Sometimes I get those new hardware for review, and my first thought is “what the Hell?”. This is one of those times. I bring to you the X-Gen HTPC Mid Case. I was so wary of this case, I didn’t even have a witty story to go with it. I don’t like the models that lay flat. They remind me too much of the old Tandys. They look way too nostalgic to be interpreted as an aggressive machine. So I put it to the back of the line so I didn’t have to write about it until all the other stuff was out of the way. Now, I know what you’re thinking. I’m a complete D-Bag. That’s okay, I’ve got other friends aside from you.
Okay, I’ll admit that I am quick to judge. If I don’t like something the first time I see it I tend to think the worst of it immediately. But as I go along I either continue to hate it or I will eventually change my mind a little or altogether. You can decide for yourself at the end whether I should have given the case its dues, or whether I rightfully did. And if that confused you, then go read an Archie comic.
X-Gene HTPC Specifications
| Case dimensions: | 140x370x420mm |
| Motherboard | Micro ATX/ATX |
| Drive Bays | 2x 5.25″ (exposed) 2x 3.5″ (exposed) 2x 3.5″ (internal) |
| Expansion Slots | 7 |
| Fan | Heat condution: 8x8cm*1; Side: 8/12cm*1 (optional) Rear: 8x8cm*1 (included) |
| Power Supply | ATX (PS2) (not included) |
| Material | SECC T=0.55~0.06mm |
| NW/GW | 4.4/5.4 kgs |
| Ports | Two USB ports in front |
Okay, so now I am going straight to the nitty gritty. I took a standard ATX motherboard and attempted to line it up so I could insert the retaining screws. Only the mobo wouldn’t line up with the rear bezel. It was about 1/6” off, and wouldn’t fit on top of the motherboard screw bolts with the bezel installed. I found that by taking out the retaining screw bolts, the motherboard fit perfectly, but since there is a regulation 1/8” distance required between the motherboard and the case, this was not acceptable. Also, it is possible to short out your computer if the metal is close enough to cause any kind of unwanted connection.
So my only other option was to take out the back bezel, allowing the motherboard to sit on top of the screw retainer bolts with access to the mobo ports. I got it screwed into place and grabbed the power supply. Now I run into another pain in the derrière.
The PSU sits into a cradle at the front of the PC next to the optical drive bays. The plug port faces forward, and a connector plug runs from the rear of the case to the front, under the PSU, and plugs into the PSU port. To install this, you have to remove the front of the case, careful not to rip the wires out of the front piece.
Once you get everything hooked up and put the front back on the only option if you need to flip your PSU switch or change voltage is to remove the front again. If you have the wires already connected, you might have to unplug them due to short length.
The optical drive went in easily enough, I only had to screw it into place normally. The hard drive, however, was another story. With this case, you have the option to put your hard drive(s) in four different places.
One of them is under the optical drive bays. Which you should do before you install the motherboard, otherwise this bay is inaccessible. Another is on the side of the optical drive bays opposite of the PSU. This one is not as hard to get to when the motherboard is installed, but a tight squeeze nonetheless. You can also stick them on the sides of the case.
But I noticed these are also optimal places to put fans for an enormous increase in airflow. I opted to put my HD on the side of the optical drive bay and placed a 120mm fan on each side of the case, one facing in and the other facing out. So the river of airflow right across the motherboard and CPU might make up for the rest of the case at least.
So I installed my video card, sound card, and proceeded to plug all the wires to the motherboard. Since the wires of my particular PSU come right out over the place where the power, HD light, and power light wires plug in, I had to plug them in first. It’s a tight fit, and I had to use my fingertips due to the PSU in the way, but I got them all plugged in. Then I connected everything to my PSU.
After a double check that everything was a go, I fired it up. It ran beautifully. The airflow across the motherboard was astounding, and with the top on the case and the two 80mm fans in the back for extra exhaust, I would bet that if there had been anything other than a stock heatsink and fan that this would have been a very chilled machine.
In conclusion, I found that the overall look of the case was nice. Gloss black with a brushed metal look to it. Very sturdy steel make up the body, and the flip down face plates on the front added that little something extra to it. The ability to place the fans on the sides made it possible, with the right heatsink, to achieve a very cool running PC.
Other than that, I found nothing great about this case. It was very tight quarters, with an absurd placement of component bays. The feet that stick to the bottom with a tacky glue came off easily. The fact that this case is meant to lay flat bothers me. It seems like it would take up much more room than a traditional case.
It could probably be stood on its side, if the fan on the bottom were removed. That would decrease airflow immensely and would have the optical drives on their sides. Not a huge fan of that.
If you were to lay this case flat and put a lightweight monitor on it, it would be effective and take up less room around your desk at the expense of it looking like you just couldn’t let go of the PCs of the 1980s. I think that if you wanted a good case, make that a much nicer case, one could be had for less than the $109.00 that X-Gen is charging for this one. I feel that this case is very compacted to the point of absurdity unless you are a devoted mini-ATX’er, and even then you could do better.
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