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Hardware GlacialTech Introduces New HTPC Chassis
Wolfgang Hansson (Blog) - September 14, 2007 2:44 PM
Print 17 comment(s) - last by PAPutzback.. on Sep 17 at 9:50 AM

GlacialTech A380 HTPC Chassis  (Source: GlacialTech)
GlacialTech announces new HTPC chassis with improved cooling

Any man attached to a significant other has had to go through that approval process to add new gear to the home theater or living room. GlacialTech has a new media center chassis for your home theater that will make that initial approval process easier.

The Adularia 380 is available in two colors, glacial silver and rock black. The chassis is constructed from lightweight aluminum and is engineered for airflow to extend the life of your home theater PC components.

Features include a pair of USB ports, audio and speaker ports, a 52-in-1 memory card reader and a built-in 270-watt power supply. The case measures in at 430mm W x 100mm H x 380mm D and is constructed from 6063 Aluminum and SECC. There are dual expansion slots on the rear, one external 5.25-inch drive bay and a pair of internal 3.5-inch drive bays.

To keep your components cool, the stock cooling system includes dual 60 x 60 x 20 mm fans that spin at 1500-rpm and only produce 19 dBA of sound. The hard drive area also has its own 60 x 60 x 20 mm fan of the same type. An IR receiver is built-in for remote controls, mice and keyboards to communicate with the computer.

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...
By acer905 on 9/14/2007 2:56:09 PM , Rating: 2
Just seems kinda plain to me... a bit boring




RE: ...
By KentState on 9/14/2007 3:17:58 PM , Rating: 4
That's the point. It looks like most other A/V equipment. I would rather watch the screen than be ammused by another component.


RE: ...
By Hare on 9/15/2007 5:04:01 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
It looks like most other A/V equipment.

I disagree. Most av-equipment cd, dvd, bluray, hd-dvd, av-amps etc are usually brushed aluminium or something similar. This thing just looks cheap and ugly.

I actually had to open the pic in photoshop to be sure that there really are red and green 3.5mm connectors in the front. Indeed there are, talk about bad taste. The white model has a cover on the 5.25" slot which is nice but the black model doesn't seem to have one. That means that the ugly dvd-drive front bezel is always visible.

Conclusion: ugly and cheap looking. Luckily Zalman, Antec and Silverstone have decent looking htpc-cases.


RE: ...
By rsasp on 9/14/2007 4:01:48 PM , Rating: 2
that's what they're trying to do. I mean you don't stare at the case when you're watching the TV, so it doesn't need to be so fancy like computer case.
i like this type of case, it's clean and tidy


RE: ...
By acer905 on 9/14/2007 4:26:28 PM , Rating: 2
What you say is somewhat confusing to me. My computer is tucked away under my desk most of the time, so i don't really see it. Yet when watching tv, its in a more open space. So i would think that the cooler case would be the one that you see more, but at the same time, i agree with not staring at it while watching tv, but are you saying that you stare at the computer case when browsing the net, or playing games?


RE: ...
By imaheadcase on 9/14/2007 10:09:26 PM , Rating: 1
Most people don't have computer cases tucked away, because they do glance at them.


RE: ...
By herrdoktor330 on 9/15/2007 12:14:16 AM , Rating: 2
Well, the one thing I think is questionable is the 270w PS. I would feel better if I knew the efficiency of that PS or if it was pushing 350W. If there were large Solid State HDs available and stronger power efficient processors, I'd feel better about that low power. Also... what's the form factor. Can it take a full sized PCI-E card? Obviously we're all going to have to NewEgg this one for more details. And when they say "External" 5.25 drive bay, don't they really mean "Internal"?

Power and form factor concerns aside, I think this would make a pretty slick HTPC case. I think the IR receiver is a really nice touch too... even though Z-Wave is going to be the thing of the future. When I'm in the market to build a dope one (with a Phenom EE Quad Core, nVidia 8600GT, non-OEM CableCard support, and a 300+GB SSHD), I'll be looking this one up... just make sure it has the juice to handle what I'm building for.

As far as the components I'm dreaming of... maybe they'll be ready when I am?


RE: ...
By theapparition on 9/17/2007 8:00:56 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
And when they say "External" 5.25 drive bay, don't they really mean "Internal"?

Typically, when a case states "external" bays, it is stating that the bays have an opening to the outside for user access, e.g. CD-ROM, floppy, sound card panel, etc.
Internal have no openings and are suited for internally mounted items such as hard drives.

The power suppy should be plenty for most applications, since a good HTPC doesn't really need that much power (and conversely, is not that powerful for computing). Now, if you want to run the latest DX10 games, run 2 streams of 1080p HD PVR, then your going to need a pretty powerful machine, and will exceed the capabilites of this case.


engineered for airflow?
By EnzoFX on 9/14/2007 4:14:04 PM , Rating: 3
i don't see what's so special about it, the cooling sounds sub-par, all that's given is that its "engineered for airflow." 60mm fans? @19db, 60mm fans are not very effective. Antec has about the quietest htpc cases and they use 120mm fans, with great airflow design. I have an ahanix htpc case and threw out those 60mm fans. Also, those that build their own htpc's might not find 270W as sufficient, most like to pick out their own psu, like a nice corsair. It doesnt sound like this psu would be very quiet, especially if it's a micro-atx psu. What this case does seem to have going for it is the slim look and the built-in IR receiver.




RE: engineered for airflow?
By mikeyD95125 on 9/15/2007 3:01:25 AM , Rating: 2
Seasonic would be the best for an HTPC. Even they OEM for Corsair the Db ratings on SS PSU's are lower than Corsairs. I'd rather get this without a PSU and slip in a SS 380W.


$$$
By fr4gm0nk3y on 9/14/2007 3:30:06 PM , Rating: 2
Any word on pricing for this? It looks like $$$$. Anyone ever use this company before?




RE: $$$
By threepac3 on 9/14/2007 5:11:52 PM , Rating: 2
Unfortunately, most HTPC cases cost a lot of $$$$.


Nice...
By Locutus465 on 9/14/2007 3:15:46 PM , Rating: 3
Clean, not overly lit up... This should be a good option for people who feel they already have enough lights in their entertainment center to look like a borg invasion when the lights are turned out.




Quiet case with 60mm fans?
By fri2219 on 9/14/2007 4:37:27 PM , Rating: 2
That's absolute "marketing hyperbole", along with the "unique" description. Unique in what way? The lousy grills they put on their cases cause more airflow noise than similar products?

I keep seeing the same physics defying nonsense over and over again from Chinese manufacturers- do any jurisdictions enforce false advertising and fraud anymore?

Why can't case manufacturers just put a grill on the bottom front and pull air out the top rear with a 120mm fan? If not that, at least read a few weeks worth of posts are spcr.com?




It's too big
By psenechal on 9/14/2007 7:47:37 PM , Rating: 2
It holds a full ATX motherboard which means it has to be a decent size. I just put a GMC AVC-S7 in my living room...it only takes a MicroATX board, so it's about the size of a standard receiver and it stacks with my other components and blends in perfectly. Plus it has a slot load DVD so I don't have to worry about the tray. There are too many HTPC cases out there that are the equivalent of a desktop PC laid on its side. They need smaller ones like the GMC.




Still confused...
By akyp on 9/16/2007 9:05:53 PM , Rating: 2
How would this case make it easier to obtain initial approval from my significant other? Like others have said, it doesn't look appealing. Unless it's substantially cheaper than similar offerings but the price isn't mentioned in the article.




By PAPutzback on 9/17/2007 9:50:27 AM , Rating: 2
I went to the site to hopefully find a bigger picture, nothing. I did find a page full of heatsinks though.
Has anyone used their heatsink before? I've been keeping my eye out for a good HTPC case and this doesn't look like the one. But it does coem down to cost. I might throw a cheap one together for a kids room in the future.




"If you look at the last five years, if you look at what major innovations have occurred in computing technology, every single one of them came from AMD. Not a single innovation came from Intel." -- AMD CEO Hector Ruiz in 2007

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