(FS1r2 Socket) ITX w/ Dual Graphics HTPC

[rexstopher]

CPU - Trinity 4600m (35w, 0.8125V - 1.3V)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/321058387066?hlp=false
$74.00
**Undervolt with AMD PSCheck, 1.15v stock to 1.1v possibly lowerIGPU 7660G for Dual Graphics

Motherboard - Jetway NF82 (FS1r2 Socket)
http://ww.cartft.com/catalog/il/1577#/cart?&_suid=135968597560108393629984086426
$206.00
Support SO-DIMM DDR3 1866 Dual Channel up to 16GB - in mobo manual not on web page

Video Card - SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6670 Low Profile (65w) dual graphics w/ 4600m
$70.00
http://www.newegg.com
Single Slot, Copper Cooler with Fan Control, can undervolt
**Could integrate additional heatpipe into the Streacom Case to drop the GPU fan

Memory - SO-DIMM Mushkin Enhanced Essentials 8GB (1.28v)
$47.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820226322
**Apply thermal pads & Undervolt at 1600, only run 1x 8g stick to reduce power use

SSD - Kingston HyperX 3K 90 GB SATA III (1.07w)
$88.00
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...NM5YFBJACPXRK3
**can remove the plastic shell to reduce size but need custom mounting inside chasis. Could apply thermal pads as well…

Chasis - Streacom FC8 EVO
$150.00
http://www.shop.perfecthometheater.c...C-FC8-OD-B.htm
Optical Slot+Expansion Slot+Passive cooling **lap cpu cooler, the FC8 has an anodized surface on cpu block

Optical Drive - Sony BD-5540H Slim SATA
$50.00
http://3btech.net/sobdslsablco.html

Power Supply - picoPSU-160-XT + 192W Adapter Power Kit
$76.00
http://www.mini-box.com/picoPSU-160-...pter-Power-Kit
+
PicoPSU-80 + 60W Adapter Power Kit
$36.00
http://www.mini-box.com/picoPSU-80-60W-power-kit
+
Multi PSU Adapter
$20.00
http://www.add2psu.com/

$817.00

Looking to build this setup to keep things small, quiet and quick. Let me know what you all think.

III

[Zap]

Why dual PSU? Couldn't you just use a higher wattage +12v brick? I think the Pico PSU just passes through the +12v, which is most of what modern systems need. Also, you are specifying a 35W notebook chip, and the discrete graphics card won't use more than 75W.

Why dual graphics? Will you be gaming? See this link:
Review: AMD A10-5800K Dual Graphics evaluation
So, a Core i3 with the same Radeon 6670 usually outperforms the A10 with 6670 as dual graphics, let alone as discrete.

Now look at this:
Radeon 6670 vs 7750
Radeon 7750 outperforms 6670 quite a bit, plus uses less power.

Thus, you would be better off with a Core i3 and Radeon 7750 (several available as low profile). The card and CPU would cost a bit more, the motherboard a LOT less and you will get better performance. Ivy Bridge Core i3 are 55W but Intel usually draws below the TDP. Get the 1.35v Samsung DDR3. Everything should run off a single Pico PSU.

[SMOGZINN]

That seems like a somewhat expensive build if it is just going to be a HTPC.
Is this going to be using it for other things as well?
Why are you going with discrete graphics?
Why no hard drives?

[rexstopher]

Hey Zap,

Thank you for the post and advice. Here were my thoughts about this project.


Price was not really a consideration, so I will get that out of the way.

I was brainstorming ways to take advantage of the A10 4600 mobile's lower power (35w) vs the A10 5700 (65w) vs A10 5800k (100w) in a small ITX case. All three have the same 7660D IGPU and with the additional 6670GDDR5 I could achieve decent 1080p performance for Diablo III. The Blu Ray is merely for my wife that orders blu ray movies constantly from Netflix.

The challenge with the build is lack of ITX mobo's supporting the Fs1r2 socket vs FM2. I can only find 3 industrial boards with the Jetway being the winner via native HDMI support.

For the memory I have had great experiences with Mushkin memory products. I would be willing switch to an 8gig Samsung if I could push the voltage even lower without loosing any speed. I believe the Samsung chips are 30nm but need to find out what Mushkin chips are.

I also wanted to remove all the case fans to keep it quiet. For the 6670 fan replacement I will need to locate a block and heatpipe(s) to attach to the side of the case similiar to the CPU setup. This may be a bit impractical though but still a fun challenge non the less making the system virtually silent.

I also need to figure out the total power draw for the system to see if a single 160xt will work well under load for hours of gameplay. I don't have any real world examples to draw from other than the laptops with dual graphics and the 4600m at this point.

To me the nexus review was a bit misleading and perhaps outdated (oct. write up). Dual Graphics has seen large gains with driver updates since then. Also Arkham/Dirt are DX9 games and, at the time were not able to utilize dual graphics at all but D3 definately does now.

The 7750 is roughly 33% faster than the 6670GDDR5 and uses . So I am a bit skeptical that the I3/7750 will outperform the 4600m/6670/7660D. But maybe your right and I will have to do more research on this.

The only other option I can find to my liking is the below Afox card but that card is much hotter and probably need way more juice.

http://afoxbuy1.jimdo.com/products/low-profile-graphics-card/amd-radeon-hd7850/

[coolkish]

If you want to use this primarily for HT/video playback then why not get A10 5700 (or 5800K if you want to overclock and higher power) and FM2 ITX Mobo and you are all set with rest of the components you listed.

Curious to hear you/other's feedback.

[el aye]

I agree, for video playback only I think going with the integrated graphics is the best bet. Either intel or AMD would be fine. I'd only go with a video card if you buy a cheaper processor or you want to play games that require the extra power.

[rexstopher]

The video playback is secondary for me personally and more for my wife. My personal goal is to hit 1080p performance in D3 using dual graphics. The laptops do it so why can't an htpc... also they parts I listed were the lowest voltage I could find unless anyone knows of something better.

[Zap]

If your #1 priority is to use dual graphics combining onboard and a discrete card, then keep on keeping on.

If your #1 priority is best D3 gaming performance for a set cost and wattage, it behooves you to consider an Intel Ivy Bridge CPU with a discrete Radeon.