HTPC + Gaming

[dave601]

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!

[Dr. Jim Pomatter]

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.