I built a wooden HTPC not so long ago. I used MDF as it's very easy to work with. If you drill holes in it using a 2mm drill a standard motherboard standof will fit perfectly and hold well. Don't worry about wood being flammable, nothing inside a computer should become hot enough to cause wood to ca...

Thank you! Your pictures provide some more details of the board.

Just a few remarks: - A i5 750 is pretty powerful for a HTPC. You could consider a dual core cpu as they use less power, which makes it much easier to make the system quiet. Something like i5 650 or still lower can still run mid-level games and performes good enough for HTPC photo editing in my opin...

Currently I am planning a new mini-itx gaming system in a custom case. I already have a Intel E8400 processor so a Zotac 9300-ITX board looks like a good (the only?) candidate as a motherboard. I have a few questions about the physical compatibility of the board. It would be great if someone who got...

re-make the front face with a piece of laminate that better matches the other components in your media rack. Good idea, never thought of using such a material. But don't be fooled, the other components in the rack are plastic, not brushed aluminum. In the picture they look better than in reality :D

For a long time I have been reading the excellent SPCR articles and many forum post. I learned a lot and now I have finally finished my own silent HTPC project. None of the HTPC cases on the market really satisfied my needs (and I liked a little project) so I decided to build my own case from scratc...

Hi to everyone. actually I'm using a dell DA-2 + pico psu xt 150w without problems on this config: If it works without problem, why worry? The XT150 should be able to handle 130 W. If you would like to lessen the load on your picopsu anyway, you could branch of the connection to your P4 header befo...

New bricks are often pretty expensive. I would check sites like ebay or local alternatives for used laptop bricks. You should be able to pick one up for about 15 to 20 euro.

I wouldn't worry about matching your systems power use exactly, but no need for a 200W brick either.

I have one of those Nexus fans. It makes a slight clicking noise but I can only hear it with my ear close to it. I suppose there are quieter fans available but it's not bad. Plus, it's PWM and inexpensive.