FWIW, I ordered a 7700.

To be clear, I'm not trying to push the limits of this CPU. I don't even care about temps / efficiency too much, so long an ultra-quiet fan (eg 5V Nexus) can keep it in a safe range.

My HTPC is a (slightly) overclocked Opteron 165 cooled by a Ninja + Nexus 120mm. Looking to move to the NKS2400. Will either/both of these suggested coolers be enough?

Yes, mine has it. If I decide I can't wait for the Antec HTPC case and get another P150 instead, you can have my blue LED -- way too annoying if you have to look at the case all day. Ditto if I end up having to put the main P150 workstation in my bedroom when I move...last time I had that living arr...

Bump for wanting to build my HTPC!

Ok, I've read up on the V1-Ultra, VF700 variants, Arctic Silencer flavors, and so on. Given my mobo layout -- the video slot is 3rd from the top -- I think a ZM80D-HP would serve best. The front intake fan is pointing right at it and may be enough on its own. If I have to add another in push-pull (b...

[nm]

I got a 6600GT because it was one of the cheapest PCIe cards on newegg with 2xDVI. (I have an old passive Quadro that works great, but recent upgrade == no more AGP.) This is a mid-range card from 2 generations ago so I figured it would be straightforward to cool passively, but between the ultraloud...

But is MCE the only game in town for a HTPC? Didn't say it was. In my specific case, I need to keep dogfooding MCE because I'm too cheap to buy Sage/Snapstream and too lazy to learn Linux. If the media PC is really used as one instead of a multi-function typical PC, then using the sleep mode makes ...

Same in the USA. Discussing salaries at work is especially forbidden at most companies, since that is considered to be confidential information. More or less. Then again, some people are probably more comfortable discussing it with strangers on the internet than close friends, 'cuz who cares what s...

In actual use, a HTPC doesn't really have to be as quiet as a desktop, because when it is being used... The reason an HTPC needs to be quiet is for the other 22 hours in the day :) It's in a room where everything will hear it, not just someone's bedroom/office. Though of course, staying below the n...

they measure at 3 mm ??

They have to, if they want to give figures with a reasonable uncertainty %. They're using a consumer SPL meter vs. SPCR's calibrated professional microphones. I doubt their lab is ~18dBA ambient either.

If the HTPC case is capable of P150/180-class silence, I want to be first in line.

http://www.cablewholesale.com
http://www.monoprice.com

No it won't be big; it will blend in well with other stereo/video components.

Can you tell us whether it will fit a standard ATX mobo? What about common SPCR heatsinks like the Ninja or XP120?