Comment on my HTPC Build

Zangmonkey

Zangmonkey

Supreme [H]ardness
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Jul 6, 2005
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This HTPC's responsibilities will include:
Web streaming pandora/netflix/amazon VOD etc
Streaming network files over wired ethernet (including bluray iso and compressed videos)
Playing media from optical disc
Very light web browsing

My goals are streaming and silence.
Pricing isn't finalized on these, don't know about rebates etc.

Case: $122
Silverstone GD06 is a beautiful positive-pressure case.
My plans for this case:
sugar-cube off the front-panel logo.
Remove the lock and mod in an IR header it its spot.
Remove the hot-swap drive bars to make room for the cooler.

Motherboard: $100
Intel BOXDH67GDB3
I am going with this motherboard for two primary reasons:
It is the only i3 motherboard in mATX with an intel NIC (other than the ASUS ROG board)
It has an on-board IR header, so power-on, etc commands will work, integrated.

CPU: $120
Intel i3 2120 (Sandy Bridge)
This CPU has lots of headroom, sips power, runs cool, and its on-die gpu works well.
Additionally, the machine can be easily repurposed if I so choose.

PSU: $115
Seasonic SS-460
This PSU is overkill and expensive for this application.... but I am focusing on silence.
Additionally, I am done using cheap power supplies in any of my personal builds.
This power supply *will* fit in this case if the HDD hot-swap bays are removed.
Alternatively I considered Nexus quiet PSU for $60-ish
We'll see...

RAM: $35-ish
8GB - Plenty of options, rebates and sales will come up

OPTICAL DRIVE: $0 Already owned
I have one of the LG BD/HDDVD combo drives, which is great because I have HDDVD's to rip and watch too.

SSD: $100 or less
I'm waiting for used for-sale offers on SSDs, pretty much any TRIM-capable SSD will be excellent here.

CPU COOLER: $70/$50
Corsair H80
I picked up a few of these for $70 when they were on sale.
I may not use this... we'll see, but it will be an effective way to keep this cool and quiet.
I am thinking of using a single Noctua PWM fan to pull air through the rad, and be the positive pressure in the case..... Still not sold on this cooling idea.
Alternatively: Big Shuriken


What do you guys think?
 
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Looks pretty good - should run quietly. Do you have a server / external drive for content?
 
Doubt seriously if you need that cooler. Your box should run cool. How close will it be to your viewing position?
 
AQ_OC said:
Doubt seriously if you need that cooler. Your box should run cool. How close will it be to your viewing position?
Click to expand...

of course I won't need that cooler.
The box will be 8 feet or so from my viewing position.
 
RAM wise, make sure that whatever RAM you get is rated at 1.5V or below. Otherwise you risk damage to the CPU according to the Intel rep here:
IntelEnthusiast said:
Ok this is an issue that I have spent a lot of time on. I have even sent this up to an engineer to find out on this. The issue with this is the 1.65v memory is pushing the tolerances on the processor too much. Over on Tom's they did some testing on the memory to see where the point is and they found that anything above 1.575v can damage the processor. In most cases if you have 1.65v memory before you do anything else go into the Bios and set the memory at 1.5v to avoid this issue.
Click to expand...

SSD wise, if you're looking for a reliable SSD as well, look for the Intel 320 series, Crucial M4 series, or Sasmsung 830 series SSDs. I'd avoid any OCZ or Sandforce based SSD due the random BSOD issue that hasn't been fully stamped out yet.

CPU cooler wise, the water pump that came with the original H50 was found to be rather loud by Silent PC Review's standards:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/corsair-h50

The Antec Kuhler series did do better than the H50 in the noise department, they still didn't get a recommendation from SPCR:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/antec-kuhler

So if you really want quiet, it looks like you should avoid those all-in-one water cooling solutions.

Besides the above, looks good to me.
 
Danny Bui said:
RAM wise, make sure that whatever RAM you get is rated at 1.5V or below. Otherwise you risk damage to the CPU according to the Intel rep here:


SSD wise, if you're looking for a reliable SSD as well, look for the Intel 320 series, Crucial M4 series, or Sasmsung 830 series SSDs. I'd avoid any OCZ or Sandforce based SSD due the random BSOD issue that hasn't been fully stamped out yet.

CPU cooler wise, the water pump that came with the original H50 was found to be rather loud by Silent PC Review's standards:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/corsair-h50

The Antec Kuhler series did do better than the H50 in the noise department, they still didn't get a recommendation from SPCR:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/antec-kuhler

So if you really want quiet, it looks like you should avoid those all-in-one water cooling solutions.

Besides the above, looks good to me.
Click to expand...

I have a Kingston SSDNow lying around I might use.
I may use a big shuriken instead of the H80... it will fit and has pretty good reviews from SPCR.
 
Looks like a pretty good build.

I went from a larger foot print case like your building (to the one in my signature) to save some room but gave up a lot of versatility ...like better pwr supplies and such. I've kept the old case and will make another HTPC for the wife - kids - living room in the future.
 
I know many are hesitant about Sandforce drives right now but the OCZ Agility 3 60GB is on sale right now for $70 after rebate. I'd consider that. Or just reuse the Kingston you have, no harm in that.

I'd definitely go for a decent air cooler. The water setup is excessive and as mentioned above the pump itself could add noise. In fact why not at least test the system first with the stock intel cooler to see if it is at all audible (probably not at idle and low load, but might be with some load on the cpu though). You can always add a heatsink later if needed.

Lastly...if you want to spring for the fanless PSU that is fine...but it seems necessary to me. You will have at least two other fans int he system anyway. With such a light load on the system you should never hear the fan of a decent power supply. Something like the Seasonic S12II 380 watt might be my choice. I have one right here at work in front of me. On the bench and turned on yes it is just barely audible from a foot or two away...but that is not in a case at all. Just something to consider.
 
I think I'll probably see how the Nexus quiet supply works... if I want to replace it then I still have a spare, competent PSU.
As for the HSF... I will run it with the stock HSF for a while too before I upgrade it, I suppose.
 
Zangmonkey said:
Huh... guess I was wrong.
Reviews on that board are mixed though, and it doesn't have an integrated IR header.
Click to expand...

Not so fast! Even better.... Intel's new "thin" mini-itx. DH61AG. i3, intel NIC, IR header. Only downside is x4 PCIe so no discrete GPU, but you didn't have that on you list I think.
http://www.amazon.com/Single-Pack-DH61AG-Miniatx-H61/dp/B0057D8DVI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325271536&sr=8-1

PS- Note you need notebook size SO-DIMM memory but that will nearly the same price anyway.
 
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The H80 might not fit if you mounting on the side of the case. I have the GD05 and motherboard is right up to the fan.
 
I had the same goals as you: streaming and silence

My HTPC build:

Motherboard: DH61AG
Case: EMC-800B Habey
CPU: Pentium G620
CPU Cooler: Gelid Slim Silence iPlus
RAM: Crucial 4GB x 2
SSD: OCZ Strata 60GB mSATA
Power Supply: £15 Dell PA-3E power brick 90W/19.5v
​

The G620 supports DXVA and QuickSync ( now with ffdshow thanks to Intel's Eric Gur ). I get 2W sleep/poweroff, 15W idle and 22W when playing MKVs etc. Temps are 35c~40c idle and 45c-50c when playing MKVs. The case is super small and I have all storage on a NAS anyways. I just might do another HTPC with a smaller case ( EMC-600B ). This setup streams to and from everything. And plays everything. If you're transcoding you might want i3-2100 ( don't pay more for the T variants since they're like 1W - 2W difference at idle/MKV playback from the normal variants ). The DH61AG also supports the CIR header. £3 for parts including a Vishay TSOP1238, a 10uF capacitor, 300R resistor and a spare USB header + some soldering gives you an internal mounted IR header that can switch the PC on and off from the media remote.
 
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