An HTPC case that has room for all your cards!
Written: Feb 16 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Accepts standard sized cards and power supplies. Good finish.
Cons: Too many bright, cheesy LEDs.
The Bottom Line: The Tenor is an ideal case for those of us using our computers for DVR. There's plenty of room for all those tuners and drives.
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| cspu's Full Review: Thermaltake Tenor VB2000BNS ATX Desktop Case |
I've had my media center computer housed in an old ATX tower case for a couple of years. It wasn't pretty, but it was functional. I decided to get a case that would blend in with the home theater better. I quickly discovered that many cases that are targeted at Home Theater Personal Computers (HTPC) are far too small for my needs.
The Thermaltake Tenor is a full size ATX case. It's not going to blend in as well as a micro ATX case, but it does offer full size card slots and the ability to use full size, standard ATX power supplies. It's about the size of a full size audio receiver. I chose the Tenor because all of my components would fit in it.
Aesthetics
I'm on the fence about the looks of the Tenor, the finish is very good. Everything from the buttons to the rubber feet look like they are very good quality. The wavy front covers are sort of odd. It's looks elegant yet gaudy. The case has two BRIGHT blue led lights behind the covers. If you're into that sort of thing then it's cool, they cast a nice blue glow in the room. I chose to unplug them.
Inside the Tenor
The interior design is why I bought the Tenor. I was able to remove the full size ATX power supply from my old case and put it in the Tenor. It has room for 3 internal hard drives, a floppy drive, and two CD/DVD drives!
The case supports ATX and Mico-ATX motherboards and has 7 slots on the back for your expansion cards. Since the Tenor is a full height case you can use standard sized cards in it with no worries.
Ventilation is very good on the Tenor. It has a vent directly over where the CPU should be and another large vent directly over where the video card would be. There is a large fan (80mm I believe) in the front and two smaller fans (60mm) in the back. The fans are semi-quiet but noticeable when all three are running at 12 volts. I rewired them to run at 7 volts and they are much quieter. All of the components inside the case stay cool while maintaining acceptable noise levels.
Buttons, Indicators, and Connections
The front of the Tenor has two buttons. A large polished metal looking power button and a smaller polished reset button. The power LED is another BRIGHT blue one while the hard drive activity light is a barely visible red light.
The entire right front side of the Tenor is a folding door that releases when pressed. It's dampened so the door folds down slowly and quietly. Behind the door you have access to your CD and floppy drives. There is a smaller door built in to the bottom of the door that allows you to close the cover but still have access to the optional IR sensor and display panel.
On the left side of the case, near the front, there are USB, firewire, and audio in/out jacks.
Final Thoughts
The Tenor is a great Home Theater PC case if you need lots of space for full size cards and multiple hard drives. The size of the case gives you plenty of power supply options and outstanding ventilation.
This case will not be inconspicuous though, it's very big and can be noisy unless you take care to adjust the fan voltage.
I'd recommend it if you want a nice looking case that doesn't look too much like a computer for your home theater pc.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
cspu
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 in Electronics |
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Location: The Island of Misfit Toys (Alabama)
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About Me:
Sarcastic car audio enthusiast, motorcycle rider, and hunter... and I make NO apologies for it!
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