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HTPC case, 4 - 6 HDD, *and* 10.5" video

post #1 of 7
6/23/09 at 1:05pm
Thread Starter 
Is anybody aware of an HTPC case that can hold a few hard drives as well as a powerful video card? It seems there are any number of cases that hold 4, 6, or even more drives. But they all seem to place the drives right at the forward edge of the motherboard eliminating the possibility of the large video card that overhangs the motherboard by about 1.5".

I am aware of the Norco 4220, but probably don't need something quite that extreme for this application.

Please, no helpful suggestions about NAS, remote server, etc. If that is the route you like go for it.
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post #2 of 7
6/23/09 at 1:19pm
I'm not sure how you feel about its aesthetics, but the Lian Li PC-C33 will do what you require. I'm currently using this case with a 10.5" long NVIDIA card, and the card fits just fine. Three hard drives fit into the hard drive cage, while the fourth is placed between the two 5.25" bays.
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post #3 of 7
6/23/09 at 1:27pm
Take a look at the Lian-Li PC-C33B. Here's a post from someone that has one. The PC-C34F which has removable trays won't work, I've measured the distance.
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post #4 of 7
6/23/09 at 1:36pm
Hey, that's me.

I have since moved to a GTX 285, but that doesn't matter since both cards are the same 10.5" length. The main reason for the change was because I really prefer the cooling design of the MSI SuperPipe cards (which translates to better overclocks while maintaining quietness).
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post #5 of 7
6/23/09 at 2:36pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MSmith83 View Post

Hey, that's me.

I have since moved to a GTX 285, but that doesn't matter since both cards are the same 10.5" length. The main reason for the change was because I really prefer the cooling design of the MSI SuperPipe cards (which translates to better overclocks while maintaining quietness).

Nice looking card! Is it really quiet? My EVGA 9800GX2 sounds like an airplane taking off when Unreal Tournament III kicks in the dual-GPU 3D acceleration.
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post #6 of 7
6/23/09 at 2:45pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MSmith83 View Post

I'm not sure how you feel about its aesthetics, but the Lian Li PC-C33 will do what you require. I'm currently using this case with a 10.5" long NVIDIA card, and the card fits just fine. Three hard drives fit into the hard drive cage, while the fourth is placed between the two 5.25" bays.

Thanks to all for the response. 4 drives is at the low end of what I would like, but with 2 TB drives around the corner it could work.

Yeah, I suppose the aesthetics are not the best. I have never seen the need for two 5-1/4" holes, either. But the combination of hard drives and a real video card in the HTPC space seems to be nigh on impossible to find.

So, even with that fan behind the hard drive cage there is still room for the 10.5" monster card? You didn't have to yank the fan, did you?

Apparently The Egg is out of stock.
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post #7 of 7
6/24/09 at 5:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lifespeed View Post

So, even with that fan behind the hard drive cage there is still room for the 10.5" monster card? You didn't have to yank the fan, did you?

Apparently The Egg is out of stock.

The card fits nicely with the 140mm fan installed.

I'm sure there are other cases that will meet your demands if this one isn't too appealing. Try reading some websites' HTPC case reviews, because reviewers sometimes highlight whether or not these large graphics cards fit.

Quote:
Originally Posted by lifespeed View Post

Nice looking card! Is it really quiet? My EVGA 9800GX2 sounds like an airplane taking off when Unreal Tournament III kicks in the dual-GPU 3D acceleration.

It is very quiet at all times. I've played long sessions of demanding games (like UT 3 at the highest settings in 1920x1080), and the fans have always remained at their very quiet speeds. Meanwhile, the temps are about 10 degrees lower under load than the GTX 275 that I used.
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