Bicster's new HTPC build

I'm starting my new HTPC build; it's been about 5 years since the last one. The display will be a 46" LCD, probably the new Sharp LC-46D62U.

My goals are:

Blu-Ray/HD-DVD Playback (eventually), DVD Playback/Recording, music, web surfing, in near silence (no overclocking). I hate noisy computers. This machine will not be used as a DVR or for watching live TV; I have a HD TiVo for that. I will use it to extract programs from the TiVo to recordable media.

Components ordered so far:

Motherboard: Intel DG965OT (BOXDG965OTMKR)

Rationale: Recent chipset, HD audio with full 7.1 and an HD Audio header may allow eventual integration with an HDMI video card. Gigabit Ethernet. High quality capacitors, decent warranty, MicroATX form factor (a plus for me). I've had pretty good luck with the quality of Intel desktop boards in the past.

Homepage: http://support.intel.com/support/mot...sktop/dg965ot/
Documentation: ftp://download.intel.com/design/moth...D5601201US.pdf

The Asus P5B-VM was a close call here.

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Processor: Intel E6400 Core 2 Duo

Rationale: Price/performance; Qualified by nvidia for Blu-Ray/HD-DVD decoding tasks. Power consumption is not so bad that it can't be cooled quietly.

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Memory: 1GB (2x512) Kingston ValueRAM DDR2-533 (KVR533D2N4K2/1G)

Rationale: I started looking at DDR2-800 and was annoyed by the price and compatibility issues; the Intel board requires 1.8 volt memory. Then I discovered that the faster RAM is only around 1% faster while 80-100% more expensive. I will not be overclocking so this was an easy choice for me.

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Chassis: Antec NSK2400 Media PC Case

Rationale: I hate most media PC cases. I'm sure I'll hate this one too, but it has a few things going for it - namely that it is a solid foundation for a quiet PC, and it doesn't look horrible. It's also cheap.

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Video Card: XFX GF7950GT PVT71JYHE9

Rationale: Upper midrange card with Purevideo HD, HDCP, and still passively cooled -- no noise! On the minus side, no HDMI.

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Hard Drive: Samsung HD300LJ 300GB SATA2

Rationale: I have a few of these laying around. They're quiet and inexpensive.

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PSU: Seasonic S12-380

Rationale: I have one on the shelf. It may not quite be enough for this system, but I think it will suffice. This is a very quiet PSU with excellent efficiency and active PFC. The efficiency will help keep the computer cool with less fan noise.

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Still to go: I'll use the Intel box HSF and bundled Antec cooling fans to get started, but I'll be replacing them soon. The parts above are either on hand or on order. I'll keep this thread updated as the build progresses.

Good point, sotti, and I do plan to add another 1 GB of memory later.

So far I am very unimpressed with Vista. The machine I tried it on felt several generations older when I installed RC1! (And it had 2G of RAM!)

I went back to MCE.

I don't know for sure if the digital audio header on this board can handle high-bandwidth (HDMI 1.3) audio, but I think it can. I wonder if future video cards may be able to connect to it. I couldn't find much info with google -- other than a pinout.

That's just fine with me. I haven't overclocked a system in years. I've been known to underclock systems to achieve silence and/or lower power consumption, but that won't be needed here.

I was thinking of using a Thermalright XP-120 CPU heatsink, but it doesn't look like it will clear the northbridge heatsink. I also can't find one in stock anywhere.

Now I am considering the XP-90C, but I'm not sure that will fit either.

Apparently I didn't order the Intel board soon enough, and sold out before it could be shipped. I'm not very surprised.

sthapit, does the SI-128 fit the Intel board and the Antec case? I was worried it may be too high. I'd love to know how much clearance the fan has on top ... thanks!

The HD Audio header is a fully digital connection. The pinout is in the Intel motherboard spec. It is not S/PDIF either. Definitely PCM, but I don't know what the bandwidth is or how many channels it can support. I'll have to investigate more.

I have the HDMI 1.3 spec but not earlier specs. If anyone has a PDF of HDMI 1.1 or 1.2, please send me a PM. Thanks!

Ok, I did some research. The HD Audio Link is a bidirectional, multi-channel PCM digital audio and command bus. It allows peripherals to sit between the codecs and the audio controller. In fact it is the same bus that the motherboard hd audio codec is attached to, so in theory this is exactly the sort of thing we need to patch into an HDMI video card.

See page 51 of this tech journal article:

http://www.intel.com/technology/itj/...ol09_iss01.pdf

What puzzles me is that it uses a 48-kHz sync pulse, but it is obviously able to handle sample rates higher than 48 kHz and a tremendous amount of bandwidth. I'm missing part of the picture ... but it's late and I am running on a sleep deficit

I am thinking about using a Silverstone NT01 v2.0 heatsink with the Antec NSK2400. This thing can be installed in any orientation, so it looks like it can be used without its own fan, in a side airflow configuration. It will be installed right next to the 120mm case fans.



The price is not bad either, about $35

Update: I ordered one of these. Hopefully it will work out

Oh, the joys of building custom machines! It looks like the XFX GF7950GT video card will not fit in the Antec NSK2400 case. I just got the video card (will have the case in a few hours) and it's a lot taller than I thought it was.

I have an extreme mod in mind. Keep tuned

Very nice!

I didn't pick up the case from UPS until about 8PM last night. My wife is flying to Florida this morning, so I'll have the next few evenings to try to break stuff.

The DG965OT mobo arrived a few moments ago. I didn't realize this board supported Dolby Digital Live ... bonus! The latching SATA cables are also a nice touch. Now if only I could go home and play, instead of working for the next few hours. Torture!

Funny we're both on the same forums. I've seen your thread before; I remember the drive suspension you came up with. Nice work! I like the black bezel. I wish Antec gave us some more options.

Today I ordered a pair of Nexus 120mm fans and some rubber fan isolators. I'm building the machine tonight with the retail HSF and the Antec Tri-Cool fans... I'll post some temps once I get the silverstone and nexus stuff installed, probably the weekend of the 30th.

I'd like to compare the Silverstone to the Thermalright SI-128 heatsink sthapit is using - I considered using that one but the fins are so close together! It seemed like it might not work as well. There is a lot of guesswork in this hobby.

The computer works. The XFX video card looks ridiculous in the NSK2400, it sticks up about 3/4" above where the lid should be...

The DG965OT motherboard shipped with a very old BIOS (0816), so I upgraded it. MCE was a bit of a pain to install because I had to go find an old floppy drive to load the ICH8 AHCI (SATA) driver. The driver DVD that came with the board didn't work either; it has a weird manufacturing defect and is seriously off-balance. The DVD drive feels like it's going to break into pieces when I try to use that disc.

This is the first machine I've built in a while that feels as fast as I think it should. Aside from the video card not fitting, I am quite happy so far. I'll address that issue tomorrow.

I've not encountered that problem! Are you running MCE? Do you have any missing drivers according to device manager?

I'm too lazy to look that up right now, but the beep codes are all detailed in the manual.

Ok, finally all the parts are here. I got a chance to snap a few quick pics. I still need to tidy up the cables and modify the lid so I can close the damn case.

Top view:



Silverstone NT01 v2.0 is a perfect fit for this application. CPU temps dropped ~ 10 degrees celsius over stock Intel HSF! Right now idle is 36C with one Nexus @ 1100rpm and the other @ 600rpm.



The XFX problem: