I'm currently using a Cooler Master ATC-620-BX1 microATX case. It looks nice, but does a very poor job moving air. I'm interested in suggestions for another micro ATX case that would offer better cooling and still look like a stereo component.

Thanks all!

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Retired KM user (R4 - R6.04); friend to LH users.

You could always make a do-it-yourself case mod to improve the cooling. Putting a 80mm blow hole in the top of the case with a low speed fan wouldn't be all that hard.

- Buy yourself an approprate size hole saw with carbide teeth.
- Mask the surface to prevent scratches. (this will also give you a surface for the next step)
- Draw an X from corner to corner to find the center.
- Support the inside of the case lid on some solid but disposable "block". A chunk of old two by four or an old phone book works well.
- Center punch before you drill/cut. You can use a nail if you don't have a punch, but punches are cheap. The idea is not to penetrate but to make a dimple to hold the drill tip in place.
- Drill/cut slowly using a lubricant like WD-40.
- File/sand the edges, working toward the inside.
- Use a black Shapie marker to color the exposed metal.
- Then all you need to do is mount some kind of grill and the fan but I'm getting bored so I'll leave the details as an exercise for the hardware hacker.

OBTW - you'll want to run that fan at a low speed/low voltage to keep it quiet...

Thanks for the suggestion, man. I didn't want to go that route if there's something out there I can just buy... but I suspose if I did this with a nice quite 80 mm sunon or something, that would be just as good. Plus, it's not totally clear to me if having a hot case will lower the life of the thing. Really, I'm only concerned about the HD and the PVR-250 as the rest of the thing is pretty inexpensive to replace (only an old 1900+ chip and some basic stuff).

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Retired KM user (R4 - R6.04); friend to LH users.

Actually, looking at pictures of that case, there's already that section of perforated grill in the back just BEGGING you to mount another 80mm fan there. You could even play one in and one out if you used something to duct the flow