NMediaPC 1080P HTPC Case Review

Installation and Case Cooling

We installed a micro ATX AM2-based system into the 1080P for the installation portion of our review. We are evaluating a couple things like ease of installation, cable management, and other intangibles we notice during installation. The first step was to install the I/O backplate. Snaps in perfectly. 

Next, we plopped down the motherboard, CPU, and heatsink and secured it with five screws. This was a simple step because we didn’t have to install the motherboard standoffs. This should be done with every case you purchase, but for some reason vendors just give you a bag of standoffs to install yourself. Lazy bastards.

Threw in a couple sticks of RAM. Nothing special here. Let’s move on.

Next, we installed our Corsair 400W power supply. This involved using four screws to secure the PSU to the chassis.

Then, we removed the front cage and attached the optical bay. This is a bit unique because you actually secure the drive through the bottom screw holes instead of on the sides of the drive. Pretty easy once I noticed where these screw holes were actually located.

After installing the optical drive, we installed one hard drive using four long screws that come in a small bag with the rest of the case accessories. Don’t over tighten these screws because it will reduce the effectiveness of the rubber grommets.

Here’s how the completed cage looks with an optical drive and hard drive installed. Easy enough.

Next, we decided to start plugging in the data and power cables into the hard drive, optical drive, and motherboard. As you can see, it was a pretty tight fit to get these cables connected and organized. We’ll get into that more later.

After about 25 minutes, we finished our installation. We are using onboard graphics for this build because we didn’t have a low-profile graphics card available at the time of this review. You’ll notice that the cable management in this case is not optimal and we suggest using a modular power supply with short cables to help keep cables to a minimum thus increasing the airflow inside the case. You’ll also notice that the 80mm fan by the optical drive is no where to be seen, but rest assured there is plenty of room for air flow underneath the drive bay that is help cooling the hard drive too.