Sandy Bridge and Antec ISK 300-65 HTPC

Got a shopping cart of parts that you want opinions on? Get advice from members on your planned or existing system (or upgrade).

Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee

Post Reply
Hixbot
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu May 05, 2011 9:14 am

Sandy Bridge and Antec ISK 300-65 HTPC

Post by Hixbot » Thu May 05, 2011 9:43 am

Hi there, first time poster/long time reader.

Here's a build I'm looking at for a Home Theatre PC that will occasionally work as a x264 encoder:

Antec ISK 300-65 Case
Asus P8H66-i ITX MOBO
Intel I3-2100T
GSkill 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 RAM
Sony BC-5640H Slim Slot Load Bluray
Crucial M4 64GB SSD

I'm open to any suggestions for any of the parts. Here is my reasoning for parts I've chosen.
Case: The ISK 300-65 has a form factor I like, and I prefer the external AC power brick to the internal of the 150W version. (I think an internal would create too much heat, meaning I'd need more noisy coolers).
MOBO: I want wireless and Gbit LAN, and the Asus comes with both. I haven't found anything equivalent but I'm open to suggestions. I understand it doesn't have the best idle power performance, so shoot me any advice.
CPU: I want some muscle while keeping heat down. Sandy bridge integrated graphics should handle any video playback. I think I could get equivalent full load wattage from a 2100 by underclocking/undervolting, but the T version should be binned for better power efficiency? It's only a few bucks more for the T version. I guess my main concern is if I load a regular 2100 to 100% I will cook the 65W power supply. Or do I have more headroom than I imagined? Could i even run a quad core part? Remember I want it to be safe to take it to full load, I don't want to have to be concerned at keeping CPU load below a certain percentage. Perhaps I should get a better external power supply? Or another case altogether?
Bluray: This is the only Slim slot loading drive I can find (darn thing might be the noisiest component in the case, are there any bluray drives that are quieter than others? slot loading is not a must)
SSD: I want quick booting and silent operation. The Crucial M4 seems like good bang for buck. Media will be streaming from a NAS or directly from the Bluray.


What I haven't chosen: heatsinks and fans. I have no idea what heatsink to choose, whether I will need a CPU fan. Also what case fans to buy. Cool and quiet is the name of the game.


Thank-you for this great site!

N-K
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2006 10:23 am
Location: Finland

Re: Sandy Bridge and Antec ISK 300-65 HTPC

Post by N-K » Sat May 07, 2011 7:12 am

The parts you have chosen seem fine to me.

The DC-DC converter on the Antec case is more capable than you would think. It's just the external power brick that's 65W.
I've been running e5300 & GT240 with that DC-DC converter and a 150W brick for months. 120W on load and no problem. On higher loads it does need some cooling.

Perhaps Prolimatech Samuel17 or Scythe big shuriken for the CPU and some Nexus 80mm fans for the case?

Post Reply