A110 vs A200 vs C200 - confused

[domcc1]

I know the specs of all the above. I'm still confused as to which one to buy...

A-110 - Can be had cheap on eBay ($125 AUD), will not support the new UI and slower interface. Rock solid though. $200 AUD new.

A-200 - Newer/quicker, looks plasticy, fan issues, fair price though. $250 AUD new.

C-200 - Expensive, LCD useless from what I understand and I don't want a blu-ray anyway. But, no fan issues and the quicker CPU. $390 AUD new.

A A-200 in a custom metal box is probably my best bet, but for that price I can pretty much get a C-200 and I won't have a warranty.

How serious is this fan thing on the A-200? I wonder what type of % of users experience it? And those that do is it an easy fix / replace with a DX fan or just remove it?


David.

[halfelite]

A200 is the same as the C200 but without full bluray support.

People make lots of fix's some add a resistor to the fan to slow it down. Others have drilled holes in the plastic case which gives better air flow. There is a few pictures under the wiki at the top for it.

I have had my A200 since launch and the fan can get a little noisy at times but for the most part I am used to it now.

[mrdenn1s]

I have a fan in my 31B and unless you want to listen for it, you never hear it....not at the volumes I watch monies at anyway

[domcc1]

From the sound of it the whole noise thing comes down to personal preference (and luck).

My Xbox 360 makes fan noise but I've never thought it a bother.

I think I'll try to pick up a 2nd hand A-200 for cheap, and if the noise does get to me then I'll cough up and get that case from France.

Only concern is I wonder if the ones for sale on eBay are for sale because of fan noise...

[satdreamer66]

Hi,

I have had my trusty old A-110 for years now but needed another Popcorn for a new location. After some research I went for the A-200 in the metal case and am very happy with the purchase. Dead quiet, hardly any issues after the latest fw update and much quicker than the A-110.

Yes, it was a bit more expensive. However, the parcel arrived within 48 hours, all ready to go and with all the original plastic pieces (house, fan, etc) of the A-200 so if I fancy I might rebuild the original... ;-)

Hope this helps.

[an1m8]

Maybe I'm just lucky but the fan in my A200 is barely audible. Certainly if you put an internal HDD in it the hard drive makes more noise than the fan.

It would only be an issue if I had the unit right next to me, in my setup it's about 10' from where I sit, the only way you can here it is if it is dead quiet in the room and you really listen hard.

Also - if you sit it directly on a resonating surface like a shelf then that would amplify the noise. If that's the case put a sheet of rubber or foam under the unit to isolate it from the shelf.

[garp99]

The only real negative about getting an A110, besides new UI, is that it is
best to not play 1080p content if you're using a jukebox like YAMJ (or any of the others).

Beyond that it plays 720p (like current tv shows) very well, and has DTS downmix.