MODTHEBOX.COM - Canada's Premier Case Modding Source - Reviews

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Out of the box, my first impressions of the NMediaPC HTPC 100B Case were positive. The entire construction of the case consists of a steel chassis balanced with a nice black paint job and plastic chrome highlights. Home Theater purists will love the aesthetic appearance of the HTPC 100B since the unit resembles traditional stereo audio components found in the living room. The NMediaPC HTPC 100B Case uses a very small footprint and measures approximately 15" (L) x 13.8"(D) x 5.8"(H). One of the highlights of this case is the inclusion of a front mounted LCD module. The LCD module consists of an adjustable rheostat knob that controls the RPM speed for the internal fans. There are three small programmable buttons for Reset, Set and C/F Up. The Reset button will reset the LCD module while the Set function allows you to change the date and time fields on the display. The C/F Up button allows toggle between Celsius and Fahrenheit temperature readings. The HTPC 100B includes an oversized Power button, IR receiver ports for an optional wireless keyboard/remote and LED displays for Power/HD activity. No reset switch option is included with this case.

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Above the front mounted LCD module is the location for a single 5.25" drive bay. The external 5.25" includes a built-in stealth mode feature designed exclusively for an optical drive. The execution of this idea is a wonderful example of what some case manufacturers should consider in their future designs. A CDROM drive is mounted normally in the drive bay and sits directly behind the front bezel. The HTPC 100B drive cover is spring mounted that when the chrome button on the drive bay is pressed it actually presses the eject button on the CDROM drive. The front panel is then flipped in a downward position to expose the CDROM tray. Slot load CDROM's unfortunately will not be able to benefit from this feature. The bottom portion of the NMediaPC HTPC 100B Case includes four circular silver coloured feet that are secured via a single 6-32 mounting screw. Each foot includes soft padding which helps keep the unit stationary when placed on a flat surface.

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One of the outstanding features bundled with the NMediaPC HTPC 100B Case is the inclusion of two additional stealth panels that are located on the left and right hand sides. The left panel includes front portion extensions for dual USB, IEEE1394 Firewire, Audio and Microphone. The ports are attached to a series of extender cables which must be connected to the proper headers on a motherboard prior to use. The right side panel includes an integrated 7 in 1 Card Reader. The 7 in 1 Card Reader supports all the currently popular formats which include Compact Flash/SM and Secure Digital/SMC. This kind of functionality is the perfect solution for accessing or controlling media from external devices such as digital cameras, camcorders, scanners and game controllers.