[JasonF88]

Hi

Been lurking on this forum for a while and it's been really, really helpful. Quite close to finalizing my build, just wondered if anyone had any experience with these cases: Powercool HTPC-006.

Love the way it looks (and the price) as it will have to sit below my TV where the DVD player is right now.

My planned spec is

[CPU] AMD-A6 3500
[MOBO] Asrock Socket FM1 A75M-HVS
[PSU] picoPSU-90-XLP
[CASE] Powercool HTPC-006
[OPTICAL] LiteOn IHOS104-06
[HDD] Western Digital Caviar 2TB SATAII 64MB Cache 3.5-inch Green
[RAM] Kingston KHX1866C11D3P1K2/4G 4GB 1866MHz DDR3 Non-ECC CL11 DIMM HyperX Plug and Play Memory Module

Cheers

[Dougie Fresh]

That's a solid, well proven platform for an HTPC.

What OS are you planning to run? Is there any room in your budget for an SSD for your OS/applications?

You're going to want something like this to mount the picoPSU plug where the PSU would have gone: http://www.ecosmartpc.com/atxnofan.html. Or, if you industrious enough drill a 5/16" hole in a PCI slot cover and then get a blanking plate for the ATX PSU bay.

And, with using the picoPSU in a micro-ATX case you might need some cord extenders. You're definitely going to need a molex-to-SATA power converter for the optical drive. The picoPSU only had 1 SATA, 1 molex and 1 berg power connector plus the CPU power connector.

[bivvy]

Half way through building my HTPC - bought one of these cases as it comes with a built in IR receiver and remote control.

It's a nice looking case - smart, brushed black finish. Might damage easily but mine arrived in perfect condition, and I'm pleased with it. It was easy to install motherboard, DVD and hard disk drive. I had to remove then metal frame that holds the disk drives so that the DVD could slot in from the front, but this was also simple - just needed some slight adjustment so the DVD tray opens and closes smoothly without getting caught on the spring loaded door on then case.

I'm using a pico PSU so had to make a plate to fit in the back of the case where the PSU would sit. Sorry I cannot comment on fitting a conventional PSU.

IR receiver simply plugs into a USB header on the motherboard. Remote worked first time. It's OK but feels a bit cheap.

My only criticisms:
1. The remote control does not have as many buttons as other remotes for media centres (such as the Microsoft remotes)
2. I'm getting interference from my TV remote control (an LG smart TV). At the moment I can not find a way round this - I'm sure there is a fix but there are no instructions or contact details with the case. Hopefully someone reading these forums will have some ideas!

Hope this helps.

[Dougie Fresh]

That case is the SAMA Q1: http://www.sama.cn/en/showproducts.asp?id=25