Guide to Building a HTPC, Workstation and Server - Page 600

I'm a new subscriber to the guide. Will I get an email when the next edition is released or should I continue to check this thread for updates? Thanks!

My solution for really quiet (but still with active cooling): add a Arctic cooler Accelero L2 Plus.

I have the older version of this cooling system to replace the horrid fan of my Zotac GT 440, which works wonders...

I think i am going to stick with gigabyte board and get this product

http://shop.inteset.com/Products/5-i...herboards.aspx

This way my case can continue looking clean .... without any usb dongles outside the case

Maybe renethx can put this option in future guides

Let me know what you think

OK, so I am currently using an old desktop as a media server, but that thing is dying slowly. I see no point in updating something that old, and probably couldn't if I wanted to. I probably couldn't salvage anything but the tower case and its kinda huge.

So that makes me think.....why not build a combo media server / HTPC? I can get rid of all my DVDs and cases and rip them all to HDD, transfer all my music and videos, move the Roku streamer upstairs, and the PC will already be in the room with all my HT equipment so its perfect.

The downside is my budget... as this needs to happen under the radar if you know what I mean!

Anyway, I've always maintained and updated my own PC's and when I was young my dad had his own custom PC business, so I kinda feel like I need to build my own. Problem is, the technology has gotten away from me. So I need some guidance on what to look for and what is compatible as I shop around for bargains. I've got Microcenter right down the street so there's always something on sale.

So here's what I want from the HTPC:
Store ripped DVD movies, Play DVD/Blu Ray discs, Play movies ripped from BR/DVD stored locally, play audio files stored locally, stream video from Netflix, Hulu, etc,
A) Expandable storage, start with 500GB and add drives as needed.
B) BluRay drive read only as I don't burn discs and I assume I save a bit of $?
C) I want 7.1 sound and 1080p video to feed my HT via HDMI (also want digital audio outputs for music feed)

Here's what I am thinking.
ATX case because it gives me more room to add HDD's down the road (which saves me $ upfront on the build).

Motherboard/CPU is the driving force, but I don't really understand the architecture or what works with what. Core 2 Duo vs Dual core, 775 vs 1155 vs 1156 - How do I find a good deal when I don't really know what my baseline is? I don't need the newest processor, just one that will do everything I need - cheaply. I'm always happy to have last year's model for a discount!

Sound -7.1 audio via HDMI (plus digital out) - not sure what the minimum sound card requirements are to get my 7.1 out with DD and DTS.

Video - 1080p via HDMI - again, I assume I need a separate graphics card but not sure of the baseline and compatibility. There are so many GeForce cards out there right now... and it looks like some are <$20 but I can't tell what's compatible with my needs.

Memory - seems like 2GB should be sufficient, but again, all the types seem to be beyond my knowledge. DIMM, Kits, 1 x 2GB vs 2 x 1GB (advantages?)

TV Tuner card - I assume I can skip this if I have Cable/Sat and no plans to use the HTPC as a tuner.

Power Supply - since this will be in a separate room, sound really doesn't matter so can I save some $ this way? Seems like PSU's can be had for $30-$35.

CPU cooler - seems like a fan is the cheapest option, and with me not caring about noise it seems like a no brainer - right?

OS - I have a WinXP 32bit license... can I install XP and support everything I need or do I need to update to Vista?

Mouse,Keyboard,remote - I've got a mouse, keyboard and Harmony remote - so it seems like I just need the IR receiver.

Any guidance would be appreciated....

Interesting. Which videos require post processing (automatically done by the GPU?) ? I'm talking mainly about 1080p, 1080i and maybe 720p movies (mkv's mainly).
Can it solve the problems the 100hz, 200hz, 400hz TVs try to solve?
Is it possible to add more data on this to the guide in the future?

Hey guys still unsure about whether I need a dedicated GPU or not. I plan on getting an i32100, asrock mobo, 4gigs ram, SSD for OS, couple TBS or storage etc. If I am using it soley as an HTPC for playing mkvs etc, also to a few xbox's, riping blurays and using a cablecard(ceton infinitv) Do I need a dedicated gpu?

Thanks in advance!

hello renethx !

have you tried the new madVR 0.78 DXVA de-interlace?

unfortunately it does not support DXVA decoding
but it would be nice to see a new mini bench from you




1. lavcuvid (50p/60p) + madVR
2. ffdshow[yadif] (double frames) + madVR
3. Any SW decoder + madVR (de-interlacing enabled)

i am wondering can a3850 apu handle dual display ( projector and 15 inches vga monitor) or not?

Hey Rene sorry I'm sure this gets asked too much, is there a quick outline on setting up madvr. Things seem to change so much its hard to keep up.

Also I have an i3-550, would adding a gt240 512mb I have lying around be enough to handle madvr.

of the following which would you choose?

Sapphire brands:

AMD Radeon HD 6750 1GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon HD 6750 Chipset (750Mhz) 1GB GDDR5 (4000Mhz) $99.99
Manufacturer Part Number: 100327L

or

AMD Radeon HD 6670 1GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon HD 6670 Chipset (800Mhz) 1GB GDDR5 (4000Mhz)
Manufacturer Part Number: 100326L $99.99

or
AMD Radeon HD 6750 1GB GDDR3 AMD Radeon HD 6750 Chipset (700Mhz) 1GB GDDR3 (1600Mhz) $89.99 But ddr3

or

AMD Radeon Ultimate HD 6570 1GB DDR3 ATI Radeon HD 6570 Chipset(650MHz) 1GB GDDR3 Memory(1800MHz)
Passive -$76.99


THe reviews i read on the top two sapphire cards people say the fans are very quiet so that shouldn't be an issue.

I know the 6750 is the 5770? i think right?

Newegg has a promo on HTPC cases

20% Off HTPC Cases with Promo Code: BLKNOVHTPC at Checkout.

I bought the LIAN LI Black Aluminum PC-C50B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case for $119 shipped.

Question. I read that some ppl install additional fans or either replace the fans, can someone give me a recommendation? Should I buy an extra fan, or buy replacement fans.

Im planning to install a 9" Videocard, i5 2500K with Geminii cooler so its gonna be cramped in there.

HIS Radeon HD 6970 2GB (256bit) GDDR5


Renethx, thanks for your guides, I've reading them since 2008, I just bought your latest guide couple of weeks back.

Man, I paid $160 for that case a month ago. It is a well-built, awesome-looking case that has a nice simple layout inside and allows a full ATX power supply. I'd buy it again. Now that that's clear, let me rip it apart:

The fans that come with it are loud. Replace them. I'm about to order Noctuas (man those are expensive) for mine. Also, like my previous Lian-Li case, aluminum isn't very quiet, and it doesn't even seem like Lian-Li knows what their intended airflow pattern is, where there should be fans, or even what direction they should blow in. This is especially problematic if you have it in an entertainment cabinet, where you'd ideally want a rear exhaust - the rear grill on this case is only 80mm vs 120mm for every other grill. Also, even if you do blow out the back, there is not necessarily anywhere for the air to come from other than the several vents right next to it, so that one corner of the case will have tons of airflow and everywhere else will have none.

Also, the 9" video card will basically divide the case into two compartments. The CPU side will have 4 vents and two fans in the default configuration and be totally fine. The PSU/GPU side will have 1 vent and zero fans and will allow you to cook eggs on the top of the case even under medium load. The fact that I have a fanless PSU doesn't help.

I think the key is adding a fan on the opposite side of the case near the PSU. Look at what this guy did for an example:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums...p?f=14&t=63102

I want to do basically what he is doing. Actually, I want to do what he said he was going to do next, but it doesn't look like he's done it yet, or isn't an active member anymore, so we'll never know if it worked. In any event, his original strategy resulted in better temperatures than I'm getting, and he has an overclocked GTX560 whereas I have an underclocked GT440, so I think it will work fine for me.

Basically my strategy is going to be to blow air in the case from every (or most) places, and hope it decides to escape through the PCI vents between the PSU and the video card so that they actually get fresh air.

I also plan to put some sound-cushioning material against the inside of the front panel to attempt to dampen any sound. It might be possible to put some inside the top panel as well. All other places are vented.

The funny thing is that this will end up having as many or more fans than my gaming rig. I guess another option would be plugged several of the four vents near the CPU in an attempt to manage the airflow better without yet another intake fan.

Renethx, how do you normally build this case up?

wouldn't the 6670 with ddr5 have more processing room and a bit more feature proof? with the extra speed wouldn't this help bluray films etc?

Does MadVR really improve the image that much?

I'm thinking of trying it out but seeing the picture comparaison on Doom9 Madshi first post, I don't really see that much of a difference. In some case MPC-HC seem better at it.

Does MadVR make use of Cuda or other NVidia specific tweaks?

PS.: I really want some info and not start a flamewar. Percieved insult or trolling tactics may be the result of english being my second language. None is intended.

Thank you OP!

So i went and got the ultimate sapphire 6570, i have the nmedia 5000b case and space was limited.

Until my 3.5 drive arrives i put a 2.5inch 7200rmp hitachi 500gb in there.

PC is almost SILENT , i might as well leave it in there. its pretty fast as well for a laptop drive.



BTW: I have the intel i5-2500 CPU i was using the integrated graphics until i got the amd video card, and Total Media theatre would stutter, and some scenes would go slow and then speed up.

Now that i put the ati card in, no more stuttering!


BTW2: the integrated vid card on intel, can we change the memory it uses? enable it to use more of the shared? or is it a set amount?

Will the Sapphire DIRT 3 EDITION Radeon HD 6950 2 GB DDR5 fit into my Lian Li PC-C 50B case?

Im confused about the lenght of the card.

On amazon the details say

Product Dimensions: 14.8 x 4 x 9.8 inches

But soem reviews say the card is almost 11 inches aprox. so not sure how accurate is that

Well, my thanks go out to Renethx and many of the rest of you. I finally went and built an HTPC. My first build, and I'm amazed to say that it went just fine (so far). Parts are:

Case: LIAN LI Silver Aluminum PC-C60A
Motherboard: MSI Z68MA-ED55 mATX
PSU: COOLER MASTER GX 450W RS450-ACAAD3
Memory: G.SKILL F3-10666CL9D-8GBSR
KB/Mouse: Lenovo Multimedia Remote w/keyboard N5901
SSD: Crucial m4 64GB CT064M4SSD2 (for OS and software)
HHD: HITACHI HDS5C3020ALA632 2 TB
CPU: Intel Core i3-2105
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)
Remote/IR/display: Antec Veris Elite (iMON VFD)
BRD (R/W): ASUS BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS
Tuner: CETON Infinitv

A couple of points on the specific choice of equipment. I started with Renethx's guide, and then looked for sales on NewEgg or Amazon or my local store, Micro Center. Turns out that everything except the Lenovo mini-KB was from NewEgg, and most of them were daily sale items. So when some memory (for example) was available on sale with the same specs as something I got from The Guide, I bought it! Everything except the case, tuner, and motherboard was on some kind of sale!

I got the ATX Lian Li case rather than the mATX one for two reasons. First was that I have no idea how to run cables properly, so I figured I'd do better with more internal space (a good idea, for me at least). Second was I wanted the two slots for external 5 1/4 devices for easy installation of an optical disk and the iMON VFD (also a good idea). And it really is a beautiful case in silver aluminum.

The installation went smoothly. I took it in one- to one-and-a-half-hour chunks so I would stay fresh, and the total time was about 8 hours. Of course when I pushed the power button the first time nothing happened. Then I remembered someone on this forum suggesting that if that happens, check the power cables. With the iMON, there are some extra connections from the PSU to the iMON to the motherboard. I carefully reseated both sets, and it powered right up.

Only serious problem was getting the infinitv tuner to play nicely with the cablecard. The instructions said that if you have anything other than a Microsoft firewall, you need to adjust some ports manually (I use Norton Internet Security). So I adjusted the ports, but I still couldn't get the tuner card to read the encrypted cable channels. I ended up removing the Norton firewall entirely, letting MS do the job, and they paired up just fine.

I do my transcoding on a separate box with a Core 950 and 460 graphics card, so I didn't buy that for the HTPC: it's basically going to run Windows Media Center to watch, record, and play back cable channels. I'll eventually figure out how to do the WMC Internet TV stuff, but not for a while. I didn't realize (duh) that without additional software I couldn't play Bluray disks, so I may get TotalMedia Theater or PowerDVD 11. I also haven't yet worked it into my equipment rack where I hope it will replace a Scientific Atlanta set top box, but that's just a matter of time.

My most immediate question concerns the fans on the case and the CPU as controlled by the MSI mobo. MSI has a utility that gives you a "silent" option for the fans. There appears to be no way to reset the default (which is full speed) to "silent," so you have to go into the utility every time you boot the system, to bring the fans to a tolerable level. I'm afraid I will have to figure out some batch script to run the utility when Windows comes up if I want to automate the system start up procedure, unless someone can point me in an easier direction. (I'm thinking seriously about renethx's advice in #17990 but haven't quite gotten my head around it yet.) Any other advice, of course, is most welcome.

So this is really a thank you to everyone who posts great ideas here. I really couldn't have done it without you.