The only possibility I can think of is the DFI LanParty P45 MATX board. http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-049-DF Not 100% sure if it'd work, but you could have the 8600GTS in the bottom PCI-E slot, then the other two cards above. However, it's designed for Crossfire, so I'm no...

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'll have a think about what to do.

Hi guys. I'm looking for a mATX MB for an HTPC. I don't want or need any regular PCI slots but do need 3 PCI-e slots (a 16 and 2 1's). I need to fit three pci-e cards in there. I'll have an Nvidia 8600GTS with a zalman cooler so I'll lose the adjacent slot. Taking that into account, I need clear acc...

There's not much info on quiet BR drives that I can see. I'm considering the LG GGC-H20L unless there is quieter available?

Hi guys, The PSU is the only part of my system I'm unsure about. I don't know whether to go for the Corsair HX520 or the Enermax Modu 82+ 625. Noise is my primary concern. Looking at reviews on here, they are the same noise at 300w (22db). Trouble is, I think I might be drawing 350w? A quick spec of...

http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?modelmenu=1&model=2257&l1=3&l2=11&l3=709&l4=0 I know that a 1x PCI-E card will work ok in a larger slot, but is there any reason that I'd not be able to run a 16x graphics card plus three 1x cards in this board? I ask as reviews are banging on about these being slot...

Unfortunately there's no way the accelero will fit in my Zalman 160+ case.

I have a Zalman 160+ and would like a passive cooling option for the 8600GTS. The Accelero S1 is too tall. The off-the-shelf-passive cards don't get the best reviews.

Does anyone know of something that will work for me?

See that was my thinking behind getting the Q9550. Yes its overkill for 10% of the time but when I will need to do a few things at once it will cope better than a higher C2D. Its pretty much going to do all I will ever need it to do and many programs now do take advantage of multiple cores. I guess ...

Excellent info guys. Assuming I want the best of both worlds then with hardware encoding by the 8600GTS but having the CPU potentially able to handle it too in case I have strangely encoded media that the 8600 doesn't know what to do with, is there a C2D speed I shouldn't go below? what's 'the' C2D ...

jhhoffma wrote:If your using the GPU for playback (limits your media player and front-end options)...

Can you clarify what you mean by this?

jhhoffma wrote:If you're going to be CPU bound, a lower powered, more capable card might be better.

Can you define 'more capable'? What would you recommend?

No gaming. Ever. Its for home theatre, HD video editing, HD playback and recording (maybe record one, watch one or record two and edit something else). Whilst doing that I may be streaming video/audio elsewhere. 4GB purely because its cheap and Vista is hungry. The 8600gts as its considered one of t...

Thanks for that. Indeed I was looking at a Nesteq EECS 500 which gets quite good reviews, and as you say, its modular so nice and tidy. Its either that, or the Seasonic S12ii 500 or 430 which seems to be highly recommended. Anyone got one of those? Would I get away with a 430w? Or would I be advised...

Hi guys, New to this and after weeks of research am about to pull the trigger on this lot for my HTPC. It must be quiet! Zalman 160+ case Asus P5Q Deluxe 4GB RAM (2x2GB) Intel Q9550 or Q9450 with scythe mini-ninja 2x WD7500AAKS hard disks Nvidia 8600GTS with Zalman vf-900 cooler Auzentech sound card...

Hi all. This is the first time I've built a PC from scratch in about ten years so its taken me ages to get this far! I'm building a HTPC so quiet is all important. My proposed parts are: Zalman 160+ case Asus P5Q Deluxe 4GB RAM (2x2GB) Intel Q9550 or Q9450 2x WD7500AAKS hard disks Nvidia 8600GTS Auz...