Homemade mATX slim-line HTPC

It is based upon an empty Slimline-series 1U box made by Hifi-2000 in Bologna, Italy. Full DIY to house a complete HTPC system with room for up to 4 expansion cards (3 HH-HL, 1 FH-1/3L), 1x3.5" and 3x2.5" drives, DVB-S/S2/T, Blu-ray, audiophile audio card. Front 2xUSB3, 2xUSB2 and audio jacks, HTPC silver feet, rear eSATA. Hardware is recycled from my old Silverstone ML-03 HTPC build. Box inside measures 415x280x40 mm

Intel Core i3-2100 (integrated HD2000 graphics)
CoolJAG DEN-7 server-type 1U LGA1155 heatsink with DIY air exhaust duct
Asus P8H67-M-PRO (modified)
2x2048 MB Kingston ValueRAM VLP (low profile)
OCZ Vertex3 120GB SSD
2x Hitachi HTS547564A9E384
WD20EARX
PicoPSU-150-XT
Terratec Cinergy S2 HD
Hauppauge WinTV-HVR1700
Optiarc BC-5640H slot-loading BD-ROM/DVD-RW

As for mechanical construction, system's almost done, have only to cut out the 1U ears, I'm testing hi-end audio cards for ASIO work on Sandy Bridge.

That's a MicroATX (245x245) mobo inside

I'm interested to hear how you get on with the 150Watt PSU as I wanted to use one but thought my setup might need more power.... But it's pretty much the same as yours....

It is the most powerful they make, indeed there's the Pico-160-XT too but it's 2mm higher so it doesn't fit in my case which is slightly shorter than 1U standard (40 mm vs. 42). I use an FSP 150W external brick matched with it. Inside it doesn't heat up much and it has the P4 cable useful for 20+4/24+8 setups without sacrificing one of its 2 standard 5/12V sockets. A i3-2100 has a rather low power consumption despite having the same 65W TDP as other SB CPUs, paired with low power requirements of the H67 PCH it can be easily powered via Pico150 with power to spare for drives and cards, I think it could handle even 4x2.5" and 2x3.5" or a better CPU (like i5-2300) with ease. Only complaint the P4 and DC IN cables length is suited for ITX boards so on a (m)ATX board you have to use extension cables or in case place DC IN jack near the rear ATX ports like I did. Otherwise it works fine and doesn't take up volume inside which on small systems is welcome

Since this is an ongoing project thread, some building pics
Making mobo and HSF holes with an old P4


SB board fitting test


Bottom insulation


Rear ATX ports

Expansion slots


HTPC feet


Cards placement


SSD bracket


ODD brackets

Front USB2 ports and panel


CPU exhaust air channel


Side by side 2x2.5" top mount


USB3 and audio panel

Front LEDs and buttons


Cabling


Front case panel

excellent work, what more needs to be said.

Thats is a compact design!

I like it

Curious to know about heat build up though??

J.

Have a WD10JPVT on its way to replace one of the Hitachis
Heat buildup: after 24 hours on, the entire system becomes slightly warm (i.e. <40), HDDs are bolted on the metal parts so there's a little heat exchange, CPU stays between 45-55 with fan at 1800 rpm (max is 5500 rpm, 52 dBA...). PICO-PSU warms up but not much, it is the warmest point on the top cover (i.e. you can tell where it is). Using MP fan spins to 2100 rpm but I could switch to manual control, since even with CPU usage 100% it never goes past 3500 rpm and this is noisier. Or I could switch to an i3-2120T but don't know how much less heat will it produce...
FSP external brick stays cool all the time