Project: Feeding the addiction!!!

[EventHorizon27]

This is my build log for my first HTPC. I'm slightly addicted to building PCs, my TV is about 2m away from my main rig but I've convinced myself I need one.

I’m building this rig to serve the following purposes: (in order of priority)

1)To use as many components I have sitting around as possible.

2)To be handle a bit of 1080P gaming when I’m too lazy to sit at my desk with good FPS.

3)To be an effective HTPC being small, silent and energy efficient.

4)The occasional folding boost to my PPD

These are the components:

Main:

•Silverstone GD05B

•ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z

•Intel i5 2500K

•8GB Corsair Vengeance (2x4GB 1866MHz)

•Corsair ax750 PSU

•Asus GTX560Ti

HDD/SSDs:

•Boot: 60GB OCZ Vertex 2 SSD

•Storage: 2TB WD Enterprise RE4 Black HDD

Cooling:

•Scythe Shuriken BIG Quiet CPU Cooler

•Stock Case Fans (For Now)

Sorting my SSDs:

My main gaming rig has 2x 60GB OCZ Vertex 2 SSDs in Raid 0. This has been getting slower and slower recently for obvious reasons, so I’ve been looking into upgrading to a single 120GB Corsair Force GT. I’m happy with my OS install and how everything’s set up so I decided to clone the Raided OS drive to a single drive. I used a free cloning program called ‘DriveImage XML’ and after a bit of boot sector repair everything worked fine freeing up a vertex 2 for my HTPC

ETA

I've got some parts being sent from abroad (just small bits and bobs, nothing special) So the finished build will take up to 20 days. Not that this build is anywhere near exciting enough for anyone to care lol.

So far

Pics coming very, very, shortly

now that I've got passed that really irritating problem.

 

[Terrifictez85]

Glad you finally solved the problem dude. Now lets see this baby come together!!!

 

[-warheart-]

kinda high end components for a htpc, but hey why not?

Edit: Didnt see you were planning to game on that rig. Makes sense then.

 

[yassarikhan786]

Need pics

.

 

[EventHorizon27]

Glad you finally solved the problem dude. Now lets see this baby come together!!!

I'm glad too, I wonder what caused it?

kinda high end components for a htpc, but hey why not?

Edit: Didnt see you were planning to game on that rig. Makes sense then.

Yh... I was a bit like

£90 for a MATX board or £130 for a ROG MATX board???? i wonder???

£100 for an i3 or £150 for an i5 2500k????? difficult???

Had to be done

Need pics

.

So the company I work for has called an emergency meeting tomorrow and I've just read online that we're closing and over 1000 jobs are at risk. This means three things.

1) No sleep tonight

2) I'm going to do as much work as possible on the HTPC as a distraction

3) This will be my last PC I build in a while and may even have to sell it

Pics on the way I promise.

 

[fcb]

Sorry about your situation. Hopefully you'll be back on your feet in no time. Really looking forward to seeing your HTPC.

 

[SparkleDJackson]

Its a disgusting shame that the world is in the situation it is because of greed. My familys business has been able to stay at roughly the same level luckily thankfully necause the type of business we are but our customers come in daily amd say how bad it is that this persons went bust that persons went bust monthly letter from the liquidators saying that this customer who owed us money has went bust and the liquidators are taking it all.

 

[EventHorizon27]

Its a disgusting shame that the world is in the situation it is because of greed. My familys business has been able to stay at roughly the same level luckily thankfully necause the type of business we are but our customers come in daily amd say how bad it is that this persons went bust that persons went bust monthly letter from the liquidators saying that this customer who owed us money has went bust and the liquidators are taking it all.

Not sure how to take that, everything I own I've earned the hard way. Working up to 60h weeks and deciding to stay at home with the parents for as long as possible to keep bills down. Just wish I'd saved for an emergency, like this.

I'm just going to make the most of what I've got, search like crazy for a job, and do what I need to do to get through each month.

 

[EventHorizon27]

HTPC Motherboard looking sexy with it's fan fitted. Memory also fitted.

 

[fcb]

Wow...looks pretty cool. How well does that Shuriken + heatsink cool the CPU? Will you be OC-ing the system for this HTPC?

 

[EventHorizon27]

Wow...looks pretty cool. How well does that Shuriken + heatsink cool the CPU? Will you be OC-ing the system for this HTPC?

I love it, from the little I've used so far it keeps the temp low whilst being almost silent. I haven't planned on overclocking, don't need too (yet!)

I've got more pics coming... should have an almost complete HTPC and project log by the end of today.

 

[fcb]

Hey that's great. You probably won't need to OC this system for movies or light gaming anyway. Games at most will only take up 2 cores and the nice video card you have will do most of the talking.

Can't wait to see more nice photos.

 

[EventHorizon27]

WARNING!!!! cable management is not a skill of mine

Fitted Board and PSU. After the 800d, working on a rig this small is a challange

Fitted the 560Ti, starting to come together now!

So...(better explain this one) I also have a palit 560Ti that's currently faulty and needs to go off for repair. If it comes back all working I may be tempted to stick it in the HTPC.

My biggest fear is heat. This is where having two different cards actually works out better. Due to the card length difference the Asus card has extra room to intake air then it otherwise would have.

What does everyone think?

Is two 560Ti's overkill for a HTPC even if I'll occasionally game on it? I could go either way on this one

I have to get ready for this emergency meeting, wish me luck, not that it'll help

 

[fcb]

Looks great, but definitely overdone on the video card. I'm pretty sure just the Asus GTX 560 Ti you have is enough.

Best of luck in the meeting. Hopefully some good will come out of it.

 

[SparkleDJackson]

Not sure how to take that, everything I own I've earned the hard way. Working up to 60h weeks and deciding to stay at home with the parents for as long as possible to keep bills down. Just wish I'd saved for an emergency, like this.

I'm just going to make the most of what I've got, search like crazy for a job, and do what I need to do to get through each month.

I may have rambled a little in short i mean it sucks that you are at risk of losing your job because of the way things are in the world today and that it was greed that caused it (not yours)

 

[sheroo]

Overkill, but very nice I like it.

Gook luck with your meeting.

 

[EventHorizon27]

Looks great, but definitely overdone on the video card. I'm pretty sure just the Asus GTX 560 Ti you have is enough.

Best of luck in the meeting. Hopefully some good will come out of it.

It's official, Time to start job hunting and weighing up my options. Gives me a chance to try something new. I'm not one single bit upset with the company I work/ed for, they are going to do everything they can to make this as painless as possible.

I may have rambled a little in short i mean it sucks that you are at risk of losing your job because of the way things are in the world today and that it was greed that caused it (not yours)

That's humanity for you. Even if the economy sorts itself out it'll just happen again.

Overkill, but very nice I like it.

Gook luck with your meeting.

That bottom picture with the two cards is really growing on me. This card (once fixed) won't have a build to go in and unless I have to sell it I think it'll end up in the HTPC.

I'm going to have to do something fancy to keep things cool though. If you look at this picture your'll see my problem

The only fan that'll provide airflow to the GPUs is the one in the bottom left. Now this'll have a tangled mess in front of it from the PSU. Cable management will help a little, but not much.

I'm going to have to swap this fan out for a more powerful one and may look into getting some sort of air duct to help get air where its needed.

In the mean time, one 560Ti

 

[Grizzly]

One day I tell you I'm also planning to build an HTPC, the next day you've built it. Currently fueled with jealousy.

Terrible news about the job. I think it was big enough to make the news, you weren't by any chance working for Best Buy?

 

[EventHorizon27]

One day I tell you I'm also planning to build an HTPC, the next day you've built it. Currently fueled with jealousy.

Terrible news about the job. I think it was big enough to make the news, you weren't by any chance working for Best Buy?

I was indeed, Geek Squad CIA Agent!

Can't go into any specifics though, there's the equivalent of an NDA in place.

You should build that HTPC, show me how it's done!

 

[fcb]

Those are the stock Silverstone 120mm fans right?