Conclusion:
With this being my first HTPC build, the review of the
nMEDIAPC HTPC 500SA ATX Media Center PC Case was a great success. From the appearance, to the silent operation, I definitely see it being the home for my HTPC for a while. The unique design and the great number of ventilation holes will help with heat dissipation, and keep the system running nice and quiet without interruption to the home theater environment it is a part of.
One change I would like to see is with the hard drive and power supply cages to be swapped, or at least some other way to mount the power supply. If the power supply needs attention, you need to open up the whole case and remove the cage to check it out, which really ins't convenient. It was also tough to get the special right angle power extension cord plugged into the power supply, compounding the dislike of this design.
A search for the nMEDIAPC HTPC 500SA ATX Media Center PC Case on
PriceGrabber results in three sellers with prices ranging from $145 to $166.22 before shipping and tax. This is may be a little on the high side for a typical HTPC case, but this one does include nice touches like a VFD and support for full ATX motherboards.
For its stylish appearance, near silent operation, and overall solid design, the
nMEDIAPC HTPC 500SA ATX Media Center PC Case earns the awards of "Recommended" and "Whisper Quiet".
Pros:
» Stylish design
» Super quiet fans
» VFD unit included
» Full ATX motherboard support
Cons:
» Power supply cage and location is awkward
» All fans connect via 4-pin Molex connectors
» USB/Firewire inputs on the side may be hard to access
Special thanks to
nMEDIAPC for providing the nMEDIAPC HTPC 500SA ATX Media Center PC Case to Bigbruin.com for review!
