Slim HTPC Cabinet within 4K or less for micro ATX boards

haisaikat

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Hi All,
I am trying to figure out a good HTPC cabinet for micro ATX based boards within 4K INR or even lesser. Following ones I found to be available online, need suggestions if there are better ones at lower / same price. It has be within 10cm for height dimension when laid horizontally.

NEW Slim Desktop PC/ Micro ATX Tower/ Flex Computer Case w/ 250W Power Supply PS (Rs. 2527)
Cost Rs 2527, White, no front USB slot, 250 Watts PSU

WINSIS WS-02S SGCC Steel MicroATX slim case W/250W PS (Rs. 3841)
Costs Rs. 3841, has front USB options, 250 - 300 Watts PSU

APEX DM-318 275W 2XUSB 2XAUD 1XFIREWIRE Slim M-ATX Case (Rs. 4161)
Costs Rs. Rs 4161, Front USB, Front Fireware, 275 Watts PSU

The last one was from abroad and seems will cross 4K mark because of shipping + customs although actual price was much less
Amazon.com: SilverStone Aluminum/Steel Micro ATX Media Center/HTPC Case ML03B (Black): Electronics
has USB 3.0 ports in front
 
The Silverstone case from Amazon can be shipped to India, but shipping would make it costlier:

Items: $59.99
Shipping & Handling: $55.08
Total Before Tax: $115.07
Estimated Tax To Be Collected: $0.00
Import Fees Deposit $16.20
Order Total: $131.27
 
My advice off the above, only silverstone looks worth the effort. It might land up expensive but, in the long run it would be more beneficial.
 
is there any other case below the 4K mark that can be used which I could not list above?
 
CM Elite 100, though, I did not like the build quality ..... but then there is nothing in that price bracket as well....... Elite 100 is around 3600.
 
The last one was from abroad and seems will cross 4K mark because of shipping + customs although actual price was much less
Amazon.com: SilverStone Aluminum/Steel Micro ATX Media Center/HTPC Case ML03B (Black): Electronics
has USB 3.0 ports in front

I have bought two Silversotne cases in the past year, both using Shopyourworld. Silverstone has distributors in India and you might want to check with them before importing. If you can have someone gift it to you using shopyourworld, you might get the case for about INR 5000 (check with shopyourworld before ordering, sometimes they come back later and ask for more money). I bought the first one as a gift and got it without any problems. Since I wasn't sure of the rules, I bought the second one directly paying full custom duties. Didn't want to take any chances.

Also, you need to remember that it is a $60 case and it will show. While they do the job (I wanted the cases to be good looking and dead quiet), I wasn't particularly impressed with the build quality.
 
I have bought two Silversotne cases in the past year, both using Shopyourworld. Silverstone has distributors in India and you might want to check with them before importing. If you can have someone gift it to you using shopyourworld, you might get the case for about INR 5000 (check with shopyourworld before ordering, sometimes they come back later and ask for more money). I bought the first one as a gift and got it without any problems. Since I wasn't sure of the rules, I bought the second one directly paying full custom duties. Didn't want to take any chances.

Also, you need to remember that it is a $60 case and it will show. While they do the job (I wanted the cases to be good looking and dead quiet), I wasn't particularly impressed with the build quality.

I checked following your advice online and found that silverstone distributor in india is

Prime ABGB Today's Cool Deal!

Prime ABGB Pvt Ltd
Simlim Square, 106-109, 1st Floor, D.B. Marge,
Lamington Road, Grant Road East, Mumbai:400 007.
Phone:+91-22-2389-6600, +91-22-6740-2000
Fax:+91-22 - 2388 5500
Email:[email protected]

however they seems to keep only the high end 10K + models only. Of course I will call them over the weekdays to enquire if they have the other ones.

Did you ever enquire about any silverstone product with this distributor directly?
 
CM Elite 100, though, I did not like the build quality ..... but then there is nothing in that price bracket as well....... Elite 100 is around 3600.

Thanks sam, I was able to locate this online and looks promosiing. One thing I wanted to check is that on specs they say power supply as 150 Watts but can that be up[graded? I have an existing setuip of P5G41T-M LX mobo (ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Motherboards- ASUS P5G41T-M LX pentium dual core and 2GB RAM but not sure about the exact power requirements keeping in mind the additional GPU that I will need to add to accomodate the HDMI out.
 
Apart from the initially listed models I found the nMedia cases are also promising, however they do not seem to come with a PSU
Newegg.com - nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum / Acrylic / Steel HTPC 5000B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
cost will be crossing 5K with shipping.

However I thing one advantage that I found was that in future if I want to add an LCD display for easy reading of media information without requiring to turn on TV then nMediaPC cases support the nMEdia Pro LCD (NMEDIAPC.com - the leading Home Theater PC componenets manufactory who provide one stop shop for your HTPC needs. Visit us to build your dream HTPC, Media Center PC and Home Media server. We offer the most quiet, cooler, compact and multi-functional ) which can be handy. This resembles the popcorn hour C200 type of front LCD screens.
The LCD is not costly and may be within 3K INR with international shipment but of course will be an optional upgrade Newegg.com - nMEDIAPC PRO-LCD Media Center Programmable LCD - Controller Panels
 
Did you ever enquire about any silverstone product with this distributor directly?

No, but I did talk to theitdepot.com before ordering my SG02F. They didn't have that one but offered me SG02, which is one notch lower for about 4k. I didn't take it and ordered the SG02F from shopyourworld.

It didn't occur to me then to call up the distributor directly but would if I was ordering again.

As an aside, I don't know your reasons for wanting to fit a micro ATX in a 10 cm case, but if the 10cm is not negotiable, you might want to rethink your build. A 10 cm case will restrict your choices. Good low profile CPU cooler is hard to find in India and you will have very limited choice when it comes to graphics/sound card (you can only use low profile cards in ML03).
 
The Coolermaster Elite 360 is about 2K. It is not really thin, but it is thinner than most M-ATX cabinets, and it can be used horizontally also. I'm building an i3 (2100) based PC with one right now.

It is a very airy cabinet, and it is reasonably thin and small. I plan to use it in my office as a 24/7 download rig (that will also double as my backup work PC). It will be hidden away under a table, so I wanted it to be as small as possible (to fit a Micro-ATX board), but airy enough to work 24/7 without heating up.

Here's a review of the case (with pics) on TE (not my build): Cooler Master Elite 360 Mini Computer Case Review
 
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Thanks sam, I was able to locate this online and looks promosiing. One thing I wanted to check is that on specs they say power supply as 150 Watts but can that be up[graded? I have an existing setuip of P5G41T-M LX mobo (ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Motherboards- ASUS P5G41T-M LX pentium dual core and 2GB RAM but not sure about the exact power requirements keeping in mind the additional GPU that I will need to add to accomodate the HDMI out.

First the board you have mentioned is ATX, board and I seriously doubt its gonna fit in Elite 100. You need Micro/Mini ATX boards, something like THIS, even with this Intel board I had hard time shoving all the cables and drives in to the cabiner...

Second ... If the PSU can be upgraded it cannot exceed the size of the PSU the cabinet comes with. Below are the exact dimentions that the cabinet can accomodate ..

An ultra slim chassis accommodates both micro-ATX and mini-ITX motherboards
Multi-device support:
- With micro-ATX board: Slim ODD x 1, 2.5" HDD x 2 or
- With mini-ITX board: Slim ODD x 1, 2.5" HDD x 2, 3.5" HDD x 1
Flex ATX 150W with Active PFC included

Mind you this cabinet is very space conscious and I will be very diligent about what can I fit in to this before purchasing this one .....
 
However I thing one advantage that I found was that in future if I want to add an LCD display for easy reading of media information without requiring to turn on TV then nMediaPC cases support the nMEdia Pro LCD

One more thing if you are planning to have accessories like these .... forget about ITX cabinet ..... there is simply no room for it ..... my suggestion got for CM ELITE 343 ... inexpensive, ultimate quality for the price, will fit all your accessories ........

I am using the same case my my NAS ... :)
 
One more thing if you are planning to have accessories like these .... forget about ITX cabinet ..... there is simply no room for it ..... my suggestion got for CM ELITE 343 ... inexpensive, ultimate quality for the price, will fit all your accessories ........

I am using the same case my my NAS ... :)

this one will not fit my HT arrangement master cabinet.
 
Wait I am confused, your post no 14 and 15 are contradicting?? ..... If Elite 343 isnt gonna fit your HT arrangement (what ever it is!), how is Elite 100 (even smaller) case suffice your requirements ....???? I must be missing something ...
 
sam, i was checking asus site and they are saying the board is micro atx

ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Motherboards- ASUS P5G41T-M LX

friend, by just saying Micro ATX does mean it gonna fit, there is no fixed regulated dimensions for Micro ATX or ITX boards, you need to check the exact figures, anyway I did it for you .... :D

ASUS ASUS P5G41T-M LX ::: 9.6 inch x 7.9 inch
Intel DH67BL ::: 9.6 inch x 9.6 inch .....


RELAXXX... :D ....It seem ASUS board will fit easily ...... :)

Anyway my confusion in the above post is still open ..??
 
Wait I am confused, your post no 14 and 15 are contradicting?? ..... If Elite 343 isnt gonna fit your HT arrangement (what ever it is!), how is Elite 100 (even smaller) case suffice your requirements ....???? I must be missing something ...

I meant that there is a HT table that houses all my HT related gears like AVR, TT, PS3, etc with front open compartments for indivdual item. Now the place left for putting the HTPC will be able to house the Elite 100 but not Elite 343 as the later is bigger.
 
^^ Oh got it ...:) .... Then go for Elite 100. Just be a bit careful while installing the components in this board ...... baijuxavior has done his HTPC using Elite 100, you can follow his thread to get the feel of the case .....
 
While checking the specs of Elite 100 I found that it only supports slim BD ROM in the front tray, but the slim versions are lesser in number and has lower speed than the internal non-slim ones.

So I was checking for other alternatives and found this case

Antec-India

Antec Micro Fusion Remote 350 HTPC Media Center Cabinets

Anyone knows the price of this?
 
The Marantz PM7000N offers big, spacious and insightful sound, class-leading clarity and a solid streaming platform in a award winning package.
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