A basic but solid HTPC case from lads and lasses at Silverstone.
As a rule, Atomic's rarely looked at HTPC cases in the past. However, with the decision to now feature a HTPC build in our KitLog, and with the growing maturity and complexity of the home AV market, we figure it's about time. And where better to start, with our old pals at Silverstone.
We've drooled over many a Silverstone case in the past, from their excellent LAN box, the hyper-cool Ravens, and the venerable Fortress family. This is our first time with a Grandia, and it's been a lovely case to spend time with.
This is a true AV accessory take on the HTPC, coming in a flat form factor that won't at all feel out of place sitting with your amp or other AV gear. The model we looked at was a satin black, and the front fascia is slightly grooved to vaguely hint at wood panelling, despite being tough aluminium. It has two front feet of the classic hi-fi stack variety, and three other rubber feet (one centrally mounted, which is neat) to keep things stable and from sliding around.
The front fascia is pretty plain. At around $150 at retail, there's not a lot of bell or whistle to this case - just power and reset buttons, as well USB and audio ports. The buttons, in particular, are quite pleasing: solid metal, with a firm but responsive spring action. Included in the accessories is a metal plate to mount on your disc drive, so that it can blend in with the fascia.
The upper panel (itself a wonderfully sturdy sheet of aluminium - no issues stacking other kit on the Grandia) unscrews to allow access to the interior, which is again pretty workmanlike. Two cross-braces can in turn be unscrewed, which mount the optical drive in one, and a 3.5in and 5.25in drive in the other. With the braces gone, you've got the mounting plate for an m-ATX mobo, plus a mesh intake for the PSU fan. On the case's right panel are two 120mm intake fans; there's another single fan on the left. All three feature mesh filters, and the blades are dimpled to break up airflow and encourage quite operation. Rated for only 20db, these are great choices that should keep all your cool without making a racket. If that's not enough, there are mounts for two rear 80mm fans. All the fan cables are nice and long, and should be able to accommodate any board layout, and the case features many cable tie-off points to keep your build nice and neat.
Our only real complaint is the lack of rubber grommets on the optical drive mount. Both the other drive bays are grommetted, and nearly every other contact surface has sound-dampening of some kind.
That said, we wouldn't kick the Grandia off the shelf. It's well-priced, with good cooling and cable-management. Sure, there's no fancy LCD displays or a raft of buttons, but it's a good building block for a fine HTPC.
Issue: 133 | February, 2012