Luxa2 LM100 Mini: m-ITX HTPC Case

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Recently I’ve been pretty harsh on the rather blah looking HTPC mini-ITX cases which have been released recently. I felt they were pretty basic in design and lacked any creativity. Thermaltake is upping the game through their Luxa line of chassis, and this one looks pretty attractive. Of course if big bright VFD’s aren’t your thing, then you’ll probably hate this guy. Too bad not as much thought went into the cooling as into the design.

 

SilentPCReview

The Luxa2 LM100 Mini is a great looking case that’s built like a tank — its aesthetics and construction quality are beyond reproach. However, when it comes to practicality, the case fails in several aspects. The case’s size and the 200W power supply suggests it is suitable to house a fairly powerful mini-ITX system, but its design is not optimized for proper cooling. The case’s only intake vents are at the bottom of the case, much of which is covered by the motherboard tray and its short stubby feet do not lift the the chassis enough off the ground. Planting the Flex ATX power supply inside the case with no direct intake or exhaust is one of the most foolish things we’ve seen. Not only does it increase the heat and noise of the system, it complicates cable management. This type of placement is only suitable for a picoPSU or other DC/DC power supplies with an external AC/DC adapter.