SilverStone Lascala 10M: An Exclusive Look at SilverStone's Newest Creation
by Purav Sanghani on November 13, 2004 8:26 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Introduction
| Quick Look | |
| SilverStone Lascala 10M | The Good |
 |
+ Integrated Vacuum Fluorescent Display and IrDA transceiver with media center remote control + Front Panel USB + Side Panel Audio, FireWire |
| The Bad | |
| - Loud fans - Bulky in size |
|
The HTPC craze has begun and consumers are out looking to buy PCs not only to do their usual word processing and internet surfing, but to do it in their living rooms on their TVs while having the option of playing a video or watching TV from that single box!
It all started with Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition and their certified PCs that were built by those big name companies and hardware that was certified by Microsoft. Things have changed since then and the list has grown to include various other hardware manufacturers. Now, with the release of Windows Media Center Edition to "mom and pop" shops, the potential for enthusiasts to build their own media center PCs has grown and they have much more flexibility when it comes to selecting the hardware that they want in their home theater PC systems.
Not only do enthusiasts want the best hardware in their HTPCs, they want to mount their custom hardware combination in the best looking and functioning case possible, and this is where the case manufacturer comes in. There are many names in the case industry that have entered the HTPC market to flex their muscles in this arena.
Recently, we received word that SilverStone Technology, which is one of the more popular designers and manufacturers of mid-tower cases as well as accessories such as power supplies and cooling equipment, has plans to release a new product in their Lascala line of HTPC cases, the Lascala 10 or LC10. We wanted to take a look at the new design before it was released to the world, to see what features it would bring and also to help us better understand what to look for in HTPC cases. We first looked at Ahanix's D.Vine 4 HTPC chassis last month and thought it would be a great opportunity to compare each manufacturer's take on the genre.
So without further delay, the SilverStone Lascala 10!
More information is available on the Lascala 10 at SilverStone's website.
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Larry Chanin - Friday, December 24, 2004 - link
To follow-up on the last suggestion. I'm a home theater enthusiast and I know absolutely nothing about building HTPC's. So I found reading your reviews of HTPC cases extremely helpful. However, I have to admit I was totally shocked by the measured sound levels of both cases reviewed. In my home theater the projector measures about 27 db. Therefore HTPC's measuring in the 40's and 50's would be totally unacceptable. With the addition of noise-reducing products could one reasonably expect to quiet these HTPC's down to db sound levels in the 20's, or am I wasting my time researching building an HTPC?i6hlf - Tuesday, November 16, 2004 - link
Speaking of loud HTPC's, why doesn't Anandtech dig into the design of a silent and cool HTPC. I mean some solutions with laptop cpu, mob and cooler system must be an obvious solution…Tarumam - Monday, November 15, 2004 - link
A good looking desktop case for a change. But why would I ever want a loud HTPC? Sounds like an oxymoron to me.ImJacksAmygdala - Sunday, November 14, 2004 - link
Anandtech does a great job with HTPC case reviews. The thermal mapping, sound levels, and wire bundle/heatsink clearance is exactly what the HTPC crowd wants to know.As for the value memory review eetnoyer mentioned, ya I'd love to see that to although only Anandtech does HTPC case reviews right.
Besides if they showed benchmarks of value RAM overclocking just fine with AMD64 +3200 it might effect their sponsor's enthusiast memory line sales...
Gatak - Sunday, November 14, 2004 - link
I really like the thermal display over different areas of the case. Great thing to see where the hot spots arise. =)Degrador - Saturday, November 13, 2004 - link
Just thought I'd say I love the new thermal benchmarking stuff - gives a great indication of where the dead zones are (although seemingly none in this case).phaxmohdem - Saturday, November 13, 2004 - link
My first thought... Alienware MPC?http://www.alienware.com/product_detail_pages/DHS_...
eetnoyer - Saturday, November 13, 2004 - link
Instead of media PC cases, how about that mainstream (value) memory review that was promised a couple of months ago. I think it would have a much broader appeal to your readers. Not bashing, I've just been waiting with baited breath.