HTPC specs?

[Missionman]

Hi guys

Was just browsing this section of the forum, and just thought id start up a topic,, Firstly to get myself more involved with this forum, as its awesome, i have been a registered member for quite some time now but rarely poke my head in.. And secondly, well just out of curiosity to what you guys use, Spec wise, to power your HTPC's..

Personally mine is terribly overkill for its used for, but it was just what i had from an old gaming rig, and thought id put it to good use

Case: Antec Fusion 430..
Motherboard: MSI H61M-P20-G3 MATX
CPU: Intel i5 2500k, @ stock clock
RAM: 4gb G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1600mhz CL9
Graphics: Nvidia Geforce GTX 240 1GB
Sound: Sound blaster FX 5.1
PSU: 600w OCZ
Storage: 60gb OCZ SSD (for OS), 1tb Samsung Spinpoint (Music, movies), 1tb Hitachi Deskstar (backup)
Operating System: Ubuntu Linux V.11

I know, its mental, but its do occasionally play the odd game from my steam library (USING WINE) (when im not glued on my xbox 360)

 

[Grador]

I've got an Acer atom/ion based system as my primary HTPC and media server and a shuttle ion2 based system on a second tv. Both are easily capable of ripped bluray playback., and with all the background processes running on the server I find this extremely impressive.

In the near future I'm looking at putting the Acer aside as a dedicated server and possibly using a raspberry pi as my primary front end, or possibly as a 3rd music only streamer (really i just have an itch to try to configure a raspberry pi)

 

[Lordhumungus]

What I run is listed in my signature. While it's definitely overkill for only an HTPC, I have a massive blu-ray collection that I convert down to mp4s so people in my house can easily access them. The extra horsepower comes in handy when doing this in batches of like 50 movies at a time.

Only downside is when I have my gaming rig, HTPC and server going all at once, it can get a little toasty in my (tiny) room (closet?).

 

[Grador]

The way I encode the extra horsepower comes in handy for one enclose, on a 2.6 ghz i7 I'm encoding at 1/3 real time. The desktop isn't listed above as I don't use it as an HTPC.

 

[Adam]

I don't know if it counts...probably doesn't...but I use my MacBook Air (and previously, my 2006 MacBook) to stream video content from websites to my receiver. I've been happy with the operation of it.

For streaming DVD files and recorded TV, I use my PS3 connected wirelessly to my desktop using PS3 Media Server. That started off pretty clunky, but after some upgrades to the software and to my home network, it works really well now.

 

[FirstReflection]

I just so happen to be putting together a new HTPC for my office this week

- Silverstone GD06B mATX HTPC case

- 3x Silverstone SusCool121 case fans (the included 120mm fans are quiet, but audible. I love the SusCool fans; they're nearly dead silent )

- Silverstone ST50F-P 500 Watt modular power supply (short 140mm length)

- Intel Core i5-3570K (massive overkill for an HTPC, but I got a great sale price )

- Stock Intel CPU cooler

- ASRock H77 Pro4-M mATX motherboard

- 2x4GB Kingston DDR3-1600 RAM

- 128GB Kingston SSD (for OS and programs)

- 4x 3TB Western Digital WD30EZRX hard drives (for movie storage)

- Lite-On iHBS112-04 Blu-ray Burner (shorter length of this drive plus the shorter 140mm PS allows the two to JUST fit in the GD06B case!)

- Asus PCE-N53 Dual Band Wireless-N PCIe adapter

- Logitech K400 Wireless Keyboard w/ integrated TouchPad

- MediaGate MG-IR02BK MCE IR Remote w/ USB IR receiver

So yeah, pretty jazzed! I'll be able to load up those 12TB of storage with a whole bunch of movies and TV from home in proper HD quality And it's a pretty screaming PC to boot. Heck, I might throw a half-decent graphics card in there so I can game on the darn thing! Although I'd probably have to step up the power supply, and I'd worry about the cooling. That GD06B case is lovely, but it'll be packed to the gills as it is already!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

- Stock Intel CPU cooler

Please tell me you'll spend $30 on a real CPU cooler from Cooler Master or equivalent!

Those stock coolers are pure crap.

 

[Grador]

Please tell me you'll spend $30 on a real CPU cooler from Cooler Master or equivalent!

Those stock coolers are pure crap.

Given the power consumption of an i5 and the normal load on an HTPC I think the [admittedly crappy] cooler will be sufficient...

 

[Lordhumungus]

Given the power consumption of an i5 and the normal load on an HTPC I think the [admittedly crappy] cooler will be sufficient...

Agree 100%. If you have the copper core variant you can even safely overclock with them. Obviously they won't be as good as an aftermarket cooler for either pure extreme cooling capability or absolute silence if either of those is what you are looking for, but anymore they are fine for about 90% of uses.

 

[FirstReflection]

In my case, using the stock Intel cooler is no accident. In the GD06B chassis, the OD and hard drive cages are such that they partially cover the area over the CPU. A 70mm tall CPU cooler would literally be rubbing the bottom of the cage assembly! So that massively limits the number of usable coolers out there!

I've used the Silverstone NT07-1156 before, which is an ultra low profile 37mm tall cooler with two fan modes. In low fan mode, it's wonderfully silent, but the CPU runs around 3 degrees hotter at all times than the stock cooler, and even more at full load. At high fan speed, it's loud unless I limit the CPU fan speed, which defeats the purpose!

The stock cooler, at 53mm tall, fits nicely. And at stock CPU speeds, the temp is fine. It's not silent, but it's still pretty darn quiet. Quieter than the NT07 in high fan mode. Quieter than the low profile Scythe coolers. And a better cooler than the NT07 in low fan mode. So it's a decent compromise

 

[Lordhumungus]

I keep meaning to ditch the NT07 myself as the original intention was for me use an ultra-low profile case that would have required it. Since I obviously went with a closer to full size case, there is really no reason for me to keep using it other than being lazy. I guess it works fine for what I need though, so its unlikely to get removed any time soon.