Installation

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The HTPC 180BA supports only microATX motherboards.  It is a very small chassis that is designed to easily blend in well with A/V components.  With that said, it is important to choose a quality microATX motherboard that will suit your needs well.  In this case, I used the excellent Biostar TForce 6100-939 motherboard.  After mounting the motherboard, we see just how limited you are in terms of space to work with all components.  Now, upon install, you may wonder where all the motherboard header cables are.  With the 180BA, you actually only have two, a power switch cable and a reset cable.  The power LED around the large power button uses a standard 4-pin molex connector and there is no HD activity cable.  In this kind of setup, I don't think it is really needed anyways.

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One of the only two sections that is removable via screws is the optical drive bay.  This should be the first part to remove and the last part to install.

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The other removable section is the internal MCE remote mounting bracket.  This is the one area of the install I would like to primarily focus on.  While I find this feature one of its most unique, there's some things you'll really want to note before attempting this mod.

The HTPC 180BA gives you the option of internally mounting the original Microsoft Remote for MCE 2005.  However, it is not without its share of flaws.  For one, the housing on the receiver unit has some non-standard star screws that would need to be removed.  You'll need a very small precision flathead screwdriver in order to open it up.  There are only two screws to remove.  Now, there were a few issues I found when attempting this mod.  For one, the mounting bracket is made of steel with absolutely no padding.  Considering you'll be mounting the circuit board directly on it, you definitely what to be sure it does not touch the metal, causing a short.  With that said, I recommend you somewhat pad the bracket yourself.  An excellent option is to use the padding included with mostly all motherboards.  You can cut a section to size and pop some holes to accommodate the two mounting screws.  The second issue, however, was that the two included screws (similar in design to motherboard standoffs) did not screw in properly.  Instead, any of the included drive or motherboard screws worked well.  After you have securely mounted the internal board, you can attach it back to the case via the two included thumbscrews.  The final step is to use the included internal cable adapter to connect the receiver directly to a USB header on the motherboard itself. 

Personally, I love the extra large power button.  Not only does it not feel flimsy, but sports a subtle blue glow around it that blended in quite nicely with many other components in my setup.  On the right, there is a very small LCD display that will show current temperature from included temp probe, as well as fan speed.  It is very basic though and many may not find it too useful.  In this particular setup, I used a water-cooled solution so the fan speed reading was not applicable.  However, for those planning on installing using an air-cooled solution, there's a knob under the display that will allow you to control fan speed.  This is a nice touch, particularly in this type of setup where noise levels are critical.  The only minor issue was that the knob was a bit hard to turn when you reach a certain level.  Simply put, the knob is not that well installed and you'll notice this the second you try and play with it.  It is uneven and has lots of friction. 

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A final shot showing the chassis in a complete home entertainment setup.  The nice thing about this HTPC case is its overall size.  It is small enough to support even most short-depth TV stands and will blend in very well with all your components.  For those with silver components and/or stands, they do have a silver model available as well.

Performance

Cooling Performance

Let's have a quick look at the test system specs first...

All temps were recorded both at stock speed and maximum overclock.  SpeedFan was used to capture all readings and were adjusted for accuracy via the system BIOS.  In order to ensure the most accurate readings, the ThermoHawk 200 was also used to confirm the readings were all in line.

What we see here is that despite how small the chassis is and the lack of fans it offers, it is more than capable of running your components at acceptable temps.  Keep in mind though that I designed this HTPC using a number of components known to run cooler and suitable for such a setup.  On top of that, the processor was water-cooled with the excellent Tundra TD01.  Depending on the hardware you install, expect a two to three degree difference in readings.

PSU Performance

Considering this case does come standard with its own Power Supply, it was important to test its overall performance as well.  The fact that they provide a 300W power supply is quite generous to begin with.  I say this because MicroATX power supplies are not only harder to find, but usually only range between 180W-300W.  There's very few that go as high as 400W, but I've used at least two of these in the past and both were a bit too unstable for my liking.  Simply put, they were incredibly cheap and highly unreliable.  Fortunately though, this 300W power supply was indeed reliable in comparison.  Let's have a look at the readings...

How much your voltage rails fluctuate are always a clear sign as to whether or not it is a quality power supply.  You want consistent numbers, whether idle or under load.  Fortunately, this PSU does manage to impress and no matter what attempts, the 12V rail did not go below 12.  The 3.3V and 5V rails didn't seem to budge at all.  Keep in mind that that I was also powering the Silverstone Tundra TD01 Water Cooling Kit along with the rest of the components.  With that said, I can say that there is no need to worry about the bundled PSU.  It will certainly suffice, as long as you don't plan to install too many power-hungry components.  I will admit that I was a bit skeptical about its performance, but was pleasantly surprised by the results.  In conclusion, the PSU bundled with the case is indeed a quality and reliable unit that will meet the needs of many.

Noise Levels

When paired with the right components, this case is designed to run practically silent.  The fans from both the PSU and case spin at low RPM's, resulting in lower noise levels.  Pair it with a fanless graphics card designed for such a setup and a water-cooled solution and you will definitely be pleased with just how quiet it will run.

Drive Bay

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Finally, I always like to comment on those cases sporting stealth drive bay covers only because a majority simply do not work well.  The one on the HTPC 180BA certainly does, and you'll have absolutely no problem installing an optical drive with the tray bezel intact.  The external eject button was also not an issue and worked well.

Next: Conclusions