Mini itx build - advice needed

Personally i got a dell slim line PSU out of a opti plex. (must add i don't think the PSU i got with it is a zotac at all it is one that came in its mounting case).

The psu will be good enough to handle what i may consider base components but throwing in extras such as high speed hard drives 2x and a High end GPU would have killed the psu that came with it. I wanted some thing a little more reliable and ended up using a 450 watt slim line Dell opti plex PSU instead.

The set up i used was a 1Tb sata hard drive and the board only and 2gb ram. The big difference with this system is i have had to build in a 12V 500 watt car amp into it hence why i opted for a different psu. The one that came with it would have melted under the pressure.

I only used a DVD rom to install the OS and this was then removed as there was no need for it and i need to keep the build as simple as possible. My only problem with the whole set up atm is shielding as the Amp seems to interfere with the main board so im awaiting some shielding to arrive so that i can encapsulate them form each other. This is how ever nothing to do with the main board just the amp.

Im finding the Zotac a pleasure to work with to be real honest and yes it does get a little warm but this is expected. Just make sure you have good air flow to compensate for this. You wont need high speed screaming fans just some thing to give a nice gental breeze to help aid in the cooling will do the trick.

Over all the build quality is second to none and yes some of the parts are crammed very close together but with a little thinking you can sort this all out.

Like i say though my build is different to a normal PC and my needs are different to so i cannot really comment on much more about the system as im building this not to do every thing but just to do 2 tasks and that is play music and play music videos so im not really putting this under any sort of pressure at all.

I cannot even comment on adding a keyboard or mouse lol because im using a touch screen with built in software keyboard.

How ever don't forget 1 thing i never sourced any thing i only requested stuff and get what i was given to build it. E.g the Amp seems to be a custom jobbie that i have never seen before (mind you im no car expert).

Im personally going to advise against a water cooling system in a mini itx system as is just waisted money. Just stick to quiet fans instead and that will do the job. If you going for looks then go for it but i personally do not see the point. Adding more than is necessary on a system like that is just adding to possible problem's that can occur and with build as such is best to avoid.
 
i hope the new zotac arrives here soon, CLL and scan will hopefully get it soon! and i think i will stick to it, i think it will be a killer anyhow. I just see the benefits of having the option fo having internet as well as movies for my parents, they are getting old, and shopping on the sofa will be priceless!

The main need is actually being able to watch movies in a good high def, and being able to have other feature that the pc offers is just better i think. So i will stick to the new chipset with the atom processor, i think it will be enough for them.

I still didnt get the psu thingy. The new zotac only allow the adition of ram, there are no pci express slots like the 9300. However i think there is a mini PCI-e slot though.

Just to clarify, will a need a psu apart of the one which come with the mainboard if i am only adding ram and a HDD?

here is a linky for the video of the new zotac, have a look please. They guys mentions the psu, but he is not really giving much info about it though. I have tried contacting Zotac, and i get 0 reply from them.

http://vimeo.com/4703310?pg=embed&sec=
 
(updated i messed up)

The power brick is rated at 90 watts on that video. This is good enough for slow hard drive , dvd rom and decent ram. Most mini its are rated from 80 watts up to 120 watts.

All so my zotac is different i must have the other version as i have a external power supply.

if you look at his video his power block is not there on my bord it is. I wish i took pics now before i fitted it all. It defo does not have a on board power supply like that one at all. Im going to go pull it all out and see what i have now and check against there web site.

p.s that video is playing real fast on my pc and i cannot make out what the bloke is saying.

Full review here -. http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3562&p=2

Buy the way this is not my bord at all. Mines different.

{now i feel like a fool}

Added ..

Oky i am numb skull -- didn't even realise till i just looked ->

The board i have is a Zotac GeForce 9300-ITX Mini-ITX ... DOH !!!

Since my CPU and HFC has been all put together for me i thought it came like that hence would explain why it came in a brown box not a proper zotac box. And yes i have a full slot for GPU's ...
 
Yeh sorry about that. Like i said in chat box my head is up my ass half the time lol ...

Glad thats sorted and were both on the same wave length now lol.

Still as the zotac boards go there still and id say the 90 watt power supply brick that comes with the system should hold up easily with Blue ray , hard drive and extra ram no problems. Just do not go chucking it a Samsung F1 as the heat and power drain will kill it over all. you need a slow spin drive to keep the heat down and the power usage down.
 
i wouldn't go jumping on the "Green" hard drive bandwagon my self lol its just a sales gimmick to up the price of the hardware. Just a nice standard off the shelf retail 5400 spin hard dive or a laptop hard drive will do the trick to keep it nice and small. I wouldn't even bother with ssd's increase that pop in your mind lol.

If you do go the 2.5" laptop hard drive make sure you add a fan to keep it cool as these tend to die quite easily in a warm system. Just buy adding a fan it will add a couple extra years on to how long it lasts.
 
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