HTPC is all together, (pics added in first post!)

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GSRCRXsi

Super Moderator
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updating with my setup
Frontend:
Aopen B200 case w/ 275W CFX12V PSU
Intel DG965PZ picoBTX MB
Intel 1.8GHz celeron CPU
Cooler Master BTX type 2 (low-profile) thermal module
EVGA 7300GT 512MB
WD 40 GB SATA drive
Samsung SATA DVD drive
Mythbuntu 7.10

Backend:
Asus P4G8X deluxe MB
Intel P4 2.4 GHz
ATI 9600 Pro
WD 320 GB IDE for windows
WD 500 GB for Mythtv
Plextor DVD drive
Plextor CD-Rom
(currently working on putting together a 1.5TB Raid5 array with 4x500 GB drives)

frontend pics

all the pieces
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empty case w/ MB and CPU
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with HDD and PSU added
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with DVD drive added (somehow forgot the pic of the vid card with riser card lol)
riley_078.jpg


all closed up
riley_079.jpg

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what are your other components? it seems like that lc02 only takes full size agp cards because of its riser, unless u get another pci-e raiser.

also, sometimes psu's with lower ratings can out perform those with higher watts because of amps and other stability factors.
 
yes you can get a pci-e riser. silverstone makes one specifically for that case. but still i cant find any other PSU for it.
 
It seems like the LC02 has a Flex ATX power supply and the LC04 uses a proprietary one, so probably wont fit?

The included power supplies provide enough juice to run a modern Core 2 or AM2 system but I dont know about a modern GPU, plus need SATA converters if planning to run those kinda drives. The cases do look nice however.
 
It seems like the LC02 has a Flex ATX power supply and the LC04 uses a proprietary one, so probably wont fit?

The included power supplies provide enough juice to run a modern Core 2 or AM2 system but I dont know about a modern GPU, plus need SATA converters if planning to run those kinda drives. The cases do look nice however.

I would imagine he's going client/server with his setup. Most HTPC cases don't have room for many drives, and trust me... that's what you're going to need most.
 
well i picked up this case:

Aopen B200
http://usa.aopen.com/products_detail.aspx?ctgr=44&Auno=2400&mdstl=212#

we have one at work and its very small. only thing is that ill have to get a new MB. i currently have a microATX. this one takes a picoBTX. seems ill also have to get a new HDD sice the picoBTX board i found that supports my CPU doesnt have any PATA ports. unless you guys can find a picoBTX board with PATA slots, that supports my celeron 430 1.8GHz 800MHz FSB

and sabz is right. this is just a front end.
 
Compare Prices and Read Reviews on In Win IW P500 (IW-P500AU.145) Micro ATX Micro-Tower Case at Epinions.com
In Win IW P500 (IW-P500AU.145) Micro ATX Micro-Tower Case Specs - DealTime

20190535.JPG


I'm using that one... but I have 3 of these cases, and I bought them almost 10 years ago. They're pretty much the smallest microATX towers that will hold all standard components, plus support my uh... cooling needs. Yeah.

Plus mine's painted black, has a modified power supply, a couple of really huge fans that are set to silent, a few water blocks, a pump and a big radiator too.

:D :D :D :D :D :D

I can't find the links anymore, but my case was featured on HardOCP a few years ago as a teaser for a microATX article.
 
I tried a quick and no dice for pico w/ide. I doubt there would be any anyway because Intel wants to phase out ide because all the new boards dont even come with a controller. The manufacters have to put in one.

I remember when the first P965 came out, they had hella of time getting ide to play nice with the new chipset.

Anyway, maybe a converter? but those seem a bit big. sata is probably better anyway because the wires would be a lot smaller.

Waht are you gonan do with graphics?
 
I tried a quick and no dice for pico w/ide. I doubt there would be any anyway because Intel wants to phase out ide because all the new boards dont even come with a controller. The manufacters have to put in one.

I remember when the first P965 came out, they had hella of time getting ide to play nice with the new chipset.

Anyway, maybe a converter? but those seem a bit big. sata is probably better anyway because the wires would be a lot smaller.

Waht are you gonan do with graphics?

He's gonna need either a geForce or a Unichrome. You can use any card you want, but those two in particular are the ones that do hardware decoding. Much nicer on the CPU, especially with HD content.
 
yea im gonna pick up the pico BTX board. i just bought a type II BTX thermal module (heat sink) since the pico BTX will need one and my CPU didnt come with one. since the board doesnt have any IDE, so i sent back the motherboard and the HDD. ill pick up a new SATA HDD in a few days, as well as the pico BTX board.

yea sabz, i got a EVGA e-geforce 7300GT, not the best card by any means but it should be more than adequate. ill also need a PCI-e riser for it. not sure if ill do a riser card or a extension cable. the motherboard im looking at (the only one i can find really that supports my CPU) is layed out weird. see how close the power connector is to the pcie slot?

Intel® Desktop Board DG965PZ Overview

dg965pz_lg.jpg


ill have to use some zip ties or something to keep the power wires from hitting the fan of the vid card
 
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Unichrome friggin sucks! Dont get it, ive built a few and hardly any of the igp boards with unichrome support widescreen natively. some vendors are kind enough to provide a BIOS flash to enable support, but most wont because its not official and not on their sites.

What about the 8500/8600 series? Takes almost all the load of the cpu for blueray and hd-dvd files.

And just FYI, i have a amd 3000+ at 2.4ghz w/8800gts and my load is about 20-30% while playing h.264 files. But with certain ones, it can go up as high as 70%.
 
i wont be watching HD content. DVD max (for now of course). i dont have a HDTV or any HD players. but whats nice is that if i want to do HD content, all i have to change will be the vid card and processor and i can still keep it all in the tiny package :)
 
Unichrome friggin sucks! Dont get it, ive built a few and hardly any of the igp boards with unichrome support widescreen natively. some vendors are kind enough to provide a BIOS flash to enable support, but most wont because its not official and not on their sites.

What about the 8500/8600 series? Takes almost all the load of the cpu for blueray and hd-dvd files.

And just FYI, i have a amd 3000+ at 2.4ghz w/8800gts and my load is about 20-30% while playing h.264 files. But with certain ones, it can go up as high as 70%.

I run an integrated Unichrome at 1280x720 no problem. No special modelines, nothing... the chip just works. Granted I do not run HD content, but my CPU load is almost nil due to hardware decoding in the 'Chrome.
 
The one i got was part of an ECS combo and it wouldnt do 1440x900 at all, but i think it did 1280x720. I went to VIA's forum and some members where able to get me a BIOS that would enable 1440x900. And compared to other chipsets, its pretty disappointing. But hey, budget machines dont need much anyway.


Actually, if you got a 8500/8600 series, you wouldnt need to switch CPUs, which i recommend. Even with a E6300, HD movies were loading it pretty heavily.

Anyway, keep us updated. I want to see how ot turns out and waht you used.
 
well right now im waiting on the case. i sent back my old MB and HDD as well as the slim DVD drive i had. when i get the money returned from newegg, ill be picking up the MB pictured above, as well as a new SATA HDD and regular size DVD drive for the aopen B200 case i plan to get. im pretty set on what i want i think, the case is the perfect size (3.9"x12.8"x12.9"). i already have the 7300GT card, memory and processor waiting. ive also picked up a slim (Type II) BTX thermal module from ebay. im a little concerned that it will be loud (specs said fan speed of 7000 rpm and 53 dB).

ive already bought the Aopen B200 case, but i bought it from GearXS :(. i did not know they had such a bad reputation until yesterday. i should have researched it. i tried to call and cancel my order, but the moron in customer service said she would "try" to cancel it and that mondays were busy. ive heard some pretty bad stories where people get cheap no name parts when they purchase name brand stuff. well they didnt cancel my order at all and apparently its been shipped already. we'll see what it looks like when it gets here. if they pull a bait and switch on me, that shit is going back and if they give me any problems with a refund, im going through my bank to get my money back.
 
well through some miracle, GearXS came through. the b200 case came, undamaged and everything looks great. the case is well constructed and its very sturdy. it even came with a pci-e riser card (saving me like 40 bucks in buying one). and i got the case with 275W psu for 58 shipped. and best of all its TINY. and it holds a full size 3.5" HDD and a full size 5.25" optical drive. it even has a slot for a notebook HDD if you want. looks pretty good standing upright too. ill see about getting some pics of it.
 
well im stuck between 2 motherboards. maybe you guys can help me choose one.

first $120 shipped
Intel® Desktop Board DG965PZ Overview

second $85 shipped
INTEL Q965 Pentium-D LGA775 PicoBTX Motherboard w/PCI-E - (eBay item 290166808877 end time Oct-11-07 23:33:12 PDT)

the first one seems to have better features, 7.1 HD audio, mini pcie (could add a wireless card maybe) but its more pricey. and some of the features i wont use, like the integrated graphics, i have a better vid card to use instead. i also dont like the placement of the power connector on the motherboard. its very close to the pcie slot and with a riser card might make some issues of the power wires hitting the fan.

second. first off its cheaper. only has HD 2.1 audio (i might not NEED a whole 7.1 setup, i dont have a whole entertainment setup yet) doesnt have the mini-pcie slot. integrated graphics arent as good, but like i said i dont care about that. and the power connector is in a better place away from the pcie slot.

opinions?
 
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