Reddit reviews Silverstone Tek GD04B-USB3.0 Aluminum Front Panel and SECC Body Micro ATX HTPC Computer Case with 2X USB3.0 Front Ports Cases (Black)
We found 3 Reddit comments about Silverstone Tek GD04B-USB3.0 Aluminum Front Panel and SECC Body Micro ATX HTPC Computer Case with 2X USB3.0 Front Ports Cases (Black). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Three silent 120mm fans includedPositive air pressure design for excellent cooling/quietness and dust - preventionThick 8.0mm aluminum front panel with premium stylingIncredible 323mm depth to fit comfortably inside home theater cabinetDesigned with cable routing for easy installationSupport power supply up to 180mm longSupport expansion cards up to 11 inchesSupport 2.5-Inch hard drive or SSD (Solid - state drive)
Some suggestions for keyboard/mice:
Lenovo N5902. Goes on sale regularly.
Logitech K400
Generic keyboard/touchpad remote. There are many slight variants on this.
I've found that due to the size/shape/content of my living room, a wireless receiver plugged into my HTPC doesn't work 100% reliably. I've connected a USB extension cable to the back of my HTPC and run it behind things and under my couch to give me the best reception. Generally you can go up to 15 feet; any longer than that and you need a powered extension.
If you have a Logitech Harmony remote, I highly recommend the OVU4003/00 (RC6) USB IR reciever. Once set up with Windows and the Harmony remote, it works with XBMC/Kodi out of the box. This receiver was branded as HP/Dell/Gateway/Philips and probably many more. A Flirc is another option but it is ugly (IMO) and more expensive.
Regarding hardware, if you aren't gaming you don't need a lot. When using older gear the most important thing is video hardware acceleration. For Intel machines, you need something with at least GMA 4500 (Q45 chipset) graphics or later, and for AMD you need something with at least a 760G chipset. This hardware dates back to 2008/2009. Dedicated graphics cards should be at least a Radeon HD 2600 or a GeForce 8500. These cards date back to 2006/2007. CPUs are a grey area, but any mainstream dual core CPU (Athlon X2, Core 2 Duo) from 2007+ should be able to handle most everything. My first HTPC had an AMD Athlon X2 5000+ and it's still working just fine with W7 and Kodi.
If you want to game (and don't want to use a device like the DOKO), you'll need to find a quiet case that supports full length video cards. There are a bunch available, and I'm not sure if this has changed in the last 2-3 years, but the vast majority of HTPC cases large enough to support full size gear and M-ATX motherboards are simply too long to fit in a standard A/V rack or TV stand. The only exceptions I am aware of are the Silverstone GD05 and GD04. I'd be willing to bet that Silverstone has some other cases that will work also.
Additionally, you'll want to find a PSU, case fans and CPU cooler that are quiet and efficient. The best resource for this is http://www.silentpcreview.com/.
Lastly, if your A/V receiver has only S/PDIF audio inputs (no HDMI) and you want to play games in 5.1 surround sound, you're going to need to find either a sound card or motherboard with an S/PDIF output that supports DTS-Connect and/or Dolby Digital Live. Motherboards stopped coming with this around 2008 (AFAIK) and the cheapest option to get it in an add-on card is the Sound Blaster Z.
I can second this recommendation.
I recently purchased this model;
http://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-Tek-GD04B-USB3-0-Aluminum-Computer/dp/B008J0ZODQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1412064837&sr=1-2&keywords=silverstone+GD0
What I really like about these is that they are much shallower from back to front than normal ATX cases (even many so-called HTPC cases). As such, they actually fit on an a/v rack and blend well with other a/v equipment in terms of size.
This particular model supports up to 3x 3.5" drives, or 2x 3.5" + 1 2.5". If you want to include an optical drive, you lose one 3.5" mounting point.
In my opinion this is a much better living room PC case.
http://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-Tek-GD04B-USB3-0-Aluminum-Computer/dp/B008J0ZODQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1381957222&sr=8-3&keywords=silverstone+case+micro
Supports 2 full size GPU's along with space for a soundcard, 2 full size HDD's and 2 SSDs. I have one in my setup, it's fantastic, fits into any entertainment center.