Associate
APUs are set to make a big comeback in 2018 with AMD's Ryzen/Vega based AM4 chips leading the way. Powerful processing and graphics on a single chip with the latest connectivity will make them a great choice for low cost gaming PC's or advanced Home Theatre PC's.
Introducing the HT5, a compact Home Theatre PC style case focusing on high performance APU cooling. The 5 litre chassis can accommodate a CPU cooler up to 72mm in height and up to four 80x25mm fans. PLEASE NOTE - THIS CASE IS IN DEVELOPMENT
These photos are a first draft prototype, there are some refinements needed, such as flat headed screws for a more flush look. I'm also looking for ways to include Full IO support (USB + Audio), but may have to settle for vandal switch only. Is front USB/Audio needed on a HTPC? Feedback appreciated!
Lazer3D cases are not trying to be the absolute smallest, but instead look to provide a sensible compromise between size, acoustic and thermal performance, the HT5 aims to continue this approach. For example the case features 5mm clearance between the case fans and side vents to eliminate turbulence noise, a feature which adds volume but reduces noise.
The details are still being worked out, so please ignore the venting pattern on the top window panel, they've been added in for testing just for the time being and could become any vent pattern. The top panel could alternatively be a matte colour, dark tinted, wood, or frosted.
I'm hoping to also have a selection of different woods types to pick from for the front panel, or if preferred the front could be a standard matte black, white or grey.
Its a pretty standard layout with the ITX board sitting in the middle and space for 2x 80mm fans on each side of the motherboard and 2.5" HDD's along the front edge of the case. The idea is the 4x 80mm work together in combination with the CPU cooler to either push or pull air through the top vent (depending on your CPU cooler), what should end up happening is a hell of a lot of air passing through the CPU heatsink with minimal fan effort, leading to a cool and quiet system.
THERMAL TESTING
Test System = Noctua NH-L12S, 4x 80mm case fans, Intel i7-7700 stock with IGP, 16Gb DDR4, MSI B250i, 256Gb M.2 SSD.
Power Supply = 12V Pico PSU + 120w 12V AC-Adapter
CPU fan curve = 0% @ 0C up to 100% @ 80C.
TEST RESULTS:
4x 80mm case fans @ 100% speed (set to intake)
Idle
CPU: 25C
SYS: 28C
8 thread Prime95
CPU: 64C
SYS: 29C
2 thread Prim95 + Unigine Valley
CPU: 55C
SYS: 29C
No Case Fans (CPU Fan Only)
Idle
CPU: 28C
SYS: 36C
8 Thread Prime95
CPU: 70C
SYS: 37C
2 Thread Prime95 + Unigine Valley
CPU: 61C
SYS: 37C
Please let me know your thoughts and suggestions, your feedback is much appreciated!
Introducing the HT5, a compact Home Theatre PC style case focusing on high performance APU cooling. The 5 litre chassis can accommodate a CPU cooler up to 72mm in height and up to four 80x25mm fans. PLEASE NOTE - THIS CASE IS IN DEVELOPMENT
These photos are a first draft prototype, there are some refinements needed, such as flat headed screws for a more flush look. I'm also looking for ways to include Full IO support (USB + Audio), but may have to settle for vandal switch only. Is front USB/Audio needed on a HTPC? Feedback appreciated!
I'm hoping to also have a selection of different woods types to pick from for the front panel, or if preferred the front could be a standard matte black, white or grey.
THERMAL TESTING
Test System = Noctua NH-L12S, 4x 80mm case fans, Intel i7-7700 stock with IGP, 16Gb DDR4, MSI B250i, 256Gb M.2 SSD.
Power Supply = 12V Pico PSU + 120w 12V AC-Adapter
CPU fan curve = 0% @ 0C up to 100% @ 80C.
TEST RESULTS:
4x 80mm case fans @ 100% speed (set to intake)
Idle
CPU: 25C
SYS: 28C
8 thread Prime95
CPU: 64C
SYS: 29C
2 thread Prim95 + Unigine Valley
CPU: 55C
SYS: 29C
No Case Fans (CPU Fan Only)
Idle
CPU: 28C
SYS: 36C
8 Thread Prime95
CPU: 70C
SYS: 37C
2 Thread Prime95 + Unigine Valley
CPU: 61C
SYS: 37C
Please let me know your thoughts and suggestions, your feedback is much appreciated!
