New low power mini-ITX system

[klankymen]

Hello people.

Long time, no post here, but my old computer broke, and it's time for an upgrade. I was hoping to continue using my old PC for a while longer, but unfortunately that's not possible. However I intend to continue to use the following parts:

• Antec NeoHE 500 Power Supply
• Samsung SpinPoint M40S 40GB Hard drive
• Antec NSK-2400 Case
• 2x Samsung F2 1500GB Hard drives

I'd like to upgrade in two steps, the first being the important functional components, so I have any sort of PC. I've looked around, and picked out the following components:

• Zotac H55-ITX WiFi Motherboard ~110€
• Intel Core i3-530 CPU ~100€
• OCZ Platinum 4GB DDR3 RAM ~90€

In total ~300€

I heard that the boxed heatsink of the i3 is can be fairly quiet, if you keep the fan spinning slowly, due to the low power draw of the i3. Will I be happy with this (considering there will be 4 fairly quiet hard drives in the system), or are there any other fairly low budget low profile heatsinks I should consider?

As well, I need some kind of USB Stick with at least 4GB capacity, so I can install Windows, since my old DVD drive, being pATA, won't work with the new motherboard anymore. I guess it doesn't really matter what model you buy, so long as it's not broken. With that I should at least have a working computer, hopefully more stable than the last one was towards the end of its life.

My second upgrade step would consist only of various drives, and I've picked out the following parts:

• Intel X25-M 80GB SSD ~180€
• 2x Samsung F3 2000GB Hard drives ~200€
• Samsung SH-B083L Blu Ray reader / DVD burner ~80€

In total ~460€

Most important would be advice regarding the first step, as I'd like to make this purchase as soon as possible. What I'm looking for is a mITX motherboard with 6 sATA ports and onboard digital dual-head capability.
I'm open for any sorts of suggestsions, but I do think that the system I've picked out is one of the only that fits my wishes. The usage profile for this computer would be quite varied, amongst others surfing, music playback, 1080p video playback, gaming (but only very old games like worms armageddon, so not very high graphical demand), sketchup, and serving several TB in a local network.

I'd also appreciate feedback regarding the second upgrade step, especially with regards to the optical drive, as I really know almost nothing about this topic. I want to be able to read Blu-Rays, and burn Dual-layer DVDs. I'd also like to know if there are any other SSDs worth considering.

Thanks in advance, I hope I didn't forget to mention something important.

[Worker control]

If you can wait until the fall, I believe flash prices will drop as a result of Intel moving to a smaller process.

If you can't wait, then you could save money by dropping down to a 40GB Intel or a 30GB OCZ Agility: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820227460

[klankymen]

Thanks, I'll consider that.

Anybody have any comments on the Mobo+CPU+RAM? I'd like to order tomorrow.

[Bradshaw]

The only mini-itx 1156 motherboard with 6 sata ports is the "Zotac H55-ITX" but it doesn´t have support for the onboard graphics so you´ll have to use a graphics card with the PCIe x16 slot. The motherboard does however support core i3 and core i5 CPUs so it doesn´t require a bios update prior.

[ilovejedd]

The only mini-itx 1156 motherboard with 6 sata ports is the "Zotac H55-ITX" but it doesn´t have support for the onboard graphics so you´ll have to use a graphics card with the PCIe x16 slot. The motherboard does however support core i3 and core i5 CPUs so it doesn´t require a bios update prior.

Huh? Where'd you get that info?

The Zotac H55-ITX doesn't have onboard graphics by itself. It needs to be paired with a Clarkdale CPU (Core i3-500 and i5-600 series) in order to make use of the display connectors on the back.

[Bradshaw]

Ok must have been sleeping - I was looking at it in an online store that must have had the wrong images online. But then this would certainly be the perfekt board for the OP.

[klankymen]

Hi.

Stage one is complete (and has been for a while, but I only got around to posting now).











As you can see, the small board looks very lonely in the "large" case, and is anxiously awaiting being joined by some hard drives.

As for noise levels, I'm happy with the stock HSF - sometimes. But sometimes it ramps up (not sure to how much, speedfan can't get a reading from it), and it is quite noisy.

I have an old Thermalright SI-120 for P4 and K8 motherboards (that's what it was previously on, a Socket 939 system). Does anybody know if there's an easy way to mount this heatsink onto a LGA1156 system?

If there isn't, am I right in seeing that the Scyth MiniNinja is being discontinued? Are there any other good low profile (NSK2400/Fusion height) passive heatsinks available that will go on an LGA1156?

To make things trickier, I was hoping to add a soundcard in the PCIe slot, but that might be unrealistic.....

[Worker control]

Nice system! The mobo does look lonely, though.

If speedfan isn't working for you, hwmonitor is another option:
http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

[klankymen]

Nice system! The mobo does look lonely, though.

If speedfan isn't working for you, hwmonitor is another option:
http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

Thanks for that recommendation, I'll check it out!

And as for the loneliness, I already have a plan.

Hopefully this thread will find one more donation (hint, hint ), and I will get three HD203WI's to join my little motherboard.

Here's how I plan to do it, using 2 L-shaped pieces of aluminium, some spare antec hard drive mounting screws with decoupling rubber, and my leftover motherboard mounting screws: