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

Comment:
1st time HTPC build. Great Inexpensive, Sleek, Quiet. Beware if you have a big video card. I was able to squeeze in an EVGA GTS250 (1gb) in here. I was only able to do this because my 6-pin connector is on the side of the card and not the rear like most. If it was on the rear then the power supply would surely be in the way. So plan ahead!! Luckily i was able to get the lid on with said side mounted 6-pin connector on video card. I almost had a heart attack the first time I tried to put lid on, but with some coaxing i got it on. Plan ahead with hard drives too. One slot was off limits after i installed motherboard. I also took off rear fans for motherboard install. Might as well take out power supply as well. I replaced power supply with fully modular. Added 1 120mm fan, 2 was too loud, but was a crappy 120mm. Overall, very happy, not too hot, very sleek, Does it's job. The large video card was my fault but the hard drive issues should be better explained. Recommended.

Comment:
Needed a case to build a home theater computer and this caught my interest due to the 500W power supply that came with it. Except for the small dual fan that came with it (which was too loud for me) this case fits my needs. I'll be replacing it with two 120mm fans, one on each side and hope it cools off my 500G and 1T hard drives.

Comment:
Setting up my motherboard and hard drives took longer than usual in this case. First reason was that the width of the DVD aperture was just a tad too small for my old Sony DVD burner, therefore I had to take out part of the front panel. Also, the I/O switch is located in an almost inaccessible place, but then again I seldom make use of it. Also, my brand new Asus motherboard had it's power connector right underneath the hard drives cases, making it almost impossible to connect, same for the IDE connector located right underneath this case's power supply. I had to take out completely the front panel to be able to plug everything, but I'm guessing this could be an easier task for older motherboard with different displays and newer DVD burners. I installed the recommended 120mm fan and it's working great!

Comment:
Spectacular case for the price. It has space for everything you need for a Home Theater PC and is open enough to allow good cooling. Fits an ATX MoBo comfortably. The 80mm fans were a little loud for my taste so I disconnected them and installed a single 120 which seems to be sufficient. For this price, you can't do better!

Comment:
read the install directions. you should be able to mount 2 HDD on the sides in place of the 120mm fans. whether you want to do that is up to you, but it can be done

Comment:
The case has only 4 bays - 2 external 5.25 inch one external 3.5 inch and one internal 3.5 inch. I wanted to install multiple sata hard disk drives. The descriptions claims 3 internal (hidden) 3.5 bays but it only has one. It looks like I can't use the external 3.5 drive for an extra hard disk - it doesn't fit right. It looks like I will have to use the other 5.25 inch external bay. If so I will be limited to two sata hard drives in the case.

Comment:
Fairly quiet, you hear it when it's real quiet in the room, but not much. the 500w power supply is nice and there are no funny blue lights in this rig. Although the power light is pretty bright compared to the hd light. metal case = carpet shocks. Very deep! Will not fit a standard vcr/dvd cabinet. 4" too long!

Comment:
i bought this case because i wanted something for my home entertainment system. i was sold when i saw it came with a 500w power supply. no problems so far. ps and chassi fans run quietly (for now) and it blends in nicely with my stereo, cable, and playstation consoles. not much room on the inside though!

Comment:
WILL fit ATX motherboards so dont think your stuck w/micro boards. No 120mm fan which I believe is necessary, and if you do buy this, dont get w/out buying a fan as well. Will not provide adequate air flow to support heavier cards like gts250 and up, or 4830 and up. But is one of the most attractive cases for a home theatre setup. Power supply is OK. Dont think its ready for multiple cards but it handles. Overall its the most affordable so you really cant complain. And it sits flat, or on its side. Very Sexy. But get a fan or two if your a gamer.

Comment:
The PSU died after just 20 days of light use with barely no load (one HDD and the 2 case fans). Is it worth it to me to RMA an entire case for just the PSU? No. Luckily I'm the type of person that keeps a spare for everything. I couldn't imagine how long (read short) the PSU would have lasted me if I had used an ATI 4850 and a few HDDs, maybe a day or 2.

Comment:
It's really hard to gripe about anything on this case for $80. I was able to put a full size ATX mobo in this case and had no problems at all with space. It is a little deep for my entertainment center so it might not be a good choice for confined spaces, but it's hard to find as much value anywhere. If you are sensitive to fan noise, you might want to consider a fan controller, or a case that has the power supply in back. Expect to spend a lot more.

Comment:
I added one low speed 120 mm fan in one of the two fan ports. I have had absolutly no problem of heating with this box. I used it to build a Media Center computer for my home entertainment center. Everything fit with plenty of room. That includes a Diamond All-in-Wonder ATI Radeon HD 3650 PCIE 512MB GDDR2 Video Card. It would be a bit better if it were painted flat black instead of glossy. All-in-all..nice box! Great price too. And comes with a pretty good power supply, too. Plenty of power for a Media Center.

Comment:
Runs VERY hot without modification. There is no vent above the CPU/fan, and heat rises. There are vents on the both side, so you could stand the case upright, and install a 120mm exhaust fan at the top. Since I chose to lay the case sideways, I cut a neat 140mm blowhole in the panel above the CPU/fan, and installed both a silent 140mm fan and black grill to cover the hole. (Black molding around the hole covers the edges). The result is fantastic. If you are unwilling to make a modification to your case, I could not suggest this case. My Current Hardware Configuration: Ultra X-Wind Aluminum Fan AMD Athlon X2 5000+ AM2 CPU (Black Ed.) 2x Crucial 2048MB PC5400 DDR2 667MHz ASUS M2N-MX SE Plus GeForce 6100 AM2 Lite-On DVDRW 20X SATA Ultra 4-Port PCI Firewire Card ZEROTHERM ZT-100 Thermal Grease Yate Loon 140mm medium speed silent case fan 140mm black metal fan grill Hauppauge WinTV PVR150 XP Media Center