're all over eBay and Froogle.

I don't know if six 3.5" bays is enough for you (if would leave me with 2 spare), but antec have some nice cases here: http://www.antec.com/uk/productDetails.php?ProdID= 09180 and here http://www.antec.com/uk/productDetails.php?ProdID= 01551

Personally I'm getting the P180 as soon as my supplier can get one from Antec.

I don't know if six 3.5" bays is enough for you (if would leave me with 2 spare), but antec have some nice cases here: http://www.antec.com/uk/productDetails.php?ProdID= 09180 and here http://www.antec.com/uk/productDetails.php?ProdID= 01551

Personally I'm getting the P180 as soon as my supplier can get one from Antec.

http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID= 24500

this perhaps? no fan, no dust.

Disclaimer: no relation to ANTEC, just a pleased customer.

I personaly own three ANTEC cases, and I must say they are GOOD! All three cases are in a SOHO, not very large, and you just don't hear them.
The ARIA ( my personal favorite) is a SFF micro ATX case that lets me put in MY choice mATX mobo, micro, and cooler.
It has an external 5,25" bay with a spring loaded trapdoor to allow the installation of any unit without regard to the color, since once the tray is closed, it is fully hidden.
The whole thing has ONE thumbscrew to open, the rest being spring tabs. It can house up to three internal drives, has a built in card reader, it includes an optional rear slot cover fan, rubber spacer screws for mounting HDD, plenty of power headers, 120 mm. silent fans, plenty of screws, standoffs, metal brackets for multiple internal configurations, and more.

All for about $90 / 80.

I haven't pulled out my SPL meter, but the thing is very, very quiet ( one LJ4+ in standby is louder than all three ANTECS).

All in all, Very Good Value.

Disclaimer: no relation to ANTEC, just a pleased customer.

I personaly own three ANTEC cases, and I must say they are GOOD! All three cases are in a SOHO, not very large, and you just don't hear them.
The ARIA ( my personal favorite) is a SFF micro ATX case that lets me put in MY choice mATX mobo, micro, and cooler.
It has an external 5,25" bay with a spring loaded trapdoor to allow the installation of any unit without regard to the color, since once the tray is closed, it is fully hidden.
The whole thing has ONE thumbscrew to open, the rest being spring tabs. It can house up to three internal drives, has a built in card reader, it includes an optional rear slot cover fan, rubber spacer screws for mounting HDD, plenty of power headers, 120 mm. silent fans, plenty of screws, standoffs, metal brackets for multiple internal configurations, and more.

All for about $90 / 80.

I haven't pulled out my SPL meter, but the thing is very, very quiet ( one LJ4+ in standby is louder than all three ANTECS).

All in all, Very Good Value.

This is Antec's page about this model of power supply:
http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID= 24500.

After years of doing computer troubleshooting alongside my system administration role, I swore that I would never do full-time tech support again without these two essentials:

First, hardware diagnostics for narrowing down motherboard/processor failures.

Second, a power supply tester.

For all the time I spent and knowledge I gained, I found that billing hourly to track down these "hard to find" bugs where the P/S or mobo were flaky but not dead really caused technician and customer headache. I won't do it again without these two tools.

*ahem* http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID= 81800

This case shares a lot of design features from the lian li model (except Antec did a good job on them), plus it's nice and quiet and pretty damned stylish if you ask me.

Also, it's not 250 fricken dollars.

Downside: it's 36 pounds before you even put anything inside it.

The Lian-li in the original post is just a g5 wannabe, and has been out for a looooong time.

Try the antec p180 if you want a case that "represents the apex of enclosure technology"

http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID= 81800

the antec aria cube case. http://www.antec.com/ec/productDetails.php?ProdID= 08130
i recently bought one with a miniatx board an a 3700+ athlon 64. its not completely silent but its quieter than the rest of the ambient noise in my house. you really have to put your head down by the case to hear anything from it. It also very easy to open and gives access to any part of the innards.

1. Absolutely quiet.
2. Controls case fans automatically and makes them quiet also!!
3. Modular cables so you only have what you need in your case.
4. Not fanless, but absolutely quiet (see #1).

Before you ruch out an d buy this PSU, take a look at Antec's NeoPower 480W. I doubt that any other PSU company makes as good PSU's as Antec. See Specifications for a VERY detailed spec. of the PSU, nothing is let out. Antec pride them self of relieable PSU's and they have good reason for that. Look at the measured Ripple Voltage.

Note: excuse my references to the Lanboy. I'm not trying to whore for Antec; it's just that their product is the most readily recognizable example of the design I'm referencing.

During the last two years of college, I got very into the LAN scene. All the guys I worked with were big on LAN gaming, and some people at my apartment complex were into it. Even my girlfriend had her LAN machine (in addition to her art major necessity Mac), which she decorated with Hello Kitty stencils on the requisite LAN computer window and dubbed "Halo Kitty."

We mostly leaned toward aluminum cases for weight benefits coupled with smaller LCDs. Because a fair amount of us were PC repair techs, we'd always have that one slightly older machine that could still easily hang with the games we played. New people would show up, get hooked, and start wanting to build/buy something so that they could participate.

A few people ended up with Shuttles or similar SFF cases. While fairly convenient in size, we consitently saw overheating issues and high noise levels. Shoehorning a good graphics card into these things (since LAN action is obviously a target market) sends heat levels through the roof, and the smaller size means only one fan. The need for a single fan means that fan must turn at very high speeds. This made for some excessive noise levels, especially for people who wanted to use these as their primary computer, and (logically) envisioned setting them atop their desk beside the monitor.

So the question out of all of this is here: are these SFF designs worth it? I love the convenient size of the Mac Mini as much as the next guy, but (in addition to being much smaller than most SFF PCs) they target a totally different market. When I look at these squatty boxes and compare them to an Antec Lanboy or other similar aluminum chassis w/ handles, I start wondering.

Isn't it just smarter to buy a lightweight mini-tower? With space for 3HDDs, isn't that what this thing really is, anyway? A Lanboy comes with a carry strap, weighs less than 20 lbs. loaded with an HDD and optical drive, and avoids the excessive heat and noise levels generated by the SFF design. While a Lanboy might be 2 or 2.5 times taller, it's also skinnier, so we're not talking about a huge gain there. On top of this, I get to choose my own internal components, whereas I was always put off of these because I'd end up having to use a shuttle mainboard.

So SFF buyers, what draws you to these things?

Solution: an Antec Sonata case.

The good thing about this is that it comes fairly complete: Quiet PSU with silicon mounting, 120mm case fan, rubber grommets for HDD mounting.

It's up to you if you want to add a quieter cpu fan (the intel one isn't too load for me) or another case fan (shouldn't be needed unless you're overclocking or running a bunch of HDD's).

Now I can listen/watch/etc with no intrusive whirring :)

It's also a well designed case with firewire, usb and audio connections ports in the front, lockable drive bay doors and a sleek design. It also has a washable air filter. It's much better than fixing a loud PC case. As always prevention is better than the cure.
http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID= 15138

....use a crappy powersupply. Period.

Buy Antec!

I can't believe nobody has said this yet, but the absolute FIRST thing you should do if your system is running over-hot is check the airflow and direction of all of your fans.

Most ATX cases like to have a fan blowing in the front, and other fans blowing out the back, check your case documentation. If one of your fans isn't working well, or is actually facing the wrong way, the entire airflow scheme goes straight to hell. I've seen this happen several times, but now that cooling is so critical incorrect fan placement is often a show-stopper.

Today's story? My buddy builds a new system with a new P4 3.4HT. It exhibits classic signs of overheating-- the fan sounds like a 747 taking off all the time, odd beeping, memory errors, and when his brother who actually built it for him runs 3DMark, it scores something like 40% of what it should have on CPU. Everest says it's running at >80C. Much freaking out is done, and they order a hardcore Thermaltake fan to replace the standard/weak one that came bundled with the processor. That comes, and it helps somewhat, so the processor isn't stepping itself down to non-melting temperatures, hanging at 65-70C full-performance. Memory errors still a bit of an issue.

So I come over to look at it. Dumbass neighbor (Best Buy Geek Squad employee/Frat Boy) had put the front fan on facing backward while assisting with the assembly, so the front 80mm case fan was blowing OUT of the case.

I unscrewed the fan, flipped it around, and two minutes later the computer was playing Far Cry and humming along at 40C, by far the quietest computer in the room.

Moral of the story? If you have a misplaced or broken fan, your cooling power drops massively. It pays to actually look at your case documentation now. Oh, and buy Antec.

I agree, I don't like cube cases at all, and especially not for a home entertainment setup. Stand alone devices look great and work well, but there aren't any that do everything in one box (DVD, hard disk, DTV card) and they don't give you full control over how you use it.

I'm using an Antec Overture for my HTPC. It's takes a full size motherboard and PCI cards, but still looks really good. It matches perfectly with my reciever (it's black and silver too).

As for a workstation, I think the small, thin PCs look the best (like this,) but they're usually brand name and have poor expandability and upgradability.

Antec's Aria comes close, but it's not perfect. It's quiet, but not silent, and you need to disable the damnable blue LEDs. It is, however, microATX compatible, so it supports *three* cards at once. I notice that it's on when the TV's not blasting, but with good BIOS control for the fan speed, you may not even notice.

As for that uninspiring riser-based mini-ITX case, it looks like a bland piece of A/V equipment. Figure out how to install a nice VFD, and it might be perfect for the task.

I went with building my own in an Antec Aria case when I wanted something that didn't look like I hacked it all together from chewing gum and sheet metal.

Upsides: Small, hidden optical drive (to prevent seeing a beige faceplate with "52X" printed on it,) front-facing ports, fairly quiet, well-cooled for a toaster-sized PC.

Downsides: Blue LEDs can blind you from 15 miles away. Not a system to leave running in your bedroom overnight. Plastic outer panels, while lightweight, don't have the same feel of sturdiness as a Lian Li aluminum case.

Overall, though? It's the kind of system my *girlfriend* approves of, as it's not a huge chunk of aluminum that sounds like a jet taking off. If the ladies approve, it must be good.

Antec cases aren't just stylish, they're *quiet*.

I just got the Antec Aria, which is either a very small regular sized case or a somewhat large SFF case, depending how you look at it. It fits micro-ATX boards and has room for everything you'd need, but is half the size of a regular case. I'm happy with it.

• Antec
• Silverstone - if getting an HTPC case, be careful to get one that doesn't have cooling problems with your CPU of choice. HTPC cases with higher numbers in their names are generally better at cooling.
• Travla
• Ahanix
• XOxide carries their own brand of cases, plus a lot of the other ones on this list.
• Arisetec (formerly Kanam)
• CoolerMaster
• Logic Supply

They make the most beautiful media pc or just PC case in general. The ATC-620 is a wonderful case. It is a shame it is so often overlooked.

For a tower, I would say the Antec Sonata is about as nice as they come.

For cases, have a look at the Antec Sonata. A simple stylish design in smart piano black. Try a search at various online retailers that let buyer's post reviews and you'll find the case to be well-rated. The Nexus Breeze is also a nice design.

I'm rather fond of my Antec Sonata

The exterior is pretty toned-down (aside from the blue led on the front, which I have unplugged for sleeping purposes), damn quiet, and well thought-out from front to back (drawers for all drives, rubber-mounted fan/drives, etc). For those who believe that the style of a case need not end once you open it, it's a good choice.

You could teach him not to touch your computer...

Have you ever looked inside a Dell ATX box?

Dell makes some very quiet workstation/PC boxes with ATX formfactors. Key is the temperature-sensitive fans, ducting, fanless CPU heatsink and baffling on the bezel to muffle noise out the front of the machine.

Check out Silent PC's review or the Google cache. The versions we buy are slightly different than the one pictured there, but its a good article nonetheless.

My home computer is also a very quiet ATX box, using an Antec Sonata case, etc.

I believe this company is offering the same sort of cable modularity as in the Antec NEOPOWER line (looks rather new):

http://www.antec.com/us/pro_details_powerSupply.ph p?ProdID=24480

The Antec version appears to have some interesting features, not the least of which is the fully open-back grill on the back of the unit. The dark brushing alumnium/steel finish is rather cool too. However, the Antec product does not offer the same sort of sleeved cables as the one in the originaly article. They are, instead, bundles of molex connectors -- two to three connectors per bundle.

Here's a flyer PDF link on the Antec product:

http://www.antec.com/pdf/flyers/NeoPower.pdf

Tom's Hardware also review this Antec product on July 20, 2004:

http://www.tomshardware.com/firstlook/20040720/ind ex.html

Also, if you're interested in EXTREME modular PSU options, visit Frozencpu.com and look under the Power Supplies area for a slew of their own customized PSUs with modularity options included. It's almost to a point of overkill, including plexiglass casings, UV wiring, LED fans, laser cut fan grills -- all for a friggin' power supply.

IronChefMorimoto

I believe this company is offering the same sort of cable modularity as in the Antec NEOPOWER line (looks rather new):

http://www.antec.com/us/pro_details_powerSupply.ph p?ProdID=24480

The Antec version appears to have some interesting features, not the least of which is the fully open-back grill on the back of the unit. The dark brushing alumnium/steel finish is rather cool too. However, the Antec product does not offer the same sort of sleeved cables as the one in the originaly article. They are, instead, bundles of molex connectors -- two to three connectors per bundle.

Here's a flyer PDF link on the Antec product:

http://www.antec.com/pdf/flyers/NeoPower.pdf

Tom's Hardware also review this Antec product on July 20, 2004:

http://www.tomshardware.com/firstlook/20040720/ind ex.html

Also, if you're interested in EXTREME modular PSU options, visit Frozencpu.com and look under the Power Supplies area for a slew of their own customized PSUs with modularity options included. It's almost to a point of overkill, including plexiglass casings, UV wiring, LED fans, laser cut fan grills -- all for a friggin' power supply.

IronChefMorimoto

I was thinking a lot of the same things when I saw this power supply (and that Antec's NeoPower looks like a better design, personally).

I've been a big fan of Elan Vital's power supplies for a long time (also available under an american distributor for direct purchase -- see the AMS Mercury EVR-4607 if you want a gorgeous redundant power supply for ATX cases).

They have active PFC, high efficiencies, good clean power, lots of fans, not terribly loud, and very large connectors internally (low resistance, good connections). On top of that, they're very compact. I've got a client running the above EVR-4607 very happily and another running the redundant power supply built into their S50 server case.

Sorry though, they don't glow in the dark or have windows. But the EVR-4607 does have a removable side panel to upgrade or replace its internal ciruitry.