HTPC Build

So, all the bits turned up (apart from the two Satellite cards, but hey-ho…).

Initital impressions - the motherboard is a nice looking bit of kit, small (mATX, so will fit in a smaller case than I am using) - especially given its features. The case itself isn’t bad. It’s not the last word in Germanic engineering, the little flaps on the front that cover the USB ports and 3.5″ bay being very plasticky, but stand back, and it looks nice enough. The internal layout is somewhat unconventional with the PSU at the front. Here is a picture after test-fitting the motherboard:

Next, I installed the CPU, Memory, Hard disk and so on. To fit the optical drive, it was necessary to remove the front of the case. This is just a pull-to-release-effort, but it’s easier if you can pinch the clips at the same time (I used swiss-army knife pliers…)

Next problem - I had to put my drive in the upper bay rather than the central one. This is due to the layout of the motherboard; the optical drive collided with the ATX power connector about 1cm before the drive was fully in place! See pictures below:

Once all the bits were in, I could replace the lid and the front - leaving it all looking nice and neat. The power button has a ring around it that glows a pleasant shade of blue when on, the only other light being the red LED for disk access.