Possible HTPC project

[BigBry]

Not yet but I paid for it 24 hours later (just in case!).

When you've opened yours post back re contents please. I'm looking at the emergency fan solution, have you looked into this?

[BigBry]

Just got mine before noon, he'd paid extra for a pre-noon delivery!

Just opened it up, the case looks good and all the promised parts are there (the CPU cooler looks like it's actually the sort that fits virtually all CPU's) and it's also got a graphics card silent cooler unit too;

http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/info_1280.html

This is a £400 package all in!

[Rack]

In my HTPC case the main causes of noise are the HDD and GFX. If you have a case with a couple of silent 120mm fans (try the orange Antec ones at 7V for example), then they are quieter than a wisper anyway. Add a PSU with a 120mm fan at low speeds (eg enermax liberty, Silverstone Strider), you still won't really hear it in comparison to the gfx/hdds.

I recently switched to a TT Blue Orb II on the CPU and Arctic Silencer on the Gfx, and now I can't tell if my HTPC is on or not except for the lights and the hdd. Silence is relative, and unless you live in a recording studio you probably won't notice rear-exhaust fans >80mm or a relatively silent heatsink on Gfx or CPU.

[eek]

Just got mine before noon, he'd paid extra for a pre-noon delivery!

Just opened it up, the case looks good and all the promised parts are there (the CPU cooler looks like it's actually the sort that fits virtually all CPU's) and it's also got a graphics card silent cooler unit too;

http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/info_1280.html

This is a £400 package all in!

As the person who bought the third one of these the only question I can ask is where is mine.

[Funkstar]

Opened mine before i went to lunch. Very impressed with everything in there. Silverstone iMon remote/reciever and VFD, CPU cooler/heat pipes (shame it's not the cool copper one), graphics and north bridge heat pipes.

Impressed there is an extra long screw driver included too

What is the little PCB with the red and green LEDs in the pack with what resembles an audio cable?

[BigBry]

That's the HD and power LED's that fit in the front window. Take care they're very tight to the finish and can cause it to mark the front. Haven't seen the screwdriver but then I bought one especially for the last time I built one of these.

eek I'm sure yours is on the way!

I've ordered a Core 2 Duo for this and I'm ordering the 'emergency' fan unit from Kustom PC shortly.

[Funkstar]

i'm at work, so i've not had a chance to have a proper look through everything and lay it all out yet. Doing some major decorating work at home too so it'll be a few days before i get time to sit down with this monster. Was planning or starting a thread over in the Project Logs board

Fans i'll decide on later. Was looking at some neat ones on KustonPCs last week.

I take it the piece of plextiglass sticks to the front of your CD/DVD drive when installed?

Once i'm done, this thing is going to weigh a ton! Might be up as high as mid 30s KG.

[BigBry]

Yes the front fixes to your DVD drive so try and get one with a flat-ish front. It's then a good idea to use the eject button to open and close the drawer I thought it wasn't the best such fixing I'd seen (but maybe it's improved).

I'm building mine 100% fanless except for the emergency roof mounted fan. It will be interesting to see how the Intel CPU works in that situation. I'm also using rubber hard drive mountings, a spinpoint HD slowed down through accoustic management and I'm hoping Nero Drivespeed will control the DVD noise effectively. Once it's tested it'll be sold.

All the parts should be here Thursday and it will be interesting to compare notes?

[Funkstar]

I think our goals are the same to be honest, but i've gone the AM2 Energy Efficiant route instead. It only kicks out 65W peak so the passive cooler block should handle that.

I've got a lot of other things to deal with this week (i have litterally no kitchen right now) so you'll have yours build before i will i also need to get a few more parts such as hard drive boxes etc.

[BigBry]

I thought about AM2 but the CPU cooler didn't list that as an option/fitting so I didn't want to risk it.

I've ordered the Core 2 Duo for the lower heat levels which I believe is also 65w.

[eek]

I think the e6300 seems to max at about 45watts or so.

Still no sign of my case however.

[kchakkar]

I'm using a e2140 1.6ghz with my HFX. I plan on ordering the BorgFX 520 for my cpu and the BorgVGA for my Ati HD2400 and a silverstone psu.