Fanless HTPC for 2018? (solved)

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KlaymenDK
Posts: 122
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2008 1:20 am
Location: Denmark

Fanless HTPC for 2018? (solved)

Post by KlaymenDK » Mon Jan 22, 2018 8:05 am

Thanks again for the great help I received here some years ago, building the machine that is today still going strong (with minor updates, such as an SSD main drive).

I'm now trying to build a truly silent HTPC -- not for gaming, so only with enough horsepower to view videos off of a NAS (with some sort of front-end) and eventually also Netflix. I also want to have an optical drive, which apparently is totally not done by any of the ready-made providers. Also, I had quite a hard time finding a Blue Ray drive with a slot load mechanism. Lastly, the thing should look more "hi-fi" than "pc" so I'd like to have as few ports and reset switches ( :roll: ) on the front as possible. (And finally, I don't want to drop £850+ for a pre-built system... :shock: )

Here is what I came up with:
  • Case: SilverStone MILO ML06 (link)
  • Motherboard: ASRock AM1H-ITX (link)
  • PSU (1): 80W PicoPSU (link)
  • PSU (2): an external 90W "brick" (link)
  • RAM: Any 1x8 GB (link)
  • CPU: AMD Sempron 2650 Kabini Dual-Core 1.4GHz Socket AM1 (25W Thermal) (link)
  • CPU cooler: Scythe Kozuti SCKZT-1000 (link) - I had hoped to be able to use a passive one, but I only have 50mm between the top of the CPU and the bottom of the DVD ... and the Kozuti is 48mm tall.
  • GPU: onboard (AMD Radeon HD 8240)
  • Disk: Any SSD > 64Gb (link)
  • Optical: LG GS40N 9.5 mm Slot Loading DVD (link)
  • Wifi: USB stick with antenna (link)
I'm not sure about...
  • Will this system overheat?
  • Will it be powerful enough to run (for instance) Ubuntu + Plex + 720+1080 video?
  • What adapter cable will I need for the DVD drive (I'm pretty sure I do need something)?
  • Any idea how much noise that drive is going to make? The one in my ThinkPad is nice and quiet, but the full-size one in my daily driver goes at full speed just playing a cd. :?
Total price for the items listed is just about DKK 3.000,- / USD 500,- / EUR 400,-.

...more thoughts (and price quotes) to follow as I have a little more time for typing it up...
Last edited by KlaymenDK on Sat Jan 27, 2018 1:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

CA_Steve
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Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:36 am
Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: Fanless HTPC for 2018?

Post by CA_Steve » Sat Jan 27, 2018 11:13 am

If you don't need the PC for it's browser or transcoding, instead of chasing a low cost/power build, why not get a Roku (or similar) that can run Plex and a standalone BD/DVD player? It'd be much cheaper, lower power, and the only possible noise would be the BD player.

KlaymenDK
Posts: 122
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2008 1:20 am
Location: Denmark

Re: Fanless HTPC for 2018?

Post by KlaymenDK » Sat Jan 27, 2018 1:05 pm

Thank you, Steve. After some consideration we have decided that it's important to us to have a (proper, modern) browser, which neither a RasPi nor a Roku would be able to offer. We also do not want a separate device just for disc playback, and having to switch input sources on the telly.

So in the end, it became a somewhat powerful plain old pc in a fancy case (though not the one listed above).

Abula
Posts: 3662
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:22 pm
Location: Guatemala

Re: Fanless HTPC for 2018? (solved)

Post by Abula » Sat Jan 27, 2018 6:38 pm

The build seems solid, but why not wait for the just around the corner AMD Ryzen APUs, all their line has rocked the cpu market, so i expect this to be a really good option specially for HTPC, they should be out Q1, so that means less than two months at the most.

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