|
Navigation
Home Reviews Forum Search About Contact Sponsors Affiliates |
|
Computer Hardware
Sourcing for reliable computer gadgets and network hardware here in |
Sunbeamtech Acrylic HTPC Case
Author: Andrew Schembri Date: March 18, 2008 Manufacturer: Sunbeam Provider: Sunbeam
« Sunbeamtech Acrylic HTPC Case Page 2: Thoughts
With assembly complete, it was time to put a little hardware into the case. PSU and motherboard were quite easy with really no difference from a regular case. On the other hand, drives require you to remove the entire drive bay (4 screws) in order to install/ uninstall. It’s really not too much of a pain, but it would have been nice to have some sort of quick install mechanism, such as drive rails.
Airflow seems to be adequate. All 4 of the fans are 80mm. Larger fans would have been nice, especially since there’s nothing to block the noise of the front two fans, not that they’re loud, but at the same time, they aren’t silent. Also, the lack of dust filters is a concern with a clear case like this.
The amount of space in this case is very generous. Any current consumer video card available should be able to fit as long as the optical drive of choice isn’t too long. There is also ample room for extended PSUs. The internal height of the case is about the same as a standard PSU on its side, so any CPU or GPU cooler that is smaller than that should fit. The large size of the case also allows plenty of room for long and thick PSU cables. The motherboard’s standoffs are tall enough to where cables can easily be run underneath it to easily hide them away from view.
Conclusion
Sunbeam really surprised me with their Acrylic HTPC case. It meets most of the requirements for a good case. There are a few drawbacks, but they are relatively minor and can be easily fixed. The first concern is the lack of fan filters, for which there are many fixed out on the web. Secondly, I’m not sure who wants a big blue glowing box under/on top of their TV while they’re watching Transformers, but that’s easy enough to fix by using non-led fans. If using this case to only house a computer for media streaming, the fans are more than powerful enough to cool it down, and quiet enough so that you shouldn’t hear them with any kind of other noise, such as whatever media you are streaming. However, I feel that this case is more suited to using it as a desktop PC, especially the UV reactive case. The case is more than sturdy enough to hold my 19” LCD, but I wouldn’t trust it with anything larger than a 15” CRT. On the other hand, the UV reactive case would look very awesome with some non-led fans and some switch black lighting in the TV room. Cut the white lights out and the black lights on when watching a move and this case is surely to be a topic of conversation!
Pros:
- Innovative HTPC case
- Easy to assemble
- Sturdy construction
- Plenty of room for most components
- Enough room for even large power supplies
- Good airflow
- 4 included LED fans
- Can house up to 8 hard drives
- Removable and adjustable center mounted fan
- Decent cable management
- Included specialty screwdriver
- Included cotton gloves
- Can be had for as little as $80
Cons:
- No fan filters
- LED fans may be distracting
- Not completely silent
Overall, this is a wonderful case if the concept of a clear case with lights is appealing to you, especially at a low price of $80. For purchasing information, please see Sunbeam’s where to buy page.
A big thanks go out to Sunbeam for providing me with this sample to review.
« Sunbeamtech Acrylic HTPC Case
|
Advertisement
Forum
Top Posters
|