There is nothing I enjoy more than a foray into the unknown, and the world of HTPC's is definitely an unknown one to me.  So what better way to explore, than with a product review?  Thermaltake has been kind enough to send the Club their flagship HTPC case, the DH102, as the instigator for this experiment. 

     Now, for an overclocker like myself, an HTPC is kind of an odd beast.  For years now, I have sacrificed everything in the name of performance.  Silence was the first to suffer, with aesthetics and size following soon after.  On an HTPC, however, silence and aesthetics must be held with the same regard as performance.  What this means is that the kind of parts that you end up buying for a performance PC are not necessarily the same that you would buy for an HTPC. 

     With that in mind, there are generally two approaches to the HTPC.  The first approach is to buy everything new, looking at uATX form factors, heat generation, and codec support.  The second approach is to gather up all that old hardware that is gathering dust and put it to good use.  Both have their advantages, and I will be doing a little bit of both for this review.  So, let's get on with it!

Features:

• Piano mirror coating with aluminum front panel design

• Built-in all new revolutionary 7" touch screen with hot keys module:

• Dual monitor display capable

• 10 functional hot key buttons

• Volume Control knob

• Application CD and remote control

• Compatible with Vista and MCE remote and keyboard

• Brushed aluminum surface

• Supports ATX PS2 power supplies

• High efficiency ventilation from 120mm fan in the front and two 60mm fans in the rear

Specifications:

Packaging and Contents:

     The box for the DH102 is pretty attractive even if it does appear that it has been drop-kicked a few times during delivery.  Thank goodness the case is very well packaged inside, as there was no damage on the product.

     Included with the DH102 is: a bag of screws, a cleaning cloth, an extra PCI bracket, a manual, a CD with utilities, as well as a remote control. 

The Case:

     Now it is time to take a gander at the case itself.  The first thing we notice is the big LCD.  Out of the box, it is covered with a protective film, as is the volume control knob.  At the bottom left is the power switch, in the top middle is the IR sensor, on the top right is the optical drive tray, and on the bottom middle are the 10 hot key buttons.  The finish on the front of this case is most excellent, as you will see.

     Above is a close up of the power button.  There is an LED ring that surrounds the button as well.  The button gives the impression of being very sturdy, and gives off a resounding "click" when pressed.  We can also see the brushed aluminum and the piano mirror coating close up. 

     Hidden behind the brushed aluminum are the access ports.  Included are ports for USB, Firewire, headphones and microphone.  The ports are revealed by pushing the panel that hides them. 

     In the middle of the front panel are the 10 hot keys.  These perform basic functions related to the included software, and will not work unless that software is running.  More on that later. 

     Here is a close up of the centerpiece of the DH102: the 7 inch touchscreen LCD.  While it isn't exciting while it is turned off, I hope it will be enticing enough to hold out until later in the review. 

     Now, for the top of the case.  From here, the case looks more like a standard receiver that would find its home in any home theater.  Note the ventilation towards the rear. 

     Continuing on, I now present the side of the case, pulled back in preparation for installation.  Not much to see here, other than the added ventilation.

     One of the more interesting parts of the DH102 is how the rear section is laid out.  In order to save height, Thermaltake went with two 60mm fans, instead of the 80mm or 120mm that most of us desktop users are used to.  The other thing to take notice of, is the VGA cable.  As you might have guessed, this is to feed video to the front LCD. 

     Now, to take a look at the inside.  Like many HTPC cases, the DH102 has a crossbar along that top that provides rigidity to the case.  It would also appear that a fan could be attached to the hole in the crossbar, however I could not find anything in the manual in that regard.  I imagine the hole is to allow direct access from the ventilation in the case to the CPU fan.  We also see the 120mm fan in the front, which is classic Thermaltake style.