Good PSU for a modding build

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mildgamer001

mildgamer001

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Hello, some of you have heard my ideas of a computer built inside a small subwoofer, well i think i found teh roght sub for the case, now i need parts, i can find many by myself, but i always like to have ideas and suggestions from you guys. here is what i would really appreciate suggestions on:

PSU- im currently looking at mini itx power supplies which would be great for the build because of the size of the sub. the problem is all teh ones i have seen are little known brands that i am not sure i can trust, since i will probably be selling this box.

CPU- Im trying to find a intel cpu that is fairly powerful, but uses a very low tdp, i have seen a i think 35W pentium, but i cant remember, but any that can survive on low wattage and not overheat because of the small case.

GPU- ill probably look into a last gen (or farther back if nessisary) gpu that will be small, have a small form factor option, and be powerful enough for an HTPC or low end gaming rig.

MOBO- mini itx is probably going to be nessisary, partially just to save space for air movement, as the whol ething will only have 1 80mm fan in front (where the bass pipe is) and another in the back, and possibly another where the speaker was, but im not sure of size as i want to put some plexy surrounding it, with the fan in the middle, but im not sure where exactly i can mount it because there is cloth over the plastic guard.

any other parts or suggestions are great, the main thing is brands for the PSU and motherboard, there arent many brand name motherboards that are mini itx that dont rape the wallet, and i havent seen ANY mini itx power supplies that are brand name (ocz, corsair, antec) most are ones like apevia and compucase.

i am not sure of the budget as i havent looked into what most people would pay for this.. different.. type of build, im hoping the wow factor and uses of it will allow me to have a slightly higher budget, but i also have to save up the money for it. oh, and im going to try to market the "it will fit in with your theatre hardware better than a big desktop" type of advertisement, as many people have sub woofers with their surround sound. and when it is done it will look awsome too lol.

 
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mildgamer001

mildgamer001

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also the motherboard tray will be on the left side of the case instead of the usual right side, so the window can be on the parts instead of teh back of the motherboard tray, no problems would amount fron that right?
 
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mildgamer001

mildgamer001

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also i think i might be able to use a micro atx power supply, but there isnt much variety on brands for those on newegg either, mostly athena, logisys, and diablotech.
looking at a logisys micro atx psu right now.
 
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Chaz21

Chaz21

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You know that's a 220V (input) PSU right?
I'd stick with one of the Athenas'. Better warranty also.
 
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mildgamer001

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didnt see that part, good catch, wasnt going to buy it anyway, reviews had about 30-40% fry in less than a year and a half, and if i sell it that is just not tolerable. still looking, also thinking of the possibility of using a regular power supply but modifying the case so it sets slightly outside of the outer wood sides. im mosylt dealing with verticle issues, i havent gotten to omuch into it yet as the sub woofer is my parents and i obviously cant open it up until i am sure i can do this. (with reasonable reliability and performance). so, im going to go downstairs and check it out and try to brainstorm some ideas, it isnt a very comming sub woofer shape either, taller and narrower, closer to a normal micro atx case but about 65% of the size.
 
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mildgamer001

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well i was thinking if there were any reliable micro atx ones, the others i just havent seen much and simply dont trust especiallyt because pretty much all of them had horrible reviews for reliability.. diablotech make anything reasonable in the micro atx market? i saw a few but people often say not to get diablotech, i am good with computers but all this brand crap is getting to me lol.
 
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mildgamer001

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interesting website, im looking into it as we speak, and also i keep having second thoughts about this thing, it is very cramped, and parts are expencive, and it will deffinitly not be an easy ordeal to make it so a side panel can be opened, as they arent really intended to be opened..
 
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mildgamer001

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that power supply looks great and its 450W for 60$ online, which would leave a good amount of headroom, great find, now i need to figure out the budget, part will probably be the 90$ pentium g630T (35W), either integrated gpu or a radeon 5450, (around 30-40$ i think), that power suply, (60-65$) and i still am debating about 2.5" har ddrive and make a custom bracket or use a 3.5" and cut up one of my old brackets laying around my room and closet. ill really hate cutting up the side of the sub woofer si i can open it but if i ever manage to actually do thisit will be pretty cool. (im half and half whether to even do this whole thing or not, maybe as a future project but probably not any time soon)
 
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mildgamer001

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yea i was looking at the APUs, i was focusing more on the power usage, but now that i tested it they are actually pretty similar, but also this was meant to be able to be used for other purposes like gaming as well as htpc usages, but it isnt really all figured out yet.
 
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mildgamer001

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but that i3 does look like a good option, but it seems the igps arent good at all compared to what the amd apus offer, so i dont know about what the performance comparison between the more powerful igp in the apu compared to the more powerful cpus in the i3s..
 
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Chaz21

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Yes at the moment amd's apu's hold the edge in the graphics department.
Check out this comparison on the two closest matches to what we've been discussing:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/399?vs=289
 
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mildgamer001

mildgamer001

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interesting, didnt see any benches on hd video playback though, and i wa slooking at the dual and triple core models so that maybe price savings could go to other things.
also any ideas on how to make a panel on the side of the sub case? i want all the parts back loading, like the psu could slide out the back once screws are removed, and the entire mobo tray could be removed through the back, i could probably jerry rid wires so they are long enough so i can unplug things with the mobo on the ground, then just slide it in after the otrher parts after i hooked everything up, it would be harder to do but the side with the speaker hole would look better without a hole cut into it, also i thought about maybe cutting the opposite side panel so i could just slide it out, the wood itself should hold it in well enough, and i would have to use screws on the outside as much. any thoughts?
 
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