Cover off with front bezel. The wrinkles are just the protective plastic.
-
Our native mobile app has a new name: Fora Communities. Learn more.
Ahanix MCE302. So far, so good. Pics, etc.
I've gone through multiple iterations of HTPC's, none of which have done what I wanted them to. It's been a waste of time, energy and thought. Finally I think I've arrived at a solution, so I decided I'd share the journey with you all. While not a frequent poster I am a total hardware nut, having already constructed a multiple terrabyte raid for my home.
Anyhoo, first off is the case, the ahanix MCE302, mine is silver. I had my eyes on the HP z540 and z545, but the price seemed steep. Users of the dual tuner version also indicate it's unstable, most probably a thermal issue. I've been looking for a similar sized case that I could be happy with.
The MCE302 arrived today. You can see the exterior shots on ahanix.com, but they don't include internals, so I'll attach some photos.
The planned rig:
Silver Ahanix MCE302
PowerColor R96L-SC3 Radeon 9600 SE LP
ATI DVI -> Component
Asus P4P800-VM (SPDIF out)
2 x Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-150MCE LP
Silverstone SST-ST30NF Fanless 250W
Thermalright XP-90
Intel 2.8ghz northwood, 1gb memory
NEC DVDR
Gyration ultra GT
Harmony 680 w/ MCE breakout box receiver
Silence is key for me, so it will be interesting to see how I'll keep it quiet and cool under load.
Only negative so far: I'm tired of the parallel VFD solution. A bit of a whine but why can't they make a USB version?
Fit and finish: top notch. It's a solid feeling case with a very thick, well ventilated cover. It's clear they have learned from their past mistakes and continue to evolve.
Anyhoo, first off is the case, the ahanix MCE302, mine is silver. I had my eyes on the HP z540 and z545, but the price seemed steep. Users of the dual tuner version also indicate it's unstable, most probably a thermal issue. I've been looking for a similar sized case that I could be happy with.
The MCE302 arrived today. You can see the exterior shots on ahanix.com, but they don't include internals, so I'll attach some photos.
The planned rig:
Silver Ahanix MCE302
PowerColor R96L-SC3 Radeon 9600 SE LP
ATI DVI -> Component
Asus P4P800-VM (SPDIF out)
2 x Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-150MCE LP
Silverstone SST-ST30NF Fanless 250W
Thermalright XP-90
Intel 2.8ghz northwood, 1gb memory
NEC DVDR
Gyration ultra GT
Harmony 680 w/ MCE breakout box receiver
Silence is key for me, so it will be interesting to see how I'll keep it quiet and cool under load.
Only negative so far: I'm tired of the parallel VFD solution. A bit of a whine but why can't they make a USB version?
Fit and finish: top notch. It's a solid feeling case with a very thick, well ventilated cover. It's clear they have learned from their past mistakes and continue to evolve.
- Status
1 - 20 of 22 Posts
Other components installed. Awaiting motherboard. Note the thoughtful placement of the intake fan for hard drive cooling. If you wanted to secure the HD from the other side you'd need to remove the bracket, no problem because it's screwed in. The fit and finish is so tight however that securing the one side leaves it no wiggle room.
Front bezel and ports. The dvd cover isn't installed yet. The door has a nice oil-dampened feel to it.
It's obvious based on trial fitting that the DVD front bezel must be removed entirely to accomodate the new door cover.
It's obvious based on trial fitting that the DVD front bezel must be removed entirely to accomodate the new door cover.
The Thermalright XP-90 cpu cooler arrived today but the motherboard is delayed until tomorrow. It's a gorgeous piece of engineering but it's clear there's no room for a fan on top of it once the motherboard is in place. At this point the power supply, CPU and video card are all passively cooled with only the single 80mm fan providing ventilation for the entire box.
Once I get everything settled I'll have to see how to cool this pup, but I envision a hole saw in my future. I'll probably ditch the 80mm fan and put in a thermally controlled single 120mm fan on the bottom of the cover. Otherwise maybe multiple 80mm with one attached to the cpu cooler side.
Once I get everything settled I'll have to see how to cool this pup, but I envision a hole saw in my future. I'll probably ditch the 80mm fan and put in a thermally controlled single 120mm fan on the bottom of the cover. Otherwise maybe multiple 80mm with one attached to the cpu cooler side.
Quote:
I assume you're talking about the Gladiac 743 LP? I'm going to see if the 9600 works well enough, I prefer a passively cooled solution. I'm also on an AGP based motherboard. The Elsa card does look interesting however:
GLADIAC 743 LP 128MB bases on NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GPU, supports PCI Express x16 interface and has 128 MB DDR SDRAM in FBGA chips. The MSRP is ¥20,000 ($190).
The cooler provided makes noise up to 23 dB. The clock rates are 300/500 MHz (128-bit bus). Supported technologies include DirectX 9.0c, Shader Model 3.0, OpenGL 1.5. Interfaces are VGA (2048x1536), DVI-I (1600x1200), S-Video, Composite, HDTV (1920x1080). The novelty is sized 168x59 mm.
| Originally posted by mrloopy If I could get you a low profile Nvidia 6600, would you be interested? I'm trying to import some from Japan. What would you be willing to pay for it, out of interest. |
GLADIAC 743 LP 128MB bases on NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GPU, supports PCI Express x16 interface and has 128 MB DDR SDRAM in FBGA chips. The MSRP is ¥20,000 ($190).
The cooler provided makes noise up to 23 dB. The clock rates are 300/500 MHz (128-bit bus). Supported technologies include DirectX 9.0c, Shader Model 3.0, OpenGL 1.5. Interfaces are VGA (2048x1536), DVI-I (1600x1200), S-Video, Composite, HDTV (1920x1080). The novelty is sized 168x59 mm.
Hi Aud,
Actually I've been pulling my hair out over the cooling / noise issue and finally arrived at a reasonable solution.
I had initially mounted a Thermalright XP-90 in there but without adequate cooling it overheated. Next up was an artic cooling supersilent 4 ultra which worked very well except that it was about 2mm too high and caused the case to hum because the fan was in contact with the cover. It also caused a *very slight* bulge.
My solution was to remove the fan from the 4 ultra and put a zalman 92mm fan in its place, secured by scotch super strong exterior mounting tape. I'll attach a picture of it belly up with the protective cover unpeeled. It's very secure, quiet and cools adequately so far under load.
Actually I've been pulling my hair out over the cooling / noise issue and finally arrived at a reasonable solution.
I had initially mounted a Thermalright XP-90 in there but without adequate cooling it overheated. Next up was an artic cooling supersilent 4 ultra which worked very well except that it was about 2mm too high and caused the case to hum because the fan was in contact with the cover. It also caused a *very slight* bulge.
My solution was to remove the fan from the 4 ultra and put a zalman 92mm fan in its place, secured by scotch super strong exterior mounting tape. I'll attach a picture of it belly up with the protective cover unpeeled. It's very secure, quiet and cools adequately so far under load.
For those of you buying this case and need all pci slots available like me: pick up a nibbling tool from radio shack, a few nibbles in the corner will allow the VFD cable to be pushed aside.
1 - 20 of 22 Posts
- Status
