Hi all...first post but I am a longtime fan of SPCR. I am interested in building a silent, HTPC primarily for HD video playback but also to play some lower end games like Civ4, Simcity, etc. Here is my current Newegg wishlist:
Intel Core i3 2100T
Foxconn H67S
Antec ISK 300-65
HIS H657H1G Radeon HD 6570 (fanless)
G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB)
Western Digital AV-25 WD5000BUDT 500GB
Scythe Big Shuriken CPU Cooler (possibly with the fan removed)
2 Nexus SP802512L-03 80mm Case Fan
My plan was to ditch Antec's DC/DC board and use a picoPSU 160 XT. I have read that the stock DC/DC board can do up to 135 watts if you use a different power brick, but it seems pretty difficult to find a 135 watt power brick and I don't think I can go less than 135 watts. I am planning to do some serious cable management to achieve the best airflow possible so I am hoping I won't have any heat issues. Also, I have a slim dvd drive already that I will use.
Questions...
Thoughts on the picoPSU 160 powering all this? Will it be enough?
Any thoughts on if the Big Shuriken will fit in this case?
Other thoughts?
Thanks!
HTPC + Gaming
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- Posts: 135
- Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2010 11:46 am
- Location: Minneapolis, MN, USA
Re: HTPC + Gaming
I never understand the desire for a small system. They are not normally as quiet as a large system and have a lot less performance. They cost just as much as a full-sized system, and sometimes they cost more.
I think you should get more powerful components, if you plan on using this system to play games next year. It is really expensive to buy a new computer each time a new cool game comes out.
35 + 15 + 45 + 6 + 7 + 9 = 117 watts (+ optical drive)
[You need to know the max power draw of the optical drive.]
The Anandtech article about the 6570 and the 6670 indicates that a DDR3 version would consume about 45 watts, while the DDR5 version would consume about 60 watts. You lose a lot of performance by going to DDR3 memory.
It appears that your new system will not play Civ5 well, but it may work just fine with Civ4.
I think you should get more powerful components, if you plan on using this system to play games next year. It is really expensive to buy a new computer each time a new cool game comes out.
35 + 15 + 45 + 6 + 7 + 9 = 117 watts (+ optical drive)
[You need to know the max power draw of the optical drive.]
The Anandtech article about the 6570 and the 6670 indicates that a DDR3 version would consume about 45 watts, while the DDR5 version would consume about 60 watts. You lose a lot of performance by going to DDR3 memory.
It appears that your new system will not play Civ5 well, but it may work just fine with Civ4.