Optimized For Silence: HDPLEX Announces Fanless H5 HTPC Case

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By Kevin Carbotte
published

HDPLEX announced that it will soon be releasing a new version of its H5 Fanless HTPC case. The second generation of the case supports passive cooling for CPUs rated for 95W TDP. Additionally, a graphics card can be cooled with an optional GPU block.

To manage cooling duty without using any fans at all, the sides of the case have been designed to double as large exterior-facing heatsinks. The two sides of the case are covered in aluminum fins that are cooled passively by the environment. Attaching the CPU to the side panel is done with a unique heatsink/heatpipe design. Eight copper heatpipes are attached to the inner side of the case panels. These eight pipes bend 90 degrees towards the CPU. The block that attaches to the CPU can be positioned anywhere on the copper pipes to line up with the CPU socket. The optional GPU block operates in the same fashion, with the GPU installed using a riser card to allow for horizontal positioning.

HDPLEX's H5 HTPC case has support for ATX, mATX and Mini ITX motherboards, and it features a hidden optical drive bay and can accommodate a hot-swap hard drive bay which are found behind the brushed aluminum faceplate. HDPLEX said the faceplate easily pulls off to grant access to the drives.

The H5 HTPC has several different power supply options. An internal nanoATX power supply can be installed inside the case. The company also designed a universal mount to accommodate ATX, SFX and Flex power supplies. Additionally, HDPLEX offers an ATX modular bridge that enables the use of external power supplies, such as the company's HDPLEX 300 W ATX linear power supply.

HDPLEX said the second generation H5 will be available in October for a suggested price of $288.

Follow Kevin Carbotte @pumcypuhoy. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.

Kevin Carbotte

 Kevin Carbotte is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware who primarily covers VR and AR hardware. He has been writing for us for more than four years. 

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9 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Haravikk
    This looks pretty nice actually; I'm currently using an Akasa Euler passively cooled case for a Mini-ITX system; it's smaller since it has no space for a graphics card, and I currently have it passively cooling a 45W i7-4770T, which actually runs extremely well, so I'm not certain of the need to go as high as 95W really, especially with Skylake being even more efficient still.


    My main concern though would be the internal temperature; in my system I originally wanted to use an mSATA SSD, but I had to abandon it in favour of a metal-cased 2.5" SSD of the same type, as the temperature inside the case simply got too high for the mSATA drive (forcing it to throttle down to about 2mb/sec read/write!). This case looks to have the same kind of tiny side-vents that the Euler has, so I'm not sure how much stock I'd put in its ability to keep everything cool, but that said, the Euler uses almost the entire surface area of its case, not just the sides.

    Also regarding the GPU, how compatible is that block really going to be? Coolers for GPUs usually try to cool more than just the actual processor, as the memory can also get pretty hot. I suppose it'd be fine for lower-powered GPUs, and you'd still have separate GPU and CPU memory which is a big advantage over integrated graphics, but I'm not sure you'd get much out of higher end cards like the R9 Nano.
    Reply
  • JQB45
    Dimensions of the case would be nice.
    Reply
  • poochiepiano
    16676280 said:
    Dimensions of the case would be nice.

    From their website, it is 4" tall, 16.9" wide, and 13.9" deep.
    Reply
  • jonathan1683
    looks dope wish I got this instead of my silverlake
    Reply
  • fastcountach
    I hardly ever comment on articles, but this looks awesome. This is perfect for an HTPC case with a TV tuner card and a low power GPU
    Reply
  • Durandul
    Man, I'm half tempted to make a build with one of these just so I can whore it off to the console guys saying their systems are smaller and sleeker. Sure it might cost more, but it'd be silent, more functional as a media box, and more than twice as fast :P
    Reply
  • Blueberries
    HDPLEX makes really great cases and their power supplies are ideal for audiophiles that want low-noise.

    The heat sinks on the side of the case can be used for Mosfets or other applications as well, perfect for installing your power supply or amplifier on. I found this picture on a German website:

    Reply
  • sadsteve
    I hardly ever comment on articles, but this looks awesome. This is perfect for an HTPC case with a TV tuner card and a low power GPU

    Get a SiliconDust Prime instead of a tuner card. Has 3 built in tuners, cable card and is connected to via ethernet. I've got 2 of them (the wifey records/watches a lot shows!).
    Reply
  • JackDiesel
    I have a completely passive mini-itx PC and I have a HTPC with an i5 and a Noctua heatsink, Sapphire Toxic r9 270x that gets stressed out by madVR, and noctua case fans. While you can't hear the passive PC, you also can't hear the HTPC at just a foot away and it runs cooler. Just set it up properly and it'll be just as quiet as a passive PC, in a home theater environment you'll never hear it.
    Reply