Recently I obtained several old used Sun Sparcs, and I've been thinking of using one of the cases to create an entertainment center PC. The case is quite slim, it's only a couple inches longer than a VCR and none higher. Painted right, it could look quite good. The case is very well ventilated, plenty of holes line the sides and the bezels are designed for max airflow while protecting your fingers. The case is heavy, the plastic sides are very thick to absorb vibrations.
But now, for the problems
1) I'm thinking of using the stock PSU. It's very slim and has two 60mm fans that are surprisingly quiet for the amount of air they push. But this PSU is non-ATX compilant. The mobo connector is 2 pins short and missing the 3.3 V line and -12 V line, not to mention some of the weird 12V lines that normal PSU also supplies. I'm sure with a little electronics work I could get those lines, but I'm not sure how stable that will be. Anyone happen to know where I might be able to get a mobo connector? Lucky, the 4pin molex connectors seem to be the same. But on the bad note again, although the 5V line supplies a very generous 24A, the 12V line supplies a meager 4A. I think that would still be enough for a CD-RW, floppy, and HD, since the Sparcs can normally support 2 HDs, CD-R, and a floppy. It would be close though.
2) The mobo apparently is permanently attached to the back of the Sparc. Once I dump the mobo, I would need to do some sealing work on the back. What is a good mobo for an entertainment center? It has to have everything integrated, since there is no room for cards. Also, it's needs to be smaller than the standard ATX, although not much.
3) CPU. I'm not sure whether to get AMD or Intel on this one. The hs needs to be short, no longer than 2 and 1/2 in. No fan, I'm hoping the PSU fans can take care of that. AMD will be cheaper for CPU, mobo and hs, but Intel also has the auto CPU scaling when it starts to overheat. Any opinions on this?
4) That's all for now, I'll find more as I mess with it some more. Any suggestions or observations will be graciously appreciated.
Added on...
I want this comp to be able to be able to play CDs, VCDs, and maybe DVDs. Thus, the mobo has to have a pretty good audio out (nForce2?) and good 2D. 3D is unnecessary since this won't be a gaming station. Also, I would like this comp to be able to record shows off of cable, although I'm not sure if any mobo comes with that capability. This comp should be fast enough to record shows and encode them into divx or ogg at the same time, so probably >1 GHz.
But now, for the problems
1) I'm thinking of using the stock PSU. It's very slim and has two 60mm fans that are surprisingly quiet for the amount of air they push. But this PSU is non-ATX compilant. The mobo connector is 2 pins short and missing the 3.3 V line and -12 V line, not to mention some of the weird 12V lines that normal PSU also supplies. I'm sure with a little electronics work I could get those lines, but I'm not sure how stable that will be. Anyone happen to know where I might be able to get a mobo connector? Lucky, the 4pin molex connectors seem to be the same. But on the bad note again, although the 5V line supplies a very generous 24A, the 12V line supplies a meager 4A. I think that would still be enough for a CD-RW, floppy, and HD, since the Sparcs can normally support 2 HDs, CD-R, and a floppy. It would be close though.
2) The mobo apparently is permanently attached to the back of the Sparc. Once I dump the mobo, I would need to do some sealing work on the back. What is a good mobo for an entertainment center? It has to have everything integrated, since there is no room for cards. Also, it's needs to be smaller than the standard ATX, although not much.
3) CPU. I'm not sure whether to get AMD or Intel on this one. The hs needs to be short, no longer than 2 and 1/2 in. No fan, I'm hoping the PSU fans can take care of that. AMD will be cheaper for CPU, mobo and hs, but Intel also has the auto CPU scaling when it starts to overheat. Any opinions on this?
4) That's all for now, I'll find more as I mess with it some more. Any suggestions or observations will be graciously appreciated.
Added on...
I want this comp to be able to be able to play CDs, VCDs, and maybe DVDs. Thus, the mobo has to have a pretty good audio out (nForce2?) and good 2D. 3D is unnecessary since this won't be a gaming station. Also, I would like this comp to be able to record shows off of cable, although I'm not sure if any mobo comes with that capability. This comp should be fast enough to record shows and encode them into divx or ogg at the same time, so probably >1 GHz.
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