Product ReviewsnMEDIAPC Black HTPC 1000B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
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53%
35%
12%
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With 17 User Reviews
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 Rating: Review Date: 03/10/14  |
Cons: No 2.5" bay.
Pros: Lots of Room, easy to work with, quiet, lots of airflow. |
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Rating: Review Date: 08/24/10 |
Cons: Cables to front USB ports sub-standard (needed to be replaced). Case is bigger, particularly depth, than it looks.
Pros: Looks good. Built-in Card Reader. Nice Drive Cage. Easy to work on. Comment:
I spent an inordinate amount of time debugging a USB tuner problem before I determined it was the front USB ports. The supplied internal cables are too thin and were causing data errors. Replacing the cables made my problems disappear. In short, I wouldn't trust the front ports with data unless you replace the internal cables.Otherwise, I found the case well built. The removable drive cage worked like a charm and there was plenty of room inside. Perhaps too much room given it's quite deep. Would have been better if they shaved and inch or two off its depth. The fans are quiet and there seems to be plenty of ventilation.I would have rated it higher if I hadn't gone through so much pain debugging the front ports. |
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Rating: Review Date: 10/14/09 |
Cons: Sharp edges on the insideouchy
Pros: Great looking HTPC case for the price. Should satisfy almost everyone's needs. Comment:
Overall this is a great HTPC case, and I would highly reccomend it to anyone looking to build one on a budget. It fits right in with the rest of my stereo equipment, and fit all my components nicely. I have not had any issues with heat or loud fans. It has been running smoothly for about a month now. |
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Rating: Review Date: 08/28/09 |
Cons: Too much room (case it too long)
Pros: Good layout. Well built and lots of room Comment:
Was hoping to build a HTPC for a bookshelf with this until I open the box. This beast is way too deep for my needs (my fault for not looking at the dimensions). Layout is good and there is plenty of room for a build. Fits a Scythe Shuriken 3 Heatpipe Low Profile CPU Heatsink with no troubles. If you have the room this case is pretty nice. |
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Rating: Review Date: 08/01/09 |
Cons: Flimsy Back
Pros: Cheaper PriceGood VentilationStylishFits standard PSU Comment:
I purchased this case to replace my Shuttle HTPC. The product came well packaged, however the box took a beating (UPS) and hit the back where the thumbscrew is located.I found the back of the case fairly flimsy (even though the box took a hit) but it surely doesn't matter once you install some cards to give it some extra support.I did not test the stock 92mm fan, I instead purchased a Noctua 92mm instead, limiting the rpm (and sound)The two smaller (40mm?) fans are quiet, so no complaints on sound.The case does have a lot of vent spaces.. so heat is dissipated quite easily.It has a lot of expansion room, and for an HTPC case is lower than most (so it fits most home theatre racks/shelves) and with an mATX board, has lots of room for cable management. Would definitely recommend a modular PSU, but would have enough room for non-modular as well. |
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Rating: Review Date: 07/03/09 |
Cons: -LCD slot in the front is hard to access
Pros: -Looks great-Can fit ATX PSU's-Very spacious inside with all components installed-Fans are real quiet Comment:
This case is an excellent choice for HTPC. The quality is pretty good and it has a brushed aluminum front that gives it a great look. It is also very quiet when everything is installed in it. The one problem I have with this case is the access to the LCD slot. It is very hard to access the LCD slot in the front because there's a strip of metal that bars off the area and you must remove the media card reader to insert it in. Even after removing the card reader, you still need to pull on the metal strip to force the LCD in. Despite the difficulties with putting in the LCD screen, the chasis is great and is highly recommended! |
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Rating: Review Date: 07/01/09 |
Cons: construction a bit flimsy, no internal IR reader, power LED, CD/DVD port design sucks
Pros: good design, very quiet, easy to work in, looks great Comment:
Bought this for its intended purpose as an HTPC and it's a very nice case for this purpose. It looks good, the design makes it easy to work in with the removable drive tray at the front; this build was very easy to put together.The dual fans at the rear are almost silent - one of mine seems to have a bad bearing, but the other is almost inaudible. I'm not using the included side intake fan on my build.It'd be nice if heavier sheet steel were used, the panels flex a bit much and feel cheap. It's acceptable though.The CD/DVD door design sucks. Twice during my build the button actuator got trapped behind its opening and it was very difficult to get it back seated properly and I felt like it was going to break. And with the drive I bought, it didn't quite fit right either, the drive was just a little too long at the front to match the case. Got it working, but a bit of a pain, more thought could have gone into it.Considering price and the shortcomings, this is a good buy. |
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Rating: Review Date: 02/22/09 |
Cons: a bit expensive
Pros: quiet, looks awesome Comment:
have it for a htpc and it looks awesome =]comes with a built in card reader as well which is a +. I wouldve gotten the optional lcd as well if it wasnt green |
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Rating: Review Date: 02/15/09 |
Cons: the airflow in the case could be better -I have a Palit HD 3870 that's hard to cool in this case - but not impossible
Pros: nice look and sturdy design! Comment:
Very good buy if you intend to use it as an HTPC and don't really consider a lot or heavy gaming - as things may get hot... |
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Rating: Review Date: 01/20/09 |
Cons: - No PSU- Front display is optional add-on- Some odd design decisions
Pros: - Solid case for the price- Easy to work on- Looks great Comment:
Installation in this case was relatively simple, as the mATX factor means plenty of extra space around the mainboard for stuffing cables and for contorting fingers. Drive mounting is easy, with a cradle that lifts out and allows quick access. Simply install the drives in this cradle (using regular mounting screws and hardware), and slide the whole cradle back in.The drive mounting arrangement cause a minor issue for me, as I wanted to re-use an IDE hard drive and optical drive that had the old style IDE ribbon connectors. My mainboard only had one IDE channel, and the two drives had to be mounted such that it was impossible for one cable to reach both. This is a legacy issue however, and I was all set after picking up a SATA DVD drive. If I had to nitpick, I'd complain that the "brushed" black finish doesn't quite match my other stereo components, but the impression is clean and still much better than a traditional case.The side fan does seem to be in an odd place, directly in the path of the drive cage. As mentioned in another review, this may be a cause for reduced cooling efficiency. I also had a problem with some cables getting caught in it. The "hideway" door on the front panel that covers the optical drive is novel, but could be designed better. It retracts with two cumbersome springs that stretch on either end. This would be cleaner with spring hinges. Also, the door makes a lot of mechanical noise when my drive is opened and closed. Despite the small flaws, I would definitely recommended - would buy again. This review was modfied by poster @ 01-20-09 10:30 AM |
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Rating: Review Date: 12/17/08 |
Cons: Loud intake fan: even replaced with a quieter Noctua fan in ultra-low-noise mode (1000rpm), it's still very noticeable. The fan is partly obstructed by the drive cage, probably causing turbulence and noise, and it seems to me that the case amplifies the mechanical noise of the fan.Cover takes a fair amount of effort to remove. Weak instruction manual. No power supply included, although this lowers the price and allows better customizing.
Pros: Very easy to work in.Reasonably priced considering the included extras.Very nice aluminum face, looks more like home audio equipment than a PC. Includes optical drive cover, and all front ports (including a very handy multi-card reader) are also concealed behind a panel.Fits a Mini Ninja cooler, just barely; may not work for every combination of motherboard/processor.Pair of mini 60mm exhaust fans at the back don't move much air, but they are whisper-quiet and their location immediately behind the CPU moves air where it counts most. Comment:
After hesitating between this and the Antec NSK2480/Fusion, I chose this one for its clean audio-equipment-like look, black colour, optical drive cover, card reader, capacity for 4 hard drives (2 more than the Antec), and ease of access to the interior.I suspect the Antec may have been quieter, with its big 120mm fans and better airflow, but otherwise I am satisfied with my choice. This review was modfied by poster @ 12-17-08 08:05 AM |
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Rating: Review Date: 12/01/08 |
Cons: No weaknesses.
Pros: Good case for the price Comment:
Lots of room. Actually it looks smaller in the picture. Good quality. plenty of space for all your components. |
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Rating: Review Date: 10/27/08 |
Cons: Does not shoot laser out of it. Would be cool if it came with the LCD screen.
Pros: Comes with alot of fans. Very easy to work on, full form PCI. Comment:
Bought this for my HTPC build. I am quite happy with it. I found it easy to work on and the layout very intuitive. The case feels solid and well built, and has a good variety of front connectors. The DVD bay door built it looks pretty awsome too. Looks like a first gen DVD player because of the bay door, looks like a piece of home theater equipment. |
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Rating: Review Date: 10/26/08 |
Cons: can't think of any..
Pros: Blue led around power buttoneasy installfront panel goodies! (esata, audio, 3 usb, 1 firewire, card readers)Looks goodSpacious intterior, accepts a standard atx PSU Comment:
little pricey for no PSU. But Its a great case. The install is easy, and it comes with zap straps for tidying up the loose ends. All the wires from the front panel are labelled well, and the blue led around the power button goes well with the dvd player and receiver. The front panel is very nice. The no psu was a bit of a downer, but there is space enough for a standard one so we just took one from my friends old pc and it was no prob.I usually don't spend this much on a case w/ no psu, but I have no regrets here. Its a little heavy with all the stuff in it. But no more than your average pc. |
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Rating: Review Date: 09/16/08 |
Cons: Back panel expansion card slots are knock outsNoisy 90mm side fan
Pros: Looks like a piece of home theatre equipmentEasy to work inAccepts full height expansion cardsFront ports are hidden Comment:
I bought this case to replace an Antec NSK2480 case which has worked fine but didn't match very well with my home theatre equipment. This case is much more stylish - the DVD drive is mounted behind a fold down door, the power button is on the left hand side like other stereo equipment, and the front panel ports (USB, audio, etc.) are hidden behind a panel that folds down when you need to access the ports. The built-in card reader is a nice extra.I found the case very easy to work in. Once you remove the part of the case that holds the hard drives and DVD drive, it's quite easy to install your motherboard and power supply and then drop the drives back in.While it's a uATX form factor, the case can accept full height cards. One caveat is that the back panel slots are knock out panels instead of removable panels so once you remove a panel you can't put it back again. That wasn't a big deal for me since I have spare screw-in panels that I could use if I needed to put back a panel.My biggest complaint with the case is that the 90mm side fan was so noisy that I had to replace it. It had a molex connector so it ran at full speed all the time. I replaced it with a Scythe Ultra Silent fan with a 3 pin connector that's controlled from the motherboard which is much quieter. The dual 60mm rear fans are pretty quiet so no complaints there.I've ordered the optional LCD display which I haven't received yet but I'm looking forward to getting it and putting the final finishes on the case. Overall, I'm very happy with the case and would recommend it to anyone looking for a nice looking uATX HTPC case. This review was modfied by poster @ 09-16-08 04:39 PM |
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Rating: Review Date: 09/15/08 |
Cons: LCD is extra (no price yet from Nmedia)
Pros: Easy to work withSmall yet roomyWire management is easy in this caseNice finish Comment:
Was looking at Lascala LC17B but was just a tad too big for the cubby hole this need to go into.The pictures on the product page don’t do this case justice much nicer in reality.One thing I liked about this case is that makes wire management a breeze. You can just shove them under the drive cages. Plenty of room there. The case comes with 2 X 60mm Silent fans at the rear and they are indeed silent but they don’t push much air. There is a 90mm Case Fan ( LOUD ) on the left side that I actually disconnected and will be replaced with Nexus 92MM Real Silent Case Fan 1500RPM 19.2DBA 27CFM. I left the Cool‘n’Quiet enabled and that keeps the stock CPU fan quiet. Will have to make sure the Scythe Mini Ninja will fit as others claim then hop on it lol.No regrets here. |
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Rating: Review Date: 08/27/08 |
Cons: I don't know anything yet.
Pros: Nice looking, right size to fit in entertainment cabinet, easy install, quiet. Comment:
Very easy to install, lots of room. Very hugh end looking front panel, and clean. All inputs are behind door. I really enjoying building, and the outcome is beyond expectation. |
This si a great HTPC case that was really easy to put together. I did not install a mechanical hard drive or an optical drive so I was able to remove the part that holds both of those for extra room and airflow in the case.