HTPC/NAS Combo

vinistois Wrote:ummmm gpu heat from an HD5450? Are you kidding me? The heatsink isn't even luke-warm when playing 1080p.

Anything consistently over 40c will damage HDs after a while with not enough cooling.

Quote:My system has been running just fine for several months, and I'm certain it will continue to!

I used to be cocky like you, thinking I had the NAS/HTPC tiger by the tail more than once.

I hope for your sake I am wrong and you never have problems. I would still keep a close eye on your SMART data if I was you though...

gain Wrote:Any suggestions for a good HTPC? Do you recommend building something with the Zotac Atom motherboard with ION?

I LOVE Zotac ION mobos.

Quote:Also, for a NAS, do you have any recommended cases? I want something really small and not very large.

How many total drives do you expect to have?

kendallp Wrote:The concerns raised about running a dual system seem to be that it is hard to get a quiet setup that is also energy efficient (i.e. low heat generation).

Yep. Watch your temps. If your hard drives live above 40 degrees C while in use, replace that top 120mm fan in the case with a constant fan like an Antec Tri-Cool.

Good case choice though.

poofyhairguy Wrote:I LOVE Zotac ION mobos.

Right now I am debating between a HD-ID11 or custom building a Zotac HTPC. I think I am going to go with the HD-ID11 path because the cases are smaller. However, after reading the thread about the cheapest HTPC possible, I am waiting incase something gets announced soon

poofyhairguy Wrote:How many total drives do you expect to have?

3-4. I have been searching newegg but I cannot find something that is small enough. I really want it to be as high as a foot and under 12" deep as well. The WHS cases are pretty slick.

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySav...D=19049627

Think you guys can check that out? I have both the NAS and the HTPC in there. I have a laptop hard drive (just 5400RPM) for the Zotac as well so I don't need to buy anything extra.

Just incase that does not work, I have the links here -- http://pastebin.com/Dut4dyQK

The first 2 are for the HTPC while the next 5 are for the NAS.

I have been using that mobo for about 3 months and its worked great for me (Win 7/torrent/server). I will be switching to unraid when I get some 2TB drives. I think your choices look fine.

Thought I should share something here.

http://www.cheetahdeals.com/Acer_Aspire_...0w.022.htm

Even though it is a WHS box which most people here don't like, you can install FreeNAS or unRaid on it. It comes with a 2TB drive (which is $70) and a really nice 4bay case. If you are building a miniITX NAS, it may be cheaper to go along this route. You get hot swap drives, you get a small case (which was important for me) and you get it for under $200 (taking the drive into account). A miniITX cass that is the same size is going to cost you somewhere between $180-200, add a motherboard, CPU and memory and you are at $300. With the hard drive, total is approximately $350-400.

http://www.cheetahdeals.com/Acer_Aspire_...02.079.htm

Another good deal here.

gain Wrote:https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySav...D=19049627

Think you guys can check that out? I have both the NAS and the HTPC in there. I have a laptop hard drive (just 5400RPM) for the Zotac as well so I don't need to buy anything extra.

Just incase that does not work, I have the links here -- http://pastebin.com/Dut4dyQK

The first 2 are for the HTPC while the next 5 are for the NAS.

Looks good, except geez that Chenbo is a lot for only a few slots.

kendallp Wrote:I'll update the thread once I have the other info.

I got all of the items in but have been too busy to get everything installed. Also can't seem to get lm-sensors working with my mobo and GPU so I might be stuck with kill-a-watt reading and BIOS temps.

Hopefully by this weekend.


-Kendall