Which HTPC case for a highend PC (SLI 8800gtx etc)

chaparral · 4 Dec 2006 at 19:01

Am looking at building a new highend PC system in a HTPC case so i can put it in my AV rack...

Which HTPC cases can fit and run cool enought for highend PC components like a SLI setup of 8800gtx...high wattage PSU,Two Raptor harddrives etc

chaparral · 5 Dec 2006 at 12:29

There no HTPC cases that you could built a highend gaming system in. :confused:

dwarf · 5 Dec 2006 at 17:06

Those kind of cases are not ideal for high spec systems really due to the lack of airflow and space. You might want to take a look at the Zalman range of HTPC cases. Probably the 160's as they are taller and have more cooling capacity.

As for being able to fit 2x 8800 im not sure as they are very long cards, you may have to sacrifice a hard drive cage.

Tbh i would look into putting it into a proper case.

a1ex2001 · 6 Dec 2006 at 15:01

dwarf said:
Tbh i would look into putting it into a proper case.

I'd second that, for those sort of extreme specs your better off with a case that is designed to keep a high end rig cool not a HTPC case that is designed for quiet running in a living room.

If you want something that won't look to out of place in your living room (depending on decor obviously) go for something understated like a lian-li I know the last thing I'd get passed te misses into the living room would be a big shinny gaming case!

In all honesty I think your better of building a seperate PC if you want a HTPC you can do it quite cheaply as you should have no need for high end components for playing some MP3's and videos.

z0mbi3 · 6 Dec 2006 at 15:22

chaparral said:
There no HTPC cases that you could built a highend gaming system in.

Dirty lies.

Silverstone have so much to offer you can't really go wrong.

Raikiri · 6 Dec 2006 at 15:25

z0mbi3 said:
Dirty lies.

Silverstone have so much to offer you can't really go wrong.

How can a question be a lie? :confused:

Anyway they all seem to use 80mm fans and aren't really big enough for cards like the 8800GTX which extend past the motherboard.

chaparral · 7 Dec 2006 at 07:23

Thanks for the replys guys....

I would have really expected there to be at lest some good HTPC cases out there for a high end PC with all these large screen 1080p LCD's and plasma's that many people are buying now days...

hp7909 · 7 Dec 2006 at 07:48

chaparral said:
{snip}I would have really expected there to be at lest some good HTPC cases out there for a high end PC with all these large screen 1080p LCD's and plasma's that many people are buying now days...

The problem is the 8800GTX is a very long card even for some ATX cases...

bit-tech.net | Antec Nine Hundred Review said:
So much for being the ultimate gamer's case: the GeForce 8800 GTX doesn't fit in with the standard fan bracket installed. We had to pull the drive cage back out, unclip the bracket and then slot it back in again (grazing our fingers on the eight thumbscrews required to perform this operation each time). As we looked to put the card in, we had to go and grab a screwdriver to attach it to the expansion mount - call us spoilt, but we haven't had to do that in any of the last cases we've looked at.

http://www.bit-tech.net/modding/2006/11/21/Antec_Nine_Hundred/4.html :eek:

z0mbi3 · 7 Dec 2006 at 08:20

chaparral said:
Thanks for the replys guys....

I would have really expected there to be at lest some good HTPC cases out there for a high end PC with all these large screen 1080p LCD's and plasma's that many people are buying now days...

Silverstone make really nice cases, sure there'd be something that suits your needs.

Bomag · 8 Dec 2006 at 00:07

I love my Silverstone LC16 but I had to take out the DVD drive to fit in a 7800GTX. Even the biggest of their HTPCs will struggle with 8800s.

Temps are also a problem. Before I went on to water cooling the CPU temps were running up 45C idle (3800 x2) and the MB temp was not much cooler.

z0mbi3 · 8 Dec 2006 at 08:17

Thing is I would've thought that as long as the dvd drive didn't sit in the middle and was just infront of the PSU then you wouldn't have a problem. Unless the cards are a freaky L shape?

dwarf · 10 Dec 2006 at 11:04

Correct me if im wrong but it seems SimonMaltby has put a high end gaming rig in a HTPC. Look here.

PinkFloyd · 10 Dec 2006 at 11:59

dwarf said:
Correct me if im wrong but it seems SimonMaltby has put a high end gaming rig in a HTPC. Look here.

Yeh its high end, but there not 8800GTXs.
That would be extremely cramped with a pair of them in there.

Arc · 10 Dec 2006 at 14:19

chaparral said:
I would have really expected there to be at lest some good HTPC cases out there for a high end PC with all these large screen 1080p LCD's and plasma's that many people are buying now days...

By its very nature, an HTPC is based around average hardware. There is no need to have a high end PC as an HTPC as the extra performance basically goes to waste.

Might be better building yourself a gaming rig with two SLI'ed 8800GTX's/raptors etc and a nice small quiet HTPC rig that can pull media files from your game rig.

WJA96 · 12 Dec 2006 at 11:40

chaparral said:
I would have really expected there to be at lest some good HTPC cases out there for a high end PC with all these large screen 1080p LCD's and plasma's that many people are buying now days...

1080p is only 1920x1080 (2.1 million pixels) and most recent on-board graphics will easily drive that resolution at the low frame rates required to give a good TV experience.

For high-end gaming resolutions of 2560x1600 (4.1 million pixels) are the sort of thing that 8800GTX SLi setups are actually aimed at. A single 7900GTO is just about maxed out at 1920x1080 with all the bells and whistles turned on. Two of them will almost be wasted at that resolution.

z0mbi3 · 12 Dec 2006 at 13:18

Arc said:
By its very nature, an HTPC is based around average hardware. There is no need to have a high end PC as an HTPC as the extra performance basically goes to waste.

Might be better building yourself a gaming rig with two SLI'ed 8800GTX's/raptors etc and a nice small quiet HTPC rig that can pull media files from your game rig.

I disagree with this. The only thing posing some issue is the size of the 8800's. I think a descent Silverstone HTPC case would do the job. They do many box's that are HTPC in appearance, but are designed to fit full ATX mobo's.

I recommend the OP looks at cases like those and gets busy with the measurements.

Nuff said.

WJA96 · 12 Dec 2006 at 13:23

z0mbi3 said:
The only thing posing some issue is the size of the 8800's.

There is also a potential heat issue, but that is not insurmountable.

z0mbi3 said:
I think a descent Silverstone HTPC case would do the job. They do many box's that are HTPC in appearance, but are designed to fit full ATX mobo's.

They have potential.

z0mbi3 said:
I recommend the OP looks at cases like those and gets busy with the measurements.

Nuff said.

Just because something physically can be done doesn't mean it's a good idea. It think we're all just having a slight case of the jitters about recommending something we think could be unsuitable.

Nuff said.