Htpc

[Vital]

Hey,

I really need the help of you intelligent people at this forum, preferably people knowledgeable in the HTPC category. Basically I built this PC (part list below) about a year ago, and I want to convert it into an HTPC, for the littlest possible (switching out the least amount of parts), and also possibly watercool it.

Part List:


LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model LH-20A1S OEM BK - OEM
Item #: N82E16827106070


GIGABYTE GN-WP01GS PCI Wireless Adapter - Retail
Item #: N82E16839121008

Rosewill RFA120-K 120mm Case Fan - Retail
Item #: N82E16835200005

LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DH-16D2S-04 - OEM
Item #: N82E16827106095

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail
Item #: N82E16820145034


XFX PVT84JUDD3 GeForce 8600GT XXX 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814150229

BIOSTAR TF560 A2+ AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA nForce 560 MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822148140



AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Brisbane 2.7GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO5200DOBOX - Retail

HEC 6C28BBX585 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 585W Power Supply - Retail

[Luke122]

I would suggest a sound upgrade (as I always do), but otherwise that machine will work very nicely. Spring for some good video cables, and you are good to go.

For sound, there are tons of things you can do on the cheap. The cheapest is to try moving your speakers around a bit. You might be suprised how much better they can sound, just from doing that.


I would also remove one of the optical drives (for noise and power, as well as space savings), but if the fans are quiet, the rest of the machine is fine.

As for watercooling, there are TONS of people here super knowledgeable who can answer that for you.

[Vital]

Alright. Right now my computer is very loud, not sure if it's the power supply or the fans I have. As for sound I have a soundcard already, and a surround soundsystem, that I plan on plugging into. Is it necessary to buy one of those HTPC cases? Because I do plan on keeping this near my TV.

[Vital]

Will a DVI to HDMI cable be adequate? Or do I need a graphic card with an HDMI port? Also, what is your opinion on Blu-Ray?

[nevermind1534]

You can use a DVI-HDMI adaptor, but unless it's one that comes with a video card that has built in audio out, you will still need to use your sound card output for the sound.

[Vital]

Alright. So my specs are good for a media player? I think I want to upgrade the network card.. though

[Luke122]

I dont think there's any benefit to a new network card, unless you need to go wireless. If you are streaming HD video, then you'll definitely need an 802.11N adaptor, or go with a wired connection.

I just use a vga cable to my HDTV, and use a separate audio cable. It works great, but I cant stream HD video over wifi.. my 720p stuff streams at 65mbit/s, while my wifi is only 54mbps. If I had an N wifi network, I'd be fine. :) So, I just ran a cable, and it's fine now.

[markkleb]

Hey,

I really need the help of you intelligent people at this forum, preferably people knowledgeable in the HTPC category. Basically I built this PC (part list below) about a year ago, and I want to convert it into an HTPC, for the littlest possible (switching out the least amount of parts), and also possibly watercool it.

Part List:


LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model LH-20A1S OEM BK - OEM
Item #: N82E16827106070


GIGABYTE GN-WP01GS PCI Wireless Adapter - Retail
Item #: N82E16839121008

Rosewill RFA120-K 120mm Case Fan - Retail
Item #: N82E16835200005

LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DH-16D2S-04 - OEM
Item #: N82E16827106095

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail
Item #: N82E16820145034


XFX PVT84JUDD3 GeForce 8600GT XXX 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814150229

BIOSTAR TF560 A2+ AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA nForce 560 MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822148140



AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Brisbane 2.7GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO5200DOBOX - Retail

HEC 6C28BBX585 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 585W Power Supply - Retail

Take a look at my mods, there should be a lot of tips to help you with a HTPC comp.
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16898

Water cooling should be ok but with the hardware you have not really necessary. Just go with better air coolers on CPU/GPU.

[Vital]

So maybe try mounting a fan with the tube around the GPU? And any recommendation for ultra-quiet but also efficient fans?

[nevermind1534]

look at some aftermarket coolers. I just ordered an ASUS 9800GTX+ with the Dark Knight cooling solution. I read a review, and they said that it runs cooler than the regular 9800GTX.

[markkleb]

my designs are quite simplistic..Basically air in the front and out the back.. the easier/faster it passes through the case the better.
Try to make the airflow as straight as possible and keep as much wiring/junk out of the way as possible.
My 9600GTs use Accelero Coolers and run in the 20-30C range and are silent.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186016

your main prob is your intake (front of the case is flat/solid so air needs to come from a small slot in the bottom)

Here is a very good case take a look at how air goes in and out
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112099

some of its really good points are
top vent (helps to equalize air pressure and allow heat to exit)
front face is perforated to allow air to enter
rear fan mount has no little holes in its center to restrict air
alum gets rid of heat better\
HDD rack is in good place to cool Hdds


look at some aftermarket coolers. I just ordered an ASUS 9800GTX+ with the Dark Knight cooling solution. I read a review, and they said that it runs cooler than the regular 9800GTX.
One of the cool things about the 9800GTX+s is they are 55nm cores so they all run cooler than the reg 9800GTXs.
That Asus cooler looks very nice (low profile and fins run front to back)

[Vital]

Well I decided to rebuild the case from scratch, since I want it to be horizontally structured not vertical. So I can really make any cuts needed to achieve efficient cooling.

I also heard that this cooler was very good for my VGA, http://www.xoxide.com/thermalright-hr03-gtvga-cooler.html

And by the way, thanks.

[markkleb]

That cooler is BIG TIME overkill for an 8600, Congrats on modding ur existing case.

This is a very nice cooler for that card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186017
(as long as you have the height)

You are very welcome..

[Vital]

Alright. Any recommendations for quiet fans to put inside the case. I am making a HTPC case out of wood, steel sheets and red plexiglass and I want to make sure it is quiet when watching movies or listening to music, but also plenty cool. And also a cheap, quiet PSU, I was thinking the SunBeam Hush Supply?

And finally while I have your attention, I want to put a touchscreen on the front of the case, for media controller, etc. I have been looking at Ebay, since I want a budget touchscreen under 12 Inches. I was thinking maybe this one http://cgi.ebay.com/ELO-TOUCHSCREEN-LCD-ET15547L-WORKING-NO-RESERVE_W0QQitemZ120341604586QQcmdZViewItemQQssPag eNameZRSS:B:SRCH:US:101 What is your opinion on that? I also found a 6.5 inch which is ideal, but I am unsure of the video connection, and how to hook it up. http://www.internetsuperstore.net/item/NEW-Teklogix-7510-Mobile-Computer-6-5-Touch-Screen_W0QQitemZ220312521646

[markkleb]

NO!!!! Sunbeam, lol
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008

for fans I would spend more and get better. I use Silenx but these are good too
http://www.svc.com/sy-fan-sff21f.html

Remember 1 good tip is buy a faster fan...you can always slow it down but its REALLY hard to speed up a slow fan.

[Vital]

Alright. Any suggestions on the touchscreen? And thanks again. Buying the fans tonight.

Last thing, what is the best brand for a fan controller, and temperature monitor.




And I think this should actually be in the questions section. So a mod can move this if they want.

[FuzzyPlushroom]

NO!!!! Sunbeam, lol
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008

+rep for that, I was gonna tell him his PSU was a bit of a fire hazard, and would hate for him to replace it with something that wasn't really an upgrade... those Corsairs are built by Seasonic and are generally excellent, the next best thing to Etasis or Zippy.

[markkleb]

+rep for that, I was gonna tell him his PSU was a bit of a fire hazard, and would hate for him to replace it with something that wasn't really an upgrade... those Corsairs are built by Seasonic and are generally excellent, the next best thing to Etasis or Zippy.

LOL, of the hundreds of PSs that I owned the Sunbean Tech one was the only one that exploded. (scared the crap out of me)

Alright. Any suggestions on the touchscreen? And thanks again. Buying the fans tonight.

Last thing, what is the best brand for a fan controller, and temperature monitor.
And I think this should actually be in the questions section. So a mod can move this if they want.
for touch screens I have to plead ignorance (no clue) but for fan controllers the Scythe ones are pretty sweet
here is the 4 fan/temp version (fits in DVD slot)
http://www.coolerguys.com/kazemaster5.html

they make a 2 fan/temp controller that fits in a floppy slot too

there are quite a few controllers (Lian Li makes a good one too) But the Scythe ones just look so elegant.

One other thing is you can mess with their wiring a bit .. by taking a yellow wire (12V) and hooking it to the positive terminal of the fan and a red wire (5V) from your PS and hooking it to the neg terminal of your fan it will run the fan at 7V which slows it down a bit and dosent cost a thing.

[FuzzyPlushroom]

One other thing is you can mess with their wiring a bit .. by taking a yellow wire (12V) and hooking it to the positive terminal of the fan and a red wire (5V) from your PS and hooking it to the neg terminal of your fan it will run the fan at 7V which slows it down a bit and dosent cost a thing.

Yep, quick and easy mod. I've got two ex-server 120mm Deltas (one 38mm, one 25mm) on my CPU modded to 7v; they'll last forever this way, and they run at a livable volume. Most fans won't start at 5v, though, unfortunately, so the easiest solution isn't the best in this case.