| Zalman HD135 HTPC Case
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Installation and Operation (continued):
Installing the motherboard could not be any simpler, Zalman has installed permanent standoffs in the normal ATX positions and included a few screw in standoffs that must be added for mATX form factor boards. The picture on the right shows just how much room you have in this case when a smaller MicroATX board is used.
 
With the removable cages up front, installing the optical drive was also extremely simple. The faceplate on the drawer of the DVD burner gets removed and the included aluminum face gets taped on. The back of the new faceplate features double stick foam tape and has protrusions to ensure it gets lined up correctly. The optical device needs to sit just right in the rack to make sure the aluminum button on the front of the case will activate the drawer. This took a little bit of experimenting, but I found the sweet spot pretty quickly. The mounting holes in the rack are slotted to allow for this adjustment. I would have liked the faceplate to be a bit more flush with the front of the case, but the button on the NEC 3550A DVD burner would not allow this. Different optical devices will produce differing results.
 
Installing my particular power supply did however pose a problem. The 600 Watt Enermax PSU has a mounting lip extending out from one side, and this lip was getting in the way of the power supply resting in the dropped down box. I have never used this mounting lip in any case I have ever owned so it needed to go. A pair of pliers and the power supply fit was perfect. Be aware however, some of the larger power supplies that do not follow standard sizing will not fit in this area.
 
You can see from the pictures below that the power supply will have very good air flow both in and out of the case.
 
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