"Not Just a HTPC" Build

[justaguy168]

I have been clicking in circles trying to come up with a parts list and could use some assistance. I am going to build a media / workstation pc for my small Manhattan apartment. But it needs to be somewhat multifunction. I would like it to do the following:

• Windows 7 OS. Unsure of what flavor.
• Light MS Office use. No multi-acre spreadsheets. Currently on Office 2003, may move to 2010.
• Stream video from Netflix
• Store my photos and music
• Music would not be edited. Photos would be edited in a low-end photo editing program not Photoshop.
• Usual web surfing and e-mail
• Skype
• It will be on most of the time so it would be nice if it was low power and quiet
• No blue ray's yet. Might upgrade in future.
• Don't have a big-screen TV yet. Might want to output to that when we buy it in a year or so.

None of this seems to me very CPU intensive. I read Zach Throckmorton's SFF Buyers Guide writeup and the comments that followed it with great interest. This is my tweak of ZT's build:

• Case: Lian Li PC Q11
• PSU: SeaSonic SS-300ET Bronze 300W ATX12V V2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE ???
• CPU: Intel Core i3-2100T (2x2.5 GHz, 3MB L3)
• Mboard: ASUS P8H61-I
• Memory: Patriot 4GB (2x2GB)
• SSD : Mushkin Enhanced Callisto Deluxe
• HDD : Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD10TPVT 1TB
• DVDRW: Plextor SATA / Lightscribe PX-L890SA

Questions for the forum are:

1. Is the Sandybridge / i3 the optimal processor? Should I upgrade to a i5-2400 like ZT offers? Some other threads debate the virtues of Zacate / Fusion e-350. See here and here Mboards I was considering in this vein were ASRock E350 or Zotac Fusion350-A-E. Which is better for the tasks above?
2. is the PSU too large? What smaller options are available? Could I fit all of this in the Antec ISK-300 with its 65W PSU?
3. What flavor of windows should I use: Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate? Give that response, the 32 bit, or 64 bit flavors
4. Is there an advantage of 2 modules of 2GB rather than 1 module of 4 GB?

If these questions are answered elsewhere please let me know and I will RTFM. Your thoughts would be appreciated.

~ Ken

 

[wirednuts]

use 4gb sticks in case you later upgrade to 8, and i still think the i3 is the best multifunction htpc chip out there. for basic htpc, zacate is awesome, but for like what you want and i want (a gaming htpc in my case) the i3 is just a speed demon for the power it draws.

 

[Skott]

If you were to add gaming to this mix then I might suggest the i5 2400 cpu but as you state the functions it is going to do I'd have to agree with wirednuts and say go with the i3.

 

[Zap]

Hello justaguy168, and welcome to AnandTech Forums.

1) I think the 2100T will work fine for your specified purposes. The E-350 competes with Atom and in that sense is totally better than an Atom, but it doesn't come close to even the slowest desktop Core i3 in performance. It also won't save a huge amount of power over a 2100T.

2) Yes, you can run it all on the 65W PSU included with the Antec case. Note that the case uses a SLIM optical drive. Also it only takes (up to two) 2.5" notebook sized drives.

3) Get 64-bit Windows. At this point in time for 99.9% of those using Windows 7, there is no point in 32-bit. Regarding which version, unless you KNOW there is something in the higher versions that you absolutely need, just stick with Home Premium. Compare different versions of Windows 7. This gives the high level overview of the main differences. It may not mention everything.

4) 2x2GB will be "faster" than 1x4GB because the motherboard/CPU will take advantage of dual channels for higher memory bandwidth. That being said, the difference is probably not much. Instead of this, why not go with a 2x4GB dual channel kit? Memory is so inexpensive these days that with a bit of patience (AKA checking out hot deals sites daily for a few days) you can probably score such an 8GB kit for under $60 out the door, or even cheaper with rebate. Heck, I have an 8GB kit on the way that will end up costing me $31 after rebate from a hot deal a couple days ago. Just in today's Newegg newsletter there were 8GB DDR3 kits for around $55 with free shipping.

 

[justaguy168]

Thanks for the replies. I went with the following build list:

• Lian Li PC-Q11B Black Aluminum Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case
• A 2 year old 300 W Seasonic 80 plus power supply
• ASUS P8H67-I DELUXE LGA 1155 SATA 6Gbps and USB 3.0 Supported Intel H67 DDR3 1333 Mini ITX Motherboard
• Intel Core i3-2100T Sandy Bridge 2.5GHz LGA 1155 35W Dual-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I32100T
• Corsair 4GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1333 Laptop Memory Model CMSO4GX3M1A1333C9
• Western Digital Caviar Black WD1502FAEX 1.5TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
• Crucial 64GB m4 SSD 2.5" Solid State Internal Drive
• PLEXTOR Internal DVD Super Multi Black SATA Model PX-L890SA LightScribe Support

The wife rebelled at the thought of 4GB more of memory. It was a "wafer thin mint" moment for her. Maybe next month. Parts have yet to arrive from various vendors. I'll keep the thread posted as to how the build goes.

When I started this whole thing I originally wanted to go with a mobo/cpu combo. But I didn't see anything in Newegg that would have all these features and horsepower.

If you look at books like Building the Perfect PC by Thompson and Thompson, PCs tend to be pigeon-holed into commonly used roles: nettop, workstation, media, gamer, cad/cam. I think was was interesting about Zach Throckmorton's Small Form Factor Buyer's Guide is that he didn't assume that all the user was going to do was view media. He tried to make each build more general purpose.

I think many of us are reaching "appliance saturation" and want fewer, smaller machines that do more and take up less space and power. Are folks going to buy a whole other machine just because I want to use TurboTax once a year? That is what I was reaching for. I may want a machine for my purposes above. A neighbor may want a machine that views Netflix and allows her to Photoshop and Illustrator to her hearts content. Everybody is going to want e-mail, web surfing, and basic word processing. Each person has their own personal mix of software requirements -- not the broad categories specified by the industry. They are going to want hardware to fit those requirements for the minimum price.

My 2¢.

Again I appreciate taking the time for your input.

 

[troisanh]

Just remember to post pics of build when done.

 

[beginner99]

IMHO the 2100T has no really benefit over a 2100. Google for benchmarks. Total power consumption is pretty much the same, the 2100 just being faster and hence going back to sleep state faster.

I would go with the 2100 or the 2105. 2105 has the HD3000 graphics.

 

[justaguy168]

Sorry it has taken so long to get back to the board. I needed to finish my finals, go on a vacation, and help my parents out with the Hurricaine Irene annoyances (no one hurt, no property damage).

The build was not easy. To some of the key issues are documented in my Flickr photostream and summarized below:

1) Lian Li Q11 Cable runs and airflow issue: took me a while to figure out which cable runs would not interfere with the case airflow. While I have deliberately not packed this case, clearances were still tight. Imagine if I had chosen a smaller case! In particular, the case fan is about 2 inches away from the PSU and the mobo. In between that 2 inch space is the atx power cable header that block the albeit generous 140 mm fan.

2) ASUS install issue: The P8H67-I mobo comes with a cd-rom that has a lot of great utilities on it. Unfortunately one utility that it comes with is Norton Antivirus. It has been my experience that Norton engulfs your pc like a creature from a 1950's sci-fi movie . Removing it is next to impossible. So I was forced to install each utility one at a time avoiding Norton.

3) ASUS boot issue: When I try to get the BIOS to search for the optical disk first and hard disk second, it pauses for 60 seconds with just a flashing cursor (BlSOD) and then boots. If there is a non-boot CD in the drive (even a blank one) it boots to the hard disk right away. Workaround was to switch boot order to hard drive first, optical drive second. Could this be related to issue 2?

I tried to get help from ASUS on this issue. Their e-mail tech support did respond but with one-line unhelpful suggestions. They keep on changing ticket numbers even though the issue is not resolved. They only respond once every 2 business days and after about a half-dozen one-liners, they stopped responding. I called their support line, an operator said a technician would call me back and none ever did.

4) ASUS driver issues: Their website has older drivers and bios versions than were on their CD. This is confusing

5) Tiny Lian-Li Screws issue: the most minor issue I faced, the side plates are attached to the case frame by 8 of the tiniest phillips screws - and, they don't give you extras! An engineering and value oversight from a deluxe case manufacturer. However, the machining of the case is excellent. No dices n' slices of my knuckles.

6) Windows 7 issues: Mobo / SSD / ODD too new to for windows to recognize right off the bat. Needed multiple re-boots and needed to update firmware and drivers manually.

Other good pictures of the empty case can be found here and here . The slickest build I've seen is by someone named Laine who posted two interations of a Q11 build in Hardforum here and four months later here.

I'd be interested in any constructive comments or suggestions on the build and ways I could improve or do better. Especially in a smaller power supply recommendation that would improve airflow.

~ Ken

 

[Zap]

Regarding the boot issue, try posting in Motherboards. I think Asus has some BIOS issues regarding wake on S3 sleep and a long/double POST. There are settings that alleviate some of these.

IMO "cabling impinging airflow" is overrated.