I would really like your help on this one,cause i need some small portable case for this HTPC I'm building.I've already chosen a micro ATX and most of the other parts,but I'm mostly worried of a good solid small portable case and a silenced trustworthy psu between 300-400.

Please help me on this one to finalize my purchase.

Antec NSK2480 The PSU is 380watts(Earthwatts, built by seasonic), and should be quiet with medium loads. its not the smallest case tho, so you may want to go smaller.

The minuet is smaller, but the psu is older and weaker. There is also a minuet 350 with a 350 watt 80+ certified psu.

Minuet 350
http://www.antec.com/us/productDet [...] dID=15301#

Antec NSK2480
http://www.antec.com/us/productDet [...] dID=92480#

Whats going in this system? Remember some larger heatsinks do not fit well(or at all) in some small cases.

It's not necessary for the PSU to be integrated with the case,akthough the Antec looks like a nice solution.

I'm the guy with the low-level cpu thread.I'm going to have the gigabyte mobo with integrated amd hd3200 ana the 6000+ most probably as a cpu,2x1024 ddr2 ram.

If i somehow decide at a later time that i want to hook up an audio and.or graphics card,will i be able to squeeze them in?I most probably plan to get an expensive pci audio card.

Ok for the PSUS this is what I see.Please tell me if they are good,or if i can do better

http://www.e-shop.gr/show_per.phtml?id=PER.700413
http://www.e-shop.gr/show_per.phtml?id=PER.650647
http://www.e-shop.gr/show_per.phtml?id=PER.700669
http://www.plaisio.gr/product.aspx [...] ct=1115707

As for a case I like the following.

http://www.plaisio.gr/product.aspx [...] ct=1084070
http://www.e-shop.gr/show_per.phtml?id=PER.650622
http://www.e-shop.gr/show_per.phtml?id=PER.804973
http://www.e-shop.gr/show_per.phtml?id=PER.806528

The minuet needs low profile cards. they are limited due to the size.

The

NSK2480 should work with more cards, but some longer cards may have issues.

the 3200 is a great for HTPC(i mean the chip does almost ALL the work)

the 500W Silencer from PC Power and Cooling is solid. I still bet any of those world work, but the PC Power and Cooling should last a long time.

The case will be down to your own preference.

You really think the Silencer is better compared to the Thermataltake power and the tagan?I guess i will go for that then if there isnt any other psu solo suggestion.

Now for the case i consider the Lian Li better than the other,but I'm still wondering as far are the cases on my links go, about getting an audio card.How can i be certain that if i get one,i will get it working,and mostly that there wont be much heat putting pc components in secluded cases like these.

Thank you for all your input.

The PC power and cooling unit is built by seasonic, just like the Antec one, but its not as quiet(PC Power and Cooling likes to run cooler, so are a bit louder). Its quiet up to about half load(your media pc should take less then that and be quiet)

The Thermaltake W0146 TR2 RX would work fine too. the larger fan spins slower and may make less noise. I have never used a Thermaltake unit so i can not comment.

As I said for your system any of those should run it with power to spare.

Your case will fit a sound card fine and even a moderate sized video card(if needed in the future). Since i have not personally used the case, i do not know how quiet it is, but lian li normally has high quality.

It is a strange case with the DVD/CD drives on the side, but if you have room beside it to open them and want a clean front that case should do.

Yes i know that they are more than enough but i can't seem to find any decent psu at 300w so i guess these are my options.

I also think the silencer is an overkill at my case.Y is it considere better and has an 80+ sertificate than the thermaltake and tagan that have less decibel levelsand are known brands as well?

PC power and cooling is known for using top quality parts(parts rated to take more heat) and being able to run at full load even if the case is 50c. This is a reason you may see it recommended so much

80+ means that the power supply is supposed to output 80+ of its total input power as DC(computer power). This saves power and generates less heat. Many older units are 60-70% efficient.

example of 80+ and its power savings
a system needing 350 watts runs on 2 power supplies.

PSU 1 is a 65% efficient one.

350 + 35%(this power is lost as heat) = 472.5 watts at the wall plug

PSU 2 is a 80+ running at 82%

350 + 18%(less waste less heat) = 413. watts at the wall.

So the 80+ unit uses less power and will cost less to operate. Less waste is less heat.

Most modern PSU's are close to 80% at half load even if they are not 80+ certified. This number matters more on higher power systems where the waste adds up to very high power use.

My recommendation is based on my experience with other seasonic(Not all PC Power and Cooling units are made by them, but this one is) built units.

If you plan to add more hardware in the future(video card) the thermaltake may be quieter above 50% load(due to its slower fan and the fact that pc power and cooling places cooling over silence(so its louder at high load)).

All the brands you posted(Tagan, PCP&C, and Thermaltake) are well known for reliable units IMO.

If you click more info under my name then my config, you will see that computers are not quite as power hungry as one would think. You will still come in under 250(maybe even 200) watts.

Thanx great post very informative.Well i know this one isnt.I've calculated wattage and it comes up short on 200+ watt.

I guess if you put it that waythis PSU is the real deal,but should i grab it in my situation?What do you recommend?Icant find anything cheap that i can trust.If there is no other suggestion i wont have any choice but to ge t his one.

I do not see many other power supplies on those sites in any better price ranges. Its not worth going too cheap on a power supply just to have it cause you problems down the line.

You're right.I guess i will have to suck it up and take the PC Power and silencer).

Thank You very much.