Origen AE S10V HTPC Case

[Darksaber]

The Origen AE S10V is a pure HPTC case. It is compact and features a VFD with an integrated IR receiver for that Vista MCE remote. You will not find custom software or unneeded features inside this case, which makes it such a perfect choice for that big, 1080p TV you have in your living room.

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[DrunkenMafia]

Great review DS..

A very nice case.. It would look good in a component system stack. I might just build myself one of these one day...

One question......

When the machine is turned off, how long would it take from turning it on to seeing, say a tv channel, on the screen?? Does it boot up just like a normal pc would or can you just turn it off to sleep mode...

 

[WarEagleAU]

Well it seems you answered my question on gpus, half height cards . Not bad though, they got some decent half heighters...though I wish the price was like 200 bucks less.

 

[Darksaber]

As for graphic cards, I sussgest a ATI HD2400, as it comes with HDMI and has all the video acceleration needed. and it barely kosts more than 40€ ^^.

@DrunkenMafia, this is PC, just like any other so yes you could go standby, but booting is done like any other WinXP PC and is independent of the case.

 

[DrunkenMafia]

As for graphic cards, I sussgest a ATI HD2400, as it comes with HDMI and has all the video acceleration needed. and it barely kosts more than 40€ ^^.

@DrunkenMafia, this is PC, just like any other so yes you could go standby, but booting is done like any other WinXP PC and is independent of the case.

Yeah I thought so, I thought maybe it wouldn't have to load the whole OS before you could watch tv.. but I guess it does, like any other pc. Sleep mode would be ok htough, my laptop only takes about 2 seconds to boot up from sleep mode.. . It would actually be faster than my dvd player...

I really want to build one

 

[KennyT772]

Good review, even better case.

Only things that bug me are some of your pros and cons. If I'm buying a htpc case to replace a dvr I know before hand I'm not going to get a thermalright tower cooler in there. It's just kind of common sence. Same goes for a large form factor 1000w psu, again not needed especially with half height cards.

The other thing is the lack of a keyboard. Being something you are going to use every day, including a $100 wireless keyboard may not be a smart choice. Everyone has their preference on mice and keyboards. The WMC remote is kind of different, like buying a 360 with no controller. When you are getting a htpc you want the remote, but it would be a good idea if it was a seperate purchase from the case.

 

[Darksaber]

Good review, even better case.

Only things that bug me are some of your pros and cons. If I'm buying a htpc case to replace a dvr I know before hand I'm not going to get a thermalright tower cooler in there. It's just kind of common sence. Same goes for a large form factor 1000w psu, again not needed especially with half height cards.

The other thing is the lack of a keyboard. Being something you are going to use every day, including a $100 wireless keyboard may not be a smart choice. Everyone has their preference on mice and keyboards. The WMC remote is kind of different, like buying a 360 with no controller. When you are getting a htpc you want the remote, but it would be a good idea if it was a seperate purchase from the case.

Well as you can see with the score, these are certainly not limitations that weigh much against the positve, but should be mentioned, just in case. The point about the keyboard: Other exclusive HTPC case makers offer keyboards with their cases. These even tend to include a trackball for mouse movement. Such a keyboard does not cost 100 USD and the more important factor: if included, the IR receiver could be built into the unit, so no need to run another external one out the back or front, just so you can have a wireless keyboard.

Even if Origen AE decides to make the case 50 USD more expensive, but include a decent keyboard and thus can build the IR-Receiver into the case, even if it takes one more internal USB header, then this case is nearly perfect. Include that quiet Low Profile Cooler we showed in the news section, you got a perfect 10

cheers
DS

 

[KennyT772]

I definatly understand your point.

Thing is what if you had a nice logitech keyboard/mouse from your last htpc, and you just decide to upgrade the case? Then you have an unuseable keyboard (tied to that case). Same kind of goes for the heatsink setup. There are so many sockets, mounting styles, and form factors it is hard to make only one product, yet have it be perfect for everyone.

The cpu cooler would have to be compatable with every socket still in use, 478, 775, 462, 754, 939, am2, and then make it compatable to mount in any direction. You and I both know that is a lot of work. Simply selling each thing by itself would give the consumer more choice, and the ability to purchase what is right for them, or would you rather pay extra for something you might not use?

 

[Darksaber]

See there I have to disagree...

Making a CPU cooler for all sockets is not hard at all. Considering the Origen AE C10L features direct touch heatpipes, odds are it is developed by Xigmatek. The mounting for each CPU socket is incredibly simple. just slap on the right frame, screw it tight and apply to mainboard. As for 478 or 462: no current high-end cooler support those any longer. As for the Case, why is it so far fetched? One can offer a set with keyboard and built-in IR and one without this extra. Thermaltake does it (most recent example the DH-101 -> review up soon). All I am saying there is simply no option to go that route, if you want a set.

cheers
DS

 

[xman]

I am trying to buy this case but it looks like nobody sells them.

 

[Darksaber]

I am trying to buy this case but it looks like nobody sells them.

Origen has just started the production run on these, so it will take a few weeks to drop into the market. caseking.de is one retailer in the EU, which sells origen cases.

cheers
DS

 

[MartinM]

buyers be aware of the following

a. Vista Media Center will not display anything like this -> http://i4.techpowerup.com/reviews/Origen_ae/S10V/images/lcd3_small.jpg - issue fixed by firmware upgrade of IRtrans display 5.08.10

b. front connectors do not work as expected
i took some other devices and here is the result:
- Palm SD Card reader USB -> OK, SD Cards can be read by OS
- Microsoft USB Mouse Explorer -> OK, no problem
- Sandisk II CF Flash 256MB -> Not working. Being recognized by OS but after a couple of seconds it dissapears again.
- Kingston Data Traveler 4GB -> Not working at all
- SanDisk 512MB USB Stick -> Not working
- Sandisk 1GB USB Stick -> Not working
- Sandisk 4GB USB Stick -> Not working
- Canon Powershot S45 -> Not working
- Sony DC42 Handy Camera -> Not working
- External Firewire Disk (Separate Powersupply) -> working

It looks like it is only accepting USB 1.1 devices and not USB 2.0 devices.


c. Alternative media center software will almost not work with irtrans display. Athough the remote is working, irtrans display stays black

d. Plextor 608AL will not fit !! the eject tab misses the eject button of the drive by 3mm

e. irtrans supported software listed on origenae.com is outdated. most of them are either dead or sold. e.g. Meedio was sold to Yahoo long time ago.

f. not possible to display equalizer function on irtrans VFD - confirmed by OrigenAE

summarizing this: i am not yet satisfied as a display less operation is not possible. imon LCD allows display less operation but origen cannot tell you if it will fit.

cheers
Martin

 

[justinteractive]

I am also having a couple of issues with the OrigenAE. Two things annoy me the most. The media/drive cover does not open when hit from the back, i.e. if you accidentially hit eject in any software that offers this or just click on the optical drive in Visat explorer the drive ejects and hits the cover !! My LG drive is not giving up and keep hidding the cover until you run to your case an open it
And on top of this, when you create an optical drive slot that is hidden behind a cover you could at least leave the opening big enough to let people choose to keep the original drive bezel and not replace it with the glued on provided thing.. Usually the optical drive is much quiter when leaving the original bezel on.

#To: MartinM
Reg b: yes, i noticed the same issue. I think it is a problem of power management. The build in USB hub does not have a separate 5V power connection, thus being powered via the USB header. Since its a hub it only allows 100mA on every port ! The Kingston Data Traveler 4GB uses exactly 100mA and works, but other USB sticks that draw more power do not work.
But even if it works i think its only USB1.1

Reg c: having the same issue. The VFD does not work with e.g. MediaPortal. But not even simple text send to the IRserver via IRclient shows up correct. Sometimes it does sometimes doesn't sometimes corrupted...

Olaf

 

[MartinM]

Hi

I have a response from OrigenAE towards the front panel connectors problem.

Dear Sir,

We can confirm that this is a production problem with the usb hub. We will be working with out distributor to arrange repalcement hubs.

Best regards,
OrigenAE Support Team


(If your question has been resolved, please close the ticket online)

Cheers
Martin

 

[justinteractive]

Hi,

yep I got the same response. And, BTW the same on the not correctly working remote off the S16T.... seems that this is their standard response...

I wonder if they ever tested these cases...

It also seems that I am the only one bitching about the cd drive hitting the cover when ejecting via software....

Olaf

 

[treestrong]

Did you guys got any replacement for your front panel usb hub?
I bought my S10V two weeks ago in Germany and i experience the same problem.

IRTrans and remote works fine though.

thanks,

Michael

 

[MartinM]

Yes. Cemos, which is the distributor for germany, switzerland and austria exchanged it.

It works now. Not with all devices and not always on first try. But i can now attach my firewire, my CF card and my USB devices

Cheers
Martin

 

[treestrong]

thank you for your fast reply

i will contact them for a replacement

 

[3dchipset]

To all that bought this case. Can you tell me if you think it's strong enough to put a 24" Widescreen monitor on top of the case? I love the look of this case and was going to turn it into a class desktop computer. Just curious if the top is strong enough to hold a 24" LCD monitor.

Thanks!

 

[TheBlindMan]

Just bought an S10V.
I'm running window XP SP3 and haven't figured out how to customize the VFD. I've downloaded and installed the IRTrans drivers to no avail. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
TBM

 

[TheBlindMan]

Just bought an S10V.
I'm running window XP SP3 and haven't figured out how to customize the VFD. I've downloaded and installed the IRTrans drivers to no avail. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
TBM

Never mind, looks like I'd need MCE not XP. Ditto on the front USB problem here, rats.