Building Another HTPC

[six_storm]

i want to see those pictures ;)

almost bought the same lian-li case, but before i do i want to see how it will look on the inside

I will definitely post up some pics later tonight or tomorrow, depending on when I get done with the case. Just to wet the appetite, check this dedicated thread out:

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1133290

Tons of pics in there. A bunch of people in there have modded their case and made some improvements like turning the PSU upside down, where the bottom fan faces upwards. Some have also taken the HDD cage out to allow more airflow out of the case. Did you know that this is a reverse airflow case? I've never heard of this so I'll let you know how it works out.

I've been praying for a slow work day today and it looks like it might be one. Wish me luck. :rolleyes:

[nekrosoft13]

was thinking about this case

http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=94002

cheap, not that big

[mullet]

you guys see this? Micro

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119149

[six_storm]

My HTPC is a success so far. Stupid UPS didn't come by my work until 4:30 and I didn't get to start putting it together until midnight last night. So here are a few quick thoughts:

* DVD playback rocks. Upscaling works better on my HTPC than I've ever seen on a PC (I'm guessing it's because of my TV's resolution vs. my higher res LCD). VMC works great with video playback and is easy to use. I watched some Sin City thinking that the DVD quality would blow chunks but I was extremely impressed and surprised to say the least. My Incubus concert DVDs look and sound awesome! Can't wait to see what Blu-Ray playback looks like.

* Playing music is fun, everything sounds great on my 3.1 setup (left, center, right and sub) in the living room. I did have to tweak my Sony system to cater more to the music and DVD difference but after doing that, my music collection sounds wonderful.

* The Lian-Li case is simple, yet awesome. A mATX motherboard fits very nicely and gives lots of extra room for your components to breathe. Temps are pretty low (feel of hand) but I'll have to check my BIOS temps and see what they say.

Now all I need is my 500GB HDD and we will be rockin and rolling with the DVD and music collection. I still can't find my USB cable for my camera so I'll have to post pics later. Sorry guys.

[nekrosoft13]

that lianli will fit atx as well?

[nekrosoft13]

you guys see this? Micro

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119149

seen it upclose in one store, really don't like it, ultra cheap

[mullet]

that lianli will fit atx as well?

Yes.

I'z seen it up close in one store, really don't like it, ultra cheap-0

I was thinking this as well being 44 bucks.

[nekrosoft13]

my junk HTPC is somewhat running, haha

just need to get some wireless keyboard, case and replace the geforce 7600 for something that does hardware acceleration. oh and some cheap better PSU, current one is only 20-pin, no sata plugs.

[nekrosoft13]

Logitech MX3200 Cordless Desktop: Keyboard/Mouse = $60
ThermalTake / PurePower W0100RU / 500-Watt / ATX = $60
Adesso ARC-1100 Windows Vista Media Center Remote = $25
Lite-On DH-401S-08 Blu-Ray Internal Playback = $114

plus case

will use geforce 7600GT for few days, once i sell that, i will buy something else

[mullet]

My X1900GT wouldn't do hardware acceleration, I got this.

$29.99 ASUS EAH3450 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121259&nm_mc=TEMC-RMA-Approvel&cm_mmc=TEMC-RMA-Approvel-_-Content-_-text-_-)

[nekrosoft13]

is that card good? CPU usage? does it work with PowerDVD Ultra?

[mullet]

is that card good? CPU usage? does it work with PowerDVD Ultra?

It should be here Thursday, I will let you know but from the reviews I read its pretty damn good for a HTPC.

[nekrosoft13]

i might grab those 4 items listed above today

case will be here later this week.

[nekrosoft13]

six_storm, where are those pics?

my HTPC is put together, later just need to get BD-Rom

instead of bd-rom yesterday, i grabbed Visiontek Radeon 3460 or 3450 something like that. Has DVI, HDMI outputs.

Vista installed, just need to set it up now.

[mullet]

is that card good? CPU usage? does it work with PowerDVD Ultra?

OK I finally got it together and a basic config. I am very pleased with the quality and performance with the new $29.99 ASUS 3450 HDMI.

The specs:
ASUS A8N-E
AMD FX-55 no OC
ASUS 3450 HDMI
Corsair DDR 3200 3-3-3-8
Raptor 36GB for the OS
HITACHI Deskstar 400GB
LG Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM
Hiper 580 watt PSU
SILVERSTONE SST-LC17-B

I played. My camera sux but all the movies looked awesome.

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/1862/htpcqn3.jpg
Hellboy-Blu Ray 50% CPU usage tops.
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/1025/htpc3oi2.jpg
Transformers-HD DVD 60% CPU usage tops.
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/844/htpc2ne6.jpg

[nekrosoft13]

that CPU usage is quite high

[Sazar]

For watching high-def content?

Really? I sure would like to see what kinda setup you have where you don't get that kind of usage for high-def videos nekro :cool:

[nekrosoft13]

still working on my HTPC ;)

but my quad intel does it at 2-10% CPU usage, average around 4% maybe

[Sazar]

You must have the worlds most amazing processor :)

My 720p rips play a little better.

Keep in mind I can play many simulataneous rips and there is no inherent slow-down (this screenshot is of my "server" box) but still :)

http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/2224/1080pkd8.th.jpg (http://img257.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1080pkd8.jpg)

[nekrosoft13]

powerdvd ultra gpu accelerated ;)

[Sazar]

Ah, in that case apples and oranges :)

My gpu is folding so I don't try and overload it. Plus I am using MPC.

[mullet]

that CPU usage is quite high

LOL its a single core 939 dude with a $29 video card. All this thing will do is play movies that's it. If I upgrade to 780G and a 45watt AMD CPU then my cpu usage will go to the teens. OOh and BTW I was using PDVD 7.3 that came with my LG BD/HD DVD rom.

[six_storm]

Sorry for the delay guys, things have been really busy the past week. Here are some pics:

Uncased . . .
http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/7734/htpc4pj2.jpg

Lian-Li A05B Case. It's a pretty nice case IMO:
http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/2755/htpc3zb6.jpg

Inside the case. I know the wiring job isn't pretty but I just haven't had time to mess with it.
http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/491/htpc2ba1.jpg

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/7213/htpc1vv2.jpg

I'm still trying to find the time to convert my music to MP3 but stupid life is getting in the way! :D

[mullet]

Looks really good dude. Are you planing on getting a Blu-Ray rom?

[nekrosoft13]

i might grab bd-rom within a week or so.

probably the lite-on since it is the cheapest