Published: Thursday 7th August, 2008 | Author: Parm Mann
Companies: Chieftec (All Chieftec content)
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email to a friendCHIEFTEC, the Taiwan-based manufacturer of chassis, has announced three all-aluminium additions to its HTPC range; the HM-01B, HM02-B and HM-03B.
The three new members of its Hi-Fi Series aim to meet the demands of HTPC users and hope to blend right into the living room.
The stack-like chassis, pictured below, offer a near-identical feature set in three different sizes to suit all audiences.
The Hi-Fi series is available in a choice of anodised black or brushed silver finishes, and allows for one 5.25in optical drive, and up to three internal 3.25in drive bays.
There's a front-facing dust cover that reveals a 56-in-1 card reader and USB (x2), FireWire and Audio connectivity. Each chassis is bundled with an iMon VFD and remote control, and features two turning-knobs for volume and general navigation.
The smallest of the trio, the HM-03B, measures a slim 410mm x 440mm x 100mm. Not without compromise, mind you. It'll only allow for low-profile cards and has room for only micro-ATX motherboards.
The mid-sized HM-02B also supports only micro-ATX motherboards but has room for full-height PCI cards. The largest of the three, the HM-01B, will take any standard ATX board.
CHIEFTEC tells us that the HM-01B, HM-02B and HM-03B will be available in Europe as of next week, priced at £199, £169 and £149, respectively. A little more pricey than we'd anticipated, and neither chassis will come bundled with a PSU.
Here's the complete specification:
Black anodised Natural colour |
HM-01B HM-01SL |
HM-02B HM-02SL |
HM-03B HM-03SL |
|---|---|---|---|
Form-Factor: |
mATX, ATX |
mATX |
mATX, |
Dimension (TxBxH): |
410mm x 440mm x 160mm |
410mm x 440mm x 133,5mm |
410mm x 440mm x 100mm |
Weight net / gross: |
6,45Kg / 7,45Kg |
5,45Kg / 6,45Kg |
5,15KG / 6,15Kg |
Drive Bays |
1 x 5,25' |
1 x 5,25' |
1 x 5,25' |
Drive Bays |
3 x 3,5' |
3 x 3,5' |
2 x 3,5' |
Power Supply: |
PSII Standard |
PSII Standard |
PSII Standard |
Front Interface:: |
2 x USB, 1 x IEEE1394, |
2 x USB, 1 x IEEE1394, |
2 x USB, 1 x IEEE1394, |
Special Fetures: |
100% made of aluminium |
100% made of aluminium |
100% made of aluminium |
Scope of |
iMON Remote control, standard screws, mainboard spacers |
iMON Remote control, standard screws, mainboard spacers |
iMON Remote control, standard screws, mainboard spacers |
Optional Fan(s): |
2 x 80mm rear, |
2 x 60mm rear, |
2 x 80mm left side |
| Price (inc. VAT) | £199 |
£169 |
£149 |
Official product pages: CHIEFTEC.com
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Looks good :).Quote
My perfect idea of an HTPC chassis is ideally full-height but MATX, takes 120mm fans (don't care if they're included - they'll be swapped out), will either take a standard ATX PSU or comes with a decent silent one (the pit-fall of the Elonex Artisan that I could otherwise live happily with). I don't want silly LED displays or built-in LCD screens... I'm going to be hooking it up to a monitor or TV.
I'd pay money for that. What I don't need is an LCD display that will tell me the volume I've just adjusted. I can sit 10 metre away and see one on the screen thank you. Can I have my £40 back now?Quote
the HM-01B, HM-02B and HM-03B will be available in Europe as of next week, priced at £199, £169 and £149, respectively.
Quote
the HM-01B, HM-02B and HM-03B will be available in Europe as of next week, priced at £199, £169 and £149, respectively.
Seriously how much does it cost them to make those cases? I reckon 200 or 300% markup on cost at least.Quote
My perfect idea of an HTPC chassis is ideally full-height but MATX, takes 120mm fans (don't care if they're included - they'll be swapped out), will either take a standard ATX PSU or comes with a decent silent one (the pit-fall of the Elonex Artisan that I could otherwise live happily with). I don't want silly LED displays or built-in LCD screens... I'm going to be hooking it up to a monitor or TV.
idem. Except that I would not go for a proprietary PSU... If you ever find that gem, let me know! :)
Update: What about Antec's NSK2480?Quote
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