HD-160 Case - Exterior
Like any good HTPC case, the HD-160 makes a great immediate first impression, with a simple, uncluttered front and general design characteristics that should blend in well in any home theater situation.
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A few promininate features include the VFD display, volume knob, and the hidden media slots/ports access. Also note the large vent on the top towards the rear. In this next more head-on shot, the clear labels are easier to see. Without a lot of extra buttons or features on the front, the HD-160 should be a breeze to use, even for a complete beginner to the HTPC realm, and the volume control is a nice touch that only adds to this concept.
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An extremely close-up picture shows the brushed aluminum finish of the case fairly well, and also the nice integration of the VFD display. The Zalman symbol in the upper left corner is chrome-finished with miniscule horizontal etchings, and is on its own set-off area.
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The lower left corner houses the power and reset buttons and standard dual LEDs, without anything out of the ordinary really worth mentioning. The feet of the case itself are also visible in this picture, and once again, fit the standard HTPC look just fine.
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The lower right corner has a flap, which covers an included 17-in-1 card reader and typical ports as well. When open, it's nice to see that the ports aren't crammed together too tightly so that using all of them at the same is difficult. This is the only externally available 3½" drive, so if one would want a floppy, they'd have to replace the card reader drive.
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The overall construction of the case is superb. With the slight exception of the volume control, (which still feels fairly good) everything feels solid and fits together very tightly. Another close-up shows the thickness of the front bezel and the quality of the Zalman symbol slightly better than before.
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krwilsonn - Saturday, April 1, 2006 - link
"edit" Ok so it says the PSU is a separate product in the first paragraph. Nevermind my inquiry about that. Also, to the author, nice work on the JPEG's... no complaints here (???)nullpointerus - Saturday, April 1, 2006 - link
It's more cost efficient to get longer cables and move the HTPC away from the listening position(s). And you might even be able to find an external DVD burner to sit on your entertainment center and run a 10 ft. USB or Firewire cable to the HTPC.Fluffiette - Friday, March 31, 2006 - link
:-*logeater - Friday, March 31, 2006 - link
Worst. Case. Ever.logeater - Friday, March 31, 2006 - link
first...DigitalFreak - Friday, March 31, 2006 - link
not...creathir - Friday, March 31, 2006 - link
This thing is TOO big for my tastes.When I think HTPC, I think small, quiet, & compact. This sucker is about the size of a normal ATX case, laid on its side.
- Creathir
BornStar18 - Friday, March 31, 2006 - link
The advantage I see to this case is that it seems to be the same size as a reciever. That would mean that it wouldn't mess with your ability to stack devices like the half depth DVD players or narrow TiVos and VCRs. I see the size as a good thing.