If you like to build a computer as a home theater PC, or for professional purposes, or for daily use, you must choose the best case because all the components of your PC will be placed there. But if you are looking for an HTPC case, then choosing the best case is not an easy task. You will most probably place your home theater PC in the living room, or home theater cabinet.
So, you should consider a lot of things before buying the perfect case for your PC. But if you don’t know all the considerations, this review article will be very helpful to you. Go through the full article to choose the best HTPC case for your home theater computer.
Table of Contents
What is HTPC Case?
HTPC stands for Home Theater Personal Computer. As the name indicates, the function of the HTPC case is nothing but storing all the components of your home theater PC. As the case is for a home theater PC, the case may be of different sizes. Based on the purpose of your PC, the size is considered. The size may differ from a different aspect of usage.
An HTPC case generally tends to be smaller than regular size PC case: Mid-Tower or Tower case. Because a mid-tower or tower case generally doesn’t fit in your living room or home theater cabinet. You should keep it in mind that different sized cases support different sized components: motherboard, power supply, GPU, etc. Based on your choice and place in the living room, or home theater cabinet, the size of the case should be chosen.
Our Recommended Best HTPC Cases
If you are looking for a case for your home theater PC which will be placed in your living room, or home theater cabinet, then you should consider some features. The size, number of ports, and drives all play a vital role in the successful installation of your PC. Here we will review the five HTPC cases.
1. SilverStone Technology Home Theater Computer Case (HTPC)
If you have a home theatre set up in your home, then you might have wanted to set up a computer with it. But most of the time, it becomes difficult to put a PC inside the home theater cabinet. This case is specially designed for this. You can easily fit it in your home theater cabinet, or TV stands because of its less depth.
The design of this HTPC case id awesome. The positive air pressure design is introduced in this case to ensure cooling and quietness. The design also helps in dust prevention. The interior is well designed, so you can fit full-size components: ATX Motherboard, ATX power supply, 5.25 inches, 3.5 inches, and 2.5 inches drives. But the manufacturer and designer kept in mind to make this case compact enough to give you more portability.
It can be mounted in many ways. The drive cages can be used for multipurpose mounting of your computer. So, you won’t have to buy or use any adapters. Brushed aluminum was used to make the front of the case and the full body is well made to support different mounting. The different mounting capability will allow you to explore the different design of your home theater.
The main feature of this case we think of its compact design. Still, it supports almost all sizes ATX power supply, and ATX motherboard. So, you can place your home theater computer on your TV stand, or home theater cabinet.
The upper part is not that solid enough to support a heavy device like a heavy monitor or TV. But you can easily put a light monitor on it.
2. APEVIA X-QPACK3-BL Micro ATX Cube Gaming/HTPC Case
Are you a gamer, a professional, a computer geek, or a daily user? If the answer is yes, then it will be a good case for you to choose. It is a complete case for your PC. Almost all the common things are introduced in this case.
The best part, in this case, its beautiful design. The cube shape of this case gives a unique look. The compact and micro design allows it to be fitted on any table. It features two blue-tinted side windows that look pretty awesome. The ventilation system is very good in this case. A 140mm blue LED fan is pre-installed. You can also add two more fans for better ventilation if you want.
As it is a micro ATX case, it supports micro ATX, ITX, or mini ITX motherboard, standard size power supply, VGA up to 320mm length, CPU coolers up to 135mm CPU height. The flip-open design is another important feature of this case. In this case, you won’t have to worry about cleaning, changing, or opening the computer.
The case features multiple interface ports. On the top of the case, there is a USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports, an HD audio output port. The case supports many expansion slots and drives bays. It features 4 expansion slots and 5 drive bays which is more than enough I think.
The main attraction of this case is its compact and micro design. The easy installation feature is another important thing about this case. The ventilation system introduced in this case is pretty good. A dust filter is there to protect your devices from dust.
Though it gives you more portability and space, it is best suited for micro ATX board. If you have a full-size ATX board and power supply, then it won’t be a good case for you.
3. Thermaltake Core G3 ATX Slim Small Form Factor Tt LCS Certified Gaming Computer Case
This computer case from Thermaltake is a good choice if you are looking for a standard size but slim computer case. The designer made sure that the slim, compact micro case will perfectly fit on your computer desk or living room. The case specially made for traveling. Because the interior is perfectly made for that.
Travel foam and GPU padded braces are introduced in the inside to protect the hardware from damage during traveling. The dual placement layout design made it possible for both horizontal and vertical placement of the computer. The ventilation system, in this case, is pretty good. Two fans on the front and one fan on the top can be installed. The two front fans are pre-installed.
There are two drive bays: 2.5 inches and 3.5 inches. Two expansion slots are there in the case. You can fit all sizes of motherboards: ATX, Micro ATX, and Mini ITX. There are two USB 3.0 ports and USB 2.0 ports, and one HD Audio port. So, you don’t need to worry about the number of interfaces.
You may have noticed that the most crucial part of building a complete PC is installing the GPU perfectly. Because it is the biggest component. This Core G3 computer case introduced a floating GPU design that mounts your GPU on a custom GPU mount that turns your GPU face front to give a beautiful look.
This case is specially designed for VR (Virtual Reality) gaming systems. It features a better cooling and ventilation system and protects your PC components from dust and unnecessary shaking.
4. IN-WIN Desktop Case Cases CE685.FH300TB3
The in-win desktop case is a slim type of case that fits easily on your computer table, living room, or in your home theater cabinet. The compact design also ensures you safe and convenient travel with your computer.
The ventilation system, in this case, is pretty good. It has a 90mm fan at the front of the case. But there is no hole which saves your PC components from dust. But the case is not transparent on any side. It actually made for daily PC users. The compact design can house Micro-ATX, or Mini-ITX motherboard because of its compact design. Also, it features a standard TFX 300W 12V power supply.
The main problem we found about a slim, compact PC case is the less number of input/output ports. But you don’t have to worry about that if you buy this case. At the front of the case, there are 2 USB 3.0 ports and 2 USB 2.0 ports. It supports up to four expansion slots. It has two external bays: 1 X 5.25 inches and 1 X 3.5 inches, two internal bays: 1 X 3.5 inches and 1 X 2.5 inches.
The slim and compact design made this case perfect for placing the computer on your PC table, living room, or home theater cabinet. The slim and light-weight design also made it possible for easy traveling.
By default, you can use one SSD and one 3.5 inches hard drive at a time. So, you cannot use two HDDs at a time. But if you want to use another 3.5 inches hard drive, then you can use the space of the optical drive.
5. RGeek Computer Case Aluminum PC Case
This computer case is unique in terms of design and builds quality. If you are looking for a computer case for your home theater, then this will be a perfect choice. The very slim and light-weight design of this case can easily fit in your home theater cabinet.
The main feature of this case is its very tiny design. It has a size of only 197mm X 197mm X 80mm. So, you can realize how compact the case is. It is not an ATX case. It supports Mini-ITX motherboard only. So, if you want to use this type of motherboard, then it is a perfect case. As it is made specially as an HTPC case, then it won’t be a problem we think.
This small computer case from RGeek supports two hard drives at a time. You can use a 2.5 inches SATA hard drive or SSD, and a 3.5 inches hard drive. It does not give a lot of input/output ports. At the front of the case, you will find two USB 3.0 ports.
Though it is very compact in design, the ventilation system, in this case, is good. For cooling purposes, you can install 2 X 5010 fans. You won’t need to be worried about the build quality of this case. It is made of 3.5mm thick aluminum which is very solid. This build quality made sure of the safety of your PC components from unnecessary shaking during traveling. Also, you can easily put a monitor or TV on top of the case.
As the case is very small in size, it cannot support the standard-size ATX motherboard. You have to use the Mini-ITX motherboard. There are only two USB 3.0 ports in this PC case. Keep these in mind before buying it.
Best HTPC Case Buying Guide
If you are looking for a home theater case, then you should consider some features before buying the case. This section will be helpful if you are going to buy a case for your home theater PC.
Design and Build Quality: As the case will be used as a home theater PC case, the design will play a vital role. The design should be compact and should give you much portability. Because a large case may not fit in your PC table, living room, or home theater cabinet. If you are looking for a horizontal pc case or vertical pc case for your home theater PC which will be placed in your living room, or home theater cabinet, then you should consider some features.
The number of ports: You may want to put some USB devices on it. So, check how many USB 3.0 or 2.0 ports the case has.
The number of drives: You may want to use multiple drives. But check how many drives can be placed in the case. Generally, most of the case support at least one 2.5 inches and one 3.5 inches drives.
Size of the boards: You may want a small, slim case. Because of size, all the cases do not support the standard-size motherboard and power supply. Before buying the case, make sure the case can house your existing motherboard and power supply.
FAQ
Q: Can I fit multiple drives in the HTPC case?
Ans: Most of the time, the answer is yes. Generally, most of the case support at least one 2.5 inches and one 3.5 inches drives.
Q: Do all the cases support all types of motherboard and PSU?
Ans: No. Different sized cases support different sized boards and PSU. For example, some cases support standard ATX board, some support Mini-ITX board, etc.
Q: Can I use any CPU cooler in the HTPC case?
Ans: No. Based on the size of the HTPC case, the size of the supported CPU cooler differs.
Conclusion
Choosing the best HTPC case is not an easy task. But if you have read the whole article, then we hope now you know all the things you need to know before choosing an HTPC case for your home theater computer. Just follow the article and make sure the components of your PC can be placed inside the case fluently.
