Customer Reviews

Thermaltake DH 202 VJ80011N2Z Digital Home Series HTPC Case with Built-in Media LAB LCD and Remote Controller

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased this for a full ITX MB and it fit great. The case is big, but no bigger than a typical AVR. Cooling is ample and the front display "IMON" is a really cool feature. It displays whatever you want it too and comes with software to easily customize. I will scrool your movie title, PC specs etc..The built in IR worked out of the box with my Logitech Harmony One remote. My only gripe is that the retention brackets for PCi and PCI E cards are cheapo! I dont use them anymore due to previous issues with cards not seating right, but when I did attempt to use one it snapped right off with out much pressure!

Why did I give it a 5 even with the bracket breaking?

This case's front power LED connector is a 2 pin style connector while my MB has 3 pin. Thermaltake is very good about supplying all you would need but did no provide an adapter. I emailed thermaltake to point this out got a very quick response and considered my suggestion. They also mailed me an adapter at no cost to me. The customer support was fast, helpful, and refreshing. I would reccomend this case to anyone.

First off... The case itself is great. Big space, simple to assemble, good routing and airflow.

But this version of the DH202 has a few extras beyond the faceless box low tier version, which led me to spend the extra cash to get this model. Nearly all of them failed and will be replaced or avoided in my system.
- Front panel - awful software, lousy viewing angles. For general info for example, you can let it show "CPU info". You'd think you'd get the utilization, the important piece of data, but you also get a full listing of the processor name, brand, speed and thus the important info is rarely there to look at. In MCE the display shows "PLAY" rather than the media info. Lame.
- IR receiver integrated with case: Well the IR is fine, but you're stuck with the lame software again. The Volume doesn't change the system volume. It thinks it is, but nothing changes. Still working on that one but I'm a geek so it should be solved by now when I see this complaint back to 2007 on iMon software.
- Remote. It's NOT an MCE remote. It's great if you want to do everything with your HTPC, but it's lousy to use with MCE. I like the task switching and app close, but other than that.. blech. I'm using my MCE 2005 remote from the last system. Another item to stuff in a drawer.
- Front panel buttons and volume. Again, the iMon software prevents the Volume from working. Having found the remote control sized tiny wireless kbd, I doubt I'll ever use those buttons anyway.
- card reader: Works Great. The instructions were a bit off and the connector wasn't labeled for that one. So it took a while to trace and figure out that it had to go to half of a USB connection on the motherboard.

So get the one with an ON/OFF button and and HDD light. Save your cash and avoid the headaches.

The only non-iMon/iMedia thing that bugged me was the case fans end with the old HDD power connectors. Connecting them this way means you can't monitor the RPM. I'd like the option to connect them to the MB as god and Intel intended.

The Thermaltake DH 202 is an extremely nice case. Very sturdy construction and meets my dimension requirements.
I used the Thermaltake ISGC-400 CPU cooler and it fit perfectly and keeps my overclocked Q8400 at full prime load down to 54C.
Silent operation and sufficient cooling to keep most high end video cards cool during gaming.
Be sure to check the video card length and CPU cooler height limitations on Thermaletake's website before purchasing.
http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/

The case looks great. We started building out the HTPC system yesterday and will have to wait for Thermaltake to send out the bag of hardware that was not included with the case. Thermaltake has a difficult policy to obtain these pieces in that you first have to obtain an eRMA number and then also submit a receipt proving you purchased the item. However, you have to wait for Thermaltake to contact you for the receipt before being able to submit it. I emailed the receipt immediately after obtaining the eRMA number and the customer service person was unable to find it.

Great great case if you want to also use your HTPC as a gaming rig and need the extra room. The case is very nice quality and for the most part well laid out. I only have 3 gripes and they are small.

#1 If you use a large graphics card like me (the whole reason I purchased this case) a reference XFX AMD 6950, you will run into size constraints with the back of the card hitting the hard drive cage. Now this might be dependent on the motherboard primary PCI-E slot location, although most are in the same spot. You could use a secondary slot and avoid the issue, however depending on your motherboard that may be a 8x instead of the 16x. Now not to complicate things most professionals will tell you we do not even use the full 16x bandwidth so using the 8x will not hinder performance. This is true in my benchmarks so I decided to use the 8x slot on my Sabertooth rather then having to modify the cage.

#2 The single 120mm fan they use are still garbage. For a $250 approx case you would expect the manufacture by now NOT to use a non Molex connection fan. Use a 3 pin motherboard header connection fan for crying out loud. Of course I replaced it rather then have a fan run high speed 24/7...

#3 The LCD display contrast is not the best and using the Imon software to try and tweak it to make it easier to read just does not work. I would have preferred they use a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) such as the Silver Antec Fusion 430. The display used in this model is again an LCD and they are not the best quality.

Would I purchase this case again? Yes, at the time comparing it to the vast array of larger 4U HTPC cases, is the best bang for the buck for looks, quality and usability.

This is a good case in most regards, perhaps the best factor being the awesome appearance, and I think I made the right choice among the options available to me, but a few comments...

The outside case/shell is kind of flimsy compared to the rest of the unit. I suppose I won't be taking it off too often, but definitely took away a little from the first impression... the front is solid as a rock.

I had plenty of room for everything I wanted to add, note that if you need a fourth drive you're going to have to finagle it into the space under the DVD bay. The fans (3) are OK, but not as quiet as I would have hoped. way cool temperature-wise.

the front panel blue display is a little odd, it's not easy to get the contrast right, kind of looks like every segment of the display is glowing all the time, and hard to set things up to always view the info you want from the list of options. while on the display, the iMon applications are quirky at best, and in my experience very UN-intuitive making it basically impossible to get the display results that I wanted.

That said - i was impressed with the iMon InfraRed functionality, and VERY impressed with the iPad app (limited free version, full version for like $12) that allows you to control the PC from your iPad/iphone.

I wanted to build an Intel i7 system for my living room and I wanted to have the computer fit seamlessly into my stereo component rack. I looked all around for a full size HTPC case to accommodate a full size graphics card, namely the Nvidia GTX 260. I initially saw the Thermaltake DH101 on Amazon, but when I checked it out at the local brick and mortar store, the case looked absolutely horrible. That was when I saw the DH202. Loved the design of the faceplate, so I purchased it without looking further. Bad mistake. A week later I went to the local Fry's Electronics and saw the Zalman HD135 & HD160. The Zalmans are maded of 100% aluminum, including the faceplate & top cover, whereas the DH202 only has the faceplate being aluminum and everything else is sheet metal, which means this case is heavy compared to the Zalmans. The contruction on the DH202 was seriously lacking when compared to the Zalmans. The fit and finish just doesn't compare. On top of which, the Nvidia GTX 260 cards I purchased (also on Amazon), doesn't fit in the DH202 without taking out the hard-drive bracket that held the hard-drives in place. The soldering points of the GTX260 were actually touching the metal hard-drive bracket. So, unless I want to place my graphics card on the 2nd PCI-E slot, I'm "SOL." I am SOL because I have two GTX 260s and the 3rd PCI-E is only 4X as compared to the 16X for the first 2 PCI-E slots on my ASUS P6T motherboard. The PCI card holders were made of plastic and these holders made it very difficult to install the graphics cards in place. I actually ended up lacerating a certain part of my motherboard because of the difficulty in installing the card in place because of these plastic parts. Another bad design on the DH202 was that the faceplate was held in place by 3 metal clips, one of which broke on me the second time I tried to open it (had to re-allign the hard-drive & DVD burner). Thermaltake RMA the part, but it took over a week and a half. It just seems like the quality isn't really there when compared to the Zalman HTPCs. Although the Zalmans are a bit more expensive, if I had to do it again, I would chose Zalman over this Thermaltake

The plus side of this case is that the faceplace looks very nice with the brushed alluminum finish. The minimalistic design of the faceplate was what initially sold me but after doing further research, the Zalman would had been a better choice. Here is what is included in the system with this DH202:

- (2) NVidia GTX260 graphics cards in SLI
- ASUS P6T Motherboard
- 6GB OCZ 1600 DDR3 RAM
- Intel i7 920 quad core CPU
- Toshiba DVD/RW dual layer burner
- Seagate 1.5TB hard-drive
- Corsair HX850W power supply (excellent power supply)
- Windows Vista Business (No Media Center...bummer)

Update:

This is a response to Joveasy's comment: No, I don't consider it a dumb idea to have SLI with two GTX 260 GPUs because I want to game as well as be a media center. With both GTX 260 cards installed, the noise level is still very adequate. The included 12cm fan was noticeably noiser than the two cards combined. Please remember, this is a VERY recently implemented full ATX case, which should make accomodations to current graphics cards. I have been building computers since 1996 and would think I know a thing or two on what it is I'm talking about. If I wanted a small cramped space for an HTPC, I would have settled on a microATX design that would limit my flexibility. However, that was not the case (literally). I also physically checked out the Zalman case and it does have the necessary space to accomodate the 10.5" cards. Were you able to do so as well? So, please keep that in mind when you call out someone's idea as being "dumb." It makes you look and sound like an immature high schooler without any regard for other's opinions or for that matter, doing your own research.

Also, for the record, I purchased the Thermaltake because I was not exposed to the Zalman, which is only about 30 dollars more.

I have also updated/added the following components:

Windows 7 Professional(great augmentation to Media Center)
LG Blu Ray 8X drive
Logitech diNovo Mini USB keyboard/mouse
Zalman CNPS9500 92mm 2 bal cooling Fan with Heatsink

One of this things I noticed about this HTPC case is that it will not accomodate anything larger than the Zalman CNPS9500 Heatsink/Fan. Initially, I tried the CNPS9700 but it just was standing too tall. Remember, this is a low profile HTPC design, so it will not work with tall Heatsink/Fans.


This HTPC goes through the following components on my entertainment center:

- Sony STR-DA5300ES Amp/Receiver
- Samsung PN58A550 58" plasma display
- Sony PS3 for BluRay

First off i would like to comment on Daniel E Lee's review of this case.
I do agree that its not as great as the Zalman HTPC case, but obviously the reason it was purchased was because of the price point. The DH-202 is a sweet spot without the case getting too cheap like NMedia cases or any other generic case.
and second why would you complain about fitting two GTX 260's? this is a HTPC case with limited space, those cards are 10.5 inches each, get a tower if you want more space. it doesn't make sense to talk about the zalman case and how difficult to fit 2 10.5 inch cards that was just dumb on your part.

Now for my review the case is big enough to fit a full ATX board and a decent video card.
the front of the case was a nice brushed metal black.
after installing all of my parts the case has enough space for an after market CPU heat sink ( scythe big shuriken). the Remote was actually pretty interesting as you can turn on your pc also use it as a mouse, which i found to be pretty awesome. You can also program your Harmony to be used as a mouse, I have a harmony one. you can also program the VFD screen to show the temp outside or a stock ticker or even RSS feeds!. Thermaltake's IMON program is a bit clunky but with some programing it can actually be pretty helpful.
the only issue i have with the case is where the put the hard drive bracket its right next to the 120mm fan so if you put a 3.5 hard drive its going to be in the way of the intake fan. the hard drive braket also hits the PCI-E connectors of my video card which wasn't too bad just to take out the bracket then install the card then put back the bracket. its a bit tight but it works without destroying your case.

My Specs are

CPU - Intel I7 860 (Scythe Big Shuriken CPU heatsink)
Motherboard - Asus P7P55D
PSU - Antec TruePower 750 (hybrid modular)
Video CARD - ATI Diamond 5850
RAM - 8gb G.SKILL 1333
Drive - LG BLUE RAY DRIVE 8X
HD - SAMSUNG 1.5TB GREEN HD
LINKSYS WMP300N - Wireless N adapter (internal)
ATI Digital Cable Tuner with cable card support (internal)
Rocket dog bluetooth keyboard and mouse (BT dongle is internal)
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit