hec Black 0.7mm Thickness SECC 7K09 Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case with 270W FLEX Power Supply

Pros: Great case. Good build. Air flow is ok, but go for low wattage items to keep the thermal total down. Great HTPC case. Inexpensive for what you get.

Cons: It is tight. I have built over 100 systems and this was a tight fit. I cannot stress the importance of a few things. 1. Remove the front cover to install hard drives before you start ripping the case apart.
2. Install the CD/DVD drive last.
3. IMPORTANT...Use right angle SATA connectors and right angle SATA power connectors. I went on the suggestion of someone else in the reviws and they said a Zalman CNPS 8700 cpu cooler fit fine. It does...if you use 90 degree power and sata connectors. I cannot stress this enough, since trying to fit everything in the case, you can possible crack off a SATA connector either on the motherboard of your hard drive.
Also, use wire wrap to maximize airflow in the case.
Power LED connector was not compatible with my motherboard. Lastly, remove the plastic cpu shroud which is attached to the inside of the removeable cover if you decide to go with the Zalmancooler. It hits the cooler when you reinstall the case.
Temps:
CPU 98 degrees F
Mainboard 88 F

Overall Review: AMD 5600+ 2.9 gig 65W
MSI K9A2GM FIH
2 Gig OCZ2G8002GK (5-5-5-15 1T command rate)
Zalman CNPS 8700
(1) Western Digital 120 Gig SATA 3g
(1) Western Digital 750 Gig SATA 3g
1 Samsung SH-S223F
ASUS ATI HD4550
Adesso WKB-3000UB (Awesome little Keyboard)
Win XP Pro

Pros: The case has a pleasing front panel look that would fit into a home theater shelf quite well. The fans IMO are not loud - they could be faster because airflow feels a little lethargic, but I suppose it is a good speed / sound compromise. The price is a good value right now, as long as there are no major case issues.

I may not list many pros, but overall I am satisfied with the product for the price. I have not put it to extreme use or much testing yet; I am attempting to see how it functions as a media-center type PC.

Cons: (1) Quality assurance/product support. If aligned horizontally, the case is supposed to rest on rubbery standoffs. The case I received only had three (of four) attached and so the case does not stand evenly. How did this case pass the QA inspection? A cheap workaround is to use a small stack of coins as the 'missing standoff.' I have tried to contact hec at their Taiwanese and USA addresses with no response. It is not worth it to pay the shipping back to Newegg to RMA for this defect.

(2) PSU is of proprietary size. This is not an issue for me at the moment, but does limit future replacement.

Overall, I do not have many complaints, but mitigating an otherwise high rating because hec will not respond to my inquiry about the defect in my product. On a contrast note: I purchased this case with the eDATA DEC-200B remote, and even though the remote was missing a piece, eDATA's customer support mailed me the missing piece the next day after I called them.

Overall Review: Overall, it is a tight fit, but that is expected. Like some other folks here, my MB is the GA-MA78GM-S2H. Some notes about this combo, that may echo some existing reviews:

(1) The left-side drive cage blocks the Front Panel Header, so FPH should be wired prior to mounting the MB.
(2) SATA hard drives will make life easier if you have an IDE drive. Others note memory with large heatsinks may block the IDE drive. I'm using a Corsair "TWIN" and the drive slides in above it ok.
(3) The front fan's path will be obstructed a bit from cables and wires, obstructing airflow to the already pretty hot GPU on the MB.
(4) The power supply will reach the MB's ATX_12V plug but it is a tight, stretched fit.
(5) - The top fan opening of the case is not fully aligned with the CPU fan, but I don't think MB layouts don't have a standard exact location for that. Tall CPU heatsinks/fans may not fit. The retail AMD CPU fan is a bit noisy, but has fair clearance. Thanks for reading.