GMC Noblesse AVC-S7
We received the Noblesse AVC-S7 from Korean manufacturer GMC (no relation to General Motors). This is a slimline, microATX HTPC case pre-equipped with an IR remote control, power supply, optical drive and a PCI riser card that allows users to install at least one expansion card.
The AVC-S7’s front panel looks like a low-cost DVD player, but the build quality is surprisingly impressive. GMC’s sleek DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive reveals only a disc slot and an eject button, giving it more of an A/V feel than a traditional PC. Our test chassis was grey, with just the lower part of the front bezel done in a glossy black. Fingerprints and smudges were an issue, but not as much as on, say, a black iPod or iPhone. A gentle push opens the front bezel and reveals the integrated multi-card reader, a two-line LCD display, two USB ports, audio jacks, and a few control elements, including a reset button. The LCD display is visible with the bezel closed, and we like that the inside of the bezel carries descriptions of the ports and control elements.
The back of the case offers minimal expansion capability. There’s the power supply connector, one horizontal slot designed for the internal riser card, and whichever ports are built into your microATX motherboard of choice (typically audio and HDMI in an application like this one). We installed Gigabyte’s EG45M-UD2H for a test run (see photo below), which worked fine. The included power supply is an SFX design with a maximum output of 230W. Unfortunately, the manufacturer doesn’t provide any information on the PSU’s efficiency. True, 230W isn’t much, but it’s still sufficient to run almost any dual- or quad-core processor available today. Holes in the top cover assist in cooling the CPU. But be aware that the power supply fan is the only means of ventilating the case.
GMC bundles a CPU cooler optimized for the AVC-S7. The copper device’s flat, round shape assists in cooling motherboard components, such as the chipset or voltage regulators. However, since system ventilation is limited to the power supply fan, carefully consider your processor. A high-end CPU will significantly increase the system temperature. Only having room for one hard drive will help minimize heat sources, but you should still try to keep thermals as low as possible.
Lastly, the front panel’s LCD display can be programmed to display different bits of information, such as time and date, new email, weather forecast, or a graphical equalizer. However, there are no control buttons, so all the display can do is notify and entertain.
For all of this, the $360 price tag appears hefty, but considering that an optical drive and the power supply are included, we believe GMC’s price point is still acceptable.
Editor's Note: Bear in mind that, in the US, this case is sold under Auzentech's brand name. So, you'll find it listed as the Auzentech AVC S-7 when you search Newegg.
I won't go with GMC, two reasons, one is the internal DVD, cause when it's broke, it's a headache to change it, and the slot-loadings are more exposed to dirt and etc, and two is the logos in the front ( divx, DTS, ... ). these make this case sooooo cheap look. but the slim design is somewhat good.
about Moneual, it's good, with the remote and everything, it's great, but the price is a little High.
and the Silverstone one, It's the best I think, one is the size that left a lot of room for any expansion cards, like tv tuners, DVB cards, good air flow, but the cons is the remote that is not included in the box, but the price is telling, so no problem with that.
by the way, good cases, sometime gonna build an HTPC! Thanks Tom.
and if Tom's test a system build of an HTPC with a lowest noise level, that would be great!
I built a HTPC and the biggest problem I have is the power supply. I have a 430W but if I replace it to get a faster video card I need to check and make sure the fan blows out not up or down because there is not vent except for the back side. I'd never buy another HTPC case that can't take standard sized components. The GMC is out because of the half size PCI cards. The Moneual out because of the 40 mm fans. The silverstone without the remote is not an issue. If you have a blutooth key board like http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-diN [...] 49&sr=1-16 you have everything you need on the keyboard and there is no need for a remote.
Would a Sempron 140 be sufficient enough for 720p and even 1080p playing when paired with a 785G chipset?
I don't think I'd try a Semptron, but it may work to some degree. The problem is Blu-ray disks are encrypted heavily and they require tons of cpu power to decrypt the data. You also need a decent video card. I have a 9800GT which is just fine with a 2.8GHz Dual core intel CPU. A Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 Dual Core Processor: 2.5GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, Socket T would be just fine and is about $30-40. If you are worried about cost, buying a blu-ray player would be much cheaper because you need some special hardware to get 7.1. There are some video cards that incorporate the HDMI audio and video to the 1.3a spec and there are also some sound cards that can do that too. I don't know of any cheap solutions for 7.1 on a PC. The sound cards can run about $200 or so such as my favorite http://www.auzentech.com/site/prod [...] er_hd.php. I put an earlier one of similar sound quality in my theater PC but it has no HDMI.
I meant 30-40 MORE! than the semptron I wish I could edit after posting.
There's also this case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811133168
These are good, but they look too big and traditional. I would like a review for something like LIAN LI PC-Q07 or the Morex 6610. Both are mini-ITX cases. If you use a Nvidia Ion based motherboard, I would assume you can watch HD movie on it. The system should also be less heat, less power, and less noise.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811112227
http://nanoitxpc.com/proddetail.asp?prod=6610
I have had my eye on this beauty for a while now...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129054
I just noticed that it has $40 off instantly... so tempting... anyway, this case seems to allow for a good compromise between insane HTPC and as low as you wanna go. The only "drawback" some may have with it is that it only supports 2 HDDs. However, it allows/comes with 2 120mm fans for good quiet air flow or you could remove one and use that new Corsair liquid cooler. Also it only supports uATX and uITX boards.
Now what I would really like to see is a case like this that supports 2.5" drives. If they converted the 3.5" bay they have to support 2.5" drives you could put in a nice "lower end" SSD for your OS and then drop about 3-4 500Gb-750Gb 2.5' drives in there. and have a really nice, quiet, cool running HTPC.
Hmm... $40 off... must... resist...
It does work for some mild overclocking. I have one in another Silverstone case (GD02) with the same fan setup, running a Q9550s@3.4Ghz/1,13v. However, a) you can fit better coolers in the Lascala case and b) in that size category the Antec Fusion case has better airflow with 2x12cm fans.
Since I'm a Silverstone fanboy (really like my GD02 case), I'd recommend the GD02 or the new GD04 if you don't have room for a 40+cm deep case. They look nice and the airflow is well planned.
I've always thought nMediaPC had the best HTPC cases. http://tinyurl.com/y9j5xn7
How about you guys do a comparative review of Cyberlink, PowerDVD, and Windows Media Player.
For HTPC users there are a lot of delta in the abilities of each. Some scale better, some have Bluray hiccups, etc, etc...
A case and OS don't do squat without the software to utilize the player...
Thanks,
If you have a blutooth key board like http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-diN [...] 49&sr=1-16 you have everything you need on the keyboard and there is no need for a remote.
I disagree. For me, a remote is essential, because I control everything in my A/V setup, including the HTPC, with a universal remote (Logitech Harmony). My RF keyboard and mouse are only used when I am doing maintenance on the HTPC or using it for the web browser.
I really like this article and other recent ones about htpc's. It would be cool to see a bigger roundup, maybe a budget case review with about 6-8 cases for instance. Actually I would like to see more case reviews here, not that I'm complaining. People, including myself come here for the forums and the best news on graphics cards and cpu's and I wouldn't want to change that at all.
Considering the cost, it seems to me the best bet would be to get an HD4650-70 for hdmi sound. Then a cheap or unused dual core with a 780g would make a great budget home theater rig. Save some money for a blue ray drive.
I also like the idea of including noise levels as part of the htpc review process.
I like the title "Three Mainstream Home Theater PC Cases Compared" then couple that with the last sentence on this page
"This article looks at four mainstream HTPC cases by GMC, Moneual, and Silverstone in the price range of up to $360."
"First, you want to be sure that the system is powerful enough to play and record all audio and video sources, including full bit rate high-def streams. Modern integrated graphics solutions, such as AMD’s 780/785G with Radeon HD 3200/4200 graphics, Intel’s G45 with GMA X4500HD, and the Nvidia GeForce 9300/9400, are all capable of handling MPEG-2, VC-1, and H.264 when paired with a decent processor."
Scratch Intels G45 off that list. It has trouble rendering HD video. At least it did last I heard. I haven't heard of a fix for it yet. See this link
http://www.extremetech.com/article [...] 53,00.asp#
It is surprising that the Antec Fusion Remote Max was not reviewed. In my opinion, it is better than these cases and is the same size as the big Silverstone in the review.
Why is the depth of the Silverstone case shown as 170mm in the comparison table? The pictures don't reflect that - from the pictures I would guess that the Silverstone case is approximately as deep as it is wide.
It is inaccuracies like this one that give Tomshardware a bad name.
I like the silverstone one best since it would be easier to build a double duty system and store media on it as well, maybe also as a backup or NAS. The only problem would be the noise but I am sure highly clever people could reduce that to acceptable levels.
If anyone here is thinking of getting one of these cases (or similar), I will say this:
Check whether case depth is going to be an issue or not!
A HTPC looks much nicer inside of the AV cabinet rather than sitting on top of it.