Re-Casing the old Media Center

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jec6613

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Re-Casing the old Media Center

#1

Post by jec6613 » Thu Oct 30, 2014 9:12 pm

Hello, I was somewhat active on the old TGB, and am just now coming back to the new one. I suppose it's a good thing that nothing's broken so much that I needed help in all of these years, but now I do, and it's with a purchase. To make a long story short, the media center now has to meet WAF rules, when previously it didn't, so I'm looking at new cases (the software already has WAF, horray!).

It's currently in an Antec P180 from the initial batch over 9.5 years ago, which meets the silence and cooling requirements, but is too large, and the front ports are broken (it was a problem with early editions of it). And, of course, when I built it, it actually needed most of those drive bays, as it was a Pentium D with a gig of RAM and a stack of drives, when now I really don't (I have 10 TB of RAID 5 with SSD cacheing accessible over iSCSI with four more empty drive bays). Two rebuilds in that case later, here's what I have to stuff into the new case, and the basic requirements and things I'd like:

Hardware I have:
  • Intel DG965WH
  • Intel Core 2 Quad
  • NVidia GTX 560
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 128 GB SSD, 500 GB HDD (the HDD is on the to upgrade list)
  • BD-ROM/DVD-RW, and DVD-RW drive (two drives)
  • USB Card reader
All tuners are external, and for now I plan on continuing that, but as such my case requirements are:
  • Full ATX size board and CPU, I love the flexibility of it and my media center has tended to get hand-me-down boards from a much bigger desktop
  • 400W TDP worth of cooling between video and CPU, as with some gaming I only see that requirement going up
  • Two HDDs and one SSD, minimum, for storage
  • 5.25" Optical drive bay
  • No exposed door edges to catch on things, as it's being installed at Labrador tail level (sadly, too much experience there)
  • Easy to run with positive pressure and filtered air (see above Labrador)
  • 17"-ish width and CE feel
Things that I'd like to have, in decreasing order of importance:
  • Front USB 3.0 ports
  • Media reader or 3.5" external bay for media reader installation
  • A VFD or similar display (mostly for WAF)
  • Optical drive bay flap that matches case exterior
  • Internal IR capable, so I don't require the external box
  • Front panel audio ports
  • Front panel 1394
  • Second 5.25" bay for a second optical drive
I've found a few that meet the needs, such as the Silverstone GD09. My main problem is that most of them have none of my, "Nice to haves," except for the Silverstone CW02 ... which is beautiful, but completely nonexistent.

3rob3

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#2

Post by 3rob3 » Thu Oct 30, 2014 10:08 pm

I have the Silverstone GD05(b I think) and like it very much. Great quality, looks nice, and I think it meets many of your requirements. Cost around $100.
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.p ... 41&area=en

Doesn't have drive flap or VFD
Doesn't have media reader
Doesn't have internal IR (very hard to find one that does. I would just drill 1 small hole and mount one of these:
http://shop.inteset.com/usb-internal-in ... ng-bracket

jec6613

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#3

Post by jec6613 » Thu Oct 30, 2014 11:35 pm

3rob3 wrote:I have the Silverstone GD05(b I think) and like it very much. Great quality, looks nice, and I think it meets many of your requirements. Cost around $100.
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.p ... 41&area=en

Doesn't have drive flap or VFD
Doesn't have media reader
Doesn't have internal IR (very hard to find one that does. I would just drill 1 small hole and mount one of these:
http://shop.inteset.com/usb-internal-in ... ng-bracket
The biggest one is that it doesn't have room for a full-sized ATX board, but the GD09 is nearly identical to the GD05 and does have room for one. The GD09 is my backup plan, but I'm really looking for something closer to what I want that's still available. It seems like a lot of the nicer ones from the last time I really looked at them have disappeared or the company is gone.

I like that internal IR though, and I'll bet that I can make it work without having to drill a hole, even. :) Internal IR isn't critical since I have both an RF Harmony 900 and a URC MX series and software to program it, but it's on the, "Nice to have," list. I have the original Media Center USB adapter from the XP days, and right now I'm using the built-in IR on the Hauppauge HD-PVR, but internal, if available, is always better.

cwinfield

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#4

Post by cwinfield » Fri Oct 31, 2014 12:00 am

Since you have a ATX look at SST-GD01B-MXR-USB3.0 (black, multimedia, card reader) here http://silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=153&area=en runs about $155

3rob3

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#5

Post by 3rob3 » Fri Oct 31, 2014 1:02 am

Lol, I'm an idiot. Totally forget the GD05 wasn't full ATX. Sorry.

jec6613

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#6

Post by jec6613 » Fri Oct 31, 2014 1:05 am

cwinfield wrote:Since you have a ATX look at SST-GD01B-MXR-USB3.0 (black, multimedia, card reader) here http://silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=153&area=en runs about $155
I can't even find those anywhere. Do you have anywhere that they are from a reputable US retailer?

jec6613

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#7

Post by jec6613 » Fri Oct 31, 2014 11:25 pm

jec6613 wrote:
cwinfield wrote:Since you have a ATX look at SST-GD01B-MXR-USB3.0 (black, multimedia, card reader) here http://silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=153&area=en runs about $155
I can't even find those anywhere. Do you have anywhere that they are from a reputable US retailer?
Nevermind, found them on Amazon after some digging. It's very under-rated in the cooling department and can't keep positive air pressure, though. :/

jec6613

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#8

Post by jec6613 » Sat Nov 01, 2014 2:09 am

Does anyone have experience with the Lian-Li PC-C60? It's one of the few newer choices, and it doesn't tick all of the boxes, but with a second 5.25" bay below the ODD only bay, and enough expansion, it might just be the right choice long term. Plus, Lian-Li make good cases.

jaimeknapp

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#9

Post by jaimeknapp » Sat Nov 01, 2014 2:09 pm

I have both a Lian-Li PC-C60 & C50 in their earlier USB2 series. With the assortment of fan mounting options, you can create whatever pressure / flow options you desire and have a quite system. I have not water cooled either, so cannot speak to that.

My only complaint with both is their overall depth. I am constrained to 24" deep cabinetry and cable egress is a real consideration. Due to that, I am considering using the Silverstone GD08 for either rebuilding or a new assembly.

jec6613

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#10

Post by jec6613 » Sat Nov 01, 2014 4:13 pm

jaimeknapp wrote:I have both a Lian-Li PC-C60 & C50 in their earlier USB2 series. With the assortment of fan mounting options, you can create whatever pressure / flow options you desire and have a quite system. I have not water cooled either, so cannot speak to that.

My only complaint with both is their overall depth. I am constrained to 24" deep cabinetry and cable egress is a real consideration. Due to that, I am considering using the Silverstone GD08 for either rebuilding or a new assembly.
According to the specs, the GD08 is deeper than the Lian-Li by 1.5 cm-ish, unless I'm missing something.

jaimeknapp

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#11

Post by jaimeknapp » Sun Nov 02, 2014 12:13 pm

Sorry. I did not check the current Lian-Li PC-C60 specs @ 410mm (16.14") against my original design USB2 cases that measure 540mm (21.5").

Never mind...

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