Labs

We really like the Grandia's simple aluminium front. The ports and a handy memory card reader are tucked behind one flap, while up to three optical drives are hidden behind another. It's neat, but you have to open the flap manually to change discs.

Two 80mm fans at the back of the case provide air circulation and have motherboard header plugs. You may need to fit an additional fan at the front of the case to get sufficient airflow. The front fan mounts are for 92mm fans, which tend to spin fairly slowly and so should be quiet. The case's hard disk bay has vibration-dampening foam and rubber grommets to keep hard disk noise from being transmitted to the case.

The VFD screen is the best in the group, thanks to its large size and resolution, and its blue colour resembles a fancy car stereo display. With its good looks, well-designed drive bay and great VFD, this is the best HTPC case in the group. It's a Best Buy.