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Quiet HTPC Design - Feeback

T

TheGooch

n00b
Joined
Feb 18, 2012
Messages
6
Here is my design for my first HTPC, I'm looking to watch 720p video, do some computing, and some light gaming. I wanted it to fit in entertainment center but o/c have adequate cooling. I balanced power usage, noise and performance. Foremost I want it to be quiet, second I want decent performance playing 720p mkv video files, and lastly to not use too much power.
https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=25710948
Case: nMediaPC micro-ATX( full height cards and power supply, though)
*Power Supply: Antec TruePower 380W ATX PS
CPU : i3-2100
Memory: ADATA DDR3 1600 2x2GB
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3
Video Card: Sapphire 6570 1GB DDR
*HD: 1.5TB WD SATA
*Wireless KB/Mouse

*I already have this item

What do you guys think? I decided to keep costs lot, though I am tempted to save some more and upgrade the CPU and the Video card.
 
Your list link does not work BTW.

Some questions:
1) What nMedia case are you planning on going with?
2) Which AData RAM you're planning on buying?
2) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.

Off the bat though, don't reuse that PSU. The Truepower I and II series as well as the Smartpower series were well known for their above average death rates due to a poor choice in caps and cooling design. In more specific terms, Antec/CWT specified/used caps (Fuhjyyu caps) that did not respond well to heat. Unfortunately, Antec made the decision to have the PSU fan only ramp at really high temps in an effort to keep the PSU quiet. However, just medium to high temps were enough to screw up the caps so really high temps were murderous. Over time, this degraded the quality and performance of those PSU series.

So I recommend replacing the PSU, especially if you hear a squeal, whine, or any odd noise coming from the PSU. Those are usually the first signs of those particular PSU lines dying. So if you do hear a squeal, whine, or any odd noise, that's enough grounds to replace the PSU.

I recommend this PSU as a replacement:
$40 - Antec Earthwatts Green EA-430D 430W PSU
 
I redid the design, switching it to AMD...
'
$80 CPU: AMD A6-3500
$59 MB: ASRock A55M-HVS FM1
$70 Case: SILVERSTONE SECC Grandia Series GD05B
$34.99 Cooing: Scythe SCSK-1100 100mm <- is this an extra case fan?
$0 *Storage: HD: 1.5TB WD SATA ( already have it)
$0 *Wireless KB/Mouse (already have it
$59 Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900)
$39.00 Power Supply: SeaSonic SS300ET Bronze 300W ATX 12V

Total(shipped ): 343.97.
 
TheGooch said:
$59 MB: ASRock A55M-HVS FM1
Click to expand...
Not a good choice due to its one year warranty and its $66 shipped price. If you want a good motherboard recommendation, please answer my last question in my last post.

TheGooch said:
$34.99 Cooing: Scythe SCSK-1100 100mm <- is this an extra case fan?
Click to expand...
No it is not. It cools the CPU.

TheGooch said:
$39.00 Power Supply: SeaSonic SS300ET Bronze 300W ATX 12V
Click to expand...
While a good PSU, not a good PSU for the money since this larger and equal quality PSU is cheaper:
$40 - Antec Earthwatts Green EA-430D 430W PSU
 
I'd go with the i3-2100T. It's not much more. I also think the Intel HD2000 will do the job pretty well if you're just watching 720p/1080p videos.

EDIT: NVM, didn't read the rest of the thread.
 
3) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
Click to expand...

The system will have a single SATA 2 drive (1.5/3.0 speed capable) for storage, plus the usual network power, audio output, usb 2.0 requirements. For video, I need 2 outputs as one display will run to a small corner desk display (currently VGA, later I will upgrade it to LCD )I have for office type work(reading email, doing taxes, etc ), and the other display is an 42" LCD TV with HDMI input.

I've ordered the logitech K800 keyboard and performance MX mouse to let me switch from the entertainment center to the office by just picking them up and carrying them over there.

I'm actually doing this now with my Netbook that has HDMI and VGA out, and it works well. The Netbook can do HTPC ok, but it can't handle much in the gaming area with its ION2 graphics chip. Also, the current Wireless Keyboard and mouse set is old and doesn't have the range I need.

What I am looking for is an HTPC with light gaming capability that can double as an office machine.
 
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