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Removing the optical drive tray (note the screwdriver slot)
Screwing the M10000 in place
Installation was a snap. The case directions were a little sparse, but I’m not sure why’d you need them (except to see the different drive/slot configurations). The M10000 dropped right in and the mounting holes lined up perfectly. I did need to remove the optical drive shelf first (3 screws and it came right out). I liked how they designed slots for screwdriver shafts for common screw access. I can’t stand when I have to go at a screw at an angle and potential damage/strip it. (It’s the small things that make me happy and conversely drive me nuts about a product).
Screwing the Maxtor drive to the drive bay/bracket
The Maxtor drive mounted in the case
To install the hard disk it was just one screw to remove the hard disk bay. I then screwed the hard disk to the drive bay. I attached the IDE cables and power molex connector before putting the drive bay back in place. It only took a little maneuvering to get the drive bay to slide in to place. If you use a laptop drive, or opted to move the DC-DC converter to the alternate location you would probably have an easier time with this step.
I would suggest if you were going to get a nice case like this for your project, that you invest in round drive cables. It will look much nicer, be easier to route your wiring in the compact space, and help with airflow (which is important and I’ll get to that later). That doesn’t have anything to do with the case, its just a little tip from me to you =)
Installing the PVR350 into the PCI riser and extension
Next I started to install the Hauppauge WinTV PVR-350. This did require a little maneuvering on my part. It’s possible that there’s an easy “preferred” way to install this full sized card into the PCI riser and PCI extension, but I opted for more an “angle the couch through the doorway” approach. I simultaneously pushed the card with riser extension already on it into the PCI card riser while pressing down to seat the PCI riser in to the PCI slot on the motherboard. Next I screwed in the back plane, and reaffixed the optical drive shelf on the other side of the case and was ready for PVR nerdvana.
It's a little snug but everything fit just right
I had seen threads in other forums and reviews of other mini-itx cases that indicated there are sometimes challenges when working in such tight space constraints. I thought there would be more effort involved on my end to shoe horn the parts in. I didn’t even get to break out the dremel to get it all to fit (which is a good thing)!
It's alive.. alive... ALIVE!!!!
Let’s fire this puppy up. Ooooh the power button and power light is backlit with the very geek chic blue LEDs and an orange LED for HD activity. Here’s where I did find my one quibble with the C137. The system fan is a little noisy. A HTPC / PC PVR will probably be running 24/7 and cooling is very important for stability and hardware component life. You don’t want your operating system bombing out while taping the “Frasier” finale, would you? With a lower power/heat motherboard like the VIA M10000 you might be able to get away with NOT using the system fan (the case has plenty of perforations for air to escape/flow on it’s own). I’d rather not chance overheating the DC-DC converter or the Maxtor drive (which runs a little hot to begin with).
Close up of the DC-DC Converter and System Fan
A HTPC needs to be both quiet AND cool, so if you are going to use this case in your entertainment center, I suggest picking up a small and “quiet” fan to replace the stock one. Another idea is to use a fan speed control like a Zalman’s Fan Mate to slow down the rpm’s and find a sweet spot between case temperature and noise level. It’s a difficult proposition as the smaller you make a fan; the faster it has to spin to move enough air. There’s some physics principle involved (or so I’ve read) Note: according to the Travla website the C137 is “Tested for fanless operation - fan required for certain applications” You can do without it, but I’d suggest that you still use a system fan to err on the side of caution, but recommend getting a quieter fan to replace the stock fan.
UPDATE: Casetronic informs me that due to user complaints they will be shipping future C137 units with a quieter fan.
