Installation:

   Preliminary impressions suggested that the chassis was going to be anything but difficult or cheap. This is a very easy to case to work in and it doesn't have any of the sharper edges one would find inside a Rackmount case. The inside texture and quality are so smooth and clean that they match the exterior perfectly. There is no difference between the interior and exterior case quality. All the attention to detail comes in pretty handy when working inside the chassis.

The drive bays have to be removed in order to install both the hard drives and any optical drives. Underneath the single 5.25 drive bay, you can see the drive bay that houses the card reader. there is almost enough room to install a hard drive depending on the size. This installation used the removable bay for easier access. This seems the more optimal choice for pretty much any system.

Removal	Sliding Bay Back	Rail Close Up	Slid Back
Room for Wires	CD ROM	Removal	Re-attached

The power supply slips in and should be installed in such a way that the vent intake should be facing the side of the chassis. This port hole allows cool air to be pulled in through to the power supply. The warm air is then blown out the power supply keeping the warm out completely out of your case. All the other mounted fans will work optimally to expel any warm air generated by the system. The back left 80mm fan could possibly interfere with your motherboard depending on which PCI slots used in the system.

PSU Installed	Connecting Wires
More Wires	VGA Cable Connected

All the wiring is easily marked for any connections your system may require. The HD160XT has all and any conceivable wires integrated to make the HTPC the best possible experience. Among the wiring there is also a sensor that can be used for pretty much anything. It could be used to measure the internal chassis or processor temperature. Anything requiring a connection to the motherboard from any of the integrated chassis components are clearly marked and easy to locate. The manual in turn makes it very, very clear where each wire should be placed using the illustrations and directions.

USB, 1394, Power, & Reset Wire

24pin Extension, USB, Card Reader, & Sensors

Touch Screen VGA Connector

All things considered, the most difficult part of the installation process is properly locating and connecting the wires. Everything else is pretty much common knowledge for anyone who has some experience connecting the system. If you're starting from scratch and are about to purchase all your components, you just have to make sure that everything is compatible.

Test System:

• Processor: AMD AM2 3500+

• Motherboard: ABIT NF-M2 M-ATX

• Memory: 2x1GB OCZ PC2-9200 Platinum XTC

• Graphics: EVGA 7600 GT PCIE PN2-554

• Audio: Onboard 7.1 HD Realtek

• Power Supply: Thermaltake 700w Toughpower

Working with the Zalman HD160XT has been a real treat from the start. The system powered on with success revealing the results on the 7" LCD just as normally as if you were sitting at your own monitor. Everything works and reports properly as we would expect from Zalman. Zalman includes the Zini, Mediabay, DigiTouch, and USB Driver or programs on CD in the package. The documentation and directions once again come in handy.

Adjusting LCD

Installing OS

Loading Windows

It's a mini-LCD

After a fresh Windows installation, all of the HTPC functional drivers and software were installed. There is very little to really do with the software settings except maybe calibrate your touch screen. The default setting seemed perfectly fine. There was only one issue when installing the M-Play Zini when the software was attempting to detect the device. After following the installation steps through from the start and yet, another Windows Update, the installation was a success.

System Requirements	USB	M-Play	Media Bay
Calibrating Screen	Detecting Remote	Installing M-Play	Setting Up M-Play

I could sit here and tell you all the features, functions, and capabilities of this configured HTPC for hours. The limitations are far, far less than any A/V Component system you can buy at the electronics store. And store bought systems just don't have this type of quality feel or scalability. Form and function has always been very important to Zalman. This is why Zalman is a champion among many that understands how to take that home theater concept and apply it to the design of the HD160XT.

My Movies

My Music

The main features I enjoyed working with the HD160XT is that with the push of a button, I can access any kind of audio or video set up on the system. Basically anything that the system can do is based on how I want it to function. If some work needs to be done or if you feel so inclined, you can switch over to your favorite video game using your main viewing screen. Can a game console or boxed home theater system do this?

Remote Access	Remote	Configuring Settings
...More Settings	Surfing The Web	Mini-IRC Chat

Building your own Home Theater PC isn't as difficult as building your own ultimate gaming system. Configuring the software tools to fit your needs are as difficult as it gets. An HTPC doesn't necessarily require the more expensive high end components to provide the best experience. The purpose of an HTPC is to combine the best features of a home theater system with the resources of a computer.  And since most home theater components have a more contemporary look and feel, it makes sense that Zalman would create the HD160XT to merge the two worlds.

Configurations	Movie	Muzak!	My Settings
Streaming Music	Television	Photos	Temp Sensors

Home Theater PC enclosures are suppose to range from quiet to silent. No one wants an HTPC unless it is as silent as possible despite the kinds of components used. The HD160XT can be moderately loud if the fan control is set to 80 percent or above. Fortunately, you can set the fan speed percentage anywhere from 10 to 100 percent. At 50 percent, the fans become barely audible which won't disturb any of your entertainment.

Zalman is always very good about keeping noise to a minimum, but can't do anything for the components you order to build the HTPC. Zalman and ABIT have always been one excellent combination since both are serious about low noise with the use of heat pipe technology. This is the main reason the ABIT NF-M2 was selected for the test system so as to compliment the Zalman HD160XT properly with extremely low or no noise at all. Not all motherboards are keeping in line with fanless or heat pipe cooling. If you take a little extra time in choosing the best silent performance products, you won't be disappointed.

Conclusion:

A great amount of consideration was placed in to the look of the Zalman HD160XT Home Theater PC Enclosure. There are so many things that make this the perfect Home Theater Chassis. From the 7" LCD screen, to the buttons and classy finish, Zalman has considered every possible detail. The LCD Touch Screen is a great feature that helps make the HTPC process a fantastic first time experience. Installation is much simpler than it would first appear thanks to both the User Manual and Q-Play Quick Guide. With the properly configured hardware, you can have any video or audio you could want at your finger tips.

More and more Home Theater Enclosures are coming around as the demand increases. Choices like the Zalman HD160XT are further evidence that the HTPC market is poised to take on traditional home theater system. We'd like to thank Sharka Computers for giving us the opportunity to check out their latest. If you're looking for great new ideas, check out Sharka Computers for the latest in HTPC products.