SPCR

Good Morning SPCR,

I'm looking to create a XBMC machine which will be placed in my bedroom. As I have a wife, the biggest issue I will be running into is noise level. I'm looking at primarily mini ITX but can be talking up to a micro ATX. . The 2 requirements that can't be changed is the RAM as I already have 2 x 4gb DDR3 and It will need room for 1 PCI-E Video card. I have looked through the PSU's list (last updated Feb 2012) and what I saw was disconcerting. I saw fanless as a very strong and via proposition but the price is just way to high. What I was currently thinking is listed below please feel free to change anything you see out (I went with AMD due to 8 GB ram vs Intel 4GB )

PC 1 (Mini-ITX)
Motherboard: ASRock E35LM1 AMD E-240 APU AMD Mini ITX Motherboard/CPU Combo (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813157324)
Video Card: VisionTek 900231 Radeon HD 3450 512MB 64-bit GDDR2 (need as I have a tube TV in place for now) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814129110)

PC 2 (Micro-ATX)
Motherboard: ASUS E45M1-M PRO AMD E-450 APU AMD Hudson M1 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813131875)
Video Card: VisionTek 900231 Radeon HD 3450 512MB 64-bit GDDR2 (need as I have a tube TV in place for now) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814129110)

Need thoughts on
PSU: SeaSonic S12II 380B 380W ATX12V v2.3 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817151072)
Case: ???

Welcome to SPCR!


Is this machine just for playing video? An external video card isn't strictly necessary if that's the case. If you've got an older CRT TV, you're going to need something with RCA or S-Video output. That video card you have linked doesn't have either, even though the specs page says it does (users are showing use out of the VGA, HDMI, and DVI ports).

I'm also not sure what you mean by the restriction of Intel and 4GB. Only older Atom-based systems are limited to 4GB, and that's only because those CPUs are not 64-bit compatible.

What is your budget for this project? That would give us a better idea on how to help you out.

If you're still using an older CRT TV, I think that's going to be your biggest obstacle. The lack of digital connections is really a pain to deal with when working with modern computer components. A newer LCD TV and a media streaming box such as the WD Live Plus should handle your playback needs, and it would also be completely silent. The WD Live Plus is fanless.

My first idea: get a WD TV live box. No need for a full PC if you just want something to play music and video with. If it has to be a PC for the added benefits, take a look at Zotac boxes, Asrock Mini or just consider a netbook via HDMI.

The "HTPC2" entry in my signature is what we use in our bedroom, hooked up via HDMI to a 32" Toshiba LCD. Sound is via analogue to the bedroom hifi amp (old Myryad MI-120). Works very well, running MCE on Windows 7. It's basically below the noise floor of the room - the TV makes more hum than the PC does.