Been thinking about making a HTPC for a long time, and finally decided to show people my ideas. .The main idea behind it is to be able to show HD content, 720p, as our 50' pioneer plasma doesn't support 1080p.
Start with the interesting part of the build, the case isn't the Antec or Silverstone, but an old Aiwa vcr that stopped working, here are a few pics (sorry for blur, taken with phone and shakey hands):
Provisional Specs:
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4050e
Picked this to pair with the mobo, has 45w so will be good for the leccy bill and low heat which is essential for this build.
Mobo Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H
Picked for onboard graphics, and the optical out for sound, which will both be used.
RAM 2GB (2x1GB) Corsair TwinX XMS2
2GB to allow smoothness in general, as it will be used to browse the internet, and its the cheapest **** do.
Harddisk 750 GB Western Digital WD7500AACS Caviar GP
Picked to store lots of music and video, more expensive due to "green power" edition which is quiet and low on energy consumption
CD/DVD Samsung SH-S223F/BEBE
Not sure on if this is the best drive, cannot afford a blu-ray drive yet, will put one in when the prices come down a bit, this drive has a reputation for being quiet and will be used to upscale SD DVDs.
PSU Shuttle PC40 250w
This was picked to hopefully be quiet, anyone know about this? And mainly due to the space restrictions due to the case.
Fans 120mm Noctua and 80mm Noctua
Picked to be as quiet as possible, whilst producing good air flow
CPU HS Silverstone SST-NT06 Lite NT06
This was chosen to hopefully be run semi passive, with no fan directly attached but as you can see from the diagrams, with a fan overhead attached to the case.
HD CoolerZalman ZM-2HC2
Will be used on the HD to keep it nice and cool, but will not reduce vibration as the HD will be mounted from underneath using the four holes on the face.
LCD/Remote Here is where I am completely lost, as you can see in the sketches, the LCD/VFD will be placed where the VCR's original was, but must have the ability via remote control to turn on the HTPC.
So to where I need help:
1) Does anyone know how quiet Shuttle PSUs are in general?
2) Need some help with the LCD/VFD with the IR receiver, what suggestions are there that allow the HTPC to be booted via remote control?
3) Anyone have experience with the cooler, hopefully will be able to run semi-passive.
Just so you guys have some idea what im thinking of:
Front View (drawn in sketch up) The lcd will be where the original is on the VCR shown in the first post, and the usb ports where the old RCA ports are at the front on the original VCR.
Top View:
Back View: The long box on the top right of the VCR is the PSU
Start with the interesting part of the build, the case isn't the Antec or Silverstone, but an old Aiwa vcr that stopped working, here are a few pics (sorry for blur, taken with phone and shakey hands):
Provisional Specs:
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4050e
Picked this to pair with the mobo, has 45w so will be good for the leccy bill and low heat which is essential for this build.
Mobo Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H
Picked for onboard graphics, and the optical out for sound, which will both be used.
RAM 2GB (2x1GB) Corsair TwinX XMS2
2GB to allow smoothness in general, as it will be used to browse the internet, and its the cheapest **** do.
Harddisk 750 GB Western Digital WD7500AACS Caviar GP
Picked to store lots of music and video, more expensive due to "green power" edition which is quiet and low on energy consumption
CD/DVD Samsung SH-S223F/BEBE
Not sure on if this is the best drive, cannot afford a blu-ray drive yet, will put one in when the prices come down a bit, this drive has a reputation for being quiet and will be used to upscale SD DVDs.
PSU Shuttle PC40 250w
This was picked to hopefully be quiet, anyone know about this? And mainly due to the space restrictions due to the case.
Fans 120mm Noctua and 80mm Noctua
Picked to be as quiet as possible, whilst producing good air flow
CPU HS Silverstone SST-NT06 Lite NT06
This was chosen to hopefully be run semi passive, with no fan directly attached but as you can see from the diagrams, with a fan overhead attached to the case.
HD CoolerZalman ZM-2HC2
Will be used on the HD to keep it nice and cool, but will not reduce vibration as the HD will be mounted from underneath using the four holes on the face.
LCD/Remote Here is where I am completely lost, as you can see in the sketches, the LCD/VFD will be placed where the VCR's original was, but must have the ability via remote control to turn on the HTPC.
So to where I need help:
1) Does anyone know how quiet Shuttle PSUs are in general?
2) Need some help with the LCD/VFD with the IR receiver, what suggestions are there that allow the HTPC to be booted via remote control?
3) Anyone have experience with the cooler, hopefully will be able to run semi-passive.
Just so you guys have some idea what im thinking of:
Front View (drawn in sketch up) The lcd will be where the original is on the VCR shown in the first post, and the usb ports where the old RCA ports are at the front on the original VCR.
Top View:
Back View: The long box on the top right of the VCR is the PSU
