Guide to Building a HTPC, Workstation and Server - Page 289

Ok I enabled it, but the settings are a bit criptic.

Control Mode [Manual]
Fan Ctrl OFF(C) [010]
Fan Ctrl On(C) [020]
Fan Ctrl Start(C) [030]
Fan Ctrl Sensitive [050]

What should I change these settings to?

*update*

I went with these settings
Fan Ctrl OFF(C) [020]
Fan Ctrl On(C) [030]
Fan Ctrl Start(C) [010]
Fan Ctrl Sensitive [030]

After startup and launching media center and playing a VOB, the CPU fan hit ~1800rpm and CPU temp was 37C
now after running for a bit the fan dropped to ~1650 and CPU temp is 35C.

I can't really judge the noise level because someone is cutting grass outside. I live in an apt, so I can't really do much about ambient noise. Moving soon though

Here's what I would do to troubleshoot:

Take the motherboard out of the case, and put it on a non-conductive surface.

Take everything off the motherboard except the CPU and heatsink (Make sure it's installed correctly, and the fan is plugged into the CPU_FAN header) , 1 stick of RAM (preferrably one you know works in another computer). This is to make sure that something in the motherboard was not shorted out by the case, or that something is drawing the power supply down. We're going to set up "bare-bones" .

Plug in the Power supply to the Motherboard connections. If you can, plug in the case's power switch wires. If you can't that's OK, we'll get by that later. Plug in the speaker to hear the beep codes.

Since you didn't mention a Video card, I'm assuming your using the built Internal Graphics.

Plug your mouse/keyboard and monitor into the back connectors on the motherboard.

You're now ready to test. You've got the minimun system that should POST (Power On Self Test).

Did you connect the power switch wires, if so, push the power button. If you weren't able to connect the power switch wires, you can short between the 2 power switch pins on the motherboard with a jumper, or just a screwdriver. Touch and let go. Be sure to get the right 2, look at the motheboard manual. You won't get shocked.

Did you get anything when you pushed the power button? Did any fans spin up? Get any beeps from the speaker?

Fans spinning typically mean the power supply is probably good. A single beep is great.

Multiple beeps typically mean that either your ram or your video adapter is not good.

If you got no beeps, and the fans spin, it gets a little hairier. Power everything down, and swap out one RAM stick for another, and re-test.

Still no workie, could be either the motherboard or the CPU. If you have spares from past builds, or another computer, borrow them to test.

Once you get the single beep, and the system complains about no operating system, then is when I typically re-install just the minimum stuff into the case and re-try. If the POST is still good when you've got the MB in the case, one by one, add the other components (other RAM, HD, BD, etc) re-POSTING after each one.

Hope this helps.

Gayle

cool ill try all that out this weekend.. yeah i am using onboard video, and the fans do spin up as well... i do not have a speaker on the motherboard yet... i guess i should buy one huh lol... thanks for the writeup

Before you take the whole rig apart and test everything, you might want to start by testing the RAM. I just had the exact same problem you describe with my new HTPC--everything seems to be running, but nothing on the monitor. I tried taking out each of the two memory DIMMs one at a time, and on the second one the picture came onto the monitor. So my problem turned out to be a bad stick of memory. I RMA'd it to Newegg, got a new kit and was up and running in no time. Checking the memory first saved me a LOT of work in disassembling the entire computer, so it may work for you too! Apparently there's a lot of bad RAM out there--very poor quality control. Mine was from A-Data.

cool sounds good... i have new memory coming my way anyway as i can only fit one of the sticks in because of the stupid heat pipe thing that comes out of the top of it... the second stick wont clear the sata cable out of my bluray

Yeah, I think I get it. The fan has settled at around 1600 rpm and the cpu is 33C. How hot can I run an AMD 7750 without shortening its lifespan?

Also the ambient noise levels have dropped and once again I can hear the HTPC, but the sound is different. Before it had more of a high pitch to it. The sound is now deeper and perhaps a bit quieter since the CPU fan is running slower. But after taking measurements it is still in the 55 decibel range.

*update*
The CPU fan is running between 1300-1400rpm and the CPU temp is between 43-45C is this safe?
Settings are:
Fan Ctrl OFF(C) [025]
Fan Ctrl On(C) [035]
Fan Ctrl Start(C) [005]
Fan Ctrl Sensitive [010]

The noise is still 55dB at 6 inches and ~50dB at seating position. I really think it is the PSU. I'm going to look into replacing the fan, but I thought that was dangerous, and that I should just get another PSU

That looks like a fun project, and it is the cheapest way for me to go, but I'm worried that it wouldn't properly cool the PSU and that the fan wouldn't be as quiet as I would like. I suppose it is a cheap PSU and wrecking it wouldn't be a great loss, but I don't think I want to risk other damage.

Hmm, decisions, decisions...

So I could safely set the fan on at say, 65C?

Funny, that's what I went with before I read your post. CPU fan is at 1100-1200rpm and the temp started at 55C and has continued to drop all the way to 47C.
BTW while I was fiddling with the Bios, I saw that the IGP clock was set to 400MHz. I thought that 790GX was supposed to run at 700MHz? It allowed me to up the clock, to 425,450,475,500,533. It suggested upping the voltage at 500 and 533, so I tried 450 and everything seems fine. Is this actually making any difference, or should I just let it be?

Yeah I think I'm below that, and should still be below that when I add another hard drive. I'll be under 250W for sure.

Hmm, I think I'm going to go for it.

OK - I ran into my first problem on my HTPC. I'm trying to play a bluray on it for the first time (using WinDVD9). I have a horrible audio lag when I'm in full screen mode. And there is severe judder as well. When I have the screen size to be about half my tv size, then it runs fine. What's the issue? I'm using the the mid-range system on page 85 without a dedicated graphics card... here's are the relevant specs:

# CPU: Core 2 Duo E7400 2.80GHz LGA775, $113.
# CPU Cooler: Cooler Master 風神鍛 (Geminii S) RR-CCH-PBJ1-GP, $28.
# Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-E7AUM-DS2H LGA775 GeForce 9400 mGPU microATX, $130. A cheaper alternative is MSI P7NGM-Digital LGA775 GeForce 9300 mGPU microATX, $110, which is of better value if you don't need an S/PDIF port and an eSATA port.
# Memory: A-DATA ADQVE1A16K DDR2-800 2 x 1GB Kit, $30.
# Graphics Card: ASUS EN9500GT TOP/DI/512M GeForce 9500 GT, $61.
# HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
# PSU: Corsair VX450W CMPSU-450VX 450W, $57.
# Case: Antec Fusion Remote Black microATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $143

CPU usage is only about 25% at most when running full screen.

Any ideas?

Oh yeah... hdmi out to TC-P54G10 (panasonic plasma), and optical out to a yamaha receiver. In windvd9 I have the audio portion set to 6 channels.

Edit - more info - I'm running AnyDVD HD as well. My bluray drive is: LG GGC-H20L ... and I'm running Windows 7 RC

Edit2 - ok, I might have answered my own question. It's got to be the software player. I played just the title m2ts file from the bdmv/stream folder in windows media player and it plays beautifully.

Alright I think I'm suffering from information overload. I have a PC up and running with Vista 32-bit, with the TV pack, and HDhomerun, a DVD drive, and tons of Hard Drive space. I want to back up my DVD's to an external Hard Drive to play on this PC. I noticed the software section of the guide is blank. My specs are e7200 processor, 2 gigs of ram, and a 9600gt. I just need a recommendation on some software that would back up and then play these DVDs once they are backed up. Of course of looking for the best bang for my buck, but I'm willing to pony up a little extra if they value is there. Thanks in advance for the help and I apologize for my ignornace.

Posted this in a thread all it's own but it quickly got pushed back a few pages:

Recap: Building my first HTPC. Going with Renethx's AMD/AMD build for a premium system since I'm a gamer also. Goes like this: Items in red are my only deviations from original suggestion.


Requiremants: Gaming, Hulu, OTA broadcast, Interent surfing, Playback of everything. I'm not much into ripping but I guess, I'd like the option.

Questions: Ok, So I'm running Windows 7 64. I got like half the stuff already. What I need is a guide on what to do (for idiots) when I have it up and running. I want to use Windows Media Center for my front end. (Did I use the term correctly?)

Also, I really just want the one box in my entertainment center, so no Reciever. The speaker system can be used directly from the PC correct? Maybe using the TV's own speaker for center.

Oh, and those heat pipes sticking out the side on those new 4890 cards,,(toxic and vapor models), Those will still fit in the large case I have correct?


I really need an answer to No.1. I realize Win7 64 is new and not much is out there but any help is appreciated. I have a few .mkv files that WMC isnt even seeing.

Thxs in Advance

I'm a big fan of open source software. But I think you get what you pay for when it comes to ripping software.

I like DVDFab, it seems other here like AnyDVD. Both cost money, I believe AnyDVD is bought with either an annual subscription or a lifetime subscription.

With a toddler around the house, thank goodness for DVD backup software!

As for playback, that's where open source can help.

If you like a slick interface and having some room to tinker, I love Media Portal (http://www.team-mediaportal.com/). Easy to build a menu interface to your movie library just by dropping them into sub folders.

I have also heard VLC (http://www.videolan.org/vlc/) plays many, many formats right "out of the box."

builds but curious about dumping the suggested case and power supply for the NSK2480 and using the power supply it comes with. I already have a Logitech 880 remote, is this power supply too loud or perhaps 380w just isnt quite enough?? This should save me about $80. I'm trying to keep it under $700 for everything inluding $113 for the HVR-2250 and $120 for the 2 1TB drives that only leaves $467 for everything else.

Out of curiosity, are there one, or a couple good sources of free, legal, HD content to demo a newly build HTPC?

Any web resources for the following would be greatly appreciated:
- 1080p movie trallers
- Top notch FLAC audio demos (either independant artists, or again, clips from popular artists)
- THX / DTS demos (ie, the Robot Cow Herder with rocket boots, the Piano, etc.)

What else to "show off" a new HTPC?

I would suggest the Apple or Yahoo! movie trailer websites. They have 1080p downloads available (there are also plug ins for popular htpc front end like in XMBC, Media Browswer, VMC etc that allow access to those trailer sites from your interface)

Also, there is an open source animated 1080p short film called Elephants Dream that is free and legal.

A for Flac, try the etree internet music archive for free concert downloads.

Ripping - AnyDVDHD will allow you to do BD's as well as DVD's (if you look at going to BD in the future.

Otherwise, I have used DVDFab Platnum. It is very easy software to use and if you don't care about special features etc, you can just set it to grab the main movie, the english track, and no subtitles. It is very easy to use. (I also see that they have just released a BD version as well).

For managing/playing the collection, if you have Media Center on your PC, you can use it - and a free app like Media Browser or OML (both free). At their current stage of developement Media Browser is probably further along and simpler to use regarding auto-metadata collection (info about your movie). Check them out and see which you prefer.

I would like to use the HEC 8K case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811121090 for the reccomended ITX system. Will the 120 watt power supply be adequate? If not, can you recommend an ITX motherboard that uses a mobile processor?

Agreed. Price of AnyDVD or DVDFab is a bit of a bummer but you will be covered on the DVD and BR front (I have had mixed results with DVFab's ability to rip BR consistently). MediaBrowser with VMC is great. You can also look at MediaPortal and XBMC to name a few.

I notice that the first page has a lot of outdated info. Is there a guide for cheap htpc with current hardware and prices?

hi guys
i have this gateway Gm5478 desktop
spec are: intel core 2 quad @2.40 Ghz 2.39Ghz
500gb harddrive ge force nvidia 9500gt 256mb graphic card
4gb ram
32 bit O P

i have highspeed dsl yahoo internet i believe 1.5mbph

now i want to speed up the downloading
whats the best way
iam thinking about comcast
if i overclock this baby does it make any difference in downloading and uploading
if so,
how can i do it?
please guide me and help
Thankyou so much

Go to page 85.

Renethx- this case is awesome thanks for recommending it, it is superior to my previous Lian-Li which has always been a fav of mine, Now I am a convert!

Case: Antec Fusion Remote Max, $180
I ordered two!

Great ideas, thanks! Especially like the idea of concert downloads.