Cheapest ever HTPC that's decent. Proud of myself. - Page 9

Dude,

That's like 6 months from now.

Update chipset and intel video drivers finish updating all windows 7 updates and service packs and restart and retest.

Then we can troubleshoot more if needed.

Your ok. Windows did it automatically.

Just check its what you want in my computer. Disc mgmt.

There was an option below in small hyperlink print called drive options. You click drive options if you want to delete or create a partition or format a partition or drive.

Windows 7 main install screen will pass by this if you don't click the drive options link below the main "next" button icon that's more apparent.

You just missed it. But windows 7 probably did it for you.

Yes.

On mine when I forgot to select disc options it did two partions. Each 60GB on my 120GB SSD- effectively splitting it in half.

I did not want this so I deleted the partition- made one full size and installed to that again.

If you have a new drive and forget to select drive options and create a partition or format a drive- Windows 7 can do it automatically for you in the installation process.

If you don't like how windows 7 does it- you can use the drive options and control how it is done yourself. That is what it is for.

no doubt- Microsoft tried to make it easier for noobs to just install windows with the way it is set up. But the controls for advanced drive options are clearly located at the begining of the installation process if you need them. I think you just missed it.

Mike99- what kind of drive are you using?

also,

Do you have online access to do the updates? Any luck with the issue about the windows experience score?


You can buy an adapter for older PSU's to work on new stuff.

Example old HDD's connected with IDE power cables. New ones take SATA. You can buy an IDE to Sata Cable adapter for one entire single US Dollar. They cost about .99$ on ebay.

With this you can use any old case and PSU.


Most the other plugs are the same- but if not they make adapter for that too.

Then again, you can get a decent Diablotek 400watt PSU for like $15 shipped all day long on Newegg.

You can also get a pretty decent Logisys ATX case with 480 watt PSU for $29.

Using an old cheap retail case is not worth it IMO. A new one is better/cheaper.

My favorite budget case is the Coolermaster Elite. It's superior to other sub $50 cases I have built in -including the beloved Antec300 which everyone seems to think is the best. I have one of these Antec300's per Assassin and other reccomendations for my HTPC but I would happily trade for a Coolermaster Elite. I built two PC's side by side in both cases and nothing the Antec offers is better than the coolermaster. Coolermaster had overall better build quality and feature set. Only thing it lacked was the fan controls that the Antec had- but most modern motherboards do this anyways. Mine does so the feature is not that helpful.

Coolermaster is $39 shipped, and they make a matching PSU that sells for $17 AR and is 430watts. I also liked the Coolermaster PSU better than the Antec Eco. Freakin Antec did not even come with a power cable, cheap bastards. I never had a PSU fail on me ever (knock on wood) so I guess I tend to discredit the mental aspect of "piece of mind" you get with a more expensive or perceived higher quality PSU. That's rubbish.

My main machine has a $250 PSU in it. But I can't say anything negative about the $20 PSU's I have used not to recommend them whole heartedly for basic builds.

Your right about the PSU quality, but since I have been lucky I discredit it.

And- I am not saying get the cheapest thing out there- but a name brand Corsair or Coolermaster or Rosewill for $20-$30 is fine in my book for basic builds.

This guy is obviously concerned with costs- and if so- and provided we are talking cheap equiptment here- My idea I was trying to give is that a cheaper PSU is ok to use in a budget build.

I think these things should be relative. A $30 PSU is more than good enough for a $300 total cost HTPC, and too often I see people thinking that a higher end PSU will provide them piece of mind- or more insurance- against failure. While it's possible- it's not certain. You could buy the best PSU made and still have crap luck and get that 1 out of 100 that just blows up.

But- I have never had a PSU fail in 20+ PC's I build. I think I had an OCZ crap out once in socket 939 days- but it did not ruin anything.

He has a $35 motherboard, a sub $50 CPU and $20 ram. I can't in good faith recommend anything but a basic sub $30 PSU for this application. The Corsair or Coolermaster rebadge models that sell for $17 bucks I mentioned are more than appropriate. The Antec of Seasonic might be considered better but for $50 or $60 it's not needed. I don't think it's really much better either in the big picture.

I might be unique in thinking this- but for the price of a cheap HTPC I would rather keep an inexpensive PSU and take the chance of losing the whole thing than overspend or blow my budget on an expensive PSU. It's unlikely that even a sub $20 PSU is going to have any issues in the first few years of use provided you choose a brand name with a decent track record.

And- Antec leaving out the cord for the price they charge for that PSU, as well as the lack of mounting screws and substandard packaging is not a good trait at all in my book. I still think it's a great PSU and I got a great deal on mine- if you found it for $30 or so- pull the trigger by all means. But- I mean come on- does it really cost much to include a power cable? If you bought one and did not know better and build a PC you could not plug it in and test it. Assuming someone has one is an excuse for being cheap, and even though I have 5 extra laying around somewhere- I still was slightly offended and put off by lack of it's inclusion.

regarding the case-

The antec I got was broken. I ended up RMA a motherboard thinking it was DOA. Not a bad thing- I ended up with a Z68 Extreme Asrock for $80 after it was all done.

But- the Antec300 does not impress me much. The power button on mine was defective. You press it and it does not turn on the motherboard. If I hit the on button directly on the board it powers right up.

Yes I know how to connect a system header panel. And it works in another case- and multiple motherboards did not work in the Antec300.

That is strike 1 for me.

Second- I took pictures of both builds and would be happy to post in another thread demonstrating the superiority of the Coolemaster case. (I paid the same $39 shipped for both)

The coolermaster was quieter.
The coolermaster was not defective.
I think it actually looks better in person. In my photos it looks much different and better than online on the newegg pictures. Likewise- the Antec looks worse. But- In reality they look about the same so it would be pretty tough to like one and not find the other at least acceptable.

Now-

The coolermaster is actually sprayed and coated smooth inside and out- the inside of the case is nice.

In contrast the Antec is bare metal and evidence of black paint overspray is inside the case on the bare metal. not my mark of quality.

The worst part of the Antec300 is the reset button. It's hidden and you must press it in. But they protect it with very small button depressed so it does not get pressed easily.

For a normal male hand- this means your fingers are too large and you must find a pencil or screw driver to depress the button. Total annoying.

Any product that assumes I am too stupid and tried to protect me from myself by trying to be smarter than me in design gets a flunking "F" for a grade from me.

I won't accidently press the reset reset button, so when I want to do it it should be as easy as pressing a button- not searching for a tool to do it.

The coolermaster also has an additional HDD space over the Antec- while still being neater and smaller overall. Plus you can use tooless connections or easily remove for standard. All the cages are powdercoated smooth black and it's much quieter and more solid than the flimsy metal in the Antec.

Same story on the back panel.

it might just be personal preference - But I do like the coolermaster.

Neither is at the level of my main machine case (COSMOS II) but clearly the coolermaster is closer in the stuff that is important to me.

Thermal performance should be acceptable on both. You can add more fans in more locations on the coolermaster- but the Antec is not lacking here so it's a wash. Also the Antec did include a top fan- and the fans include speed control if you need this feature.

To me that was the only two things that were better on the Antec.

I am not bashing it. I like both the Antec300 and the Eco PSU, and I am very happy with both.

But my point is- I am also happy (happier) with other products too. Specifically to this guy- The $17 Coolermaster PSU 430watt or same Corsair and I was actually trying to suggest either the Antec300 or Coolermaster Elite as a nice capable case.

I will make sure I post some pics and give a thorough review of both cases side by side with same boards in them.

There was at least 10 times I said to myself "I like how coolemaster does this better" while building two PC's side by side.

I might agree with you based on these two pictures from new egg.

but in person- there's a lot less real world difference in how they look.

What is the easiest way for me to get a photo from my iphone uploaded online to post in this thread???

vs.

Antec inside:


vs
Coolemaster Inside:



To me inside it's no contest. No bare metal exposed. Much more sound aborbing in the black coating they use and feels more sturdy overall.

It looks trick too. Inside and back panel is not just cheap sheet metal like the Antec.

There is better wire mgmt on the coolermaster too.







If you never used a nice case before- You might never notice the small differences. My main case is arguably the best case available on the market at any price point. The quality and thoughtful design has spoiled me and I guess I just expect certain things that I should remember normally don't come in $39 cases with free shipping.

I think anyone would be happy with either case in a single application. But having built in both- my choice would be the coolermaster assuming your board has fan speed control.

I added a small quiet fan to the top of the coolermaster I had, while the antec came with a top fan. But- the Antec had no front fan on the HDD's and the Coolermaster did. So I guess on either model either fan could be moved so it's really a tie.

I don't need a front fan since I run SSD only and no HDD's so I left it on top to aid in the CPU cooler. Both are set to run at Level 2 on Asrock Bios with Target CPU temp 5 higher than stock. I want the fans to run slow and quiet and will sacrifice some higher temps for this.

Both are excellent cooling cases and should never had thermal issues on most builds.

It's funny I just read this myself. I can honestly say I don't agree with the experts.

They got it wrong.

Disagree. A $35 ECS motherboard, $20 of DDR3 and a $49 CPU does not require a Seasonic PSU for $50+ making it the single most expensive component in the system.

I would get a $17 Coolermaster 430watt as I suggested. It's not total crap and much more appropriate. It's really the only thing I ever suggested. I also tried to dismiss the idea that you *must* use a high end expensive PSU that is so commonplace. For $200 PC's let's be realistic here. The equitpment is neither high end, expensive or cutting edge. It's value does not justify the expense of a $50+ PSU, nor require it. If someone wants to spend the money and makes the decision to get a better PSU good for them. I support that choice. But I won't insist it must happen and is the only choice. It's clearly not.

And last- You know this- I got a ECO for $29 so if someone wants to deal shop and finds a value like that it's clearly probably one of the best possible options. I did.


You know I realize. I posted the article in my build thread.
But- you do realize that not every non seasonic PSU is not total crap right?
The coolermaster and Corsair PSU's that frequently sell for under $25 might not be the quality of a Seasonic for twice the price- but there is absolutley no reason to think they won't function as intended and work appropriately in a very basic low cost build.

To expect it to break, or not function or even fear it's failure just seems silly to me. Eventually you will either have good luck or bad luck.

Same as me with the Antec300 Case. I had bad luck and got a bad unit that was defective. It happens.

But it's not normal and not to be expected.


I never bashed it. I think it is a good PSU. Just I think for the price they charge normally for it they could include this $2 cord. Showing me how little it costs only reinforces my argument it should have been included.

I have bought countless other PSU's before, and all of them came with power cords. It's not a deal breaker, but it's certainly not a selling point either.




This is an opinion of yours that is not univerasal across all people. Have some open mindedness.

My comments were based on the appreciation I had for the coolermaster case being nicer inside during the build process. It was more fun to build in and felt overall better designed and higher quality.

I do like the black over the sheet metal of the Antec. The coolermaster is quieter because it vibrates less. With both fans on max- the Coolermaster was quieter. When I turned down the fans both cases were acceptably quiet.

While it's not a decisive victory my impression was the coolermaster was better. They were literally side by side.





The reset button is located right next to the power button but it's impossible to press in with a normal sized finger. What's the point if that is true anyways?

And- Not sure what cases your using but most do indeed have reset buttons. And most motherboards have reset hook ups for these on the system panel. I know you know this stuff so I won't press this issue.

Bottom line is,

I am not going to argue with you.

And I am not bashing the Antec300. I am happy with it. Never did I say it was not a good case.

I admit I had a bad one, and I am pretty easy going about these things. It sure does change my perspective a bit- but overall I can't see anyone getting this case for $40 being upset with the choice. I am not.

I think we can just agree to disagree. It's just my opinion having bought, built, owned and used both side by side.

My personal HTPC is in an Antec300 with an ECO PSU. I think your reading more into my words than needed. I am not bashing either product, but I can't say without hesitation they are clearly the best and only option either.

Certainly there is some other products in this class that could be better in some areas. I know you love the Antec300 and the ECO PSU and honestly I bought them based on your reccomendation. I got a great price on both and I am happy with the choice.
I guess I should really say thank you about this. THANK YOU
But have an open mind. The coolermaster is indeed at the same level as the Antec300, and certainly there can be an argument it's worth a look. I won't doubt if some people find it better in some ways. I did.

No. Your wrong. I was recommending a $17 PSU to match a cheap build with the thinking that the ECO we are talking about normally sells for $50. (Plus a power cord purchase..lol)

Now if someone wanted to make the decision to upgrade to a better model that's cool. I did. I found the ECO for $29 and jumped on it. That's a solid option I would endorse for sure.

But to try and make a guy with a $35 motherboard, $20 Ram, and a sub $50 CPU currently running on hit kitchen table that needs a PSU and case for his budget build think he needs a high end PSU - I think that's wrong.

Your assuming that a non Seasonic PSU must be total trash, or won't work/break/fail etc... That's just wrong.

I made three office PC's with the same $17 PSU from Coolermaster and never had any issues. Nor do I expect any for years to come.

Your really reading into this more than you should. I think you think I am suggesting the PSU does not matter. That's not the case. I am just suggesting for a guy with a real low cost build it's ok to get a cheaper PSU.