SFF HTPC Build

[xyexz]

1. What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming, Photoshop (or other intensive programs), Overclocking, Web browsing, strictly HTPC/Playback, etc. (If you have multiple things you want to do with the system, make sure you rank them from most important to least important).
HTPC first and formost, I have a server that houses a 12TB JBOD array with all my dvds/blurays and also PlayOn/PlayLater that this machine will stream from.
The only other thing I may do with this is install steam to play Orcs Must Die! with an Xbox 360 wireless remote.

2. What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included in this budget? Is your budget flexible? Is cost a driving factor in component selection?
Budget is flexible, I don't want to spend money I don't need to but if something compelling comes up that would increase budget for say, better cooling or more quiet, smaller size etc I will consider spending more money.
I'm curious though how low cost it can be as I may be making another exact same build for upstairs.
I guess overall I'd like to stay away from $1000, probably more around $800 or less, but the above still applies.

3. Where do you live? Do you have any big B&M (brick and mortar) computer chains nearby (e.g. Microcenter, Fry's, etc)?
I'm in Plymouth, MN and there is a MicroCenter that I frequent as it's about 10mins from me

4. What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
Case, PSU, CPU (Cooler?), Memory, GPU, HDD/SDD

5. If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. For reused parts, list brands, model #s, and, if applicable, firmware revisions.
No parts will be re-used although I have tons of cables etc from various other builds that I'll be taking from my storage bins .

6. What specific features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? etc. Which is more important, size of the system or having the particular feature? Make sure you indicate *required* vs. *wanted* for each feature you list.
I want to make the size as small as possible without hindering performance/quietness.
I don't want a lot of flashing lights in the front, I can also keep them unplugged so not a terribly big concern when choosing a case. I only need it to house an SSD and that's it.
USB 2.0+, eSATA would be a bonus but not have to have.
HDMI is an absolute must as this is being connected to my TV in my livingroom.
I'd like to stay quad core as well with this build and low TDP processor, I've had older dual core machines as media servers and they just got too slugish with all the things I had running in the background - don't want that again.

7. What resolution output do you need? 1080p, 720p, DVD quality, etc for HTPC or list Vertical/horizontal resolution for non-HTPC SFF rigs. Do you need multiple monitor output?
1080p, single display is all - regular refresh rates 60hz.

8. Does this system need to fit into a particular space? Think entertainment center shelves, closet space, rackmount, etc.
It needs to be smaller than these dimensions, mainly the length: (L x W x H) 18.0" x 11.5" x 10.5"

9. How comfortable are you with custom case design/modification and electrical wiring? What tools do you have (Screwdrivers/Leatherman, Drill, Dremel, Metal snips, Soldering Iron, Bending Brake, CNC/Welding machines/Plasma cutter, etc...)?
I'm totally cool with breaking... I mean modding with basic tools, drill, dremel, snips, soldering iron, saw etc - I have a lot of tools.

10. How important is the noise/silence of this sytem? Since this is going to be HTPC it needs to be near silent.
Near silent, I should be able to hear my own farts in extreme detail over this machines noise output.

11. How mobile does this system need to be?
Doesn't need to be mobile in the sense of lan partying, would like to be able to actually get it to the tv though so it can't weight 1,000 lbs.

12. Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
I have a 64bit Win 7 Ultimate MSDN license, good to go here.

13. When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Next couple of weeks, possibly a month.

Here is what I've put together although I'm not sure the PICO PSU that comes with the case will handle what I've got.

Case: Antec ISK 300-150 Black $89.99

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1220 V2 Ivy Bridge 3.1GHz (3.5GHz Turbo) $210.99

Motherboard: ASRock Z77E ITX $149.99

RAM: Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) $40.99

GPU: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6670 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 $89.99

OR

GPU: ASUS ENGT430/DI/1GD3(LP) GeForce GT 430 (Fermi) 1GB 128-bit DDR3 $59.99

SSD: Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD3 mSATA 128GB SATA III MLC $119.99

Total Cost:
GPU Option 1: $701.94
GPU Option 2: $671.94

So I'm not sure about the processor, if it's a good fit or not, it's a lot TDP so I know that's good but don't know how well it'll handle regular desktop tasks - I'm guessing just fine.

Also the GPU options, I'm not sure about clearance issues with the side of the case, has anyone used a GPU in this case and if so can they post their experiences with pictures if possible and provide tips? Much appreciated.

I plan on installing Win 7 Ultimate 64bit on this, and primarily use it to stream movies for my kid and myself and my wife at night.

They'll all be streaming from a WHS 2011 built server in my office that has a 12TB JBOD disk array, but I'm looking for suggestions on recording tv off of this little guy using some kind of USB adapter.

I don't have cable but I have the digital bunny ears and I pick up about 40-50 channels, mostly things like conan, leno and sports.

Appreciate comments, suggestions and feedback.

 

[runs2far]

Here is what I've put together although I'm not sure the PICO PSU that comes with the case will handle what I've got.

Case: Antec ISK 300-150 Black $89.99

GPU: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6670 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 $89.99

OR

GPU: ASUS ENGT430/DI/1GD3(LP) GeForce GT 430 (Fermi) 1GB 128-bit DDR3 $59.99

So I'm not sure about the processor, if it's a good fit or not, it's a lot TDP so I know that's good but don't know how well it'll handle regular desktop tasks - I'm guessing just fine.

Also the GPU options, I'm not sure about clearance issues with the side of the case, has anyone used a GPU in this case and if so can they post their experiences with pictures if possible and provide tips? Much appreciated.

Appreciate comments, suggestions and feedback.

Most of the stuff looks good, but...

Maybe you should look for a different case. The PSU in the ISK300-150 is not a PicoPSU, it's a horribly inefficient and slightly noisy no name box psu.
+
Your GPU options are limited to low profile single slot with a fan, just like the ones you linked to, as there is almost no airflow on the gpu side of that case. This will add to the noise as these GPU models have tiny high RPM fans.

 

[xyexz]

Hmm, would it be feasible to put a PicoPSU in this case you think?

I'm not against modding the GPU side of the case either to provide better ventilation for the GPU, perhaps I should *shudder* use an AMD APU or rely on an Intel HD 3000 for my extremely light gaming @ 1080P?

Not even sure if Orcs Must Die! would play off of an Intel HD 3000.

Hmm, decisions decisions lol.

Edit: I'll have to look and see what low TDP intel procs have Intel HD 3000 or above.

 

[Zap]

I have a similar setup that has since been upgraded with a Radeon 6670. During gaming a KaW reports up to 138W from the wall, and I'm also now running THREE SSDs in there (third one shoehorned between the drive tray and the PSU) and a 2500K.

Here's what I would do.

ASRock Z77E-ITX and Core i5-3570K $50 off combo deal from Micro Center
Samsung 8GB DDR3 (the 1.35v low profile stuff, $5 cheaper as two separate sticks)
Antec ISK 300-150 (buy from Amazon because shipped price almost $15 cheaper than Newegg)
SSD of choice
Radeon 7750 low profile

Here are some tips.

1) Noisiest part of my rig is NOT the little blower on the graphics card. Nor is it the stock Intel CPU cooler. It is the Antec Tri Cool fan that comes with the case. Also, the single fan is inadequate in dealing with the case ventilation by itself (the PSU fan spins super slow) and there will be a hot spot in the middle of your case. I would suggest buying two 80mm fans that are on the quiet side for case ventilation.

2) Since you won't have any normal SATA drives of any kind (using mSATA SSD and no ODD) you can probably dispense with the drive tray altogether. Airflow might be a bit better.

3) Don't worry about the lower TDP of the Xeon CPU. It is lower versus Core i5/i7 because it doesn't have integrated graphics, which you won't be using anyways. The ASRock board allows undervolting, so you can probably save even more power by running the 3570K undervolted at stock speeds. Just run the stock heatsink with a silent fan profile.

 

[xyexz]

That's Zap for the input, now that I've seen your pictures, I'm wondering if I couldn't go with a smaller case if I went with a Intel HD 3000/4000 inside an Intel CPU?

I've watched some youtube videos and it seems the Intel HD 3000/4000 inside the i5/i7s can be overclocked and such and even at stock clocks they seem to handle simple games fair enough.

Considering this is primarily an HTPC first, and possible extremely light light light gaming rig second - I could get away with it.

Then all I'd need is a PicoPSU, Intel 3770K, ram and the mSATA SDD, mobo and case.

I already am using an ASRock Z77 in another build I have and I love the board so I'll be going with that, I bought my ITX mobo, cpu combo at my local MC and I don't think they'll allow another discount purchase on the same combo deal will they?

Can anyone recommend a good PicoPSU and Case that basically needs to just hold a mobo, cpu and ram?

I found this case: M350 Universal Mini-ITX PC enclosure PicoPSU compatible

Is this a good PicoPSU? Mini-Box picoPSU-150-XT High power, 24 pin mini-ITX power supply in a small package

I still would need a good power brick, so if someone could recommend one that would do 150 watts that would be awesome, and I've seen the Xbox 360 mod, not interested in doing that.

 

[runs2far]

How about this case?

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6192/antec-isk-110-vesa-case-review-just-about-as-small-as-it-gets

The SSD will not care about the heat behind the mb tray and some of the people in the comments have managed to put rather large slim cpu coolers inside that thing.

The biggest downside I can find is that if the igp does not cut it, you will have to get another case.

EDIT:

You can easily put a Pico inside the ISK300, but it does bump up your budget.
This thread has some comments about using a picopsu: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1716172

EDIT EDIT:

I am a little surprised that Zap does not experience a lot of sound from the tiny gpu fan, my knowledge of those is fairly dated, but I remember them as being annoying as hell while running at +4k RPM.

 

[Zap]

I've watched some youtube videos and it seems the Intel HD 3000/4000 inside the i5/i7s can be overclocked and such and even at stock clocks they seem to handle simple games fair enough.

I've done this, playing League of Legends on both notebook, 35W Core i5 HD 3000 @1366x768, and desktop 2500K HD 3000 overclocked to ???MHz graphics core (I don't remember, other than I did overclock it) @1680x1050. Supposedly the notebook graphics core Turbos to 1200MHz. Even at higher resolution the desktop system may have been a bit smoother. Maybe the game is helped by the faster CPU (even at stock speeds) or the higher graphics core speed, or even RAM speeds (1866 versus 1066).

Then all I'd need is a PicoPSU, Intel 3770K, ram and the mSATA SDD, mobo and case.

I already am using an ASRock Z77 in another build I have and I love the board so I'll be going with that, I bought my ITX mobo, cpu combo at my local MC and I don't think they'll allow another discount purchase on the same combo deal will they?

Can anyone recommend a good PicoPSU and Case that basically needs to just hold a mobo, cpu and ram?

You only need a 3570K, not 3770K. MC will probably let you buy another combo after a month or two. Alternately, bring a friend.

I'd go with the same case runs2far mentioned, the Antec ISK 110 VESA. It comes with a PSU that is powerful enough.

I am a little surprised that Zap does not experience a lot of sound from the tiny gpu fan, my knowledge of those is fairly dated, but I remember them as being annoying as hell while running at +4k RPM.

These cards don't use much power, so they probably don't have a lot of heat to dissipate. If your memory is of the old "dustbuster" GeForce cards, these are a LOT quieter.

The other thing is that Antec Tri Cool fans have a horrible noise profile.

 

[runs2far]

The other thing is that Antec Tri Cool fans have a horrible noise profile.

I forgot about the TriCool. That one is easy to "fix" get a Noctua LV or other SPCR recommended fan and leave the TriCool in the nearest dumpster.