LAST UPDATED ON SEPTEMBER 23, 2018
Selecting a HTPC case may be trickier than you might think. You need to know whether or not the case fits the dimensions of your TV cabinet and if the CPU cooler, PSU, graphics card, and TV tuner card will fit inside the enclosure.
Recommended Cases
| Tier | Recommendation | Size | Height | Fans | Reviews | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Tier
Budget
|
Recommendation
|
Size
Mini ITX
|
Height
96 mm
|
Fans
2 x 80 mm
|
Reviews
|
Price
|
 |
Tier
Budget
|
Recommendation
|
Size
Mini ITX
|
Height
99 mm
|
Fans
2 x 80 mm
|
Reviews
|
Price
|
 |
Tier
Value
|
Recommendation
|
Size
Mini-ITX
|
Height
170 mm
|
Fans
3 x 120 mm, 3 x 140 mm
|
Reviews
|
Price
|
 |
Tier
Value
|
Recommendation
|
Size
Micro ATX
|
Height
150 mm
|
Fans
3 x 120 mm
|
Reviews
|
Price
|
 |
Tier
Value
|
Recommendation
|
Size
ATX
|
Height
170 mm
|
Fans
3 x 120 mm
|
Reviews
|
Price
|
 |
Tier
Value
|
Recommendation
|
Size
ATX
|
Height
140 mm
|
Fans
3 x 120 mm
|
Reviews
|
Price
|
 |
Tier
Performance
|
Recommendation
|
Size
Mini ITX
|
Height
105 mm
|
Fans
3 x 120 mm
|
Reviews
|
Price
|
 |
Tier
Performance
|
Recommendation
|
Size
Mini ITX
|
Height
404 mm
|
Fans
5 x 120 mm
|
Reviews
|
Price
|
Size (Form factor)
A form factor means the physical dimensions of a system. In practice, the motherboard form factor defines the overall size of the case you can use. The most popular form factors among home theater PC users are ATX, Micro ATX, and Mini ITX. The following image illustrates the different form factor sizes.
- ATX: 305mm x 244mm (12.00 x 9.60)
- Micro ATX: 244mm x 244mm (9.60 x 9.60)
- Mini ITX: 170mm x 170mm (6.70 x 6.70)
Height of the case
The height can be important if you have limited space in your TV cabinet. For example, if you have about 5 inches of shelf height to work with, an enclosure height of 4 inches would be best. Width isn’t often a problem, while the depth can be a limiting factor depending on the measurement of your TV cabinet.
The height of the enclosure will also determine whether or not you can use full-height or half-height graphics or TV tuner cards.
Half-height (low profile) cards will be often listed as “low profile,” “low profile ready,” or “low profile bracket included.” “Low profile ready” and “bracket included” are the same thing.
The “low profile compatibility” means that the metal bracket that the card is screwed onto is removable, and that a standard and low-profile bracket are included.
The PCI organization has defined a standard for “low-profile” cards, which basically fall into the following ranges:
- Height: 36.07mm (1.42 inches) to 64.41mm (2.536 inches)
- Depth: 119.91 mm (4.721 inches) to 167.64mm (6.6 inches)
The height of the case also determines how tall CPU cooler you can use. Be sure to check the max CPU cooler height for your preferred case before buying an aftermarket CPU cooler.
Cooling fans
The exhaust fan at the rear or side of the enclosure helps to cool all the components of the computer, including the CPU.
The case fan is often used together with a CPU cooler to improve the airflow.
The bigger 120 mm fans often produce better airflow while generating less noise compared to smaller 80 mm fans, so it is better to go with a larger fan size if possible.
Price
Last but not least, the price is an important criteria when comparing different alternatives. The price often depends on the brand, build quality, and any additional accessories such as a front panel display.
Do not use price as the main criteria as you will be using the HTPC case for many years, so it is important that it looks elegant and is of good quality.