Building a Silent System

[viewpoint]

Here's my list.

• Silverstone Case, model ML03B, N82E16811163174
• Enermax case fan, model UC-8EB (quantity:2), N82E16811999199
• Intel DH57DD motherboard, N82E16813121416
• Enermax ENP650AWT B power supply, N82E16817194094
• Intel Core i3-540 CPU, N82E16819115221
• Crucial 4GB RAM (2x2GB) model CT2KIT25664BD1339, N82E16820148474
• OCZ Agility 3 SSD, model AGT3-25SAT3-60G, N82E16820227725
• Hitachi Deskstar 5K3000 2TB HDD, N82E16822145475
• ASUS BluRay drive, N82E16827135247
• Silverstone NT07-1156 CPU cooler, N82E16835220040
• Remote control with USB dongle, N82E16880101008

All this for a grand total of $736 USD plus shipping. Of course, in the UK, you add 20% VAT... and prices may vary in the UK.

If you build this exact system, I recommend installing two of the case fans as close to the CPU as possible, directing air OUT of the case (exhaust)... so that cool air will be drawn in from the top vent of the case, directly into the CPU cooler. This particular case has a cool feature (pun intended)... in that it has a vent on the bottom, under the PSU, so that the PSU pulls cool air directly from outside... which means that the PSU cooling fan will turn slower.

Thanks so much for that. I've been looking at this and seeing what is available here [translating into English ]
What is the reasoning behind going for an i3 1156 and not either an i5 or going for sandybridge 1155? I assume this is all about putting in as lower power CPU as possible to reduce cooling requirements?
Thanks again, great job.

[barnabas1969]

Thanks so much for that. I've been looking at this and seeing what is available here [translating into English ]
What is the reasoning behind going for an i3 1156 and not either an i5 or going for sandybridge 1155? I assume this is all about putting in as lower power CPU as possible to reduce cooling requirements?
Thanks again, great job.

The GPU in the Clarkdale CPU's are reported to handle the "29/59" bug correctly. This is where the video stream frame rate changes between 29 and 59 fps in the middle of a show. If your GPU doesn't handle this change well, you will see stuttering on the TV. I'm not sure if you would have this problem in the UK, but we definitely see it here in the US.

The Sandybridge i3's should work fine, as long as you don't have the 29/59 frame rate changes in your video streams.

[barnabas1969]

Other LGA1156 motherboards that will work are:

• ASUS P7H55-M/CSM - has all the connectors you need.
• ASUS "P7H55-M LE". It doesn't have an S/PDIF connector on the back panel, but it does have an internal header for S/PDIF, so you could install an S/PDIF adapter (like this one / or this one) if you need that for audio output. The case I selected above even has a spot for this module! If you will be using HDMI for your audio output, this doesn't matter.

EDIT: Also, the Scythe SCSK-1100 CPU cooler is a better choice, and about the same price. NewEgg stock number N82E16835220040

[barnabas1969]

To be honest, I'm getting excited about this build. I'm going to ask a friend if he will buy the parts and I'll build it for him. Maybe I can get him to dump ATT Uverse?

[WarrenH]

Viewpoint, my system is 9 months old, my 3rd HTPC. The BG card works great, I do however use DVLink TVSource for tuning though.
The entire family uses it without issue, we got rid of Sky 2 years ago.

Be careful in selecting a case, yes you can fit at least 1 PCIe card to most miniItx cases. Without offending anyone here I've had silver stone case ML - terrible cheap finish, OrigenAE M10 - beautiful quality but extremely noisy. Accordingly I spent the cash and bought the silent Tranquil. It works perfectly, temp with my i5 65w is under 45C. I use onboard Intel HD3000 incl for BluRay and it works perfect. As we're on PAL, you won't have the 29 stuttering issue others have so a discreet video card isn't necessary. I've had and still have plenty of Shuttle's - great machines though noisy and their power supplies pack up quite often. Remember that you can always add external USB3 drives for extra storage - they're quieter than internal and won't heat your system.

Other thoughts, a cheaper SSD will be just as good as an expensive one, only instal codecs if you actually need them, install only the minimum plugins, etc, and only those that you use daily, ie keep it simple and when it's running, don't tinker. Buy a decent remote for yourself, and leave the basic one lying around for the wife - she's not interested in macros and fancy controls. Run Win64, allow auto updates as they've never caused me any issues, use MS Essentials AVirus as it works fine and has low usage.

Good luck with the build.

[viewpoint]

Viewpoint, my system is 9 months old, my 3rd HTPC. The BG card works great, I do however use DVLink TVSource for tuning though.
The entire family uses it without issue, we got rid of Sky 2 years ago.

Be careful in selecting a case, yes you can fit at least 1 PCIe card to most miniItx cases. Without offending anyone here I've had silver stone case ML - terrible cheap finish, OrigenAE M10 - beautiful quality but extremely noisy. Accordingly I spent the cash and bought the silent Tranquil. It works perfectly, temp with my i5 65w is under 45C. I use onboard Intel HD3000 incl for BluRay and it works perfect. As we're on PAL, you won't have the 29 stuttering issue others have so a discreet video card isn't necessary. I've had and still have plenty of Shuttle's - great machines though noisy and their power supplies pack up quite often. Remember that you can always add external USB3 drives for extra storage - they're quieter than internal and won't heat your system.

Other thoughts, a cheaper SSD will be just as good as an expensive one, only instal codecs if you actually need them, install only the minimum plugins, etc, and only those that you use daily, ie keep it simple and when it's running, don't tinker. Buy a decent remote for yourself, and leave the basic one lying around for the wife - she's not interested in macros and fancy controls. Run Win64, allow auto updates as they've never caused me any issues, use MS Essentials AVirus as it works fine and has low usage.

Good luck with the build.

Hi Warren,
Thanks for your thoughts on this. Really useful.
Which model case did you use and could you recommend one that would be worth me looking at based on my requirements?

[WarrenH]

Hi, I went with a Tranquil barebones, which included an Intel DH67 board, external power brick, the IR Receiver and remote control. They do the ixL-S Media Centre at around £480 http://www.tranquilpcshop.co.uk/power-p ... tom-build/.
I installed my own components, 40GB Intel SSD (system drive), 1GB WD Green (for recording), Intel i5 2405S with Intel HD3000 graphics (bear in mind you can't install higher thahn 65W given the low power brick), 8GB Ram and a BluRay drive. All in was around £ 900 - the BluRay drive alone over £120, pricey but I'm extremely satisfied with the system and I expect it to last me a good 5 years. You can also get Tranquil to supply these components, dependent on price. If it's not listed on their website, call them. I have the BG 3595 (2x Freeview and 2x Freesat - though only the Freesat is HD).
I also added an internal Serial Port converter to an internal USB header (£15) and fitted this to an additional multicolour LED (£2) drilled into the case so I could use this together with LedsDriver for recording (red), pause (yellow) and play (green) state. I store all my media on a Qnap NAS so I don't use the HTPC for storage - though with external USB or eSata drives this isn't an issue.
It takes some getting used to as a silent system as without the LED power light, you don't know whether it's on.
Other local UK choices, the Zeno, the Streacom, all at http://www.quietpc.com/products/htpccase, note these don't include board, IR or power supply.
Alternatively you coud go for a standard quietest as possible fan case, although when you add in decent fans, etc, you'll find the pricing similar to these fanless models. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Read this old post http://thegreenbutton.tv/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=541

[barnabas1969]

Warren, you have some very good advice and experience. I'm not offended in the least. Your experience with DVB-T and DVB-S will be very valuable to the OP.

I read some reviews about the ML cases... some people hate the finish on the outside and some people love it.

It's good to know that you folks in the UK don't have the 29/59 issue. In that case, a Sandybridge CPU should work fine... and allows you many more choices for motherboards.

The reason I recommended a micro ATX instead of a mini ITX is because the OP may want to add more cards later. If he is absolutely certain that he will NEVER want to add another expansion card, a Mini ITX would be perfect... very small size.

I've looked at the cases with passive cooling in the past. It sounds like a great idea, but all of them that I've looked at are very expensive. Truthfully, my fan-cooled system cannot be heard from a distance farther than 1 meter. My central air conditioning system is louder than my PC. A nearly silent system can be built without the expense of the passive cases. The OP could easily take my recommendations, substitute a similar case that looks good to him, substitute an LGA1155 Sandybridge CPU and a compatible motherboard... and he would be well under his budget while having a system that is quiet enough not to be heard from his seating position.

[viewpoint]

Warren, you have some very good advice and experience. I'm not offended in the least. Your experience with DVB-T and DVB-S will be very valuable to the OP.

I read some reviews about the ML cases... some people hate the finish on the outside and some people love it.

It's good to know that you folks in the UK don't have the 29/59 issue. In that case, a Sandybridge CPU should work fine... and allows you many more choices for motherboards.

The reason I recommended a micro ATX instead of a mini ITX is because the OP may want to add more cards later. If he is absolutely certain that he will NEVER want to add another expansion card, a Mini ITX would be perfect... very small size.

I've looked at the cases with passive cooling in the past. It sounds like a great idea, but all of them that I've looked at are very expensive. Truthfully, my fan-cooled system cannot be heard from a distance farther than 1 meter. My central air conditioning system is louder than my PC. A nearly silent system can be built without the expense of the passive cases. The OP could easily take my recommendations, substitute a similar case that looks good to him, substitute an LGA1155 Sandybridge CPU and a compatible motherboard... and he would be well under his budget while having a system that is quiet enough not to be heard from his seating position.

You two guys are great! Going to take all this on board, look at the links and try to conclude this (when I'm confident enough)
I will try to consolidate any further questions I have in to another post once I've gone through the info.

[volfan6415]

I read some reviews about the ML cases... some people hate the finish on the outside and some people love it.

Quick shameless plug for my recent review of this exact Silverstone case over at missingremote.com

http://www.missingremote.com/review/sil ... -htpc-case

edit - per my review be very careful when selecting a power supply / optical drive if you choose this case as the space is at a premium. If you must have an optical drive I wouldn't recommend a power supply with a depth greater than 100mm, if you ditch the optical drive then you can have a power supply with a depth of 140 mm.

[barnabas1969]

I read some reviews about the ML cases... some people hate the finish on the outside and some people love it.

Quick shameless plug for my recent review of this exact Silverstone case over at missingremote.com

http://www.missingremote.com/review/sil ... -htpc-case

edit - per my review be very careful when selecting a power supply / optical drive if you choose this case as the space is at a premium. If you must have an optical drive I wouldn't recommend a power supply with a depth greater than 100mm, if you ditch the optical drive then you can have a power supply with a depth of 140 mm.

Awesome info. Do you have some recommendations of PSU's that are quiet... and are 100mm or less in depth?

Also, If a 140mm depth PSU is used, can 90 degree cables be used on the ODD?

[milli260876]

I'd have a look at the hfx cases if you want silent. They are pricey mind you. Also look at the tbs range of tv tuners they are pretty good for freesat or freeview HD and at a decent price...
I've had a few issues with my clarkdale recently id wait if you can and get an ivy bridge.... You could look at the f1?? AMD processors too, although I have no experience of them they are a decent price...

[volfan6415]

I read some reviews about the ML cases... some people hate the finish on the outside and some people love it.

Quick shameless plug for my recent review of this exact Silverstone case over at missingremote.com

http://www.missingremote.com/review/sil ... -htpc-case

edit - per my review be very careful when selecting a power supply / optical drive if you choose this case as the space is at a premium. If you must have an optical drive I wouldn't recommend a power supply with a depth greater than 100mm, if you ditch the optical drive then you can have a power supply with a depth of 140 mm.

Awesome info. Do you have some recommendations of PSU's that are quiet... and are 100mm or less in depth?

Also, If a 140mm depth PSU is used, can 90 degree cables be used on the ODD?

Sadly no I don't have any specific recomendations for a 100 mm depth power supply.

Yes if a standard psu with a depth of 140mm is used then 90 degree cables would likely work. Installation would not be for the faint at heart however as if all of the drive bays are used then cable routing becomes a serious problem, particuallry if the power supply is not modular. Both the power cable and the data cable would have to be 90 degree cables and even then they would likely be pressed tight against the power supply after the drive was placed in. I'm not sure how to post pics to this board, but i have pics in my review at missing remote of the space available between the optical drive and the power supply and as you can see there is not much space available.

If you are using a micro ATX motherboard(everything changes if you use a mini-itx or DTX motherboard as you would have way more room inside the case)
what i would reccomend for this case is either:

2 hard drives (1 2.5 inch (likely ssd) and 1 3.5 inch)
and 1 optical drive

or

3 hard drives (1 2.5 inch and 2 3.5 inchs)

With either of these configurations you can store the cables in the unused bay. If you try to cram 3 hard drives plus and optical drive (as I attempted in my review) there just really isn't room to store all of the cables except ontop of the 2.5 inch and 3.5 inch drive. Which creates serious airflow issues on this part of the case.

In my mind this case is best suited either as a bedroom client + bluray player. Or a primary HTPC where the optical drive is not needed (either because you don't watch blu-rays or you already have a dedicated blu-ray player hooked up to that TV)

[volfan6415]

Also you are going to need to buy case fans as the case does not come with any and the airflow inside the case without them is not enough to keep all the components cool. I reccomend the Noctua case fans.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S9 ... 00_details

While they are on the expensive side they are completely silent and move plenty of air to keep the case cool. I used two of them in my test build and as noted with the exception of the infini TV all components stayed within reasonable operating temp.

[barnabas1969]

A modular power supply sounds like a good idea, but the ones I've seen are usually deeper than their non-modular cousins.