SFF mITX HTPC

[iRpilot]

I started a thread on the HTPC forum for a mATX build I was planning on building, but never really considered the mITX route until the creator of the sticky with the questions below pointed out his setup. Now I'm actually very interested in a mITX build considering SFF is my main priority now, I did have some questions about the build tho...

1. What will you be doing with this PC?
It will strictly be a WMC HTPC with cable TV tuning capabilities.

2. What's your budget?
I'd like to keep the budget near $400, but it's a little flexible.

3. Where do you live?
I live in BFE Oklahoma so I don't have any places nearby for parts.

4. What exact parts do you need for that budget?
I need: CPU, Mobo, RAM, SSD, Case, PSU, and possibly a slimline ODD. I plan on using a Ceton InifiniTV 4 tuner but I'm not factoring that into the budget goal above, just listing it in regards to case clearance concerns.

5. If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing?
I'm not reusing any parts.

6. What specific features do you need in a motherboard?
Needs:
HDMI out
Sata 6 Gb/s
Onboard video
Gigabit ethernet

Wants:
Optical audio out

7. What resolution output do you need?
1080p

8. Does this system need to fit into a particular space?
Needs to fit under a TV stand, there's plenty of room.

9. How comfortable are you with custom case design/modification and electrical wiring? What tools do you have?
I'm comfortable with mods, although I don't really want to mod the case I have in mind. I have basic tools: screwdrivers, dremel, drill, bare hands, sledgehammer, jack-stands, nail clippers.

10. How important is the noise/silence of this sytem?
I want this bad boy as quiet as possible.

11. How mobile does this system need to be?
It doesn't need to be mobile.

12. Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS?
Yes, I have Win 7 Ultimate x64

13. When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
In a couple of weeks.


Here's what I have in mind, and I will buy used if possible:

Intel Core i3 2105
Crucial m4 64gb SSD
Foxconn H67S mITX Mobo
Wesena ITX7-B case
Ceton InfiniTV 4 PCIx1 card (if it fits) or usb version.

Possibilities:

Any cheap 2 x 2gb DDR3 1333 Dual channel 240 pin RAM
Slimline slot-load combo ODD
Pico DC to DC power supply
Any low pro HSF


My main questions/concerns here are with clearance with the HSF, Ceton card, and wattage requirements with the power supply.

I used a wattage calculator to see how much juice I would need, and I'm coming up with figures around 200w. Most pico psu's I'm finding are 150 max so I'm not sure if this figure is accurate, I see people with similar builds using pico 90's or so.

Any help is appreciated!

 

[Gigas-VII]

Not sure I agree with going with such a small chassis, as it would necessitate a picoPSU. I don't have much faith in that design, but others swear by it. SFX12V for me, please.

There are chassis that are full-height which would still fit in a TV stand, smaller than an AVR in all dimensions. You're looking into a system that would be small enough to fit in a car, or under a countertop; way smaller than it needs to be.

If you want to build a small HTPC, why not go with one of the AMD APUs? they have better GPU performance, for better hardware-accelerated decoding. They're also pretty cheap.

 

[iRpilot]

Not sure I agree with going with such a small chassis, as it would necessitate a picoPSU. I don't have much faith in that design, but others swear by it. SFX12V for me, please.

There are chassis that are full-height which would still fit in a TV stand, smaller than an AVR in all dimensions. You're looking into a system that would be small enough to fit in a car, or under a countertop; way smaller than it needs to be.

If you want to build a small HTPC, why not go with one of the AMD APUs? they have better GPU performance, for better hardware-accelerated decoding. They're also pretty cheap.

For me the small chassis is what is most attractive. I just think the compact, clean, brushed aluminum case would look pretty sexy kickin' it under my tv stand.

Right now I have a mATX HTPC sitting on it's side in my stand and it throws off the whole feng shui of my setup.

Just keep in mind, I'm not going to be doing any gaming, etc. It's strictly just an HTPC. I have a media server for storage that I'll be streaming from.

 

[Gigas-VII]

For me the small chassis is what is most attractive. I just think the compact, clean, brushed aluminum case would look pretty sexy kickin' it under my tv stand.

Right now I have a mATX HTPC sitting on it's side in my stand and it throws off the whole feng shui of my setup.

Just keep in mind, I'm not going to be doing any gaming, etc. It's strictly just an HTPC. I have a media server for storage that I'll be streaming from.

That's cool. I still suggest an AMD APU over the Core i3 setup you're debating. The GPU performance isn't enough to game, but it's much better for video encoding and decoding. Since you're planning on running a quad tuner, you'll need some GPU to do some of that encoding, trust me. I don't think intel's integrated GPU is up to the job, not 4x 1080p.

 

[iRpilot]

That's cool. I still suggest an AMD APU over the Core i3 setup you're debating. The GPU performance isn't enough to game, but it's much better for video encoding and decoding. Since you're planning on running a quad tuner, you'll need some GPU to do some of that encoding, trust me. I don't think intel's integrated GPU is up to the job, not 4x 1080p.

AMD is new territory for me, I'll have to put some research into that as well. Do you have any suggestions on a CPU/Mobo combo?

Also, just wanted to note, most cable programming is 720p/1080i so not near as much decoding.

 

[Gigas-VII]

AMD is new territory for me, I'll have to put some research into that as well. Do you have any suggestions on a CPU/Mobo combo?

Also, just wanted to note, most cable programming is 720p/1080i so not near as much decoding.

I can't suggest one firsthand, but there are a number of good reviews out there. You're looking for the AMD APU socket FM1. Tom's Hardware reviewed a few mATX ones, but as for ITX I don't recall.

 

[iRpilot]

I can't suggest one firsthand, but there are a number of good reviews out there. You're looking for the AMD APU socket FM1. Tom's Hardware reviewed a few mATX ones, but as for ITX I don't recall.

Alright, thanks, I'll check it out.

 

[iRpilot]

I'm pretty dead-set on the case, my main concern is still the power supply. Definitely need a pico, confused about wattage.

 

[Machupo]

Sent you a pm re: picos and watt calcs

 

[cj3waker]

htpc in my sig draws 30w from the wall during 1080p playback. You should be more than fine

 

[iRpilot]

htpc in my sig draws 30w from the wall during 1080p playback. You should be more than fine

Sweet, thanks man.

 

[Zap]

That's cool. I still suggest an AMD APU over the Core i3 setup you're debating. The GPU performance isn't enough to game, but it's much better for video encoding and decoding. Since you're planning on running a quad tuner, you'll need some GPU to do some of that encoding, trust me. I don't think intel's integrated GPU is up to the job, not 4x 1080p.

The Ceton card does not use GPU acceleration. Here are the requirements.

http://cetoncorp.com/products/infinitv-4-pcie/

• PC with Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional or Windows 7 Ultimate
• 2.0 GHz or faster dual core or quad core processor – either 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64)
• 3 GB of RAM (4 GB recommended)
• 350 GB of available hard disk drive space recommended for 50 hours of HDTV recordings
• 1 available PCI Express (PCIe) slot, which can be either an x1, x4, x8, or x16 type slot
• HDCP-compliant graphics card or on-board graphics
• HDMI output, or DVI output with separate 5.1 audio output required for Dolby 5.1 surround sound
• One Multi-stream CableCARD™ (M-Card), available from your cable TV provider
• Digital cable TV subscription from your local cable TV provider. HD package required to receive High Definition TV channels

Note the total lack of GPU requirement, only needing "on-board graphics." About the only other thing it needs from the graphics interface is a digital output (HDMI or DVI) with HDCP (content protection).

Note that the CPU requirements are kind of stiff, requiring a 2GHz dual core as absolute minimum, and mentioning a quad core.

 

[iRpilot]

The Ceton card does not use GPU acceleration. Here are the requirements.

http://cetoncorp.com/products/infinitv-4-pcie/


Note the total lack of GPU requirement, only needing "on-board graphics." About the only other thing it needs from the graphics interface is a digital output (HDMI or DVI) with HDCP (content protection).

Note that the CPU requirements are kind of stiff, requiring a 2GHz dual core as absolute minimum, and mentioning a quad core.

I had heard more good than bad about the Intel integrated HD graphics with the Core i series, and I had looked up the specs on the Ceton card and based my choice of the Core i3 2105 on that.

I think the hardware in general will all work, and the picoPSU question has been answered. All that's left to do now is purchase and build! I'm going to finish buying the rest of the parts in January, and I'll post pictures when it's done.

Some interesting things I found out about the Ceton card is that with the latest firmware update you can dedicate individual tuners to other HTPC's on your network, or allow them to view recordings but not both. Either way, that one thing I was skeptical about, but now I'm ready to pull the trigger on one. I'm confident it will fit in the Wesena case too. The only downfall is that the price will take up 30% of the cost of my build, lol. I think it'll be worth it though.

 

[Gigas-VII]

The Ceton card does not use GPU acceleration. Here are the requirements.

http://cetoncorp.com/products/infinitv-4-pcie/


Note the total lack of GPU requirement, only needing "on-board graphics." About the only other thing it needs from the graphics interface is a digital output (HDMI or DVI) with HDCP (content protection).

Note that the CPU requirements are kind of stiff, requiring a 2GHz dual core as absolute minimum, and mentioning a quad core.

The Ceton card itself doesn't, but encoding your recordings into H264 absolutely does, especially if you're trying to do 3 streams concurrently while watching the 4th live. All 4 streams will be using CPU just to decode the digital TV signal, but the encoder may or may not use GPU depending on which encoder you use, and how you configure it. Encoding has nothing to do with the Ceton card at all.