| Zalman HD135 HTPC Case
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Conclusion:
From the moment I removed the plastic from this case I have been pleased. The machine work on the extruded side panel vents is a thing of beauty. Dropping the power supply down and making it one of the feet keeps the case to a respectable height and makes this case match and blend well with high end audio gear.
Assembling a system in this case was simple with all the room you would need. All I want to do now is add a handful of 500+ GB hard drives in a RAID array to record everything imaginable, and there is plenty of room inside to install a few Terabytes at that.
I like the fact that Zalman has included all the bells and whistles that sometimes go as options or are not available at all. With the little time I have spent with the Media Bay software I am so far impressed. Media Center did not detect my ancient Leadtek XP 2000 Expert TV tuner/capture card, but the Zalman software had no issues.
A quick PriceGrabber search doesn't show any retailers currently carrying the HD135, but looking elsewhere shows that Directron.com offers it for $299.95 (US). This might seem a little steep compared to other offerings out there, but you get what you pay for with this case.
I cannot find anything I do not like about this case; it looks great, cools excellently, and has plenty of room. Given all of these positives and the absolutely excellent engineering that went into it, I award the Zalman HD135 HTPC Case the "Highly Recommended" Award.
Pros:
» Exceptional workmanship
» Bells and whistles included
» Runs very cool
» Simple yet elegant
Cons:
» Price
Special thanks to Zalman for providing the Zalman HD135 HTPC Case to Bigbruin.com for review!
Please drop by the Bigbruin.com Forum and feel free to post any comments or questions.
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