Need advice building an ITX media hub.

Falcor

Falcor

Falcor

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24 Feb 2008
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117
Im under orders to build one of these for crimbo....

got a budget of £200ish not including hard disk, and dont want anything too ott, all it needs to do is:

Play media
Contain a 1tb hd.
Wireless link to my network.
Browse internet
Run simple programs like office.
(have an internal dvd drive if possible?)
Relitively quiet.(will be under tv i have a spare noctua fan that could be of use for that tho :) )

Im after a neat gloss black case thats not too big, but not stupidly small or a silly shape.

Also i need some advice on what windows version to use, what other software is good etc etc

What keyboard/mouse thing is good for a media centre(to use on your knee)

A click on power up and click off power down on the keyboard would be nice too if possible(like a controller would work)
 
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Having done a LOT of research...ive decided i want ITX over ATX however...

Im not sure wether to go for an ION processor or a normal one, pricing is similar it seems when u take into account the processor, and its faster so atm i see no reason not to go for the normal processor? i assume the power consumption is higher which is a concern, however not at the expense of a lot of performance...
 
I want a build exactly the same as that and most of the ones I specced were coming in around £300.

As for going for an ION/Atom board or say, skt775 cpu and 9300 onboard graphics, thats upto you really. If you went for a relatively cheap E5300 CPU and matching board then it would be faster than an ION/Atom setup. However it would need to be cooled well which can be hard in some of the smaller cases. I am personally looking at the ION/Atom setup as they use less power and so run cooler, meaning they can often be run passive, or with just one slow fan making it all a bit quieter :)

As for a case, the In-Win Cases are gloss and a good size. They're small, but can still fit a standard sized optical drive and hard drive.

A good keyboard to get is the Logitech diNovo but thats a bit out of reach for most peoples budget. Keysonic do a good Wireless Keyboard but OCUK only have it in silver. They also do a Bluetooth version which Ive read as being better and would probably get instead, but again its not available at OCUK unfortunately :(
 
Ducky Spud said:
...

A good keyboard to get is the Logitech diNovo...
Click to expand...

Why not the diNovo Edge ;) Yeh they are a little over priced, but they are lovely. I wouldn't swap mine.

Falcor -
Unless you really need to processing power, I'd go with an ION setup. It is far lower in power consumption and cooling isn't as much of a problem + its built for this.
You are probably going to struggle to hit the £200 mark even cutting out the cost of the OS. The cost of components has gone up in recent months (memory especially).
A quick add up in my head, I'd guess you'd be aiming for around: £260?
 
yeah, having looking ill havto stretch my budget abit, not a big deal...i havent decided on an OS yet..not a fan of vista really...but it needs to be windows based as i wont be only person using it....none nerds will :D

Cases is bothing me, ive looked all the silverstone cube cases and dont like the styling or the price, seem expensive for what they are..

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1797/a_cupid_3_mini_itx_htpc_chassis/index.html

i fancy this case...but its a lil ugly..good features tho with the card reader and its about the right size..ill havto think:) the in-win ones are slightly neater, id like to perhaps use a slim line optical so i can get the case smaller too...

Also which ZOtac ion board should i get? the 19vdc one or the standard atx one? will be getting one those with wireless n.
 
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Yea, I'd say the Compucase case's look pretty good then if you dont mind using a slimline drive. Theres a couple (8k01 and 8k07 I think), basically the same but with a slightly different front on them. Supposed to be pretty good though, and come with a 120W PSU so can get the slightly cheaper mobo which comes without the external power supply. :)
 
the small a plus case cant fit a 3.5inch disc unfortunately...

i think ill shall prolly end up going for a smaller neater case with a smiline and space for one 3.5....i just havent seen one that makes me go WOW yet :) thats all...if only i had a milling machine and some sheets of 4mil aluminum :)

Which ion board is better? the one that comes with or the one without the psu? given one is external adapater and one uses the cases internal psu? which is quieter/more efficent? can u run optical drives and 3.5inch harddisks on that little 90w psu that comes iwth the ion board? Hmm ok from reading its not recommended to install a full optical on the 90w external psu...so whats the disadvantage of the slimlines?

Hoping to get all this sorted soon, ill do a build thread when i do, seems theres not that much itx info out there really :)
 
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I've got a Comell LV677DC which supports laptop CPUs and has a built in PSU. I've had a 8400GS, 2.5" & 3.5" and slim optical running off it before with 2GB ddr667 and my T2600.

I personally love having a built in power supply, it gives me a lot more room to play with and 1 less component to worry about.

Saying that, it does mean that there is one more thing to go wrong with your motherboard that you can't replace and it does limit you - though with an Atom you are pretty limited anyway.

I'd say if you are going for a case with a PSU in, then don't get one onboard, otherwise go for it.

As for Cases, if you can find one and feel like forking £100 get your hands on a cubit3. I want mine back, wish I'd never sold it.:(
 
hmm not a bad case but i dont like all the uncovered holes, there just dust attractors =p

only real thing im struggling to decide now is dvd drive, slim line or not...slimline allows for smaller cases but there must be some disadvantage id imagine?
 
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