Lian Li, Intel HTPC

[visionviper]

I just moved into an apartment and I planned on not getting TV service to cut down on my bills. Since buying a ready made streaming box isn't nearly as fun as building one yourself, I went ahead and built my own.

Hardware:
Case: Lian Li PC-C37B
PSU: Enermax EES400AWT_II
CPU: Intel Core i3 530
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H
Ram: G.Skill F3-12800CL7D-4GBECO
Optical Drive: LG UH10LS20
And some other various bits and bobs. I was going to get a SSD but I decided at the last minute to save $50 instead.

Software:
Windows 7, Media Center
My Movies and various DirectShow filters to play all my media (avi/mkv/flac/iso/etc)

Now for the gallery part of the gallery thread!





Yeah, 4 pictures isn't much of a gallery but if you guys have any specific requests for pictures I would be more than happy to get those.

Things I learned while building this HTPC:
-Stock Intel fans are still louder than you think they should be
-Even tiny blue LEDs are bright as fuck (seriously Lian Li, did you have to make the LED that bright?)
-Modular power supplies really come in handy with small HTPC builds
-Motherboards with a single fan header suck (Why do you still include IDE connections Gigabyte?)

 

[TimG]

That's just about the same build I've got in my wish list.

You mention that the stock Intel fan is loud. Do you have any plans to upgrade it to something more quieter? If so, what?

Also, I've been looking at the Corsair 450, but would you recommend choosing the Enermax for modular reasons? I'm looking at a similar sized case, the Antec Fusion Remote.

Nice looking build. Got any pictures of the entire setup, with TV and receiver/speakers?

 

[visionviper]

That's just about the same build I've got in my wish list.

You mention that the stock Intel fan is loud. Do you have any plans to upgrade it to something more quieter? If so, what?

Also, I've been looking at the Corsair 450, but would you recommend choosing the Enermax for modular reasons? I'm looking at a similar sized case, the Antec Fusion Remote.

Nice looking build. Got any pictures of the entire setup, with TV and receiver/speakers?

I chose the Enermax because it is supposed to be one of (if not the) quietest PSU you can get short of a fanless one. The PSU is really quiet. The cables aren't modular, so I did have to sacrifice some air flow through that area because I needed somewhere to put the cables and there was a fan in the way. To be honest I am a bit split on the power supply in HTPC use. It is really quiet, but if you are going to be using it in a small/slim case it may be a better choice to get something slightly louder but modular.

I do plan on changing out the stock Intel fan, and I have been looking at this as a possibility. The stock fan isn't bad at all when it is all the way down low, but when things start to heat up that is when you start to be able to hear it from the couch. I think the Scythe would make a good replacement (assuming it fits, which I think it does... barely).

Here is a picture of my setup as it is now (I am currently working on getting speaker stands)

Picture isn't so great since it's dark and I haven't received my new lighting in the mail yet, but you get the idea

 

[visionviper]

In my quest for quiet I finally got around to replacing the stock Intel fan.

I decided against the Scythe SCSK-1100 and went with the Scythe Big Shuriken SCBSK-1000 (shorter and larger fan). It fits quite well inside and case and with the motherboard. The only "issue" I ran into was having to take everything to install the new cooler because it was so short. I couldn't install the heatsink onto the motherboard while it remained in the case without removing the RAM, which of course wouldn't have been able to fit back in.

Overall though I am very happy with the new heatsink. The fan is really quiet as is, but since it is so short and supports standard 120mm fans you could replace the fan with a Gentle Typhoon or other similar silent fans. If anyone wants me to grab a couple pics of the setup with the new fan I'd be happy to break out the camera and grab some.

Next item on my list: replace the hard drive with a SSD. And maybe if I get anal enough replace my already practically silent PSU with that new Seasonic fanless one that looks so damn sexy.

 

[Adidas4275]

looks nice, i have an older zalman 500w PSU that has a 120mm fan but it never turns on... it has dual heatpipes on the HSF

i use a Ninja Mini HSF in my HTPC, but i dont think it would fit in your case.

 

[visionviper]

looks nice, i have an older zalman 500w PSU that has a 120mm fan but it never turns on... it has dual heatpipes on the HSF

i use a Ninja Mini HSF in my HTPC, but i dont think it would fit in your case.

The Ninja Mini was the first one I was looking at before I moved on to the Shuriken series. I don't think the Ninja Mini would have fit either. I think the SCSK-1100 might have been able to fit but I just didn't feel like taking a chance. Besides, it's nice to have a much wider selection of fans.