Published: June 11, 2006 | Source: Specialtech | Author: James Napier

OrigenAE X10 HTPC Case

Cooling & Accessories

One of the most prominent issues with HTPC cases is heat. Removing the heat caused by modern day components especially when crammed into a small space can be quite challenge. In addition to this many HTPC users demand that their HTPC systems be quiet – after all, you don’t hear many noisy DVD players!

OrigenAE have attempted to solve this issue by including 2x60mm 3-pin fans to extract the hot air out of the back of the case. These fans are manufactured by JAA Technology, and rather than being your average ball/brush style fan, are in fact “Nano Ceramic”. Unfortunately I was unable to find any information on these fans, but I must say that they operate very quietly.

Also included is a 80mm 4-pin fan situated in the power supply duct along the left side of the case. I would imagine that this has been included, not only to remove hot air from components such as the motherboard, but also to help the flow of hot air from the power supply exit the case.

Also included on the bottom case are two vents. The larger of the two (on the left) allows for a fresh supply of air to be sucked in by the power supply. The smaller vents on the right are directly below the hard disk cage and should aid in keeping your hard disks cool during heavy usage.

The X10 comes with almost everything needed to get you started. As expected with any case, you received the necessary screws and motherboard mounts. Also included is a 24-pin to 24-pin ATX lead, which is required in order to power the VFD display.

In order for your installed CD/DVD drive not to stick out like a sore thumb, OrigenAE have included a brushed aluminium DVD face plate which can be affixed to the front of your drive using the included sticky pad. While we are on the subject of CD’s it is worth noting that OrigenAE do not provide a driver disk in with the case (for installing VFD and remote control), however, all software is available on their website.

The most exciting part of the accessories package by far is the remote control. Styled in a way that will easily fit in with the rest of the controllers in your household, the controller has buttons for every task that you’d normally use your DVD/TV controller for, plus more. It would have been nice to see the controller in some kind of brushed aluminium casing, but i’d imagine that the manufacture costs of such a unit would be quite high.