Need help on a quiet media player build

[hybry]

So far I have chosen:

M4A88T-I Deluxe (mITX, AM3, WiFi, 880G)
Athlon II X2 245e
Some generic 2GB ram
Will reuse old HDD

It will be 24/7 box hocked up to a TV via HDMI and I need it to be as quiet as possible. Originally planned to get AT3IONT-I DELUXE, fanless was a bonus, but not too sure on Atom.

Any case recommendation that could power it and be quiet (max height 12-13cm)? Was looking at Antec ISK300-65 would that be enough?

[quest_for_silence]

Was looking at Antec ISK300-65 would that be enough?

I mean it's enough: but how much quiet is enough for you? With such a cramped space, you'd be likely to go in trouble for system heat, cpu quietness, drive quietness. Nothing so serious to not be addressed, but none the less, there are issues.

And however you have to swap the original Antec fan and more probably that not add a second one.

[hybry]

Was looking at Antec ISK300-65 would that be enough?

I mean it's enough: but how much quiet is enough for you? With such a cramped space, you'd be likely to go in trouble for system heat, cpu quietness, drive quietness. Nothing so serious to not be addressed, but none the less, there are issues.

And however you have to swap the original Antec fan and more probably that not add a second one.

Fanless would be perfect, but considering the CPU and cramped space I do not think it is possible.

I of course plan to replace the case side fan and put something silnet there such as Noctua NF-R8 x2 or similar.

That still leaves how to cool the CPU!

[quest_for_silence]

That still leaves how to cool the CPU!

First of all, if height is the only concern, I'd choose a more std mATX case, such as the Antec MicroFusion.

Then, I'd choose some slower and/or cooler CPU, as the 210e/420e or 270u (2.0GHz, 25W/81°C).

That being stated, I guess you're in trouble, as the platform has not very nice sockets (CPU and RAM) placing, while the case has drives framing obtrusing the CPU heatsink space (even if some modding may be done with a dremel, I guess).

If you have at least (I dunno) 66-67mm, I would make a try for the 65mm Scythe Shuriken (not the 57mm Big Shuriken which is, more probably that not, too much wide), even if I mean you'd first remove the chipset heatsink, and then mount it back after CPU one, if not definitely swap it with something lower (like some Enzotech ones).

If it can't be done, I'd resell the Scythe and probably go for an AMD stock cooler, maybe modded with a Scythe SFF or a Noctua R8 fan (if you'll put the case vertically, a Nexus RSCF could be an even better choice): or alternatively heavily undervolting the stock fan (no more than 7V), and/or externally driving it.

But however you've still to deal with drives: quietness deserves an SSD (and so SPCR did), media storage is more comfortable with an HDD which cannot be quiet in that position, I guess. Or you may add an external drive, such as some Seagate ones?
Again, a more orthodox mATX case would help a lot.

[MikeC]

Unless you sleep in the same room as your TV, why does it need to be as quiet as possible? Your choices are fine for a pretty quiet PC, with the stock fan on low and a quiet 5400 2.5" w/good low profile HS (like the mentioned Scythes). As soon as the TV is turned on, it will drown out the PC. All the "e" Athlons have the same 45W TDP, btw.

[quest_for_silence]

All the "e" Athlons have the same 45W TDP, btw.

You're right: I'd have better suggested (mmh, I think this verb is a grammar mistake) to underclock/undervolt that 245e, than choosing definitely a 210e/420e.

[hybry]

The PC will be in an adjecent room to the bedroom and I keep the door open. So I would prefer something as quiet as possible.

I really love the looks of Antec ISK300-65 case and want to stick to it if possible, but I Micro Fusion looks OK as well. Fusion will probably be the next choice if I can not sort all I want in ISK300

Will be reusing WD or Seagate 2.5" external drives that I have never noticed noise wise, so they should be OK. Might put some rubber between the HDD and case.

From what I can see in these pictures posted on [H] forums and the Scythe Shuriken dimensions it should fit with regard to RAM. Saw some other pictures and it fits in the case as well but not much space is left.

Just in case would it be hard to mod Noctue fan on AMD stock cooler?

[~El~Jefe~]

He can't stop watching tv when he sleeps.

yes.

I personally would use a Mini ITX dual core D525 and use either Ion 2 graphics or an entry level 4000 or 5000 series ATI card that is fanless. They even come with G/N wireless cards. One 6 volted fan does the whole system.

I dont see the need for low power AMD cpu's. Either you want to do something impressive, or you want to watch movies and surf the web. 8 watt processors ftw!

(vs 45watt max tdp!!!)

[hybry]

He can't stop watching tv when he sleeps.

yes.

I personally would use a Mini ITX dual core D525 and use either Ion 2 graphics or an entry level 4000 or 5000 series ATI card that is fanless. They even come with G/N wireless cards. One 6 volted fan does the whole system.

I dont see the need for low power AMD cpu's. Either you want to do something impressive, or you want to watch movies and surf the web. 8 watt processors ftw!

(vs 45watt max tdp!!!)

Atom somehow seems a bit underpowered and when I saw this board I decided that this is something that I could go for. Plus I think I could not find a D525 with ion and WiFi

[quest_for_silence]

I really love the looks of Antec ISK300-65 case and want to stick to it if possible, but I Micro Fusion looks OK as well. Fusion will probably be the next choice if I can not sort all I want in ISK300

I guess it can be done, but about its potential extreme quietness I have some doubt.

Just for example, I have a similar mATX setup in an Antec Minuet: an Athlon -e coupled with an AMD 785G: with about 23-24°C ambient it idles about 38-39°C (52-56°C under heavy load) cooled by a Big Shuriken running low (~500-700rpm), and a Scythe SFF as exhaust even running low (~500-600rpm). Firstly it had a WD GP inside, then I've swapped it for a Momentus 7200.4 in a Scythe enclosure.
At any load, but torture tests, the only thing I can hear - at about half a meter - is its annoying Seasonic PSU (I've been not able to address this issue until now).

Due to the much smaller case, I'm afraid your thermals could be though worse (and maybe heatsink fan could run faster), and besides you cannot use a Scythe Quiet Drive to silence the drive.

Just in case would it be hard to mod Noctue fan on AMD stock cooler?

I don't know: AFAIK you have just to secure the fan at the heatsink, but if it can be done easily with some grommets I can't say, as I've ever thrown away any stock heatsink I've got.
I'd bet a search on SPCR may be worthwile.

[hybry]

And now I am lost again.

Saw Silverstone SG07 and franctal design Array R2 (which looks awesome, at least exterior) and not sure what to do. It fits full height graphics although not exactly what I am looking for.

Goal for near quiet media player system remains as does the board for the time being as it is the best and cheapest I have found.

SG07 itself is too expensive, but there is Fusion Remote Black (pricey as well but cheaper), although will be a tight squeeze as it is 147mm and I have 150mm (finally measured to be sure).

I am looking to build 2 systems in near future, this being one and a gaming system. What I am thinking is to do is a build with mentioned mobo, upgrade CPU slightly (555BE or some better) and at a later stage add in a graphics card to have my gaming system.
Then when AMD fusion comes out, get a gaming case, transfer innards there and get a AMD Fusion TV box.

Another option is just to return to Atom box and build the gaming PC separately. This would allow for quietest option... And I do not think I really need anything more for a TV box.

[Hazelrah]

If the SG07 is too expensive, consider the SG05/SG06 which is almost 50% cheaper (around US$100-120). You won't need or want the 600W power supply and the extra video card space anyway.

Either choice is likely to be much easier to cool than the Antec case -- but they are also both much taller and they might not fit the look of your living room.

I am doing an M4A88T-I / SG05 build myself right now, but it's for desktop use and not a pure HTPC.

I am currently using a laptop as an HTPC. A Thinkpad on a dock isn't particularly attractive, but it is black, low-profile and the CPU can handle a lot more than the Atom. Most laptops can run silent or very quiet. Plus, it's a laptop you can use for travel. Not sure if that is an option for you.

[hybry]

If the SG07 is too expensive, consider the SG05/SG06 which is almost 50% cheaper (around US$100-120). You won't need or want the 600W power supply and the extra video card space anyway.

Either choice is likely to be much easier to cool than the Antec case -- but they are also both much taller and they might not fit the look of your living room.

I am doing an M4A88T-I / SG05 build myself right now, but it's for desktop use and not a pure HTPC.

I am currently using a laptop as an HTPC. A Thinkpad on a dock isn't particularly attractive, but it is black, low-profile and the CPU can handle a lot more than the Atom. Most laptops can run silent or very quiet. Plus, it's a laptop you can use for travel. Not sure if that is an option for you.

More and more leaning towards waitng for AMD fusion for media player build.

I have more or less come down to two cases, SG06 and Lian Li Q08. Both have a look i love, support for powerful graphics (hope to get it for Xmas). So I might just make this into my dual core gaming box. But before I get GPU, the problem is noise as it will be media box.

How noisy is the SG06 PSU or alternativly I need suggestion on SFX or short ATX PSU that is low noise. Unfortunatly Seasonic ss-300 is not available here

[MikeC]

I still say your original plan is perfectly good for fittting into your existing setup and with a swap for a better 80mm fan, perfectly quiet and cool enough using a Scythe Big Shuiriken (tho you might use a few expletives getting it on). That's if your goal is a media PC. As soon as you add gaming in the mix, it's another ball game.

The SG07 is the best bet. The PSU in the SG05/06 tends to get louder under load much more, and there are few/no alternatives. The main limitation of the PC-Q08 is limited CPU heatsink height... and it is bigger, if that's an issue.

[hybry]

Does anybody have any idea on AMD's Zocate (or whatever the first AMD fusion is called) CPU performance? If it is expected to be more or less like Atom, then Atom is what I will go for now (less power and heat so will be easier to manage then AMD build). But from what I understand then Zocate should beat Atom hands down in all so I want to wait for that.

SG07 would be perfect but it is twice the price of SG06 and I do not want to spend so much. I am almost saying yes to that build and PSU is my only concern. Not going to be under load during night so how does it idle is what concerns me.

Is the SG06 PSU noise noticeable on an idle system in a quiet room?
Edit: I listened the .mp3 on review and it is noticeable but hard to say how loud it really is cause it depends on how much I set volume to.