APEVIA Black / Blue X-MASTER-BL/500 ATX Media Center / HTPC Case

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Aesthetically pleasing as an HTPC or just a tiny full ATX case. Slick drive rails. Low-cost. Light. Included fans and PS are comparatively quiet. A bit thin-metalled. The buttons have somewhat of a cheap really feel to them. If you're seeking for the smallest case which you can pack a full sized PCI express video card (I'm making use of a 4870), or even two of them, this is it.

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Easy to remove panels; HDD slots quite simple to get to; decent look, though it is a fingerprint magnet; front buttons have solid really feel/action Case seems a bit big for a HTPC; only contains 2 SATA power cables from power supply (adapter needed for other SATA-powered components [e.g. CD/DVD player] if connecting two HDDs); Brilliant front LEDs not ideal for HTPC use; information booklet came with Initially case was damaged in the course of shipping; soon after RMA and some excellent NE consumer assistance I got my replacement inside a week. Started up with no difficulties (my power provide switch wasn't, and had to be, switched to "on").

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Handsome front.Quite quiet for a mid-sized box.Roomy enough for a good quality video card.Excellent "bang for buck" case... If standing upright, with additional fans installed-you will want to prop the feet up on one thing or set it on a mesh kind of shelf so the bottom fan has space to suck air.None of the three pre-installed blue UV fans in mine are lighting up. No idea what is going on with that?Make positive you appear twice at the dimensions--the photos make it look smaller than it truly is--this issue is pretty deep, but it is good that you can fit an 8800񵈸 GT in there.Haven't observed the greatest critiques for Apevia power supplies... and if you want to replace it, it could not be that easy due to the fact this issue sits in the front of the machine with an extension cord that runs somewhat below the motherboard.Blue (power on) light in the front is as bright as the sun... I am not kidding. Plus, when the laptop or computer is asleep-it flashes and will give you a headache if you are in the identical room as it. I had to tape a piece of construction paper over it.No rubber grommets, gaskets, etc for mounting dr You will want to have a lot of experience at Computer making to get the most out of this case. I crammed a 9800GT and two additional 120mm fans in this factor but it took fairly a though to get every thing in there. Specialist cable management encounter is a ought to.

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- Nicely sized adequate for ATX motherboards- 7(!) typical profile expansion slots- Plenty of space particularly for people working with micro atx motherboards- Good appear- Can location desktop as a typical tower or sideways - Subpar power provide (replaced it)- Paint job on the case is susceptible to simply peel off if mishandled- Air flow CAN be a dilemma for those using ATX mobos The perfectly sized HTPC that I was seeking for. It is above average on size, but it made it up with ATX-compatibility and plenty of expansion slots. This allowed me to think about high good quality ATX motherboards and graphics cards not being low profile (since a lot of HTPC cases would force you to look at only those varieties). Fitted a Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD3-B3 ATX mobo and got myself a Radeon HD 5750. I was suspicious of the power supply reliability, so I upgraded to a RaidMax 530W power provide (yes, you can replace the power provide unlike what some say). Excellent setup with the usual pieces (memory, challenging drive, and so on) with one particular difficulty. Air flow was fairly poor for me for the CPU as the CPU itself reached almost 80 degrees Celsius. I will get a much better heatsink and fan to combat this, and add a side fan to suck out the heat. Other than that, fantastic HTPC case!

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Every expansion choice you ever require and then some. Light and compact, however roomy and a pleasure to operate with. Surprisingly, the stock PSU is really capable. Quiet. The color is in fact stunning, which I didn't quite expect, simply attempted to save five bucks over the black 1... glad I did though :) NONE I actually have to question the expertise of those complaining right here. I dumped the hyped-up (and twice as pricey) Silverstone LaScala LC13B-E in favor of this little wonder. The X-Master beats that clumsy poorly developed monster in each aspect. You won't have a issue installing 3 tough drives AND a media reader in it, as lengthy as you have half a brain. I didn't require any instructions (aside from pulling the front panel), as every little thing was pretty obvious. I was a bit concerned about the PSU, but it seems fine so far. And yes, it was turned off, but given that you have to pull open the front panel anyway, who cares. Right after all, the Silverstone didn't have ANY PSU!GIGABYTE GA-MA785GMT-UD2HAMD Phenom II X2 550Thermaltake CL-P0464 DuOrb 80mm CPU Cooler -YES, it fits!nMEDIAPC ZE-C68 media readerLG DVD-RWthree HDD (one via KINGWIN KF-1000-BK swap rack, BUT you could still install a different one in the case)BFG Nvidia 7950GT OC (for now, plan to upgrade)

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Superior priced htpc case with decent power supply(on paper). This is the story. Just couldn't get new motherboard to post. No video and not acquiring info bios. I believed the motherboard was DOA and RMA. Second mobo didn't work and then believed the memory wasn't compatible and then believed it was negative video card(mobo doesn't have onboard video)... I had wasted so a lot time on RMA mobo/ram/video-card/cpu and then thought I ought to have carried out one thing wrong. Finally get help from my friend who isolated it to be the PowerSupply(it powers up the board/drive/led and almost everything although). Swapped in his spare PSU and it posted correct away. I don't know if this is a prevalent difficulty but hope you don't have to waste the $$$ and time like I did. The case looks decent but the power supply sucks. Manufacturer Response:You can do an RMA by way of us for the power supply to get an exchange on the PSU. You can speak to Apevia's consumer service at service@apevia.com or call at 鿍) 718-0789. We attempt to reply to all calls and e-mails as soon as we can.

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Superb case,very effectively created with heavy gauge metal.Roomy inside and quite effortless to function in.Looks amazing. Was missing the bag of screws. Absolutely nothing against the case itself,But the shipping was horrible.You get charged practically 25 dollars for shipping but on UPS's site it really should have been only about 12.50 based on weight and distance.So you would assume that for all the added dollars this would be nicely packaged?Nope,it was not even boxed up by newegg.It was delivered with no packing list and the shipping label was affixed to the side of the manufactures box.Its awesome that the way UPS treats boxes that it didn't arrive damaged.For what you get charged for freight its almost not worth it.Your almost better off ordering a a lot more high priced case and finding free shipping out of the deal, as it was virtually ๪ in total for the case with freight charges.

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I chosen this case for a new mid-range gaming + multimedia personal computer construct. I chose this model from it's specs mainly because of it's assistance for full-size ATX motherboards, full-length video cards, it's price and the "sideways" form-element. (The case fits nicely in console below Television and acts as a desk-top rated monitor platform for the duration of LAN parties). I was surprised and extremely pleased with how quiet the total system is. (Even with an extra 120mm voltage controlled fan to aid exhaust hot air from the video card). Front panel is colored (blue for my model), sides, top rated and bottom are a nice glossy black; looks sharp in any orientation. DVD 'Trap door' is a nice touch for preserving a stylish front panel. (~minor cons) Cable routing was a tiny challenging due to my certain motherboard's placement of SATA cable connectors (at the edge of the motherboard and facing 'Out' instead of 'Up' -- pointing toward the back of the power supply. Had to re-route the case button/USB/HDAudio wire leads to get sufficient slack to reach the far corner of my motherboard.Removing the top and bottom of the case was useful for threading cables beneath the power supply then back up to the drive cage. Front panel color is a fine match for the electric blue OCZ gaming mouse.I found the 500W Power supply to be sufficient for my motherboard with a single video card, 1 'green' HD, and 1 DVD... This case + power provide is excellent for a cool and quiet system; probably not appropriate for systems with SLI/Crossfire, W CPUs or lots of disks.ARCTIC COOLING ACF12PWM 120mm Case FanGIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P ATX MotherboardAMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W2x G.SKILL 4GB ƒ x 2GB) DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)SAPPHIRE 100245HDMI Radeon HD 4850 512MBWestern Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB SATA HDLG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA ModelOCZ Technologies OCZMSEQRD Blue USB Laser Gaming Mouse

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Deep case, excellent energy provide, pretty quiet. fairly superior excellent. Absolutely nothing proprietary. Functions well for a HTPC. sufficient standoffs for a micro atx but not sufficient for a regular atx. Ɨ not 9) Power Led is actually bright, black finger nail polish corrected the scenario... no air flow past the Hard drives. If your create is a House theater computer and you stick with low energy components you should be just fine. I have had Lian li and Silverstone instances in the past. Although this one isn't as polished as the other individuals it's in the ballpark. You won't be disappointed.

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Value, Value & Value. Exclusive layout, which yeilds a lot of space. 2 of the front panel wires were four inches shorter than the other individuals, to make them reach my gigabyte mobo, I had to lengthen them with wires from an old case I had. HD air flow is low, but no over heating so far.

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Wonderful feel to the case, doesn't feel cheaply created, every thing fits in extremely nicely. Its compact, and looks very good. As soon as I identified the manual, everything fit wonderfully. NO MANUAL IN THE BOX. This is my greatest complaint. With my RAIDMAX case, I didn't even want a manual, and I got almost everything in exactly where it was supposed to go. With this Apevia case, I had to devote time on the phone with tech support, and was nevertheless unable to get anything to go in suitable. Had to download the manual just before I could get it all. Will possibly obtain again when I get ready to develop my htpc. Its a decent case even if it doesn't come with a manual.

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-Extremely Great Quality-Superior Cable Management-Looks Fantastic!-Fits ATX Motherboards! -Shows Finger Prints Very easily-No Air Flow over Hard Drive Superior HTPC Case for the funds.

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Though there are better looking HTPC boxes and ones with additional functions or possibly much better layouts, its tough to beat the pure bang for the buck here. I purchased this for an sub 躔 HTPC build final year and it has worked out good. The stock PSU is not top end, but it has worked perfectly, and is fairly quiet. We speedily got utilized to the faint whisper that it puts out and I don't even notice it anymore. Its pretty decent looking, even although it doesn't blend with other stereo components, and I believed that it was incredibly straightforward to perform with the MicroATX board I put into it. It was the easiest develop I've ever accomplished, and I've been developing my own computers for 20 years now. It has also been simple to add/change components given that then. The unusual layout of the box does end up making it rather long. It fits in our entertainment center, but just barely. Anything stuck into the front USB ports stick out a bit and make me worry that an individual will brush by and snap them off, but it hasn't happened however. This is a minor dilemma, and I knew from the dimensions in the specs that this would almost certainly be the case, so not adequate to subtract a star here. Also, as is the case with many blue LEDs, the power LED is crazy vibrant. I had to put duck tape more than it, as it will blind you when watching the Television. Also not a massive deal, tho. I suppose its a little strange that you have to take off the plastic front cover in order to function on it often, but it comes off and back on easy sufficient. I'm not stressing out the PSU substantially either, not OCing, only a dual-core CPU and using the on-board video, so other individuals's mileage might differ with it.

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The USB and IEEE 1394 ports on the front are a big plus. It's a sturdy case for the value, and the assortment of colors is generally excellent from Apevia. If you have a large video card, beware. I had to plug in the power and then install the card. Also, be thorough in producing certain your 3.5" drives get the space needed to hook up the cables before locking this baby up. It has little room to work with. Also, be cautious of the colored face plate, it's kinda flimsy and they paint scratches simply. This case is a lot far more practical than my 1st and I hope it will last a lengthy time. Apevia's never ever let me down prior to. :)

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Very good case, a lot of storage space this case is missing two standoffs for mother board if you use a full atx board, also geforce 9800 fits in the case but the PCI E power cord can not be connected there is not enough space in between the upper case cover and the card, will need some sort of 90 degree connector to use.

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Beautiful blue anodized face cover! Will give you even more knowledge in hiding wires..... been carrying out it for 16 years now and this 1 was an adventure! Great look and functionality. the power supply leaves significantly to be desired... I opened it up and re-seated all the parts and resoldered all the connections... I was not about to use this PSU in this unit. I installed a Rosewill 550W that I bought at Newegg sometime back. Immediately after receiving the unit assembled, the AC line going from the back to the PSU died after the CPU was on for about a half hour. I guess they put a fuse on the rear connector mainly because that is exactly where it went negative. I dug up a different IEC connector and soldered the remainder of the cord to it and heatshunk it. This was an simple fix and will not RMA more than a junky cord that I was in a position to make a new one at no extra expense. OK.... Blue LED dilemma people are getting: install a 10K 1ǚw resistor in line on the blue LED... FIXED.MSI K2N2 Platinum motherboard (Newegg)Athlon 64 x two 5200 (Newegg)GSkill BLUE 2x2GB RAM (Newegg)XFX 8600GT (Newegg)Rosewill 550W PSU (Newegg)LiteOn DVDRW (Newegg)Seagate 7200.12 500GB SATA (Newegg)Vista Ultimate 64Media Center CPU for the Television.

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No installation concerns at all! This was my 1st Create and it went extremely smooth! Have 4 gig of Rip Jaw, I3, BD read/write, 80 gig Intel SSD, Gigabyte GA-H57M-USB3 MB inside this case with room to spare. It came in NE's standard super speedy fashion and arrived in ideal condition! None with this case! Power supply went poor, but a replacement was speedily shipped out to me...I did add one case fan to assist the two supplied with this case and I have no "system" heat troubles at all...

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Excellent cost and with P/S is a great deal. Good layout inside. Operating i7-1156 and program is running good and quiet 35C. PSU was turned off and required to take away front panel to get to the switch. Front panel connectors are poor and 3 broke off immediately.Paint is thin and effortlessly scratched. Removed 2 small fans and am working with 120mm with fan control on MB. Better airflow with the 120mm side to side and the two fans didn't have fan controls.

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Little case that fits into your common component case or you can stand it on its side your option. Due to its little size conecting cable from your motherboard to your devices (hard drives/blue ray drive) may well be challenging. The blue led light is rather vibrant but I can live with it. this is a excellent starter Media Pc Case effortless to setup really small, and is incredibly cheap in price.

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Fantastic case, Looks excellent. The directions are very effortless to fully grasp. Comes with two rear case fans. I added two more fans to the side vents and the case stays quite cool even enclosed in my entertainment center. Incredibly great get. none so far

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Fits a Full ATX board in a smaller case. Excellent cooling. Built solid. Nice power supply. Stick-on rubber feet. Shiny paint shows every single fingerprint.Just one a lot more tough drive mounting spot not in side fan location would be good. Overall this case is a fantastic acquire. It is nicely built and the power supply and fans that ship with it make it properly worth the low price. The paint job is excellent but you will need to wipe it down right after you move it around. Some extra feet in case you want to mount it differently later would be good.

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Good solid, case, lots of room for micro or full ATX motherboards, the full ATX power supply is a good selection. Not positive I like the tooless optical drive bays, but they function fine, and the tough drive mounting point is handy. Case offers sufficient cooling for the build I made for my dad, he wanted some thing to virtual boot windows and linux with, and he wanted a desktop style case that would fit on a shelf in his workplace, and this did just the thing. The two greatest reasons I like it is the reality that in contrast to most other HTPC and desktop style situations, this 1 can fit a full ATX motherboard and power supply, permitting a lot of space for future upgradability, though nonetheless being compact and not taking up to considerably space. a rarity in this form of case. Also has great cooling. This genuinely irked me, but they dont list the PSU specifications in the specifications, and they should have. I was just hoping it would be able to power my technique, I mean seriously. The issue people have with most PSUs that are included with circumstances isnt that their low excellent, its that their not developed to manage a lot of power, and due to the fact they dont list the specs its hard to know what stuff you can put into it. so heres the output specs for this certain PSU so you all know now: Ʊ.3VᤙA, ƳVᤞA, იV1ᤐA, იV2ᤒA, -12Vʀ.6A, ƳVSBʂ.5A. decent PSU although for about the property computing/light gaming, the switch on the PSU was switched off so had to turn it on. Also, the blue light was to bright and HD light to dull, but hey life goes on. PSU cables had been a lil lengthy and hard to manage as well, but not a enormous turn off. Lengthy cons I know, but I just wanted to give people today obtaining this factor a superior thought of what their getting. Like I said earlier, if you plug your technique in and it doesnt turn on, just pop the front cover and flip the little switch on the front of the PSU and it must come right on. the actual power supply is here http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817148038.its actually a great case, I would buy once more for future customers. like I said, the cons are just there for your info, most circumstances have at least 1 con so dont sweat it, nothin enormous in this one. the technique I utilised it with: AMD athlon x2 7750 Kuma, Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-US2H motherboard, 2 x two GB set of Patriot Viper PC2 6400 ram, ATI Saphire 3650 video card, Samsung 640 GB HD and Samsung DVD/RW drive.

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The case was very nicely structurally built. it was simple to install mother board and other components The unit came with a poor power supply I had to get a new power supply to make sure that was the dilemma. The front jacks had been not in the appropriate locations and when the manufactor installed the fasteners in the back it warped the PC board that held the USD and the 1394 connectors in the front. Had to send it back which cost me an added 18 dollars

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Nice Case, solid. Power supply is prepared to go already in the case. Fans are *VERY* very. Great for an HTPC. The fans are quiet, and when fans are quiet, it indicates no that a lot air is getting sent by means of. My C2D E6600 runs hot in this case. Due to the fact the design of the case is just slim enough by half an inch I couldn't use my Arctic Cooler in this case. Presently employing stock cooling (eww, it sucks.) I have an old thermal take fan that should do a superior job. Overall, if you want a case that can use a full size ATX board, it is a good case if you want an HTPC that can be potent sufficient to play games. I'm positive the PSU can handle a card that only needs 1 PCI-E connector, such as an ATI Radeon HD 4850.

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Looks good and fits perfectly in my entertainment center. Not considerably space inside. Had to feed cords into spaces under the disk drive to make sufficient room for all the cords The space would be much better utilized with a modular power supply. I will be upgrading the power supply in a couple of weeks to 1 that is modular. Would be considerably quieter if I didn't add 2 added fans. But stays incredibly cool now