Intel i5-3570K Project Stay Classy HTPC

I just wanted to post up my build because everyone likes pictures and to express my thanks to the community here. XBMC is a great piece of software and the Hardware Forum has a lot of great information from users.

I ended up with
CPU- Intel i5-3570
Motherboard- ASRock Z77E-ITX
RAM- Samsung Eco 2x4Gb DDR3 1600
Case- Lian Li Mini-Q PC-Q09 Black with 300W PSU
SSD- Intel 330 120Gb SATA 3
CPU Cooler- Noctua NH-L12 120+92mm PWM Fans

Getting the heat sink mount situated


i5 goodness


The mobo and the case getting to know each other


Everything squeezed inside. I also replaced the included 120mm case fan with a Noctua PWM 120mm


With the optical disk drive tray installed. I may add a Blu-ray drive in the future, but I haven't decided yet.


Cool And Quiet

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Here are some complete pictures with a iPhone for size comparison. I'm really happy with the size of the box. It looks great in my entertainment stand.

Front


Back with height


Top down



Feel free to post comments, questions, etc

I just have one word for you.

Sexy.

That is awesome! I wish you many years of movie watching!
I think you've inspired me to build a replica.

Stay tuned.

Minimalistically tasteful and elegant. Very nice job!

Thanks guys, I'm really happy with the build and how it turned out. My wife even likes the way it looks and runs, so I'm calling it a solid win.

Very nice.

Which remote are you using?

What core temperature do you get under load (in prime95 for example)?

(2012-07-21 01:30)Carb0 Wrote:  What core temperature do you get under load (in prime95 for example)?

Who cares if you aren't gaming. Just test while playing a movie.

My only gripe with this case is the absence of a expansion slot. Apart from that, it looks great.

(2012-07-21 00:37)Dramamine Wrote:  Very nice.

Which remote are you using?

Right now I am just using a Logitech K400 keyboard and the iPad app. It's working pretty well, but once I get my XMBC interface the way I want it I'll figure out which remote is right for me.

(2012-07-21 01:30)Carb0 Wrote:  What core temperature do you get under load (in prime95 for example)?

I haven't ran prime95 on the system yet, but I'll hit it up tomorrow and post up my results for you.

(2012-07-21 02:51)Whatever Wrote:  My only gripe with this case is the absence of a expansion slot. Apart from that, it looks great.

I'm just using the box as a XBMC media streaming device with some gee wizz type internet browsing on the side, so this should be all the hardware this box ever needs. My main concern was small size with room for a quality CPU cooler.