Recording/HTPC build

[hitchface]

Hey folks, long time no post.

My current computer is on its last legs and I'll need to invest in a new machine soon. I have and plan on keeping all of my current peripherals, so really the box is the only thing in need of replacing. I'll post my loose plan, but I'd like to hear some of your experiences/ideas. I want to undershoot $1000 by as much as humanly possible.

Uses: Web browsing (LOTS of video and streaming content), HD video playback/light editing, recording/music playback. Recording usage is fairly light...no more than 2 or 3 tracks at a time, with most of the processing being outboard. All of my video recording is also outboard, so direct video capture isn't necessary.

*Silverstone HTPC case or similar. Smaller profile is preferrable, but I want to keep fans down to a minimum. Probably looking at a small all-in-one CPU liquid cooler/exhaust fan. Last I checked, these weren't the best idea ever, but maybe things have changed?

*micro-ATX Intel-compatible board. From what I know, Intel is still making the coolest running chips for the dollar. Willing to be proven wrong.

*150mm PSU, modular is a MUST. Not a lot of room in those cases, and I need all the airflow I can get. I currently have a 750 watt PCPnC unit, but it is physically huge and likely overkill for this system.

*8 gigs of RAM. Sure, I could go 16, but my current rig has 2 gigs DDR2800 and it does just fine.

*Video card is the trick. Something that will run HD video at resolutions between 1650x1080 and 1920x1080 (current screen is the former, but also getting old). My current card is a last gen nVidia (GTX 260 I think) that could work, but it is also getting to be old.

That is the loose blueprint for now. I don't like the idea of an all in one like a Mac Mini, partly because I can be a control freak and partly because I want to be able to upgrade this thing as needed and not be waiting on someone else to fix it. That is how I got so much life out of my current computer, and its former life was very demanding.

Thoughts?

Oh, and it is cool to see how many of you are still around. Great community.

[glc]

Believe it or not, but the current onboard video - Intel 4000 or AMD APU - can handle full HD 1080P no problem. I'd build without a card, you can always add one later if needed. Have you considered mini-ITX?

I'll list both mini-ITX and micro-ATX cases and boards, DVD burner and Blu-Ray burner, and 2 different CPU's.

Newegg.ca - COOLER MASTER Elite 120 Advanced Black Appearance: Aluminum & Polymer front, Case body: Steel Alloy Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case

Newegg.ca - Fractal Design Core 1000 Micro ATX Computer Case w/ 1 x 120mm fan

Newegg.ca - SeaSonic SSR-450RM 450W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Newegg.ca - ASUS P8H77-I LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard

Newegg.ca - ASUS P8H77-M LE LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 uATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

Newegg.ca - Intel Core i3-3225 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 55W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I33225

Newegg.ca - Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K

Newegg.ca - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9

Newegg.ca - Intel 520 Series Cherryville SSDSC2CW120A3K5 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Newegg.ca - Western Digital WD AV-GP WD10EURX 1TB IntelliPower 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - Internal Hard Drives

Newegg.ca - ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - CD / DVD Burners

Newegg.ca - ASUS Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X DVD-RAM 8X BD-ROM 8MB Cache SATA Blu-ray Burner BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS

[hitchface]

Wow, thanks for the list!

As far as the motherboard form factor is concerned, I haven't given it too much thought other than "Make sure it fits in the case". I think I'd prefer the additional expansion slots of a micro-ATX. I don't have immediate plans for those slots right now, but as my little home studio grows, I'd like to make sure the room is there if a new interface calls for it. That is great news about integrated video being that powerful. Gotta love the march of technology.

Concerning SSDs...when I was last really into this, there was some concern about the lifespan of them, in that they only had so many read/write cycles before they started to degrade. Is that/was that ever the case? I'd love to use an SSD/mechanical HDD combo. Seems like a match made in heaven.

Now, because I don't have the luxury of a separate control and tracking room, this machine does need to be SUPER quiet for the sake of microphones. What's the word on the street for quiet fans/passive cooling? Is it realistic with these kinds of components?

Thanks for the help so far...I'm less dizzy now than when I started!

[glc]

The Intel SSD's are proven reliable now.

Here is a fanless PSU for quiet:

Newegg.ca - SeaSonic Platinum Series SS-400FL2 Active PFC F3 400W ATX12V Fanless 80 PLUS Platinum Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Passive CPU cooling is not really an option, but a closed loop liquid cooler would be:

Newegg.ca - CORSAIR Hydro series H50 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler

This will require a case change - you need one that has a rear or top 120mm fan cutout to mount the radiator:

Newegg.ca - Fractal Design Arc Mini Black High Performance PC Computer Case w/ USB 3.0 and 3 Fractal Design Silent Fans

It has 3 fans and comes with a controller, you will have to experiment to balance off noise and cooling ability. I suspect that you will be able to run it with only 1 exhaust fan.

[David M]

I have had no problem filling up my 2 TB drive on my DVR just with high definition television shows. You might consider going up to 2 TB or even larger. It's only another $15 for a 2 TB drive.

Newegg.ca - Western Digital WD AV-GP WD20EURS 2TB 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - Internal Hard Drives

Newegg.ca - Western Digital WD AV-GP WD30EURS 3TB 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

[glc]

Aha - I didn't see those because I was filtering out drives that weren't SATA 6.0.

Any reason why you want a small case? If your goal is silence, you may be better off with something full size where components are not packed in as tight, it will need less airflow to keep it cool - and it would have room for a larger radiator. The larger a fan is, the slower it can run to move as much air as a smaller one, hence quieter.

[hitchface]

Originally Posted by David M I have had no problem filling up my 2 TB drive on my DVR just with high definition television shows. You might consider going up to 2 TB or even larger. It's only another $15 for a 2 TB drive. Newegg.ca - Western Digital WD AV-GP WD20EURS 2TB 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - Internal Hard Drives Newegg.ca - Western Digital WD AV-GP WD30EURS 3TB 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Thanks for that. I don't store a lot of content directly except for the music I record, so I don't know that it would be totally necessary. Obviously a work-in-progress song takes up a LOT of room, but once I compress everything down to a more reasonable format, I move the project files off to an outboard USB drive. Right now I am getting by relatively well with an 80 and a 250 in my system.

Still...there was a time when I thought I'd never fill an 80

Originally Posted by glc Any reason why you want a small case? If your goal is silence, you may be better off with something full size where components are not packed in as tight, it will need less airflow to keep it cool - and it would have room for a larger radiator. The larger a fan is, the slower it can run to move as much air as a smaller one, hence quieter.

Yeah, I've thought about that too. The desire for a smaller, more HTPC-like case is mostly an aesthetic one. I currently use an Antec Nine Hundred, and while it cools phenomenally, it looks like a computerized Hulk on my desk, in our living room.

I figured the cooling requirements on the new machine wouldn't be nearly as stringent, especially without a video card. That i5 you listed also consumes just over half the power of my current CPU, and that fanless PSU about half the wattage of my current monster.

Really it seems like the ideal case would be a low profile stereo amp-like box with a big honkin' 22cm fam on top for exhaust. Sadly, most of the cases that took that shape were a combo of 12 and 8cm fans. 12s I can do, 8s not so much. That Cooler Master unit you linked to earlier is certainly a contender.

[glc]

There are a lot of nice mini-ITX cube cases, but it's harder to find them for micro-ATX. Your issue is going to be finding quiet effective cooling and room for a radiator with either form factor. From a quality standpoint, I think Lian Li and Silverstone are the best to look at.

[hitchface]

Well, I'll hunt around the mini ITX units and see what I can dig up. That combined with some more research into future studio needs just might present a winner.

Thanks again for all of your help.

[glc]

Don't give up on micro-ATX just yet - use the newegg.ca search for MicroATX Desktop. The Apevia Q-Pack looks decent, but throw away the included PSU, it's junk. This Xigmatek isn't cheap, but it's water compatible:

Newegg.ca - Xigmatek GIGAS Series CCC-MD26TA-U01 Black Aluminum MicroATX Desktop Computer Case