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ThermalTake VF7001BNS DH101


Date
: 07/2/09 – 03:58:38 AM

Author
:

Category
: Cases

Page 1 : Index

Manufacturer:
Thermaltake

Thermaltake is well known for its range of PC cooling products, but probably better known for their large range of PC cases. Their Armor and Xaser lines remain popular and many of their newer cases like the Spedo and Element are receiving good reviews as well.

While the traditional PC enclosures receive most of the press, Thermaltake also has an outstanding line of home theater PC cases as well. With a growing popularity for digital media, many consumers are turning to HTPC's to power their entertainment in the living room. With that in mind I have Thermaltake's DH101 HTPC case on the bench today for some testing. The DH101 is equipped for full ATX duties so you can bring the power to your living room, but it offers quite a bit more. Is the DH101 the case for your digital needs?

Page 2 : Package and Accessories

The packaging of the DH101 is very classy and lacks the flash you typically see in case packaging. Front and back are identical with two cases on a light blue background. The box comes with a handle on top for easy carrying. As you can see the shipper did their best on the box, once we open it up we'll get a look to see how the protection handled it.

The sides indicate the specific model inside, the VF7001BNS in this instance. The other side directs you to Thermaltake's website for more detailed information.

Once we open things up, the DH101 is protected by a cloth like bag and Styrofoam padding. No damage to the case, so the protection did its job.

Included are a user manual, warranty statement and a cloth to wipe off greasy fingerprints and smudges from the black finish.

The accessories are rounded out with an IR remote control (batteries included), Media Lab CD, Media Lab quick start guide, bag of screws and a lock ring for the case cover.

Page 3 : Specifications

I grabbed specifications straight from Thermaltake's product page here..

Specifications:

Features:

*Piano mirror coating with aluminum front panel design
*Built-in Media LAB LCD with hot keys module (Windows Vista Ready):
1. LCD capable of display any language
2.10 functional hot key buttons
3.Vol. Control Knob and remote control
*Compatible with Windows VISTA, MCE remote and keyboard
*High efficiency ventilation:12cm silent fan in front & dual 6cm fan in rear
*Supports ATX form factor & mATX form factor
*Supports ATX PS2 power supply

Page 4 : Exterior

Right away the DH101 is a classy looking case that will surely fit in most entertainment centers. The brushed black finish is complimented by a silver section along the bottom. Hard drive activity LED is along the bottom right and power LED is around the power button to the left. There is no reset switch. Next to the volume/mute button are 10 hot key buttons. Right above is the one external 5.25′ drive bay. The Media Lab LCD sits on the left and the top of the case is vented. While this offers greater ventilation, it also will allow any hardware you use more readily heard.

In the middle of the front is a cover that opens when you push on it, revealing USB, IEEE 1394 Firewire and mic/headphone jacks.

Both sides of the cover are also vented and you can see the mirror black finish of the top and sides as well.

The cover is held on with three thumbscrews. Power supply is mounted on the left, there are two 60mm exhaust fans above the I/O plate and 7 PCI expansion slots round out the backside. The levers you see above the PCI slots are part of the tool free mechanism that I will cover more later.

Case feet are wrapped in a gold colored metal and have rubber bottoms to prevent sliding and scratching the surface it sits on.

The DH101 is surely set up to look good on the outside, but lets see what is hidden within.

Page 5 : Interior

Removing the cover is just a matter of removing the thumbscrews, sliding it back slightly and lifting it off. Nothing out of the ordinary on the inside of the cover.

There really hasn't been a whole lot of change inside HTPC cases in the overall layout, but it's usually the small things that set different case makers apart. As you can see the general layout is very similar to the Ahanix D.Vine 4 that was reviewed here many years ago.

The DH101 has a tool free mechanism that is used in both the 3.5′ and 5.25′ bays. There is room for up to three hard drives in the 3.5′ bay. While there is room for up to three 5.25′ devices, with only one opening the bottom two are really only useful for additional hard drives.

A little close look at the tool free devices in the drive bays. You simply squeeze together the plastic tabs and then line up the metal posts with the holes in the drives.

I like the tool free device for the PCI slots, it's quite simple and effective. You pull a lever up, then simply lift the retention mechanism and remove the slot cover. Two 60mm fans will help exhaust out hot air from around the CPU area. Just above the exhaust fans is the intrusion alarm sensor.

There are three tabs along the top front that keep the front panel connected. Once you release these tabs the front springs forward and you can see where the Media Lab LCD and hot key panels are mounted at. Snapping the front panel back on was a little tricky, though luckily the only time it needs to be removed is when installing a 5.25′ device.

To round out the interior there is a 120mm intake fan that sits in the front right. No LED fans thankfully as the light from a fan is the last thing you want coming from your entertainment center while watching a movie.

Front panel connections include USB, Firewire and audio (both HD Audio and AC'97). Motherboard connections include power LED, HD LED, power switch, speaker and intrusion alarm.

For the Media Lab LCD, power goes through the 24pin motherboard connector and control comes from a USB connection. You have the option of using a motherboard USB header or routing it through the back and using a USB connection on the I/O panel.

The general tour is over, now let's get down and dirty.

Page 6 : Installation

Installation was pretty standard with the hiccups that I expected which are quite minor and mainly deal with limited space. Installation of the hard drives was easy and the tool free mechanism works quite well, but you also have the option of screwing them down if you want to go old school.

The only issue I had with installing the DVD drive was getting the front to snap back on. As I stated earlier it took some concentration to get everything to line up and a little oomph to get it to snap back in.

The biggest issue is just dealing with smaller areas. HTPC cases in general are better used with a modular power supply so you don't have quite so many wires to try and hide.

With everything installed it doesn't look too bad (yes I know there are some cable fu masters out there tsking at my messy wiring).

I did my best to show but it is a good thing that Thermaltake includes a nice cloth as the mirror black finish easily shows fingerprints and smudges.

Powered up and ready for some testing.

Page 7 : Testing

For testing I am going to do it in two parts, first off is temperatures followed by impressions of the included Media Lab hardware and user interface. The following system was installed and used to gather temperatures.

CPU: Intel E4300 w/stock cooler
MB: Gigabyte P35-DS3R
RAM: G.Skill 4GB PC6400 F2-6400CL4D-4GBHK
Video: Sapphire Radeon HD4550 512MB
PSU: Antec Earthwatts 450W
HD: Seagate 1TB 7200.11 SATA
DVD-Rom: Lite-On 18x DVD Burner – SATA
OS: Microsoft Windows XP w SP3
Ambient Temperature: 25-26C

Cases:

Ahanix D.Vine 4
Thermaltake DH101

First up we'll do some testing to see how well the DH101 keeps things cool. To get idle temperatures I started the PC up and allowed it to sit at idle for 3 hours with no processes running and recorded temperatures using Everest Ultimate.

It's clear even with idle temps that the fans along with the ventilated case cover go a long way in improving the temperatures.

Next was to load the PC and get some temperatures with a little more heat involved. To get load temps, I ran Orthos blend along with 3DMark06 in a continuous loop for 3 hours.

Under load the improvements that we saw in idle temps carry over here as well. While the DH101 shares the same general structure as the D.Vine 4 the cooling improvements pay off in dividends.

While temperatures are always important with PC components, it isn't the most important thing with HTPCs. Sound is an important factor and the DH101 does a good job in this department. The included fans produce no mechanical noise but the air movement is noticeable up to about 5 feet away but shouldn't pose a problem in most home theater setups.

Finally there is also the included Media Lab LCD (with iMon) and iMedianHD software. The front panel LCD is limited to what it can display such as system information, RSS feeds, time and a digital EQ. The included remote can be used to power on/off your PC as well as launch and control programs. The directional mouse stick is a little too sensitive and takes a little bit of getting used to.

The iMedianHD program is designed as a one stop shop to control all of your media files from one program. The interface is clean though it takes a bit to get used to navigating the interface. It easily played every file I threw at it from MP3's to HD files. The only real issue I saw came with playing DVDs. They played smooth using a program like PowerDVD, but had a stuttering when using iMedianHD.

Page 8 : Conclusion

PC's have been creeping into our living rooms for many years now. Recently there is a larger push for smaller form factor machines, but often with a smaller machine your options are limited. The DH101 is a full size HTPC case that is stylish and provides a wide range of options for hardware. The piano black and silver finish should blend with most entertainment centers. With the included Media Labs LCD and remote control you can easily view your media files from the comfort of your couch.

There are a few things about the DH101 that can be problematic though they really aren't too big of issues as the first isn't hardware related. The included iMedianHD can be a bit confusing to navigate and control. With a little practice it's not too bad and you aren't pigeon holed into using it if you don't like it. The only real potential problem with the case is the open design of the cover. If you use any hardware that is a little bit loud it will be heard easier and may not work well in your living room.

These two minor issues aside, the DH101 is an excellent case that I have thoroughly enjoyed using. It has found a permanent spot in my living room holding all of my music, pictures and movies.

Advantages

• Sleek styling

• Good cooling performance
• Includes Media Lab LCD and remote

Disadvantages

• iMedianHD controls can be confusing

• Open design could be noisy

Overclockers Online would like to thank Thermaltake for supplying the DH101 HTPC case for review.