nMEDIAPC Red Wood Wood/Steel HTPC 8000 ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - Retail

It's wood! WOOD!

Reviewed By: Eikre on 10/31/2009

Tech Level: high - Ownership: 1 day to 1 week

Pros: Possibly the only mass-manufactured wood case on the marketplace, but you already knew that, right? The woodworking is on-par with some of my ancestral antiques, which were built back when things were still expected to last a lifetime. Forget about the detractors who mentioned damage to the wood; mine came pristine, completely unharmed.

There's plenty of space in this box. You can already see from the spec-sheet that it accepts a full ATX mobo, but you should also know that it can take the monster footprint of a modern GPU; there are about 11 1/2 inches for a double-wide card in the first and second expansion slots to fit it. To put it in more obvious terms, it'll take a Radeon HD 5870 but not an HD 5870 x2. The CPU's heat-sink has space as tall as a power supply is wide. The rear fan that comes with the case is oriented over the I/O panel and shouldn't cause many problems.

The front panel, though made of plastic, is convincing.

Cons: Okay, look at the pictures, you see that huge metal array that the HDDs and optical drive are suppose to sit in? It WILL accept four HDDs, but it's really made mostly just to accept two. Look in the example picture: Those first two drive will be sitting in noise-dampening rubber grommets and facing each-other, which makes stringing them on the same power or IDE cable easy. The other two, though, sit underneath the first two, screw in without grommets, and face the back of the case. A standard IDE cable will be able to reach either both of the top drives, or one of the top drives and the optical drive. If you use mostly SATA drives, of course, this doesn't matter to you, but you might have to get creative with the power cables if you fill all those spaces.

The motherboard tray was integral and clean, but the drive-array had a very tiny bit of rust on it, which cleaned right off.

I wish they had included the LED display... And made the little knob-looking thing an actual knob.

Other Thoughts: Come on, guys, this is, like, the only case of it's kind. Vote with your dollars! Let this be a flourishing niche market so we can get more products like this one!

Someone said that his power supply was blowing hot air all over his CPU, but there's something wrong there. Supplies are made to suck air from inside the case and blow it out, which is why they're so often at the top of the case: To help exhaust hot air.

If your optical drive doesn't go back into the case without snagging on the front panel, have no fear: Just take the bezel off the optical drive itself.

Why did it come with all these screws? They're all the exact same size, but some are normal Philips, and some are the Philips/Hex combo that are more typical in computer cases.

I'm excited at the prospect of modding this case. IT'S WOOD! The front panel is secured by screws; Fabricate a new front panel made of REAL brass and replace it! Add speakers internally! Put the top on hinges! Oh, possibilities.

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Reviewed By: farrell4g on 10/28/2009

Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: 1 week to 1 month

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: - Lots of space
- Unique Design
- Solid Construction

Cons: - Front panel not in keeping with vintage radio style
- Display unit not included - additional purchase required
- HDD LED appears non-functional

Other Thoughts: Overall I am very happy with this case. It is very unique and totally removes the "big black box" factor from the sitting room. There is loads of space for full sized graphics cards, allowing you to build a HTPC powerhouse, not just a media streaming machhine. This comes from the Drive mounting being above the motherboard area.

Adding more than two HDDs is a little quirky, as you need to follow a specific order, but the manual identifies this. Cable routing is generally not an issue but the upper two HDD mountings are a little close to the top lid of the box so cable tidyness is most important here.

It only allows a max of 4 HDDs and 1 optical so consider these limitations if they will apply to you.

There are signs that it is built to a budget but they do not appear in areas that really count. The wood is solid and looks of good construction. The back panel is a bit flimsy.

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A good balance

Reviewed By: DeathRabbit on 10/24/2009

Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: 1 week to 1 month

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: Plenty of space! Fit my HD 4870 in here!
This case is great if you want a unique case, but don't want to wind up with something you can't fit anything in. I looked at several HTPC cases, but this one is the only one I could find that would actually fit a full size graphics card. I even fit my arctic cooler pro heat sink!

Cons: Heat could be a problem. The PSU is right next to the CPU heatsink, blowing heat on it constantly. This is only a problem if you want to overclock. Obviously not a great idea in this computer, seein as how there's only a 120mm fan in the back to push out heat.
Getting into the case can be a pain, seein as how you have to unscrew the hard drive rack to get to the motherboard. Not a big deal unless you love to upgrade.

Other Thoughts: Put the PSU in before you put in the mobo. Also, mount your heatsink, before you put your mobo inside the case. That right there will save you time.

Intel E8400 3.0Ghz
4GB DDR2 800 Super Talent
ATI HD 4870
Asus Blu-Ray/DVD-RW combo
Hooked up to:
Samsung 40" 1080p 120Hz
5.1 Surround Sound

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