• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

M350 HTPC thoughts?

Z

zikzak

n00b
Joined
Mar 2, 2011
Messages
15
I want to build a small quiet htpc.
I think it'll be great to use the m530 enclosure and mout it behind the monitor with the vesa mounting system.

This is what I was thinking about getting:


The machine would be used almost entirely for playback, with media stored elsewhere on the network.

Questions:
  • Will that "pico psu" be fine?
  • I was leaning toward the board because of the Radeon HD 6310 graphics. I'll probably put linux on it, and got the impression I might have a better chance with this as opposed to the nvidia ion stuff. Any one know if thats true?
  • Does that Lenovo N5902 suck? I really just want something that is backlit, hopefully somewhat smaller than fullsize keyboard, has pointer device, and is RF so it doesnt need line of sight. Is there a better option?
  • Any other input would be great as well.

Thanks!

(edit: this is the other "remote" I was looking at: Rii N7. Maybe better than Lenovo?)
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
You may have some issues running a passive CPU in that case, even with that massive heatsink. Layout wise, you'll be fine. And if you go with something with a fan instead, make sure the CPU/heatsink isn't shifted to the middle of the board, because that'll cause fit issues with the HDD/SSD mounting. In fact, I'm not even 100% sure if that heatsink is close enough to the edge to clear the 2.5" drive mounting- you may need to ziptie the drive in place instead of screwing it down properly.

(Trust me, I know that case well. ;))

Yes, the Pico is a great supply, and will handle your proposed rig just fine.
 
i wasnt happy with the 350. I had one and the integrated card didn't do well in light gaming at all and had issues transferring high def footage over my 100mbit network but was great at hd flash playback and was completely quiet
 
If that board/cpu isn't gunna work in that case due to cooling concerns, is there an alternative suggestion?
I leaned toward that, as i like that its got the wifi and i think the video wont give me as many problems as the ION when trying to get linux on it.
 
I've got an Asus E35M1-I Deluxe zacate board in an ISK case. It's passive too. The thing still stays pretty darn cool IMO. If you need some power or temp data, I can play around with it for you... though I don't know how the Zotac passive solution compares to Asus.
 
well, I put it together and nothing happens.
and I'm having a hard time trouble shooting it.

Are we sure that PSU should work?
 
zikzak said:
well, I put it together and nothing happens.
and I'm having a hard time trouble shooting it.

Are we sure that PSU should work?
Click to expand...

Of course that PSU should work. If you're doesn't, then perhaps you have a defective unit or you don't have everything wired up correctly.

You'll need to say a bit more than "nothing happens". Are you saying that when you turn it on you get no response? Are you sure you're applying power to the board correctly and that you have the power switch connection between the mobo and case set correctly?
 
Sorry.
My last post was half-assed in a moment of weakness. I know better.

I've disassembled and reassembled the whole thing a few times now.

  • I've tried booting it w/o the usb headers attached.
  • I've tried re-seating the ram.
  • I've tried moving the reset CMOS jumper
  • I've tried booting it suspended, not mounted in the case
  • I've tried not mounting the DC connector in the case
  • I've tried re-seating the molex connector for the power
  • I've tried booting w/o the drive attached
  • I've tried booting w/o the ram just to see if it would beep or something

When I power on, the power LED on the case does light up.
There's no fans and an SSD, so I can't say anything else about what comes on, as it's silent.

I was under the impression that the 20pin connector on the PICOPSU should work fine, as the extra 4 pins on the molex connector were to power the PCIE slot, which I'm not using.


Am I confused about hooking the PSU to the board?
Do I need this p4 connector for the other four pins?
I swear that extra attachment wont fit in the connector along with the other connector, as the board on the main connector hangs over a little bit.

Any insight greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top