Another htpc newbie, another new system

Gralq · 2008-01-28, 19:44

I'm just on the verge of ordering my first pure htpc (not as before a WS with a loooong s-video cable), when I realized that it might be good to get some feedback on my setup.

Hardware:

Chassi: ANTEC FUSION 430 HTPC
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA69GM-S2H
Cpu: AMD ATHLON X2 BE-2400 SOCKET AM2 45W
Cpucooler: COOLER MASTER GEMIN II
Ram: DIMM DDR2 2GB PC2-5300 667MHZ
Hdd: SAMSUNG SPINPOINT 250GB SATA/300 7200RPM 8MB

My plan is to use the huge cooler passivly and let the two included 120mm triCool fans do the airshoveling in the chassi, though they are to be exchanged for something quieter sometime (and yes, it's supposted to fit in the case, if snugly). And I've chosen a relativly small hdd since I don't want movies/musik on the htpc to minimize hdduse and therefore noise. No optical drive is included since I've got one lying around that should suffice for installing software.

Is there anything except a remote that I've forgotten? Or something I should change?

It'll mainly be used for watching dvdr and downloaded hdcontent. No recording will be done in the near future.

SwingSultan · 2008-01-29, 00:28

your setup looks pretty neat. if you are planning on watching blue ray disks some time you should add a graphics card like a radeon 2400 which does most of the hd decoding (this is only imprtant for decoding bluray discs or files with copyright protection). otherwise you dont need an extra graphics card.

if you are looking for a quiet fan i can recommend ebm papst or noctua fans. noctua is a austrian company so depending on where you are living it could get pretty hard to get your hands on one of these. papst fans are well known and should also be avidable in the us and many other countries. with the papst fans you should look out for the 4412F/2GLL model (18dB(A) 70 m³/h). papst also builds fans for servers etc where noise is not an issue so take a look at the model. those may not be the super most quiet fans at the market but due to their high quality they stay at that noise level for as long as you care.

Gralq · 2008-01-29, 08:01

Thanks for the reply. =)

A radeon 2400 or perhaps more likely 3450 (if it's anywhere near 2400 in features) will be added sometime, though not in the near future. I've seen several online stores here in Sweden that stocks Noctua, though I'm thinking more along the lines of an ADDA 120mm (16dB@39cfm). I've got one in my workstation that I'm very pleased with.

2008-01-28, 19:44	#1 (permalink)
Gralq Portal Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Umeå Posts: 5 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country:	Another htpc newbie, another new system I'm just on the verge of ordering my first pure htpc (not as before a WS with a loooong s-video cable), when I realized that it might be good to get some feedback on my setup. Hardware: Chassi: ANTEC FUSION 430 HTPC Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA69GM-S2H Cpu: AMD ATHLON X2 BE-2400 SOCKET AM2 45W Cpucooler: COOLER MASTER GEMIN II Ram: DIMM DDR2 2GB PC2-5300 667MHZ Hdd: SAMSUNG SPINPOINT 250GB SATA/300 7200RPM 8MB My plan is to use the huge cooler passivly and let the two included 120mm triCool fans do the airshoveling in the chassi, though they are to be exchanged for something quieter sometime (and yes, it's supposted to fit in the case, if snugly). And I've chosen a relativly small hdd since I don't want movies/musik on the htpc to minimize hdduse and therefore noise. No optical drive is included since I've got one lying around that should suffice for installing software. Is there anything except a remote that I've forgotten? Or something I should change? It'll mainly be used for watching dvdr and downloaded hdcontent. No recording will be done in the near future. Last edited by Gralq; 2008-01-28 at 19:44. Reason: Typo

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2008-01-29, 00:28	#2 (permalink)
SwingSultan Portal Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Age: 23 Posts: 60 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country:	your setup looks pretty neat. if you are planning on watching blue ray disks some time you should add a graphics card like a radeon 2400 which does most of the hd decoding (this is only imprtant for decoding bluray discs or files with copyright protection). otherwise you dont need an extra graphics card. if you are looking for a quiet fan i can recommend ebm papst or noctua fans. noctua is a austrian company so depending on where you are living it could get pretty hard to get your hands on one of these. papst fans are well known and should also be avidable in the us and many other countries. with the papst fans you should look out for the 4412F/2GLL model (18dB(A) 70 m³/h). papst also builds fans for servers etc where noise is not an issue so take a look at the model. those may not be the super most quiet fans at the market but due to their high quality they stay at that noise level for as long as you care.

2008-01-29, 08:01	#3 (permalink)
Gralq Portal Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Umeå Posts: 5 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country:	Thanks for the reply. =) A radeon 2400 or perhaps more likely 3450 (if it's anywhere near 2400 in features) will be added sometime, though not in the near future. I've seen several online stores here in Sweden that stocks Noctua, though I'm thinking more along the lines of an ADDA 120mm (16dB@39cfm). I've got one in my workstation that I'm very pleased with.