Final setup (?!) - any comments?

[lirsch]

Hi All,
After two-three months of digging in many forums, reading some magazines this is the final setup I've came up with for my HTPC.

Main Uses (while connected to 42" LCD and Onkyo TX-SR607)
- Play smoothly any new audio/video format and support bitstreaming
- Play mid-level graphic games
- View/Edit raw/jpg photos using photoshop etc ...
- SILENTTTTTT (most important)
- Low power consumption
- Nice aesthetic design

Setup
(you are welcome to comment, if a component should be replaced, down voltage etc ...)

CPU Intel Core i3-530 Tray
CPU Cooler SCYTHE SHURIKEN Rev.B
MOB Asus P7H55D-M Evo
GPU Sapphire Radeon HD5550 1GB GDDR2 Ultimate-Passive PCI-E
SSD OCZ VERTEX 30GB
HDD WD 2TB 7200RPM 64MB GREEN SATA2, WD20EARS
PSU Enermax Modu87+ 500W
Case Silverstone Grandia GD05 (3x120mm original fans but might be exchanged to silent ones)
Memory G.Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3-1333, 1.35v, 7-7-7-21, CL7 240-pin DIMM
DVD Asus External DVDRW SDRW-08D1S (BLACK)
Mouse/Keyboard LOGITECH BLUETOOTH KEYBOARD DINOVO EDGE

Thank you all in advance ...

 

[Lmeow]

Looks good I guess. You might want to downgrade the PSU - 500W is overkill for an HTPC. A Corsair CX400W would be much better suited, if you need modular ability then I suppose the Silent Pro M500 is another choice.

 

[lirsch]

Looks good I guess. You might want to downgrade the PSU - 500W is overkill for an HTPC. A Corsair CX400W would be much better suited, if you need modular ability then I suppose the Silent Pro M500 is another choice.

Well, first, thank you for your reply.
Regarding the PSU, I think to buy a 500W one for future use, this HTPC might be upgraded later to something more power consuming so ... you never know.
I chose this PSU because it's very efficient, silent and therefore less heat is generated, it is also modular.

What are the benefits of the Silent Pro over the Enermax Modu 87+?

 

[lirsch]

Summary of all responses

1. Case Fans - Check if the case's 3x120mm fans are silent enough, if not, replace with the following (+under voltage):
- Noctua NF-P12 (5V)
- Noiseblocker M12-P (5V)
- Gentle Typhoon DC1225C12B5AP-15 (7V)
- Scythe SY1225SL12VBL (5V) or Scythe SY1225SL12L (7V)


2. GPU - Check the performance of the i3-530, If bitstreaming and mid-level graphics performance is not that good add a GPU

which might be:
- Sapphire Radeon HD5550 1GB GDDR2 Ultimate-Passive PCI-E (my original setup)
- HIS HD 5550 Silence (DirectX 11/ Full HD 1080p) 512MB (128bit) GDDR5 PCIe (new optional GPU)
- SAPPHIRE HD5550 1GB GDDR5 HDMI (remove the fan) + VGA Cooler heatsink (like ZALMAN VNF100)
- HD 5670 or higher paired with an aftermarket passive cooler like the Accelero S1

* Important - verify each one of the above passive GPUs fit inside the case while its heatsink won't overhang adjacent slot's


3. DVD-Drive - Consider buying an internal, silent dvd-drive like Pioneer 216D DVD-RW