Challenge: X58 (LGA 1366) uATX mobo

[drew]

This is turning into a scavenger hunt....

Found a couple, but they want $300(!) for them...

que fuck?


I understand this is probably a lesson in futility, but it's equally hard finding a reasonable HTPC case for ATX boards.

Thought if I could find an X58 uATX, I could reuse CPU/Ram, and then only have to contend with what to do with the full mobo (anyone interested?)

[thesameguy]

You know, I would ebay or cl that board & CPU and get something else. Those i7s were 130w processors IIRC which means you'll need some serious cooling, and that's going to make noise. This late in the game finding someone who needs a 1366 motherboard is going to be rough, but you've got a functioning combo which could be attractive to someone doing a nice but budget build. Well under three bills gets you good Haswell setup, and under two bills a decent one. You should be able to get $100-$150 for the combo you've got, so your outlay is going to be $50-$150. Far better to spend that money on new stuff that to try and find a unicorn matx X58 board IMHO.

[drew]

Yeah, it's all "game time decision" at this point. I'm in no hurry.

I may make an official offer to a good home of the left over bits (which would be very cheap for someone to complete the system). Whatever I get out of that, wouldn't leave much for an HTPC.


thinking....

[Yw-slayer]

I agree with TSG, and have nothing to add.

[drew]

Ok, so after a week of getting cross-eyed looking at various HTPC Setups, I think I've got it narrowed down:

Common bits:
CORSAIR CSM Series CS450M 450W: $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139058

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) $48
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

Corsair Force LS Series CSSD-F60GBLS $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233626

Fractal Design node 804: $110

691
692
693

Intel Option:
i3-3225 35W (HD4400) $135
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116947
ASRock H97M Pro4 $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157512


AMD Option:
Athlon 5350 Kabini 25W (HD8400) $65
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113364
ASUS AM1M-A AM1 $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132097



Intended use:
1. Stream music video over the network from the big box (thus only the 60GB drive, for now)
2. Utilize XBMC (just discovered this yesterday, need to study, but looks tits)
3. Use internet minimally, mainly using it for Netflix/Hulu.
3. Possibly add tuner card and big HDD down the road to use as DVR.


Now, decision making (though, it should be an easy one).

The Intel option has a total of about $500, the AMD: $390, it may be a no-brainer.

Both boards have HDMI and SATA 6.0/USB 3.0. So they would (hopefully) be able to handle the task for a long long time.

[Yw-slayer]

For what you're doing, save the money and stick with the AMD.

[thesameguy]

This is a solid deal for a lightweight HTPC base:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?SID=bb7c0189c21f409eac0c9037 1781f989&AID=10440897&PID=1225267&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-cables-_-na-_-na&ItemList=Combo.1730239&cm_sp=

[drew]

hmm, interesting.

Question though, motherboard doesn't seem to have optical out (which, I do have a PCI sound board from the last box (which the new mobo doesn't have PCI slots)).

Second, and more troubling, no video?

After spending most of the day yesterday, looking at various things, I've now got two "deal breaker" sticking points:

CPU graphics
HMDI output
SPDIF optical output onboard, or, mobo with PCI slight (to recycle HT Omega card)

This is turning into fun :)

[drew]

Ok, change of plans, yet again.

After going to Tiger Direct (pretty awesome/(deadly) having one 5 minutes away)), I asked about the trade-in thing, blah blah.


Considering the difficulties of haggling/listing, etc, etc (Craigslist, etc). I think I found an easier/cheaper solution.


Enter the Fractal Design Node 605:
697

Full ATX, roomy, and won't look out of place under the TV.


So now, that just leaves a smaller (400-450W) PSU (Corsair 430M is $50), and a fanless GFX card (still researching that).

All done, given the headaches trying to sell all the shit, I think the return from anything I did sell would be a wash.

So, try to sell the mobo/CPU/sink/ram, and probably get only $200 out of it, and still need another $200 to build the HTPC, or:
Use what I have, which will end up costing an additional $200+/- to complete the missing parts anyway. That's if I'd ever even sell it...

On top of that, I'd have a monster of an HTPC (seriously overkill, would back the clocks to OEM/2.67Ghz).


so, tsg, you're up again. I need a recommendation on a GFX card (preferably fanless and HDMI), as my X58 doesn't have onboard.

:)

[Random]

That's a pretty case. :up:

[thesameguy]

Fractal designs a nice case - pretty sure they are all made by Lian Li and derived from existing Lian Li designs. I think the 605 is based on the PC-C33 or 34.

I would personally not buy a fanless GPU - they are all either extremely low-end or serious compromise designs. I'd just stay away. Are you looking for something to just put pictures on the screen, or something that can do 4k, or decode bluray or play games?

[drew]

No real games, per se. Maybe the occasional old skool stuff (like Nintendo old school). Nothing I would say would surpass anything an on-board video couldn't handle.

The passive cooling thing is probably not important. Something quiet would be just as fine.

No real need for 4k. I don't have a 4k TV anyway....

and I don't currently have any BD on local HDD, they're all on the retail discs themselves. I have a dedicated BD player as well.

So, basically, streaming Netflix/Hulu, and the occasional old ass game, pre-2000.

[thesameguy]

I'd personally pick up an HD 260 - like $100. Fairly low power requirements, good for the foreseeable future, and easily capable of lightweight gaming. I've had very good luck with the recent MSI cards - Newegg has the 2gb version for $100 after rebate. They tend to be quiet with good fan tuning - big fan, low RPM, and not much movement when not stressed. My other choice would be the XFX DD version of the same chip - it has a bigger heatsink and two fans. I bought several of their 6800/6900 series DD cards and was totally satisfied with the noise level. For the extra $15, it might be worth doing.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127762&cm_re=r7_260-_-14-127-762-_-Product
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150695&cm_re=r7_260-_-14-150-695-_-Product

The next step down in cards is only going to save about $40 and stick you with truly budget hardware. Stuff that tends to have tiny, cheap fans that make lots of noise. Even though a "gaming" card is overkill for what you want, you get a better noise profile with a more capable card that is always understressed instead of an outdated card that's always on full-tilt.

Oh, and FWIW I have stuck exclusively with AMD stuff for HTPC duty because - IMHO - their display tuning software is superior to Nvidia. It's just much easier to get a Red card sized & colored right than a Green card IME.

[drew]

I'm not too sure about the red/green card (thought you were talking futbol for a second)... :)


Thanks for the tips. I figured about $100 or so for the GFX at this point.

In the end, I'm still going to have about $250-300 in it, which, all things considered, isn't that bad (even if it's way over the top, horsepower wise).


The next variable is the cooler... I have the Noctua NH-C12P, which, according to a couple resources I found, will fit in either the Fractal or Silverstone case (GD70). The Silverstone is just a bit taller (half inch).

While I'd like to re-use it, if at all possible (it's a beast of a cooler), I'm afraid that it may be just a bit too close in either case, with very little space above it in the case.


Supposedly, you can fit a Corsair H55/H60 in either case as well. Since I put the H60 on the new box, I'm really content with it. But, that's another $50. I'd rather spend that on a big HDD, if I can re-use the Noctua.

I may just draw them both up in CAD and see if they'll actually fit.

The Silverstone has two bottom intake fans, so, in theory, if I put the cooler on the sink drawing UP and the rear fans out, it should work well, regardless if there's 10-15mm space above it, right?

Now it's fun :)

[thesameguy]

CPU cooling considerations has blown up more than one of my great ideas.... BAH!

[drew]

heh heh. It's like modding a car, where do you stop??

[Random]

700
FWIW, the Noctua CPU cooler stack that I run works fine without the big fan installed on the top.

Or you could break out Ye Olde Drill and add a vent above the cooler? :toolbox:

edit: oh, yours doesn't have the second fan. Hmm.

editedit: I am going to guess that an HTPC box is not going to be particularly sensitive to chip cooling.

[drew]

Still researching cases now... Not sure which way I want to go.....

1st world problems...

[thesameguy]

Go big.

My first HTPC build was nice & compact and I was proud, but I kept wanted to add more stuff to make it more competent. I ended up switching cases three times until I finally ended up with the giant Lian Li I have. But everything fits and fits well, and it's not *that* much taller than my Onkyo receiver. I'd just get the largest thing that fits so you just don't have to stress about it. Cases are, in the end, one thing that can span generations. I've gotten two gut switches out of it (E8400->i5-650->Haswell(wtf, I have no idea what's in it now) over three years so I feel like the investment was worth it.

[drew]

I'm still thinking about the Corsair 540 case (on its side).

It will fit in the cabinet, doesn't look too out of place (I actually think it looks bitchin on it's side), and it gargantuan, so there there's absolutely NO considerations of space.


Reason being: I want a good/quiet cooler (I have one), in the HTPC, it won't work. So I'd have to employ something spendy like a water (H60), etc. I like the Corsair case, and it's the same cost as the Fractal, and I'd have to buy a new cooler with it, then still have to be somewhat worried about the cooling potential. It's a big HTPC case, but still.....


Tiger Direct has Corsair PSUs on sale right now too. 600W (modular) for $80. Hard to pass on that. WAY overkill, but, fuck it.
Decisions decisions.

[thesameguy]

Be cautious of Corsair PSUs - they have at least a couple varieties known for coil whine (you can google which ones). It's really annoying. You might look at Silverstone - they are very quiet and cheap on Amazon. XFX too. Hell, get an XFX and that XFX vid card and have a matching pair! :)

[drew]

Nice!

Do you, or have you used XBMC? I'm trying to research it while I'm making choices.

From what it looks, it's a rather non-intuitive operation...

Other things I'm contemplating:
Hauppauge WinTV-DCR-2650 Dual Tuner Digital CableCARD Receiver

I know pretty much 3/5ths of sweet fuckall about this stuff.


If I got this (I can apparently get a cable card from Comcast), I'm assuming I'd still need a TV card in the PC?

Then I would be able to use the PC as a gigantic DVR?

Embarrassingly, this is an area of tech I've not looked at prior to yesterday...

[Alan P]

If you're worried about the CPU cooler being noisy get an AIO one? I doubt the HTPC usage will stress a modern CPU that much so the fans could be on quietly?

[thesameguy]

I run a fork of XBMC on my Ouya, and I set my parents up with it on their Win7 HTPC. It's very powerful, but as a result somewhat convoluted. It's semi-OSS-ness leads to some of the issues IMHO. It's not difficult to get up and running with it (actually quite easy), and then you can grow from there.

The Hauppauge card interfaces your computer to the cable system, so you can watch or record content from cable through your HTPC on the TV. Back in the day this was much easier, but since most cable broadcasts these days are encrypted, so that's why you need the CableCARD setup. There are limits on what you can watch depending on your cable provider. I don't know the specifics here because I haven't had cable with which to use such a thing in many, many years. Usually, it's limited to PPV type programming, but sometimes premium channel.

The software you're running on the PC determines what you can do with the allowed content, whether it's live or you get DVR like functionality. That Hauppauge card says it's only compatible with Windows Media Center, so you may not be able to use it with XBMC. But, you can certainly run both on the same computer, no worries. You'd just need to run whichever app gets you the content you want.

What you can definitely do for sure is use that card and lots of storage to use your HTPC like a big fatty DVR to record some content from a Comcast cable connection. :) No other card is needed - the Hauppauge WinTV-DCR-2650 is it.

[drew]

Awesome. It seemed shitty to have to buy a $150 cablecard tuner, and a $120 card....


Interesting....

The search for knowledge continues.

I was thinking about building/setting it up in the office (the second bedroom) and getting it tweaked before I plonk it in the main room on the main TV. For the sake of my other, as I'm not sure she'd be real thrilled with something completely convoluted....

[thesameguy]

Unless you need the functionality of XBMC (it does some neat things, like live streaming torrents) I'd personally recommend Windows Media Center. It will play DVD (and BD with a codec), stream audio, stream movies (anything Media Player can play), play Netflix content, and do DVR duty. It does not connect to many streaming services (Hulu, Amazon, etc.), but for everything else it's painless to set up and use. If you have a lot of ripped movies, I highly recommend the Media Browser plug in as a replacement for the "Movies" section in WMC - it's a superior use experience, and frankly easier to set up than Movie libraries anyway. For those streaming services (other than Netflix), you can either fall back to a web browser on the system or use the streaming repository services in XBMC. My parents do that, but I just use the xbox.

Some people hate having multiple HTPC environments and shoe horn everything into XBMC. Personally, I'm at ease with multiple environments. I like the path of least resistance - I want to use my HTPC, not tinker with it. Plenty of folks like making XBMC do everything (which it can and I respect it for it!), but I just don't have the interest in that approach. I spend 80% of my media consumption time in WMC - the other 20% of being somewhere else isn't getting me down. ;)

[Yw-slayer]

I use Plex (an XBMC fork, I believe?) for our server/HTPC and everything else. It works alright, not perfectly. At least the interface is easy to use.

[thesameguy]

Plex is a server platform, where as XBMC is a client. They actually aren't related, although they have been integrated fairly successfully recently.

[Yw-slayer]

Ah. Plex has a client as well.

[thesameguy]

Yup.

[drew]

Ok, for clarification, would I need the 2650 (CableCard), or just a tuner card? The more I read, the more it's muddled.

[thesameguy]

Depends on what you want to do, and how you want to do it. A traditional tuner card won't work for most cable TV services. Back in the day, only premium channels were encrypted so tuner cards largely worked. Today, most cable providers encrypt all channels so standard tuners won't work. The CableCARD initiative was a way for people who are paying for cable to be able to get the content they're paying for (with certain limitations, eg PPV) without having to use/rent the cable company's equipment. So, depending on your cable provider you need either a traditional tuner card, or a tuner card that supports CableCARD - but not both. I'm sure Comcast requires CableCARDs, because they are assholes. Of course, if you don't want to record off cable and would prefer to use an antenna for local broadcasts, you can just do a tuner card. In either case, you don't need a dual tuner card, but they're nice to have so you can watch one thing and record something else.

[drew]

Ah, ok. Looks like I'd need the CableCard deal then...


Bits bought (sans case, still making the decision on that).

ATI R7770 2GB
got a 600W PSU too


In the end, I'm going to have about $500 in it anyway, using the ram/CPU/MOBO I already had. :lol:

But, it will have plenty of excess horsepower, for whatever may come down the road.

[thesameguy]

I've never once regretted having an overly powerful HTPC. It's surely a little wasteful, but it's not nice worrying about what will decode and play properly and what will. It's also nice to be able to play a game on the TV now and again. Like my buddy always says, overkill is just right.

[drew]

Damn straight.

[drew]

Oh well, at least I know it will handle it...
703

[thesameguy]

Nice! Let me know how you like that Logitech keyboard thingy. I'm using a Gyration Airmouse downstairs (which does 80% of the job), but am looking for a keyboard solution like that for the motorhome's HTPC. I've been seriously considering one of the Rii devices, but I'm just not quite sold on the device or the company. It does *look* like a decent compact solution, though:

http://data.w2comp.com/products/rii/RII-i25-post.jpg

or maybe

http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00nBkapResbSuG/Rii-Mini-Keyboard-with-Touch-Pad-Laser-Pointer-Worked-with-PC-HTPC-PS3-xBox360-IPTV-Projector.jpg

They're all in the $30-$60 price range, and available in proprietary RF or Bluetooth, depending on the specific device. The switchblade one looks super cool, but the lack of a touchpad might be a bummer.

[Random]

The one time I fooled around with the browser on our teev, I was seriously bemoaning the lack of a pointing device. I'd go with a touchpad-equipped kb/remote.

[thesameguy]

My thinking as well. I wish I had another one of the Gyration mice - they really are awesome in a surface-free environment. I scored the two I have off some weirdo buy.com (IIRC) deal for $15 ea. The cheapest they can normally be found is $40. Not that $40 is really all that expensive, but it's a lot more than $15. ;)

[Yw-slayer]

I have that Logitech keyboard with touchpad. It's good enough for most HTPC-type stuff. It even works well with One Finger Death Punch (unlike the trackpad on the new Thinkpad line).

[drew]

Well, I can't tell you what it's like. I opened the thing up and the USB dongle/receiver wasn't in it.... So I have to return it...


That said, I was going to get an MCE remote, and keep the keyboard off to the side, since the TV would be use for TV 95% of the time.

It's nice (and probably bad) having a Tiger Direct 5 minutes away (stating this again).


The last big thing for it is the cablecard tuner.
Hauppauge WinTV-DCR-2650 or SiliconDust HDHomeRun PRIME.... it may come to a coin toss.

Hauppauge is a dual tuner while the SD is a 3 tuner...

Would there be any appreciably lag from the Hauppauge, seeing as it's a USB interface (versus the SD as ethernet)?

[Yw-slayer]

The dongle/receiver is in the battery compartment. But I assume you checked that?

[drew]

Yep. I think they put a returned one on the shelf. I didn't have to cut any tape on the package, the receiver wasn't there, but two batteries were.


Last I knew, they didn't package/shelve things with the batteries installed.

Not a huge deal, I'm waiting on my SSD to show up anyway. Even though it's still only a 3.0gbs motherboard, I still think there's some gains with SSD. That, and it was a special 50% off sale, so, cheap.

[Yw-slayer]

There are always gains with am SSD, and all my sata ports are also "only" 3gb/s.

[drew]

I think the whole 6.0/3.0 thing is BS anwyay. No way a mechanical drive is going to get near the 3.0, much less the 6.0 "potential".

I think the only real advantage of the 6.0 drives is the 64MB cache on them. Even then, I'm not sure it's that much of a difference.

[thesameguy]

I think most Logitech stuff does come with the batteries installed, and a little plastic shield between the contacts that you rip away. I think people are too dumb to insert batteries properly these days.... or at least that's how it seems at the office.

I have had good experience with Hauppauge stuff in general, but I know in this arena the SD box reigns supreme. I don't know whether it's due to functionality or just the addition of a third tuner in it. *Personally* I'd would go with it, as just intellectually USB 2.0 doesn't seem reliably fast enough to pass two HD streams.

[drew]

one the same boat there.


I was leaning towards the SD, I think that just pushed me over. :)

[drew]

It's ghetto as shit, but the case is on it's way (trying to get most of it setup prior)
707

[thesameguy]

Well, it's gotta be great for cooling.... :)

[drew]

heh heh...and quiet!

[drew]

There's apparently no end to this...

Just ordered a 4TB drive, likely to get another soon.

I'm afraid to tally it up so far... Probably best I don't

[thesameguy]

Yeah, it's best you don't - but the result is pretty cool.

I built my first HTPC back in 2000 or 2001, based on an Intel Coppermine Celeron CPU. It could barely decode a divx AVI, but having a machine to harvest Napster 24x7 and then play its spoils over the home theater speakers whet my appetite. Now I've got a machine that's 90% as good (and as costly) as my desktop machine. In fact, the HTPC got so good a few years ago I divorced the server functions from it. Running a big ass PSU all the time so a fancy CPU & GPU could idle didn't make any sense, so the server is a Pentium G running on a <300w PSU and all it does is spin & serve 12tb of storage.

Sadly, I think the server function will probably evaporate over the next five years or so as streaming and cloud services get better. That's progress!

[drew]

Yeah, up til about 3 weeks ago, my HTPC was my desktop....

Now I need to re-educate myself on Windows 7 networks and sharing. Homegroup thing is pissing me off. I think I'll quit for the night.

[thesameguy]

I have never used homegroups... they are just designed to make sharing quicker for people who don't have an interest in anything. IMHO, the superior approach is to just be sure each machine is on the same workgroup (via Computer Properties) and then set up manual sharing by right clicking on folders you want to share. Hmmm... I guess the advantage of using homegroups would be that you don't have to manually set up users if you have different permission levels, but for security I always CTRL+ALT+DEL to log onto my home computer anyway, so multiple users isn't an issue. On my network, the users are me (admin), the girl (admin), and "mp3box" (read only)... all the HTPCs autologon using the mp3box user and have read-only rights to various media folders. That way if someone powers up one of them and starts digging around, they can't delete my years of hard work. ;) And yeah, mp3box is a user that harkens back to that Celeron machine a decade+ ago and Windows 2000 Pro... the HTPC thing has been such a constant evolution I never had an opportunity to change the username. Heh. Ah, the days when not every computer was even fast enough to decode an MP3. :up:

[drew]

Any recommendations on a NAS?

and for the record, Amazon Prime is the shit. Ordered the WD drive at 6:30PM last night, it just showed up 5 minutes ago.

$3.99 overnight....

[Yw-slayer]

It depends on what you want the NAS to do. Single, triple, quadruple, eight drives? RAID1, 5, 10? Build your own home server (which is what I've done)?

[drew]

Essentially, a central hub for all files to access/share across the network (and of course, stream music/video). I'm thinking about "over" buying with a quad drive to start, and adding HDDs as needed. Though, I'm not sure I'll ever have 16TB worth of shit.

[Yw-slayer]

I've got around 9TB worth of stuff. With 4 drives you'll want to make sure at least one of them steps in for another if it fails, so RAID5 then. I find the pure nas boxes expensive and overrated anyway. Just build a cheap home server with a Pentium chip or similar and it'll be a decent backup computer in a pinch.

[drew]

FFS, I don't need a third computer in this loop....


I'll just throw HDDs at the two boxes and be done with it :)

[Yw-slayer]

Yeah, in that case just turn the HTPC into a server. That's what we have - an HTPC in the living room which is a server, using (essentially) Windows' software RAID (RAID5 equivalent) setup. However, at the time 4TB hard disks weren't available, so I ended up with 4x3TB hard disks and due to RAID "only" had about 8-9TB free.

[drew]

Interesting.

[drew]

So, in looking at pre-packaged NAS boxes... A 4 bay is about $300-350 (the best reviewed ones anyway), and no drives.

Alternatively, I "wish listed" an AMD box (MITX): AM1 CPU/mobo, PSU, 4GB RAM, and a Bitfen MITX case, totalling about $280.

Motherboard has 4 SATA sockets, and one PCIE slot, if I cared to install an SATA board down the road. Case holds 6 3.5 drives.

So, thinking... it may stay on the wishlist, and assess as things progress (namely, when the Silcion Dust CableCard unit gets here and I get Xfinity running though it, and check DVR shit).

[thesameguy]

Somewhere on here is a thread about big home storage - what you found is pretty common. Just remember that $280 box also needs a $100 copy of Windows - or you can run FreeNAS. In general, "good" network storage costs about the same whether you build or buy. I like build, only because then you know for sure what your recovery options are. ;)

But in the short term, there is no reason to jump into big storage... Might as well add as you need it and look at other options when what you have gets too big for its britches.

[drew]

Yep. I'm just kind of addicted to looking at bits and pieces right now :)

[thesameguy]

How can you not be? That's really the question. Stuff is pretty neat these days!

[drew]

Right? Having not really shopped/researched in about 4 years....

I honestly can't believe it took me this long to do the HTPC thing....


I ordered the Silicon Dust Home Prime yesterday. It's the last step, for now.

Interesting observation: Windows 7 Premium has Netflix built into WMC. Windows 7 Pro, does not (nor can you install it, apparently).

I'm still leaning towards the WMC setup, especially now that Netflix is integrated with it on the new box.

I/we (she, actually) will be able to control the cable/TV and netflix with one remote, and one input.:)

[thesameguy]

Something is off - I have Pro on my HTPC and Netflix. You do need to be sure the internet options in WMC are all turned on, and it should download. Tasks -> General -> Automatic Downloads -> Download Now. We use it all the time. I'm actually irked that Netflix is the only streaming source that has been arsed to develop a WMC plugin... Never understood why all the other players didn't make 'em.

[drew]

Yep. As it happens to be, it's already on the HTPC (WIN7 premium), I'm not concerned about the win pro box (the big one), as I'm likely to not use WMC on it anyway.


Got the cablecard, waiting on the SD home prime.

Hoping it's fairly painless, then I may use the X360 as an extender, and call it good.

[drew]

After a day of dicking around with sharing and shit like that, I've decided to throw the new 4TB in the HTPC directly, and use the 1TB drive I had (and put IN it) in the "main" box.

I'll just keep the mass storage local on the HTPC. It's got 4 3.5" spots (though I'm sure I can shoehorn a couple others in, or use a USB drive externally).

That way I don't have to fuck about with sharing/network, blah blah.

I'll just set up read/write on it to access it from the other box.

I did a little macguyvering on the Corsair case to get it on its side, but it looks like it was made for it (after popping off the badge and two-way taping/velcroing the relocated feet to the side panel):
715

716


The only "catch" being, what used to be the bottom, is now the side. but, since it's going to be in a cabinet, who cares. It seems to breathe well too, with the two 140mm fans in front and 140mm in back. The i7 is running at about 35-40c under almost all circumstances. I'll have to wait and see if it changes in the cabinet in its permanent location.

[drew]

I just ordered a second Corsair Case. Having the first one sat next to me for the last 3 weeks, I kinda dig it. I sent my new EVGA mobo in because something fried the Audio parts. But when I did so, I forgot to remove the backplate for the H55 cooler, which I had to RMA that0 to get a replacement accessory kit.

Christ.

[thesameguy]

That's a lot of shipping. :D

[drew]

Right? It was a comedy of errors....


That said, the HTPC is ready to go (got the My Channel Logos addon going) It's being integrated this weekend into the main living room setup

[drew]

Ok, so the next hurdle (this is becoming an adventure), I seem to have choppy video (read it's a "29/59") bug...


Additionally, trying to get audio out of the PC to the AVR is a pain in the ass.

I get no sound out of the spdif, and through the HDMI (from the GFX card), I only get 2 channel/PLII, not DD/DTS 5.1.


As fucked up as it sounds, the second TV with the 360 as an extender, plays live TV flawlessly, but chokes on MKVs. The PC Suffers on live TV, but plays MKVs like a champ (video-wise).

Christ.

[drew]

Just ordered a second SD 3CC tuner. Seems Sundays and Mondays are taxing on the tuner count, so I think 6 will cover it.

But that also means the requirement of another CABLE Card. The porting over of DVDs/BDs (still ongoing, I had a fuckin ton) warranted the purchase of a dedicated 2TB "DVR" drive, as opposed to sharing duty with the "BD" drive.

Still considering a hand-built NAS, but not sure yet. For it's purpose, I can just add more HDDs to the two main boxes when needed, there's plenty of space in both.