[rodolfosb]

Hello everyone!

I decided to take a leap and build a HTPC.

I have been reading around and selected components based on one of Eskro's build: http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?p=8...post841972

CPU: Intel Celeron G530
MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-H67N-USB3-B3
GPU: ZOTAC GeForce GT 430 LP (1 GB)
RAM: 2x2Gb Kingston HyperX
SSD: Crucial M4 64Gb
HDD: WD Caviar Green 2TB
CASE: Antec ISK 300 150 watt
OTHERS:
CPU COOLER: Scythe Shuriken Rev.B SCSK-1100
ADDITIONAL FAN: 2x Enermax T.B.SILENCE UCTB8P 80mm
ADDITIONAL BLUETOOTH: DELTACO Bluetooth USB (To use a PS3 controller using MotioninJoy. Use as normal controller + controller for emulated games)
Thermal paste: Arctic Silver 5
Mouting Bracket: DELTACO Mounting frame 3.5" -> 5.25" (Now I can mount the 3.5" Hdd without needing to drill extra holes on the case)

This is the my complete list at the moment.

My idea is to run XBMC on Win 7. XBMC + Sabnzbd + Couch Potato + Sick Beard.
My plan is to eventually build a dedicated NAS box using either FreeNAS or unRAID, but for the moment this will be a HTPC + Media server. I only 2 pcs that would actually access it and eventual remote access.

I probably wont be playing 1080p movies very often, but I would like this HTPC to be a nice, solid build that wont give me any headaches for some time.

Did anyone have had any experience with one of these cases with a similar build? Its hard to be sure whether the CPU cooler will fit under the PSU and if the GPU will fit as well, even though is a "slim card".
The Spire is slightly bigger and carries a 300w PSU on the other hand, the Antec is cooler, but smaller and carries a 150w PSU.

I would like your opinions and suggestions. Want to place the order asap!

And last but not least, thank you Eskro and Poofyhairguy, your post were very useful!

EDIT: Excluded OCZ Vertex Plus SATA II 60Gb and Scythe Slip Stream SY1225SL12L 120mm
Excluded: Spire PowerCube SPM210B (Made my mind to go with the Antec case)
Excluded: Zotac GF 210 512 Mb DDR3 (Swapped with a ZOTAC GeForce GT430)
Excluded: Intel 320 Series 40GB SSD Retail (Swapped with a Crucial M4 64 Gb SSD)

[numb7rs]

The Spire Powercube is one of many cases that use the same basic metal work.

The Scythe Shuriken will not fit in this case, due to the positioning of the PSU.

I cannot vouch for the other case, but it does look tight. This review says there is 6.5 cm of space; the Shuriken is 6.4 cm tall (without fan).

[eskro]

stock INTEL cooler fits ok in Spire PowerCube SPM210B...
tight, but fits!

avoid OCZ SSD's, they have the highest failure rate on the market,,,
use either INTEL / CRUCIAL / PATRIOTE

[rodolfosb]

I was between a OCZ Vertex Plus 60 Gb and an Intel 320 series 40 Gb
the OCZ is slightly cheaper and has a bigger capacity.
But then I'll go with the Intel.

Is the stock intel cooler good enough?
I have been reading that is possible to fit the shuriken on the Antec case, but with the need of cutting a small bracket.

Anyway, I'm leaning towards the Antec case. The PSU is placed on the front, below the drives, so there is more overall space, even though the case is slightly smaller.

I just need to figure out how to fit an SSD + HDD 3.5"...
Edit: Since I'm not going to use an optical drive, I can place the 3.5" hdd on the optical drive tray and drill extra holes to fix it.

[Mallet21]

Please swap out the GT210 for a GT520. The few extra $$ will future proof your rig for some time. Even though you may not need HD audio or 3d right now, it would be nice to have that functionality for a very small premium.

[rodolfosb]

I took a look on the specs for the GT 210, GT 520 and GT 430.
Both GT 210 and GT 520 run on DDR3 64-bit, the GT 430 ,on the other hand, runs on DDR3 128-bit.
I decided to change to the GT 430. To only issue I see there is that the heat sink is quite tall, it's gonna be a tight fit. If it wasn't for the honeycomb vents on the Antec case, there would probably be no space for air to circulate.

[Beer40oz]

My GT210 runs on 32bit.... is this good or bad?

[rodolfosb]

My GT210 runs on 32bit.... is this good or bad?

From what I understand it means your video card is not used to its full potential, unfortunately this is a hardware limitation, and you cannot change it. If you want a bigger memory bandwidth you need to replace the video card.
Take a look at this website, it explains a little bit more about it.

But I'm not sure what's the impact of 32-bit memory bandwidth on a HTPC system. I would imagine that playing video is not a very demanding task (compared to games), but I have no experience with it.

If your video card meets your needs, I wouldn't worry about it.

[eskro]

But I'm not sure what's the impact of 32-bit memory bandwidth on a HTPC

for playing 1080P without a hitch, 32-bit is perfect....

[rodolfosb]

What about swapping the Intel Celeron G530 with a Intel 620T (35W) or 630T (35W)?
The "T" models mentioned use about 30W less than the Celeron G530...
What would be the performance impact?

Anyway, my options for the CPU are:
Intel Celeron G530
Intel Pentium G620
Intel Pentium G630T
Intel Pentium G840

What would you guys recommend?

[eskro]

search them in http://www.cpubenchmark.net/

then decide which suits your best

[Beer40oz]

Well I just got this new fanless GPU 32bit.... I had a 64bit card.... I really don't see any difference.

[outatouch0]

The "T" models mentioned use about 30W less than the Celeron G530...

This actually is not true. Several threads on this. Quick version: They both throttle down the same when idle or when not under full load.

What would be the performance impact?

The T version is maxed out for full load at '35W' (which this is now even in question as to if it really does limit the top end much at all. ie the difference only being closer to 10-15W*) and the regular caps at 65W (or more).

*I wonder: possibly Intel found a way to market and upsell their chips that test just under specs.

[reta]

Almost identical build to what I'm going for, just getting a fanless Asus GT430 instead and a different case that includes (apparently) silent psu and 140mm fan, let's hope nothing will get overheated in there

[eskro]

Almost identical build to what I'm going for, just getting a fanless Asus GT430 instead and a different case that includes (apparently) silent psu and 140mm fan, let's hope nothing will get overheated in there

which case?