[seriousjack85]

HTPC + SERVER + 40 Watts Load (ALL in ONE)(Passive).


That is good stuff. I am planning to build it like this.

What do you guys think?

[LiveBrianD]

I like the idea. However, the parts in the article are out of date (XP?). It's a nice idea though. There are so many limitations of a DVR like tivo, I've been trying to convince my dad to make a media center PC.

<div><br></div><div>Edit: wow, look at temp3 in their speedfan screenshot. 81C is REALLY hot, close to thermal shutdown. I'm not sure if it's reading it right though. Passive isn't a good idea, as I see there. However, you can buy fairly quiet fans.</div>

This post has been edited by LiveBrianD: 07 February 2011 - 03:45 PM

[waldojim]

LiveBrianD, on 07 February 2011 - 03:43 PM, said:

I like the idea. However, the parts in the article are out of date (XP?). It's a nice idea though. There are so many limitations of a DVR like tivo, I've been trying to convince my dad to make a media center PC.

<div><br></div><div>Edit: wow, look at temp3 in their speedfan screenshot. 81C is REALLY hot, close to thermal shutdown. I'm not sure if it's reading it right though. Passive isn't a good idea, as I see there. However, you can buy fairly quiet fans.</div>

100% Passive probably isn't a good idea, as heat will generally end up trapped. BUT, you don't really need more than one fan either. Either a PSU with a large 120-140mm fan, or a silent PSU, and a low RPM, high efficiency 120 case fan would be ideal. The 120's can be effective enough all the way down to 600rpm.

You would have to choose components specifically to be passively cooled though. EG, no ATI 5770's, no AMD X4's, and no 10,000 rpm drives. Ideal would likely be an i5, under-clocked slightly (to say 2.4 or even 2.2Ghz) with the Zalman Flex on top of it (no fan should be ok). Then toss in a 5750, under-clocked as well with a passive cooler. Then a WD Black ed, or Samsung F1 hard drive. For the PSU, grab a Silverstone Silent series PSU... only good for about 450watts, but more than plenty for that system.

[LiveBrianD]

waldojim, on 08 February 2011 - 01:56 PM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 07 February 2011 - 03:43 PM, said:

I like the idea. However, the parts in the article are out of date (XP?). It's a nice idea though. There are so many limitations of a DVR like tivo, I've been trying to convince my dad to make a media center PC.

<div><br></div><div>Edit: wow, look at temp3 in their speedfan screenshot. 81C is REALLY hot, close to thermal shutdown. I'm not sure if it's reading it right though. Passive isn't a good idea, as I see there. However, you can buy fairly quiet fans.</div>

100% Passive probably isn't a good idea, as heat will generally end up trapped. BUT, you don't really need more than one fan either. Either a PSU with a large 120-140mm fan, or a silent PSU, and a low RPM, high efficiency 120 case fan would be ideal. The 120's can be effective enough all the way down to 600rpm.

You would have to choose components specifically to be passively cooled though. EG, no ATI 5770's, no AMD X4's, and no 10,000 rpm drives. Ideal would likely be an i5, under-clocked slightly (to say 2.4 or even 2.2Ghz) with the Zalman Flex on top of it (no fan should be ok). Then toss in a 5750, under-clocked as well with a passive cooler. Then a WD Black ed, or Samsung F1 hard drive. For the PSU, grab a Silverstone Silent series PSU... only good for about 450watts, but more than plenty for that system.

Would the WD Green be any quieter than the Black? What about the heat output? I know they are marketed as being cool and quiet, so that might be good for a media center. On the other hand, my dad put a WD Green 1TB in a tivo dvr (3rd gen hd) and it's noiser now. I forget what was in it orginally.

Also, I don't recommend all passive cooling.

As for the 81C temp, I once had a old dell insprion 2560 laptop. With Dell support enabled, it saw the chipset, but it said the temp was several thousand degrees! The laptop sure didn't feel like it was melting (it was a bit hot running though).

[waldojim]

LiveBrianD, on 08 February 2011 - 04:00 PM, said:

Would the WD Green be any quieter than the Black? What about the heat output? I know they are marketed as being cool and quiet, so that might be good for a media center. On the other hand, my dad put a WD Green 1TB in a tivo dvr (3rd gen hd) and it's noiser now. I forget what was in it orginally.

Also, I don't recommend all passive cooling.

As for the 81C temp, I once had a old dell insprion 2560 laptop. With Dell support enabled, it saw the chipset, but it said the temp was several thousand degrees! The laptop sure didn't feel like it was melting (it was a bit hot running though).

Would a green be quieter? Possibly. Have I ever actually heard my WD Black in my media center? Nope. You also have to consider the trade-offs. The WD black drive consumes about 10-15watts of power, while the Green runs about 7-12. Sure it consumes a little less, but at what cost? Performance. If I am recording HD streams, the Green just won't cut it.

As for passive cooling, it all comes down to WHAT passive cooler is used, how much air flow you have in the case, and what the power draw is. I have used the Flex with no fans on it, and with a stock processor, it does very well on its own. But if you under clock, I doubt you could ever convince it to really heat up. Same with high quality passive video cooling. When the system is designed correctly, it can be done with great effects. But there needs to be a little forced air, even if it is just a single 600rpm 120mm fan.

[LiveBrianD]

waldojim, on 08 February 2011 - 05:18 PM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 08 February 2011 - 04:00 PM, said:

Would the WD Green be any quieter than the Black? What about the heat output? I know they are marketed as being cool and quiet, so that might be good for a media center. On the other hand, my dad put a WD Green 1TB in a tivo dvr (3rd gen hd) and it's noiser now. I forget what was in it orginally.

Also, I don't recommend all passive cooling.

As for the 81C temp, I once had a old dell insprion 2560 laptop. With Dell support enabled, it saw the chipset, but it said the temp was several thousand degrees! The laptop sure didn't feel like it was melting (it was a bit hot running though).

Would a green be quieter? Possibly. Have I ever actually heard my WD Black in my media center? Nope. You also have to consider the trade-offs. The WD black drive consumes about 10-15watts of power, while the Green runs about 7-12. Sure it consumes a little less, but at what cost? Performance. If I am recording HD streams, the Green just won't cut it.

As for passive cooling, it all comes down to WHAT passive cooler is used, how much air flow you have in the case, and what the power draw is. I have used the Flex with no fans on it, and with a stock processor, it does very well on its own. But if you under clock, I doubt you could ever convince it to really heat up. Same with high quality passive video cooling. When the system is designed correctly, it can be done with great effects. But there needs to be a little forced air, even if it is just a single 600rpm 120mm fan.

I think a green drive is enough for HD video. As I said, my dad has a WD green drive in a DVR, recording HD video (720p I think) and it doesn't have any problems. Most broadcasted TV isn't 1080p anyway, only 720p or 1080i at best.

[waldojim]

LiveBrianD, on 08 February 2011 - 08:19 PM, said:

I think a green drive is enough for HD video. As I said, my dad has a WD green drive in a DVR, recording HD video (720p I think) and it doesn't have any problems. Most broadcasted TV isn't 1080p anyway, only 720p or 1080i at best.

Could be... I dunno... I have a freaking 3 drive raid array for my storage!