Case recommendations . . .

[JTScribe]

I'm getting the tinkering itch. Been a while since I've looked at what's out there, so I was wanting to pick the collective brains here.

I'm looking for the following features:

Black
Low-profile (micro-ATX preferred, but mini-ITX okay if it meets my other requirements)
Space for three drives at once - I use a 2.5, a 3.5, and a 5.25. However -
Slot-load for optical is okay, but if it has an exposed 5.25 I just want one of them.
Built-in, MCE-compatible IR receiver.

Any suggestions? I lot of the cases I'm reading reviews for on Missing Remote, for example, don't seem to be available any longer.

[Embiggens]

I just set up a Corsair 250D. I'm pretty happy with it. Personally I like the cube form factor and its overall look. It's smallish but certainly not tiny- you have room for 2 2.5, 2 3.5, and 1 5.25 drives, and good ventilation. The main downside is despite the big size for a mini-itx box, there's not enough clearance for a tower cpu fan. I know it is overkill but for optimal space/airflow management, I installed a liquid cooler.

[barnabas1969]

The Morex 887 has space for a slim optical drive (either tray or slot load) and a 3.5" drive. I bought an mSATA SSD mounted on the motherboard for my OS drive. Without the optical drive, the case can accept two 3.5" drives. It also has an MCE compatible IR receiver in it. The receiver is not compatible with the motherboard I bought. For IR compatibility, there are mini-ITX boards that have a connector for the IR receiver.

More info, see here:
http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... f=7&t=5587

[blueiedgod]

I am using nMediaPC 1080p case. It has spots for standard 5.25" and 3x 3.5" drives. I am using one of the 3.5" spots for 2.5" SSD, one is taken up by the card reader, and the other is occupied by the HDD.

There is no built in IR sensor, however. Which is fine for me for the simple reason that most people point the remote at the TV most of the time, and that is exactly where I mounted the IR sensor.

http://www.nmediapc.com/htpc1080p.htm

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 30164914:s

[JTScribe]

I just set up a Corsair 250D. I'm pretty happy with it. Personally I like the cube form factor and its overall look. It's smallish but certainly not tiny- you have room for 2 2.5, 2 3.5, and 1 5.25 drives, and good ventilation. The main downside is despite the big size for a mini-itx box, there's not enough clearance for a tower cpu fan. I know it is overkill but for optimal space/airflow management, I installed a liquid cooler.

Very unique looking case. Not sure if it would fit in my entertainment center. Hmm.

The Morex 887 has space for a slim optical drive (either tray or slot load) and a 3.5" drive. I bought an mSATA SSD mounted on the motherboard for my OS drive. Without the optical drive, the case can accept two 3.5" drives. It also has an MCE compatible IR receiver in it. The receiver is not compatible with the motherboard I bought. For IR compatibility, there are mini-ITX boards that have a connector for the IR receiver.

More info, see here:
http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... f=7&t=5587

oooh, I like that. It looks like you have enough room left in the case to just leave a standard SSD just sitting . . . not like there's any moving parts to be concerned with.

[cwinfield]

Here is another option. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811108065 It appears that IR is a optional add on.

[JTScribe]

Here is another option. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811108065 It appears that IR is a optional add on.

That looks interesting - what IR module would be compatible, I wonder?

[boogmeister1]

I like the NMedia cases. I've had a few of them now. Every time I build out a new media center for myself, I pass the old one down to one of my kids. They just look sharp and blend right in with my other Home Theater equipment.

This is the latest one I purchased.... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811204030

I also purchased the LCD with it. They are a little hard to read, for my aging eyes, but they look really nice.

Eric

[barnabas1969]

oooh, I like that. It looks like you have enough room left in the case to just leave a standard SSD just sitting . . . not like there's any moving parts to be concerned with.

You could probably stuff an SSD under the optical drive, or next to the HDD at the rear of the case.

[JTScribe]

Barnabas, do you have any additional info as far as the CIR interface? I'm assuming if I get a DH61AG it should be compatible. Did the case you bought include the AC adapter, etc, as pictured?

[JTScribe]

Oh bummer, now that I look more I realize that Morex doesn't have any slots. I need at least one slot for my Ceton card.

[RyC]

Barnabas, do you have any additional info as far as the CIR interface? I'm assuming if I get a DH61AG it should be compatible. Did the case you bought include the AC adapter, etc, as pictured?

Here's info for the HTPC header: http://www.intel.com/support/motherboar ... 033841.htm

[cwinfield]

Inteset has a nice IR receiver http://shop.inteset.com/usb-internal-in ... ng-bracket you can even buy a window for it. I have the ASrock CIR so that would be a better choice for me. They also have a IR module coming in the fall that should work for any mobo and will wake from S5.

[barnabas1969]

The Custom Solutions header that RyC posted is not the interface I was talking about. The Intel DH61AG has a CIR header that is compatible with the IR receiver that comes with the Morex 887. The IR receiver in the Morex case is supposed to be compatible with Media Center, and even comes with a remote with a green button with the Windows logo on it.

@JTScribe: Yes, it comes with the AC adapter. I chose to buy a higher-powered adapter, and I'm using the higher-powered one I bought... but this system would easily run with the adapter that was supplied with the case.

MITXPC.com and the other sellers on e-bay all sell the Morex 887 as a barebone, usually with the DH61AG board.

You could probably mount an InfiniTV4-PCIe in the Morex 887 sideways, using a flexible PCIe extender, and cutting a hole in the back of the case. I don't know if you could mount an InfiniTV6 though. If the ITV6 is longer than the ITV4, it probably wouldn't fit.

Small form factor is one of the reasons I like Ethernet-connected tuners. Hide the tuners in a closet/basement/whatever and the Tuning Adapter (if you have one) can be hidden with the tuners. Then, all you have in the living room is a tiny PC. I just got rid of my old component cabinet and bought a small one that is only about 20" tall and 24" wide with two shelves. There's an AVR, a PC, a Roku, and a turntable on it. That's all I need in the living room these days. Oh, and there's a 1200VA UPS standing next to the cabinet too.

[RyC]

My bad, that board has an HTPC header in addition to the CIR header it seems

[barnabas1969]

Yes, and the HTPC header works with the Pulse-Eight HDMI-CEC adapter... which is a wonderful piece of hardware supplied with absolute crap for software. Fortunately, a guy who goes by the username kasinator created a great plugin for EventGhost (EG) which allows you to fully control the Pulse-Eight HDMI-CEC adapter. You can view the thread here:
http://www.eventghost.net/forum/viewtop ... f=9&t=5907

The Pulse-Eight (P8) HDMI-CEC adapter is heads and tails above the RCAware adapter that I used previously. The P8 adapter is 100% stable and reliable. P8's main focus is XBMC. Apparently, their XBMC plugin works great, but I haven't tried it. Their Media Center integration is... let's say... less than ideal. FAR less! The EG plugin gives you full control... but it requires you to do the dirty work of figuring out the CEC protocol for your HDMI devices. If you are persistent, logical, and thorough, you can completely integrate your Media Center PC into the rest of your HDMI devices using the EG plugin (and the magnificent FREE product which is called EventGhost).

[JTScribe]

Ay yi yi . . . this is getting frustrating.

I'm thinking I kind of want a Wesena E5 - but there is only one place to get one, and it's pricey. It should work well with a DH67 board, but they seem almost impossible to find.

[barnabas1969]

There's a silver one on Amazon for $169:
http://www.amazon.com/Wesena-e5--Evo-S- ... a+e5+black

[JTScribe]

All my components are black, unfortunately.

[barnabas1969]

Spray paint?

Just joking.