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CHIEFTEC adds three additions to its HTPC-orientated Hi-Fi Series

by Parm Mann on 7 August 2008, 16:18

Tags: Chieftec

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CHIEFTEC, 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,
low profile cards

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
external:

1 x 5,25'

1 x 5,25'

1 x 5,25'

Drive Bays
internal:

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,
56 in 1 card reader, Audio

2 x USB, 1 x IEEE1394,
56 in 1 card reader, Audio

2 x USB, 1 x IEEE1394,
56 in 1 card reader, Audio

Special Fetures:

100% made of aluminium
iMON Remote control

100% made of aluminium
iMON Remote control

100% made of aluminium
iMON Remote control

Scope of
Delivery:

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 80mm left side

2 x 60mm rear,
2 x 80mm left side

2 x 80mm left side

Price (inc. VAT)
£199
£169
£149

Official product pages: CHIEFTEC.com



HEXUS Forums :: 6 Comments

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Nice! Lokks like they will be expensive though…
now that is a htpc case for the living room. Havent seen many cases from chieftec but i have an old case of theirs which is either eatx or atx size, huge and VERY solid. The build quality of chieftec are very high from my experience and although i like the cm690 i feel its astep down in quality but a step up in thermal control. This will be expensive i recon as they are not cheap normally.
Looks good :).
None offer anything that hasn't been out for a couple of year though. Look at the Silverstone and Antec ranges.

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?
Article updated with pricing:
the HM-01B, HM-02B and HM-03B will be available in Europe as of next week, priced at £199, £169 and £149, respectively.
Parm
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.