where to find good 'unbiased' HTPC case reviews?

[Xylob the Destroyer]

I'm sick of fighting with my monsterous Antec SOHO server case and am in the market to blow a little tax refund dough on a good HTPC case.
The problem is that I don't really know of many case manufacturers, and I really don't want to take their word when it comes to how good &/or cool their HTPC cases are.

Can any of you kind folks point me to some good sites that have reviews of HTPC cases (that's reviews, not fanboy rants! )?
Or hell, how about some recommendations?
I need something that's the standard A/V component width of 17" and no more than 17 and 1/4" deep. Height/thickness is not an issue at all.
I need a minimum of 2 front accessable 5.25" (3 would rock though) bays and capacity for a full-size ATX mobo and full-size ATX PSU.
Black would be best, but I know the latest trend in electronics is that obnoxious 'silver' that everything comes in now.

I've been looking at the Thermaltake Mozart VC4000SNS, but it's a little to deep from front to back -- it would hang off the front of my entertainment center by at least an inch....
Also, it's silver

Any and all serious recomendations and input on good cases and sites with good reviews will be greatly appreciated.
Fanboy rants and general bullshit replies will of course result in a flame war, name calling, and total degradation of the thread... :P

TIA!

[MJA]

check some of the reviews at newegg.com

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2000090007%201054821745&na...Media%20Center

[redwudz]

One case review site:

http://www.overclockercafe.com/Reviews/case_reviews.htm

A couple of other places to look for what's available in the market:

http://www.directron.com/desktop.html
http://www.xoxide.com/pccases.html

I have a Antec Overture II desktop HTPC case, but I would never buy another. The main problem is it's noisy, even though it was advertised as 'quiet'. Between the PS fan and the two squirrel cage blowers, it can get irritating. Also heavy and all steel. I'm about to replace every fan in there till it quiets down. Funny, I have a Antec SLK1650B and it's very quiet, so they are capable of making a quiet case.

I like some of the Lian Li cases, pricey, but really nice quality. Trying to find a desktop HTPC type case with two 5.25 slots or more and a quiet cooling system isn't easy.

[bendixG15]

I have been reading "Reviews" since day one.
My conclusion.
An unbiased review does not exist in this world, maybe the next.

You got to do it the hard way ... buy it...try it..return it.
We are all full of prejudice as to what is really important.
.

[Soopafresh]

I like the idea of the Newegg purchaser reviews. Straight from the "people". Hard for the dedicated hardware review sites to be unbiased, when they know a bad review means no more free stuff from the manufacturer.

[redwudz]

I pay attention to NewEgg reviews if there are enough of them. One or two reviews on a product doesn't mean a lot. It seems there is always one guy who hates the product, worst ever, etc. Makes you wonder sometimes if they are 'plants' from rival manufacturers.

Like my comment on the Overture case. Maybe I just got a 'lemon'. But if five people say the same thing, I will listen.

[Xylob the Destroyer]

thanks for the input folks.
I really like the Lian Li PC-880, but they're apparently kinda old, as not a lot of places have them. I don't think it will do a full-size ATX mobo though -- info is conflicting on that.
Regardless, it's too expensive....
some of the cases/sites suggested are WAY too fancy for my needs, and unfortunately a lot more $$ than what I'm looking to spend.

It's looking more & more like I'll probably go with the Thermaltake Mozart VC4000SNS simply because of price and availability, but I really hate to "settle"..... I might find something totally kick-ass for a good price, who knows.


I didn't realize that HTPC cases were such a niche market and would be so hard to find. NO big-box stores carry them -- it's tower or nothing at CompUSA, MicroCenter, BestBuy, & CircuitCity....

[rallynavvie]

My HTPC is a workstation first and HTPC second, but if I were to build one that was HTPC first I'd go with the Lian Li black aluminum HTPC case. I can't recall the model but it's available on NewEgg but priced over $200 last I checked.

I've not looked at the higher-end Antec market (all aluminum construction) but if it's anything like my aging P160 I'd definitely get another one.