Selecting a case for a narrow TV bench (cooling problem?) (1 Viewer)

bermag

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August 21, 2007
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The bench I am going to use for my HTPC is pretty narrow, leaving only 2-3 cm left on the side with a normal htpc case, but height and depth is good. Do I need to take this into consideration when choosing a case. Thinking about cooling/ventilation issues.

For example on nice choice is the Antec Fusion (or whatever they call it now). It is a nice case and good value for the money. However, it does have the case fans located on the right side which is maybe a problem when you don't have that much space for air to flow on the side. Is that a problem and should I instead choose a case which have the fans located at front/back?
 

solas989

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  • January 17, 2009
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    Yes it is a consideration...but not only for air flow, but noise as well. Intake will be fine,but noisy. The issue is that the exhaust area will get saturated with hot air from the HTPC and it could seep back into the case...

    I had a similar issue...so I used a SFF case, the Silverstone SG01. Not a full HTPC but it has a clean layout. HDD intake/exhaust is on the sides, but mb cooling is on the top. You can even get a crossflow fan to exhaust it out the back (I dont have one).

    If you could cut holes into the bench for the exhaust so it would not saturate the the case, then you would be fine. Using low rpm fans will also cut down on the intake noise.

    Take my advice with a grain of salt, and this has just been my experience.

    Solas
     

    bermag

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    August 21, 2007
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    Thank you for your reply.

    I have been thinking of using a Sliverstone as well, the LC16M It have two (factory mounted) exhaust fans in the back and room for 2x 92 mm fans in front. Might be a better choice for me.

    Have considered cutting a hole in the bench for the side exhaust fans (if using Antec). My bench has a middle section so I could place the case in the left section and drill a hole for air to flow into the middle section and you wouldn't see the hole. Making an ugly hole in the bench is not that popular with my wife :).

    However having front and back fans is probably a better choice anyway.
     

    wwwoholic

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    February 27, 2009
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    For narrow spaces you should look for a hot new HTPC layout with PCU moved into usually empty spot beside HD bay. This reduces width to motherboard size at the cost of slightly increased depth. Here are two cases suitable for you:

    If good looks are not your primary concern then this is a perfect case (cooling-wise):

    Apevia X-Master

    And this is THE BEST (in my opinion) case for living room rack (available in silver and black):

    3R System M-station HT-3000 Plus
     

    bermag

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    August 21, 2007
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    Two very nice cases, especially that 3R case.

    Need to go looking to see if they are available from a ny vendor here. Haven't seen them before. That 3R case is probably expensive I guess.
     

    wwwoholic

    Portal Member
    February 27, 2009
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    There are other cases with similar layout. Not many but you can find something. 3R case is relatively cheap because it has plastic front panel. Their other cases have brushed aluminum front.

    Their American suppliers refused to sell me anything due to "ongoing restructuring of the supply chain". So I simply asked my friend in Europe to buy one and send it to Canada. It all come to $250 including shipping. I received mine HT-3000 last week. It looks awesome and indeed has perfect layout for HTPC. All my audio components have plastic front panels so it fits right in.
     

    iancalderban

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    December 12, 2008
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    with a nice case that just fits in the hole (antec micro fusion) , ikea bonde bench, there is the same problem, not a lot of room down the sides.

    however, ikea bonde bench is not too expensive and if you don't mind taking the saw to it as I did... you can mount a couple of uber-quiet Yate Loon 140mm fans in the back of the bench blowing into (or out of) the equipment area. That way you can get big airflow from slow fans moving the air through the bench, and just use some nice nexus or noctua 80mm's in your SFF case.

    Ian
     

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