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Unofficial mini-ITX case thread - Page 17

post #481 of 643
4/13/12 at 5:42pm
I'm in love with that ht-100, especially since you can add in a half height video card.
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post #482 of 643
4/13/12 at 6:28pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by thefever View Post

I'm in love with that ht-100, especially since you can add in a half height video card.

The HD5450 ran really nice in it, even without any case fans. With Prime95, temps went up to around 125F. There is a 60mm fan mount right next to the card so that would help is temps became a concern, say with a little beefier card. The Kill-a-Watt maxed out around 65W. I was using an 84W AC adapter with the internal 120W DC power board. It was more like 46W watching live TV. It's amazing how efficient these systems are.

It's nice to have that slot for a tuner card too.

I posted more pictures on my blog, including with the video card. It's linked in my signature.

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post #483 of 643
4/13/12 at 7:01pm
Thread Starter 
Here's another Iwill case I am thinking of getting: the S197-H80. It's 197x197x80. Clever that.



Unlike the EMC-800, it's square because it does not use a power board but their version of the picoPSU (however if I get them they will have the actual picoPSU). It also has a much cleaner front panel and no COM ports and stuff like that in the back.



The only thing it needs is an IR window. I am pretty sure with this model I can even get the eject hole on the middle-right or just have none at all. It has the nice feet like the HT100 and HT80 have.

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post #484 of 643
4/13/12 at 7:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by StardogChampion View Post

The HD5450 ran really nice in it, even without any case fans. With Prime95, temps went up to around 125F. There is a 60mm fan mount right next to the card so that would help is temps became a concern, say with a little beefier card. The Kill-a-Watt maxed out around 65W. I was using an 84W AC adapter with the internal 120W DC power board. It was more like 46W watching live TV. It's amazing how efficient these systems are.

It's nice to have that slot for a tuner card too.

I posted more pictures on my blog, including with the video card. It's linked in my signature.


I saw. I subscribe via RSS to your blog. Love when I see that it's updated.

Planning a mini-itx build. Most likely with the G620 CPU. Most likely run a passive cooled Geforce G210 from my current HTPC. Have to check measurements on the heatsink, regardless.
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post #485 of 643
4/13/12 at 7:56pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dfr818 View Post

Translation error everywhere？ I'm terribly sorry, i did not see it carefully. Where? The wiredrawing and diamond shining excellence are really fascinating. I5 and I7 , did you use them?

In any brochure I have from Chinese case manufacturers/resellers that talk about brushed aluminum, it's described as 'wiredrawing'. It took me a while to figure out what 'wiredrawing' meant and I am pretty sure it's 'wirebrushed' that they mean. It wasn't just from one manufacturer/reseller but from a few -- just look across Alibaba.com. It's easy to see how 'brushed' and 'drawing' could be transposed. I have been meaning to let my friends in China know, not to poke fun, but to help out if they don't mind.

I will be evaluating the Realan E-I5 and E-I7 soon, probably next week, and I'll post pictures and observations in this thread or a separate thread like I have been for the Iwill cases. I have the Realan E-Q5 (here it is Habey EMC-800) and I like it very much so I have high expectations for the E-I5 and E-I7.

謝謝
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post #486 of 643
4/14/12 at 12:04am
Can the HT100 take 2 x 2.5 inch drives?
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post #487 of 643
4/14/12 at 4:43am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by josh_parker123 View Post

Can the HT100 take 2 x 2.5 inch drives?

Yes, easily and without hacking . There's a mount on the side where you see it in my pictures and there a mount under the ODD. There is enough clearance if you use a low profile cooler. I will measure exactly and post it soon.
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post #488 of 643
4/14/12 at 7:06am
Great information. Thanks
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post #489 of 643
4/14/12 at 8:47am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by thefever View Post

I saw. I subscribe via RSS to your blog. Love when I see that it's updated.

Planning a mini-itx build. Most likely with the G620 CPU. Most likely run a passive cooled Geforce G210 from my current HTPC. Have to check measurements on the heatsink, regardless.

Hah, I didn't realize someone followed my blog -- incentive to post more.
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post #490 of 643
4/14/12 at 8:48am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by William.T View Post

Great information. Thanks

You're welcome. There's great information in the "Assassin" sticky thread on CPUs, motherboards, etc. for all the inside pieces. A good resource for all that's HTPC from hardware to software is his guides too and of course, here. You'll just want to add a low-profile heatsink (my recommendation is the Gelid Slim Silence i-Plus) to your budget when building with one of these small cases.
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post #491 of 643
4/15/12 at 7:21am
Stardog - have you come across any cases from Asia with USB3.0 on the front instead of USB 2.0? Looking for a small form factor Mini-ITX case with an optical drive, IR window, brushed black aluminum case. I'd likely use a PICO-PSU and try to fit a low profile CPU cooler in it if possible., single SSD, A6-3500 AMD CPU.

The one you posted here looks awesome. Did they come in?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...0#post21789670
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post #492 of 643
4/15/12 at 7:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pbc View Post

Stardog - have you come across any cases from Asia with USB3.0 on the front instead of USB 2.0? Looking for a small form factor Mini-ITX case with an optical drive, IR window, brushed black aluminum case. I'd likely use a PICO-PSU and try to fit a low profile CPU cooler in it if possible., single SSD, A6-3500 AMD CPU.

The one you posted here looks awesome. Did they come in?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...0#post21789670

Why do you need a front USB 3.0?
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post #493 of 643
4/15/12 at 7:34am
Seems a lot of the new cases are coming out with the USB 3.0 on the front, so figured that would better future proof it? Certainly not a must.
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post #494 of 643
4/15/12 at 7:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pbc View Post

Seems a lot of the new cases are coming out with the USB 3.0 on the front, so figured that would better future proof it? Certainly not a must.

I don't really see the point unless you have a specific NEED for USB 3.0 on the front. You are going to severely limit your options in cases. Unless you need it for something specific I wouldn't seek it out. I think about the only thing you might need it for is something like an external hard drive or optical drive. But then you could just hook it up to the rear USB 3.0 on the rare occasion that you need to have it connected.
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post #495 of 643
4/15/12 at 8:49am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by pbc View Post

Stardog - have you come across any cases from Asia with USB3.0 on the front instead of USB 2.0? Looking for a small form factor Mini-ITX case with an optical drive, IR window, brushed black aluminum case. I'd likely use a PICO-PSU and try to fit a low profile CPU cooler in it if possible., single SSD, A6-3500 AMD CPU.

Lian-Li is the only one I've seen with USB3.0 ports though I admit I haven't paid close attention. Certainly the manufacturers I've been looking at are still USB2.0. I think when USB3.0 headers become standard it's something we'll see more of -- like with the Z77/H77 boards that are coming out -- maybe that'll change the market a bit.

Quote:
Originally Posted by pbc View Post

The one you posted here looks awesome. Did they come in?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...0#post21789670

Yes, that's the first one that I got -- the HT80. It's a great little HTPC case. I started thread here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1401555 with pictures from the various builds I've done with it so far.
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post #496 of 643
4/15/12 at 8:52am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

I don't really see the point unless you have a specific NEED for USB 3.0 on the front. You are going to severely limit your options in cases. Unless you need it for something specific I wouldn't seek it out. I think about the only thing you might need it for is something like an external hard drive or optical drive. But then you could just hook it up to the rear USB 3.0 on the rare occasion that you need to have it connected.

It's feels like one of those chicken-and-egg things. There needs to be motherboards with USB3.0 headers which are only useful if the cases can take advantage of them by having USB3.0 ports which is only useful if there are USB3.0 products (besides external HDDs) that can take advantage of being hooked up them.
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post #497 of 643
4/15/12 at 9:50am
The HDPlex H3 passive cooling case I am working on included a front USB3.0 cable with header for Zotac H67 boards. I am using an intel DH61AG that doesn't have this header. The front USB port likely will get a HID receiver and these will not need USB 3.0. Although this case has a separate IR receiver option that I have already.
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post #498 of 643
4/15/12 at 9:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by StardogChampion View Post

It's feels like one of those chicken-and-egg things. There needs to be motherboards with USB3.0 headers which are only useful if the cases can take advantage of them by having USB3.0 ports which is only useful if there are USB3.0 products (besides external HDDs) that can take advantage of being hooked up them.

Totally agree. There just aren't many cases out right now with it.
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post #499 of 643
4/15/12 at 6:33pm
If USB 3.0 is that important, you can always replace the USB 2.0 ports with USB 3.0. I've done this recently on a friend's desktop build. It took some modification, but in the end worked out pretty well. I used this and modified it to work on his case.
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post #500 of 643
4/15/12 at 7:57pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thefever View Post

If USB 3.0 is that important, you can always replace the USB 2.0 ports with USB 3.0. I've done this recently on a friend's desktop build. It took some modification, but in the end worked out pretty well. I used this and modified it to work on his case.

Nice. Very nice.

One more thought on USB3.0 from my above post. Another piece is if consumers care enough about USB3.0 to replace their USB2.0 devices. We have one of those Flip cameras which is USB2.0. If there were a USB3.0 version, I would not replace it just for that feature. I find the USB2.0 is fine for transferring the videos off the camera. Same for getting pictures off my camera card. I am sure USB3.0 is faster but USB2.0 does seem like it's that slow. Now, my USB2.0 HDD, that's a completely different story. But, to solve that I bought a PCI bracket that has eSATA ports and internal cabling to hook to the SATA motherboard ports. Then I got a eSATA HDD cradle.
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post #501 of 643
4/15/12 at 8:02pm
Thread Starter 
When I did my initial testing of the HT100, I tried mounting a 3.5" HDD under the ODD and found it completely blocked the HSF. For some reason it dawned on me today to turn it 90 degrees. I can't use all four screws but it's still very secure under the ODD tray. It fits perfectly with the Gelid 28mm HSF. I am pretty psyched about this. It's amazing what you can stuff in this little case. Right now I have:
  • G620 CPU,
  • H61 mini-ITX motherboard,
  • Gelid Slim Silence i-Plus HSF,
  • Kingston 4GB RAM (low-profile),
  • 64GB Kingston SSD,
  • 750GB Western Digital HDD,
  • Powercolor HD5450 GPU.





Tomorrow I'll see what kind of temps and power draw I get with this setup. My hope is 84W is still sufficient and that the 60mm fan is still not necessary (it came with one).
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post #502 of 643
4/15/12 at 8:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by StardogChampion View Post

Nice. Very nice.

One more thought on USB3.0 from my above post. Another piece is if consumers care enough about USB3.0 to replace their USB2.0 devices. We have one of those Flip cameras which is USB2.0. If there were a USB3.0 version, I would not replace it just for that feature. I find the USB2.0 is fine for transferring the videos off the camera. Same for getting pictures off my camera card. I am sure USB3.0 is faster but USB2.0 does seem like it's that slow. Now, my USB2.0 HDD, that's a completely different story. But, to solve that I bought a PCI bracket that has eSATA ports and internal cabling to hook to the SATA motherboard ports. Then I got a eSATA HDD cradle.

You're absolutely right. I use eSATA for transferring to my external HDD (old Laptop HD). But I only utilize eSATA on my Desktop which has eSATA through my card reader. I can just transfer everything over the network to HTPC, or whatever if I need to.

Question on the HT-100. What kind of clearance do you have above the memory? I was planning on utilizing the memory I currently have, which is 2 sticks of this Corsair memory. I'm thinking it won't have the clearance.

Also, the front window where the LCD/VFD window is, is it tinted, or clear? Or does it just have a piece of blackout tape on it? Hard to tell in the picture.
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post #503 of 643
4/15/12 at 8:42pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by thefever View Post

Question on the HT-100. What kind of clearance do you have above the memory? I was planning on utilizing the memory I currently have, which is 2 sticks of this Corsair memory. I'm thinking it won't have the clearance.

I'll take a look. I am using Kingston low-profile memory so it's not an issue. A lot would also depend on where on your motherboard the memory is located. If it's at the front of the case there might be interference there from the 24-pin power cable more than the ODD tray.

Quote:
Originally Posted by thefever View Post

Also, the front window where the LCD/VFD window is, is it tinted, or clear? Or does it just have a piece of blackout tape on it? Hard to tell in the picture.

It's tinted. Within that the whole space is a smaller window (30x114mm) for the LCD/VFD and a small round window for an IR receiver.
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post #504 of 643
4/15/12 at 8:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by StardogChampion View Post

I'll take a look. I am using Kingston low-profile memory so it's not an issue. A lot would also depend on where on your motherboard the memory is located. If it's at the front of the case there might be interference there from the 24-pin power cable more than the ODD tray.



It's tinted. Within that the whole space is a smaller window (30x114mm) for the LCD/VFD and a small round window for an IR receiver.

Very nice. It seems extremely well made. My nMediaPC 2000B case doesn't have a tinted window, just the blackout tape on it. It was annoying to look at before I put in the nmedia lcd.
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post #505 of 643
4/15/12 at 8:54pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by thefever View Post

Very nice. It seems extremely well made. My nMediaPC 2000B case doesn't have a tinted window, just the blackout tape on it. It was annoying to look at before I put in the nmedia lcd.

The more I work with the HT100 the more impressed I am. The HT80 is also really nicely built too. Iwill makes good stuff. Not to mention my contact is super nice and very responsive.

I have the 1000b. My biggest disappointment is that LCD. I just wanted something to display the time, which it does, but I can't see it from the couch .
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post #506 of 643
4/15/12 at 9:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by StardogChampion View Post

The more I work with the HT100 the more impressed I am. The HT80 is also really nicely built too. Iwill makes good stuff. Not to mention my contact is super nice and very responsive.

I have the 1000b. My biggest disappointment is that LCD. I just wanted something to display the time, which it does, but I can't see it from the couch .

I can barely see mine. I have to be sitting directly in my recliner, directly in front of it. I used the crap software they have from M-Blast for a little while, until I finally found someone that got it working another way. It was pretty difficult to setup, but I did get it working.

Here's the blog with instructions.
http://blog.jonschneider.com/2012_01_01_archive.html
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post #507 of 643
4/18/12 at 7:49pm
Thread Starter 
I received the E-I5 and the E-I7 today. These are from the same manufacturer that makes the Habey EMC-600 and 800. The advantage of these is that they have more ventilation and they are taller. The E-I5 is about the same height (75mm) as the EMC-800 (80mm) but without an ODD. The E-I7 is 20mm taller (95mm) and has an ODD slot.

The insides are basically the same and the EMC-600/800 as far as the power supply and ODD/HDD mounting brackets. I'll be doing some builds in these over the next few days and will post about them.

E-I5:


E-I7:
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post #508 of 643
4/20/12 at 7:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by StardogChampion View Post

I received the E-I5 and the E-I7 today. These are from the same manufacturer that makes the Habey EMC-600 and 800. The advantage of these is that they have more ventilation and they are taller. The E-I5 is about the same height (75mm) as the EMC-800 (80mm) but without an ODD. The E-I7 is 20mm taller (95mm) and has an ODD slot.

The insides are basically the same and the EMC-600/800 as far as the power supply and ODD/HDD mounting brackets. I'll be doing some builds in these over the next few days and will post about them.

...

What are your initial impressions of those cases? I think I may try and build a mini-ITX case instead of the microATX I was first considering. The E-I5 looks interesting. Does it have the ports above the back panel like the E-I7 does? I wish it would have had vents instead, but probably not that big of a deal.

Would the E-I5 support both a 3.5" HDD and 2.5" SSD?
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post #509 of 643
4/20/12 at 7:59am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by anleva View Post

What are your initial impressions of those cases? I think I may try and build a mini-ITX case instead of the microATX I was first considering. The E-I5 looks interesting. Does it have the ports above the back panel like the E-I7 does? I wish it would have had vents instead, but probably not that big of a deal.

Would the E-I5 support both a 3.5" HDD and 2.5" SSD?

My initial impressions are that they are really nice cases. Yeah, the COM ports are kind of strange but at least they are in the back where they are not visible. I would rather they were a vent design too. The SATA and Molex port in the back actually come with the cables necessary to hook up an external drive which could be handy.

With the E-I5, what HDDs it can support is entirely dependent on the motherboard used. With a 1155 motherboard and a 28mm cooler, the 3.5" HDD rests right on the cooler. It also competes with the 24-pin power cable in the front. So, it can be done with the right cooler, maybe the aforementioned Dynatron. Foregoing the internal PSU and getting a picoPSU also makes more room since the 20-pin power cable isn't so stiff.. There is plenty of clearance however for 2 x 2.5" HDD.

If you don't use the ODD in the E-I7 there is room for a 3.5" HDD, maybe even 2, with a low profile cooler -- I think even the NT07-1156.

With a Fusion or Atom motherboard, the story is much difference since there is no desktop HSF.
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post #510 of 643
4/20/12 at 8:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by StardogChampion View Post

My initial impressions are that they are really nice cases. Yeah, the COM ports are kind of strange but at least they are in the back where they are not visible. I would rather they were a vent design too. The SATA and Molex port in the back actually come with the cables necessary to hook up an external drive which could be handy.

With the E-I5, what HDDs it can support is entirely dependent on the motherboard used. With a 1155 motherboard and a 28mm cooler, the 3.5" HDD rests right on the cooler. It also competes with the 24-pin power cable in the front. So, it can be done with the right cooler, maybe the aforementioned Dynatron. Foregoing the internal PSU and getting a picoPSU also makes more room since the 20-pin power cable isn't so stiff.. There is plenty of clearance however for 2 x 2.5" HDD.

If you don't use the ODD in the E-I7 there is room for a 3.5" HDD, maybe even 2, with a low profile cooler -- I think even the NT07-1156.

With a Fusion or Atom motherboard, the story is much difference since there is no desktop HSF.

Thanks. So for the E-I5 if you went with a 28mm cooler and a picoPSU you could fit a 3.5" HDD and a 2.5" SSD? Or would you just be better off using a 2.5" HDD and a 2.5" SSD?
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