Almost ready to build HTPC - Input anyone? (2 Viewers)

[Maedhros]

Do NOT buy the Seagate 7200.10 if you are planning on a silent PC. Unless you have 2 spare 5.25" for suspension. They vibrate like no other disk. Personally I have only seagate disks but they are all 7200.9 or 7200.8 (which are much less noisy).

Have a look at this link:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article611-page2.html

...and this especially:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article29-page2.html


My friend bought two 7200.10s and they were too noisy and he changed them into 2 samsungs. But I would probably go with either a 7200.9 (if you want nothing but Seagate) or a WD in the KS series (not the YR series). WD and Samsung also have AAM, but Seagate does not :x


If the 7600GS gets as hot as mine (passive cooled) you need a good air-flow!

Other than this it looks fine to me

 

[natrlhy]

Thank you all for your excellent advise so far! Gettin' so excited about this project now that it's almost a reality!

I see two different AMD processors:

ADA4200CUBOX - Socket AM2 - 89W
ADO4200CUBOX - Socket AM2 - 65W

The bolded processor is the one you are referring to? the EE processor?

Regarding the 7200.10 drives. Thanks for this! I've found little some information on these new drives, but if I go seagate, I'll make sure I get the 7200.9 or .8's. I just like the warranty on the seagate drives (5 yrs) compared to other makers.

 

[Spragleknas]

That CPU is a EE, yes. You might also consider the X2 3800 @ 35W (!!!), but it is even more exp., I'm afraid

Info:

Lower Power Consumption:
Energy Efficient processors available in Socket AM2 flavors for the desktop and have maximum wattage specifications of 65 watts and 35 watts. These CPUs will retail for a slight premium. AMD's "Energy Efficient Processors" deliver the same performance with the same core frequency and cache sizes but with lower heat dissipation and power consumption. AMD's specified maximum power represents consumption under full load at the most extreme conditions.

Energy Efficient models available at 65 Watts max power:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 processors: 4600+, 4200+, and 3800+

Energy Efficient models available at 35 Watts max power:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 processor: 3800+
AMD Athlon 64 processor: 3500+
AMD Sempron processors: 3400+, 3200+, and 3000+

NOTE: The third digit of a desktop processor's part number details the maximum power consumption of that model.
"A" denotes "normal" power
"O" denotes a 65 watt energy efficient processor
"D" denotes a 35 watt energy efficient, small form factor processor

Source

Ppl. say that Seagates IDE is quieter than SATA (AAM set to quiet by default) - might be worth checking up....

 

[vbgeezer]

The NSK2400 ius a great case indeed, but did you ever see the Fusion version?
Check Antecs HP for flash demo: http://www.antec.com/us/
Prod. spes.: http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=15738#

Since you need a full ATX you might wanna consider Silverstone, but try to stay clear of the ver. with 60mm fans.

I belive this would be a good choice: LC20M (no pers. exp. Reviewed here)

The SilverStone LC20B-M is probably the quietest case I have ever reviewed that keeps the temperatures down. I am very impressed and this case has become my permanent HTPC system.

If you get one with 60mm fans then be sure to swap them for Acoustic fans from www.quietpc.com or the noise will drive you nuts - easy and cheap to swap and then all is sweet

 

[Spragleknas]

Even so; I you get one with all fans beeing >80mm, and exchange them with ie. Nexus or Paps - well, thats even better.... Some reviews have, however, shown that it's the fan speed (and not much else) that creates the noise. Aslo, don't belive the dB-ratings the company gived (this goes eaven for SilenX).

 

[timppala]

Seagate Barraguda 7200.10 noise level

Do NOT buy the Seagate 7200.10 if you are planning on a silent PC. Unless you have 2 spare 5.25" for suspension. They vibrate like no other disk. Personally I have only seagate disks but they are all 7200.9 or 7200.8 (which are much less noisy).

Thanks for this warning, I'm taking it seriously when considering HTPC HDD.

 

[natrlhy]

Final Build Specs?

Ok everyone... I've come to a possible final build thanks to everyone here:

HTPC Build Specs:
Running total as of 8/12/2006: $1370 (includes estimated shipping and tax)
Green = Already own
Bold = Recent Change

Software: MediaPortal 0.2.0.4.0
OS: Windows XP Pro SP2
Case: Silverstone Lascala LC10M (Clean, VFD, roomy)
CPU: AMD Athlon 3800+ 64 X2 Dual-Core
DVD R/W: LG GSA-H10N
Floppy Drive: NONE
Hard Drive: 2x Samsung SpinPoint P Series 250GB SP2504C (maybe another smaller one for the OS)
Memory: CORSAIR XMS2 1GB (2 x 512MB) DDR2 800
Motherboard: ASUS M2N-E
Remote: Use the one that comes with LC10
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12-380 ATX12V
Keyboard: At a later time
Mouse: At a later time
Sound Card: Onboard
Video Card: MSI Geforce 7600GT (NX7600GT-VT2D256EHD) (see notes)
TV Capture Card: NVIDIA DualTV MCE (see notes)
HD Capture Card: Vbox Cat's Eye DTA-150
DVI-HDMI Cable: 10 ft. DVI to HDMI cable
CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooling Alping 64 (Cheaper that Zalman 8000 and cools just as good)

TV: Pioneer 50" Plasma PRO-1110HD
Satellite Box: DirecTV HTL-HD Receiver
Remote: Sony RM-AV3000


NOW...

1. Should I go with Nvidia or PVR-500MCE? Is the Nvidia DualTV worth the extra $$?

2. I've downgraded the motherboard to the Asus M2N-E and the cpu to the 3800+ again. I've upgraded the Video card to the MSI Geforce 7600GT 256MB NX7600GT-VT2D256EHD. It has the HDCP enabled DVI port that I *might* need for future use.

3. I've added the Arctic Cooling Alpine 64 CPU cooler.


Am I missing ANYthing? I'm hoping to place my order in 1-2 days.

Thanks to everyone!

 

[natrlhy]

OK! Tomorrow is going to be the big day!

I just wanted to get any last input from the memebers for possible changes. I'm always open to last minute suggestions!

The last thing I'm debating on is the hard drives... as of now I have 2 Samsung 250GB drives. One will be the OS the other will be for my TV recordings (HD included).

We are pretty good about watching recorded shows and deleting them as we go so I'm hoping a 250GB drive will be enough.

Thanks everyone! I'll keep everyone posted on the build process!

 

[Spragleknas]

The 2x250GB samsung is a fine choice. Using one ONLY for OS isnt - better create a partition, say 30-40 GB, to OS, the rest for music and pics etc.

 

[natrlhy]

OK Okay :lol:

Great suggestion. I didn't want to fully dedicate an OS drive and waste the rest of the space (I couldn't bring myself to do that anyway!) 30-40GB as an OS partition is plenty. I'll keep in mind using the rest of the space for Music, Pics, and maybe even DVD .iso or .img files.

You've been a great help here!