December 2004 HTPC Case Roundup

Final Thoughts

Which unit will win our Editors Choice Award in this first HTPC case roundup? Taking a closer look, the case that came the closest to giving the best home theater experience out of the box was SilverStone Technology's LC10/M. The extra features, which included a media center compatible IrDA remote control and media center software, made this case easy to set up and use. Thermal performance of the LC10/M was better than the performance shown by the D.Vine 5, but took a hit in sound performance, since it produced about 51dBA with its 3 case fans.

NMediaPC's HTPC 100 did not perform as well in our thermal benchmarks as the LC10/M or the Cavalier 2, but it produced an extremely low amount of sound, since it used a single 60mm fan, which is very important in a home theater environment. NMediaPC also offers barebones and full system kits for a complete home theater solution.

Ahanix still needs some work on their HTPC case, though. The D.Vine 5, no matter if it was constructed of aluminum, had a lot of unused space, which could have been utilized for extra drive bays. And though the sound performance was above average, the thermal readings were just too high for us to choose it over the rest.

In the end, we will have to let the prices decide on which is the right HTPC case for you. If you want a simple solution, one where a third party external IrDA receiver can be used without a functional LCD text display, the Cavalier 2 is the best solution at an extremely low price of $100. This price includes the 300W SATA ready power supply. If you want something a little quieter out of the box, however, with a fully functional IrDA remote control and a media center suite and don't mind spending $230, the LC10M is for you. There is also the option of purchasing the LC10 without the multi-media kit, which takes away the remote control and media center software and brings the price of the chassis down to about $140.

The final call: SilverStone's Lascala 10 receives our Editors Choice Award for best HTPC case of 2004 in thermal performance as well as visual and internal design and features. NMediaPC's HTPC 100 comes in at second for its quiet performance but the lack of drive bays kept it from taking the #1 spot. The LC10/M had plenty of space for extra HDD. We felt that the sound issue can be cured with quiter fans, or even removing the front 80mm intake fan.