Building a dead silent HTPC

[beatle]

A co-worker is looking to build a PC that makes no sound that he can use as a TIVO. I know a lot of tricks about making things relatively quiet, but to build a modern computer that makes no (audible) sound. His budget is unlimited, but I don't see any reason to spend it frivolously.

I suggested getting a good Sparkle PSU, and replacing the fan with an L1a.

Case is the DVine 4.1, capable of supporting a FullATX m/b.

I'm not sure what video card or TV card to go with that has the best support for TIVO. I like my Asus TV card, but the software leaves something to be desired. The video card will have a Zalman heatpipe cooler on it. Output will be to a plasma TV, so something that can output a component signal (Sigma X-card?) would be nice.

CPU/mb = ????. I'm not sure what could be passively cooled these days. An SLK900 is not out of the question if it would do the job.

Harddrive - Seagate 7200.7.

 

[beatle]

Repost

 

[thraxes]

ATI cards can do component out, at least some of them can (I know my 8500 can).

Asus mainboards are all passively cooled so go with one of them.
CPU is up to personal taste, but I would consider a mid range AMD with a A7N8X for the good OnBoard sound system.
The CPU has to be actively cooled but since it is not a 3GHz screamer you can get a good Heatsink and a 80mm Fan that runs at 2000 - 2500 RPM will do just fine while only putting out low 20dB. Sound proof the case and all should be totaly silent.

 

[t0mmyb0y]

Sorry if I can't really offer any real help, but I have a question anyway...

Why is he spending this kind of money on a PC that can duplicate TiVO functions when he could have a TiVo for ~$300? (Last I checked) Forgive my ignorance. Perhaps an HTPC has better video out than the regular ol' TiVo box? Or does he just have extra cash to spend on a home-made project?

 

[beatle]

I think it's just to say he has one...

I've used Tivo and I fail to see how an HTPC can match its functionality and quality. An HTPC does have the added ability to play DVDs, SVCDs, DivX, mp3s, etc. which is why I am going to buy one.

 

[newuser]

water cooling

 

[t0mmyb0y]

Originally posted by: beatle
I think it's just to say he has one...

I've used Tivo and I fail to see how an HTPC can match its functionality and quality. An HTPC does have the added ability to play DVDs, SVCDs, DivX, mp3s, etc. which is why I am going to buy one.

I see the relevance there, but for just the TiVo functions it would be silly. If that case were reasonably priced (say $50) then it could make it enticing.

 

[Boogak]

With a ~$100 VGA to Component transcoder, you can make any video card have component output. My suggestion would be to get a cheap ATI or nVidia based card and a separate HDTV PCI tuner card, alot of them support PVR functionality and can pick up OTA HDTV broadcasts.

 

[50]

For a HTPC like that I would get...
Microsoft XP HT edition (i'm sure theres got to be some way to get it)
Radeon 9800 np( I would not get a AIW card)
Sony DRU500AX(or whatever the latest version is...)
Telemann HiPix DTV-200
I don't really know which Mobo's are good for HTPC's
I would get the 3 ghz pentium
Get a huge amount of HD space, I would say about 200-500 gb would do it (if you think about it, 15 min of HDTV takes up a gigabyte)
I don't really know much about water cooling so I can't tell you what to get.

 

[Fencer128]

Originally posted by: Cartman2003
For a HTPC like that I would get...
Microsoft XP HT edition (i'm sure theres got to be some way to get it)
Radeon 9800 np( I would not get a AIW card)
Sony DRU500AX(or whatever the latest version is...)
Telemann HiPix DTV-200
I don't really know which Mobo's are good for HTPC's
I would get the 3 ghz pentium
Get a huge amount of HD space, I would say about 200-500 gb would do it (if you think about it, 15 min of HDTV takes up a gigabyte)
I don't really know much about water cooling so I can't tell you what to get.

Sound Of Window Opening --> Budget Flying Out Of Window

Seriously - nice setup - but not for someone on a budget!

Cheers,

Andy

 

[50]

Originally posted by: Fencer128

Originally posted by: Cartman2003
For a HTPC like that I would get...
Microsoft XP HT edition (i'm sure theres got to be some way to get it)
Radeon 9800 np( I would not get a AIW card)
Sony DRU500AX(or whatever the latest version is...)
Telemann HiPix DTV-200
I don't really know which Mobo's are good for HTPC's
I would get the 3 ghz pentium
Get a huge amount of HD space, I would say about 200-500 gb would do it (if you think about it, 15 min of HDTV takes up a gigabyte)
I don't really know much about water cooling so I can't tell you what to get.

Sound Of Window Opening --> Budget Flying Out Of Window

Seriously - nice setup - but not for someone on a budget!

Cheers,

Andy

Is he REALLY on a budget? I mean the guy hes making it for must have money if he has a plasma tv, plus his budget is unlimited even if he doesn't want to spend a lot. If you want to lower the cost, get a slower proc, maybe no DVD burner, rad 9500 pro, keep the TV card and get about 160 gb of space (not really that expensive)

 

[beatle]

I don't think harddrive space like that is required for the HTPC. 40-60 gb should suffice. Anything recorded can then be offloaded to a file server and then streamed (this is my plan also.)

I'm not really sure which cpu to get. A 1.3 gig celeron only draws 33 or so watts, but even a tbred b 1700+ draws close to 50. I'm not sure how much juice will be required to capture and play anything back. My 1266 tbird worked fine for me, but a tbird would be ludicrous in an HTPC.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

I was going to reccomend an Ahanix case had he not already chosen it. You can get some sound absorbing pads to put around the case if you'd like. I would go for a Radeon AIW, the 9800 Pro AIW card has new features which should make it a little better than the previos AIW cards for output display. That also comes with a remote. Get a nice DVD reader too, you're probably going to be getting a Plextor or something of the sort. For the mobo and CPU, it really depends on how much he wants to spend. You said its unlimited (probably to an extent, hehe). I would go for an Intel setup because high end is where Intel is dominating right now. He'd be good with an Asus P4P800 Deluxe and a 2.8C or a 3.0C if he wants to spend some more money. A 2.4C would probably generate the least heat out of the CPU's with the new 800mhz FSB and Hyper Threading.

I would go for the following:

2.4C Retail
Asus P4P800 Deluxe (In Bios, enable the Q-Fan option so it can lower fan speed or increase as needed.
Antec True Power 480W or 530W, read more below why
2x 512MB Corsair XMS sticks

When Antec designs their True Power PSU's, they design the fan speed based on how hard the PSU is working. Lets say you get a True Power 330W and a True 530W. Say your system only needs 280W. The 330W will have to work pretyt hard and so heat goes up causing fan speed to rise, but 280W is child's play for a 530W so the temps are low and fan doesn't have to spin as fast. It seems like he has an open budget and so those should be fine. I would go with an Antec True Power PSU because it'll be one of the quietest and it will adjust fan speed as needed.

One more thing, I don't know much about Matrox products, but they make some very high quality video cards even though they won't be the fastest in 3D terms. You may want to look into their products because they have the sharpest 2D Quality and I've heard that their Video output is very good as well. In terms of image quality, Matrox is on top, then ATI, and then Nvidia, atleast for the major competitors.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Oh yeah, he's going to want some nice audio I suppose, hehe, I would go for the Audigy 2 Platinum. You don't need the drive covers but you 'll need optical out to get the best sounds possible to send to the receiver.

 

[lameaway]

You could always underclock the 1700+

 

[Fencer128]

Is he REALLY on a budget? I mean the guy hes making it for must have money if he has a plasma tv, plus his budget is unlimited even if he doesn't want to spend a lot. If you want to lower the cost, get a slower proc, maybe no DVD burner, rad 9500 pro, keep the TV card and get about 160 gb of space (not really that expensive)

Sorry! - misread the original post as him being on a budget.

However, from a not "to spend it frivolously" point of view, for a pure TIVO replacement you don't need a top notch graphics card i.e. your rad 9500 pro will most likely do - as you suggest you could cut the HD space considerably. Even at 1GB for 15mins 160GB gives 40 hours worth of HDTV! A 2 GHz processor will most likely be more than fine for this, and you can pick up an old P4 around that for very cheap money.

Cheers,

Andy

 

[beatle]

I have a TruePower 330. It's excellent, but still not as quiet as my L1a'd 300w that's in my tbird rig... even on the lowest speed setting. I doubt even an SLK900 could passively cool a 2.4C. Perhaps a 92mm stealth would be quiet enough.

Is the 9800 Pro AIW worth whatever features it has over previous AIW cards? It's bound to be ridiculously expensive (yeah, I'd imagine there is a limit. ) Why not say, a Matrox and a top notch PVR card? Any recommendations?

 

[lameaway]

Some other comments... yes, some ATi cards do HD component output with an adapter. Been there, done that, its *&$!ing buggy - i'm still trying to get mine to stop overscanning the image on my Mitsubishi HDTV... 720p resolution would also be nice... If you want to do this without problems I recommend you get a cheap Matrox G450 (or whatever) and drop a few hundered on a good HD scan converter.

Leadtek capture cards seem to have pretty decent software, at least the TV2000XP i was playing around with. If you want to do HD, though, you want to get the DViCO FusionHDTV II.

For sound, get a board with NVIDIA Soundstorm and digital out... like, say, the Asus A7N8x. No need for an Audigy if you won't be doing much gaming.

Sound damping material is a must... underclock and undervolt the Athlon, cool things with some undervolted Panaflos and it should do fine.

 

[kaizersose]

just a tip:
i would look for a card that does DVI instead of component out. Almost any plasma screen has a DVI connection and it much better than component. also, what kind of remote interface is he looking at (ie: ati AIW, XP media center, girder, etc.)?

 

[Dug]

lameaway

avsforum custom resolutions for hdtv

 

[Fencer128]

...and it [DVI] much better than component.

I hadn't heard this. I always thought component best?

Cheers,

Andy

 

[lameaway]

Thanks a million, Dug, I'll try those once i get the chance. If only ATi tech support was that helpful...

 

[FishTankX]

The 7200.7 is a bad idea. Loud seeks.

Go with a Baracuda V or IV. The IV is universally agreed as pretty much the quietest harddrive on earth. If you want to go super low, on the noise spectrum, another option would be getting a 4200RPM notebook drive and RAID them together. You'd get equivalent noise to the Baracuda IV (Maybe lower) but decent performance. If you go with the Baracuda V (highly reccomended.) put it in here. I see that it has 2 5 1/2 bays so this should be perfect.

That being said, this power supply is your friend.

Get a P4-M processor and slap on the biggest heatsink you can find (MCX 478? The P4 Alpha heatsink? Zalman 70000CU?) with this fan. Then you can probably 7 volt it.

As for the video card, Saphire makes a fanless Radeon 9700 pro.

Oh, yes. And when you get that case, imediatley rip out the 60MM fan and put a Pabst 8412NGL on it. Use a 60->80MM duct if you have to. You want 60MM fans, espically of that caliber (25DB+! :Q)

After that, just put in a dual format burner.

After all this, you're system has succesfully broken the 20DB barrier. In preceptable to any and all in the room!

 

[FishTankX]

Does anyone know if the Radeon 9700 pro special edition (From sapphire, the one with the zalman heatsink on it) supports component out adapters?

 

[FishTankX]

Oh! Oh!

Critical to a HTPC is wireless keyboard and mouse, and preferably 802.11A since that would allow you to stream MPEG-2 video to other computers in the house!