• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Advice please on mini itx build power requirements

J

jaxter

Junior Member
Hi everybody im going to be building a htpc but in the minit-itx form factor below is my proposed component list

Cpu - AMD Llano A8-3870K Socket FM1 Quad Core
motherboard - Asus F1A75-deluxe
Memory - 2 X 4 Gig corsair Vengeance ddr3
Case - Wesena Mini ITX7-2 Case
hard drive - WD Caviar Green 3 TB
32 gig ssd

i would ideally like to use a silent pico psu and would like to know what kind of power i should be going for, it would be nice to have a little headroom for if i ever decide to add another component thank you
 
Thanks for the reply, i have asked on another forum and have been told that my chosen cpu will create too much heat for the case i have my eye on, could i please have some expert opinions please.
 
1 80mm fan in a tightly packed case is probably pushing it. It should work, but the fan likely has to be louder than you will want in order to work well.

The Antec ISK 300 will handle heat much better, it has room for 3 fans, but is still quite small. It can use very quiet fans and get enough airflow by having so many in such a small case.
 
jaxter said:
Thanks for the reply, i have asked on another forum and have been told that my chosen cpu will create too much heat for the case i have my eye on, could i please have some expert opinions please.
Click to expand...
A8_3870K_APU_63.jpg

The Llano might have a 100W TDP but it should run pretty cool. The only problem is that you have a small case with as few fans as possible so expect the temps to be a little higher but not alarming. The noise might be an issue as AMD stock coolers are notoriously loud. Your CPU is can overclock very well but I suggest against it if you intend to do so.
 
Concillian said:
1 80mm fan in a tightly packed case is probably pushing it. It should work, but the fan likely has to be louder than you will want in order to work well.

The Antec ISK 300 will handle heat much better, it has room for 3 fans, but is still quite small. It can use very quiet fans and get enough airflow by having so many in such a small case.
Click to expand...

That ISK 300 seems to be the standard recommendation for ITX builds, and rightly so - good price point and covers the essentials.

The only thing I don't like about it is it's made to hold a big 5.25 inch drive. What's an ITX case with good airflow that is just for the motherboard and HDD?
 
Thanks for the temperature graph very handy when working things out, This build will be on for many hours everyday.
The isk 300 looks a great case but im really looking to go for something slick enough to go under the tv with option for ir reciever and remote an htpc really, At the moment im running an Antec Remote fusion max and its hogging 50% of the tv stand and is bloody heavy when i want to pull it out and tinker!!
 
Designing something like this is a world of tradeoffs. If the visual appearance is that important, then you have to trade off either power or noise.

Pick your poison.

Consider an i3-2100 or 2120 as an alternative. It consumes less power and therefore generates less heat that has to be moved out of the case.

Size-wise, the ISK300 is smaller except for the depth. I don't think there's going to be a large difference in terms of maintenance, only in terms of superficial looks... and, of course, cooling performance.
 
janas19 said:
The only thing I don't like about it is it's made to hold a big 5.25 inch drive. What's an ITX case with good airflow that is just for the motherboard and HDD?
Click to expand...

Big 5.25" drive? You mean slimline optical drive? Most people want a case like that for HTPC and need an optical drive and potentially a half height TV card.

There are cases for systems that don't need an optical drive or slot: http://www.logicsupply.com/categories/cases/compact_cases

But these are not generally feasible for HTPC use unless all you're doing is streaming
 
Concillian said:
Big 5.25" drive? You mean slimline optical drive? Most people want a case like that for HTPC and need an optical drive and potentially a half height TV card.

There are cases for systems that don't need an optical drive or slot: http://www.logicsupply.com/categories/cases/compact_cases

But these are not generally feasible for HTPC use unless all you're doing is streaming
Click to expand...

Ah, slimline, derrp.

Thank you Concillian. :thumbup:
 
Well i've pulled the trigger on the case as it now comes under the name streacom FC7 and was £40 cheaper then i was going to originally pay which was just too good to resist.
Ive already got the LLano cpu so i am going to go with that im not going to be using any tv tuners or the optical drive so hopefully that will give me more millimeters to play with.
Just got to nail down the Psu and hopefully this will be built by next weekend!!
 
I always build mini-itx systems for integrating with my home theatre set-up and stick to ATX desktops for pure gaming performance.
 
slayernine said:
I always build mini-itx systems for integrating with my home theatre set-up and stick to ATX desktops for pure gaming performance.
Click to expand...

Any thoughts on what psu i should pair with my set up, from your experience with mini itx builds?
Silent or as quiet as possible and keep in mindspace is at premium
 
http://techreport.com/articles.x/21743/6
is showing >130W at peak load and ~40W at idle. This suggests a 150-200W PSU.

http://www.mini-box.com/picoPSU-192-XT-192W-Adapter-Power-Kit
would be good, but it looks like the hole in the case for DC connection will need to be modified.

The hole in the case is for a barrel style connection, and that is likely inadequate for 150W+ PSUs, they only use that type of connection for 120W supplies. You're going to have to modify something for your 4 pin DIN connection. Likely candidate is the PCIe bracket if you aren't using a card.

That case was designed for lower power requirements, as witnessed by Wesena only selling 120W supplies. You're not likely to get quiet. Your decisions to this point mean either you're going to have inadequate cooling & silent OR audible with adequate cooling.
 
Thanks for the advice guys, im glad to inform you that ive managed to exchange the original
AMD Llano A8-3870K for a A6 3500 tri core with a 65W tdp.
What with me not intending to overclock or game on this machine i thought it best, my primary use will be mediaportal and 3D blu ray playback, while im using torrents or usenet in the background.
Would have loved an A8 3800 but they are as rare as rocking horse poop and besides i got to put the price difference towards the 3TB western digital.
All in an expensive bloody project £584 (that bloody pico psu and power brick coming in just shy of £100) and hard drive prices being silly didnt help.
Hopefully will be worth it!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top