Case and memory

The chassis

Thermaltake Bach Black - $119.99 Newegg Thermaltake Bach HTPC case: Selecting the case is one of the most important components when it comes to building an HTPC, but it’s also one of the hardest to choose as your choice of case is going to be largely subjective: looks are one of the most important aspects of your decision. While many early-on HPTC cases where basically just miniaturized versions of full-size cases, or the premium HTPC cases sold at high premiums, the industry has caught on and now you can find affordable HTPC cases that will fit right in with the other stereo components in your home theater system. Thermaltake’s Bach is definitely one of those cases.

The Bach features stylish good looks and is large enough to accommodate full-sized ATX cases if you decide to go that route. The case has one drive bay door, which is useful for hiding that ugly beige optical drive from clashing with the rest of the case’s aluminum front panel, while USB and FireWire ports are located on the front of the case for easy access. Inside you’ll find plenty of room for auxiliary cooling, although we did note that the case wasn’t quite tall enough to accommodate Zalman’s, which is one of the larger CPU coolers on the market. Thermaltake equips the Bach with an 80mm case fan on the front of the case for air intake, and dual 60mm case fans at the back for exhaust, the fans generate a little more noise than what some HTPC users may want though so you may want to swap the stock fans out with a pair of CoolerMaster or Thermaltake silent case fans. Newegg and other retailers sell them in packs of four if you want to save a little money.

In terms of expansion, the Bach is equipped with 8 usable drive bays, three 5.25” drive bays can be used for optical drives, while the case is outfitted with five 3.5” drive bays for your hard drives.

One additional feature that the Bach supports is Thermaltake’s optional front panel LED display, dubbed the Thermaltake Media Lab. With this add-on you can monitor all kinds of different aspects about your system’s health, or view track information if you’re listening to a CD or watching a DVD, the unit even comes with a IR remote control unit for easy access.

Working within the Bach was fairly simple. The case is roomy enough for the motherboard and drives to be installed fairly easily, while the hard drives sit in removable drive cages at the top of the case, making installation a snap.

The case is a little heavy, but this won’t be a major concern unless you plan on moving your HTPC around a lot. Like many higher-end HTPC cases, the Bach has blue LEDs on the front of the case, giving it a distinctive look. The blue Power LED is a little bright though, although this is a problem that’s common on many HTPC cases unfortunately.

Memory

2GB Rosewill DDR400 SDRAM – Pricing N/A ~$160: Normally when it comes to memory we stick with the premium brands like OCZ and Corsair, but for this HTPC build we decided to save a little money and go with Rosewill’s DDR400 memory modules. Rosewill is Newegg’s house brand, so you know it’s going to be backed up with solid support, and they make pretty good memory for the dollar. Their modules aren’t necessarily the fastest on the block – they aren’t designed to be – but they are reliable and get the job done.

For HTPC use, that really is the bottom line in our decision. After all, having the fastest DDR500+ memory modules or the lowest 2-2-2 timings isn’t as critical in an HTPC as it is in a cutting-edge gaming rig, as the majority of the apps you’ll be using the HTPC for will run just as fast on a stock DDR400 module for the most part. Instead the key criteria are reliability and price. It’s here where the Rosewill modules compare well against the other memory manufacturers.