Small, Stunning Looks, Powerful PC - Impossible to Build?

[csayers]

Hello,

I have been reading this forum for a while but this is my first post. I really want to build a Small, Good Looking, Powerful PC but am begining to believe it is impossible .

What I really want is:
2000XP / P4 2.2
ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon 8500 VIVO
80Gb or 100Gb Hard Disk
DVD-R or CDR/DVD-ROM
At Least 640 Mb RAM
Small ALU Case (Not Tower!)
etc.

I will primarly use this box for Home Ent. DVD / DiVX including encoding, latest games, Web, MP3 playing, Video on Demand Recording (TiVO) etc.

I have hunted the Web for small cases that can take the above to no avail - if anyone knows any pls. let me know!

The next thing I have thought about is getting one of your stunning Shuttle Bare Bones Boxes and putting an ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon PCI card in it,

This will give DVD playback, Dolby 5.1 out as well as Video in and out (A La TiVO) but I am worried the games performance may be very poor,

What do you all think?

Games I wanna play include,
Return To Castle Wolf,
Grand Theft Auto 3 (Out Soon),
Halo,
Max Payne,
Grand Turismo Profesional (May be just rumour)

Any Comments Welcome,

Chris.

[Giryan]

Have you seen the Coolermaster acts-500,
It's not as small as a Shuttle but it is much smaller than a normal case.

It's in the Aluminum Cases section here
ACTS-500 (http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/product.php?view=1012)

[csayers]

Thanks,

No I had not seen it and it is definitely an option if a little pricey,

I really want a Desktop style case, What do the Coolermaster cases look like on their sides?

I have also noticed a Lian Li case around that is a very similar size called the PC-30 but no one in the UK seems to stock it, maybe the importers do not bring it into the UK

Any Comment on this from the Kustom guys?

Thanks, Chris.

[Normster]

How about the coolermaster atcs-600? It's probably going to be my next case.
http://www.hexus.net/review.php?review=281

[Graeme*Kustom*]

ATC-600 will be here early / mid March, at a cost of £250 ish

[Alan]

Given the size of it, do you not think that, if the price is £250ish, Cooler Master are taking the ****?
I think they are letting "exclusivity" go to their heads.
There is more work, and material, in the 210 than in the 600 so how come?

[Graeme*Kustom*]

hmmm who knows - obviously it may change, but that's going on the figures ive been given so far

[Gordy]

Originally posted by Alan:
<STRONG>Given the size of it, do you not think that, if the price is £250ish, Cooler Master are taking the ****?
I think they are letting "exclusivity" go to their heads.
There is more work, and material, in the 210 than in the 600 so how come?</STRONG>

Not really if you look at the case no less work or cost is in it compared to any others in the series . I am one of the few people who have seen one of the 600's let alone used one :) Trust me 250 is about what I expected to pay :)

[csayers]

There are at least 2 other Alu desktop cases in the pipeline that will knock the socks off the ATC-600 - one from the US and one from Korea, I don't think that either are gonna be as expensive.

It is an interesting thought when Coolermaster are distinguishing themselves on quality - watch out Coolermaster!

[Alan]

SlauTech had links to a German site which was selling the ATC 600 under its own name and style - what is a transparent pull down lid on the ATC 600 was black on theirs but the rest of the case was identical (having compared it with the photos on Hexus.net's report.
Point is, with local V.A.T., the price was £193 !! So why the guts of £60 more when it appears in the U.K.? - the usual, screw the Brits!

[csayers]

I don't know this but my guess is that the German Site is buying direct from Coolermaster - as there case appears to be customised. As far as the UK goes Coolermaster sell to Coolermaster UK (importer) who then sell to Kustom et al.

Be fair to the Kustom guys everyone has to make there margin (they don't do this just for us!) and the margins in electricals \ computers are tiny anyway. In my opinion it is Coolermaster who is getting most of your pound and if you buy a custom designed case (to get round exclusive distribution agreements) direct in bulk then you are bound to get a better price.

Anyway I will stop rambling now...

Chris.

[Alan]

I agree with you, my criticism is aimed at Cooler Master alone!

[no1_pc_doctor]

i spent years looking for a portable case to use for work and came with the same dilema in the end i ended up modding a brefcase. U should find a nice metal fabicaton friend and have one made to ur specs then you can be sue everythink will fit and it will look good . :D

[Slau]

I reckon that the 600 won't be half as popular as the other tower CMs. As because of that, they're going to be a bit pricier.

By the way Chris, moddin.net have some photos of that Korean desktop case, hopefully they'll have a review too. I decided not to get it, the organiser is very poor at replying to my emails. My bets are on the PSI case, after all, I already bought it :)

[Alan]

On another thread, Graeme has already confirmed that the price of the ATC 600 will be about £200 incl. VAT. Now that is much more like it!! :D :D