I’ve been having issues with my desktop reliably starting up (a mobo issue). It’s been happening with the desktop for the last few months, but has steadily been getting worse and now it only starts sometimes if I unplug it for a while from the wall outlet for a few minutes and then try to start the system. I’ve been hoping it survives till late 2014 or early 2015 when they finally release DDR4 memory.
I need a reliable system to browse the web, keep in touch with people, and continue my professional development. My laptop is an netbook (Acer C7 Chromebook with CrUbuntu) that isn’t designed for heavy usage. The C7 would be ok at most of the tasks, but I’m currently partway through studying for Microsoft Hyper-V training and need access to a Windows system, and the C7 can’t run Windows.
Ultimately, I felt the best solution was to build a HTPC system. One of the requirements I have for a HTPC is silence and the ability to blend in with a home theater system. Being it’s a system that is silent and blends in with it’s background, I’ve nicknamed the system ‘the submarine’.
After consulting a friend, I ended up with the following build:
CPU: AMD A10-6800K 4.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (@ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master GeminII M4 58.4 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (@ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A88XN-WIFI Mini ITX FM2+ Motherboard (@ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (@ Newegg)
Case: Apex MI-008 Mini ITX Tower Case w/250W Power Supply (@ Amazon)
PSU: picoPSU-160-XT + 192W Adapter Power Kit (@ mini-box.com)
SSD: OCZ Vertex Plux 60GB (Previously owned)
Blu-Ray Drive: LG Black BD-ROM (Previously owned)
Putting it all together ended up being a pain. I’m not used to working in a mini-ITX case and fitting everything together required dexterity on my end that I rarely need to use. With some patience and skill, I eventually assembled it together and got it up and running.
It initially ran very hot because it didn’t have any way of exhausting the hot air. I had removed the default PSU and the Pico-PSU doesn’t include a fan. Also, the BIOS for the Gigabyte motherboard were very off in their reading of temperature and voltages.
To help cool the system, I ended up purchasing two SilenX IXP-34-16 case fans that go in the space of the PSU. The holes on the corners of the fans line up nearly perfectly where the PSU would screw into the case. Also, there is enough room to run the Pico-PSU cord out between the two fans. This has dramatically lowered the temperature by putting positive pressure on the case and having hot air exhaust out the side holes of the case. The SilenX fans plus the Cooler Master GeminII allow the system to rule silently (You can only hear if you put your ear to the case) and they are highly efficient at removing heat from the system.
As to the Gigabyte motherboard BIOS, I haven’t solved that issue yet. They have released the F2 BIOS and have a beta F3 BIOS, but I’m leery to jump to the beta F3 and the F2 may not solve my issues (I’m somewhat scared off my the strange warning on how to update the BIOS they’ve put out for the F2 update). The real solution I have come across is that the Easy Tune 6 overclocking program Gigabyte has for download appears to show the correct temperatures and voltages.
With extra peripherals, I own a Logitech C920 camera, a Saitek X52 Flight Control System, and an Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Adapter. The Camera and Xbox controller adapter work flawlessly with the system and allow the system to both Skype and easily play games. The Saitek X52 has too short of a cord to use on my couch and to use it I would have to sit very close to the TV. The technical solution is to purchase a USB hub and then run a long cable to my couch, but I’ve already put enough into the system (and another $40 for a quality powered USB 3.0 hub isn’t in th budget).
I ended up purchasing a Logitech K400 wireless keyboard/trackpad for the system because I was sitting very close to the TV to use the system. I was initially looking at the TK820, but with the holiday sales on the K400, it was too good of a deal to pass up. I will say that I do miss an actual mouse, and there may be a purchase of a Logitech Anywhere MX mouse (to use the unifying receiver for the keyboard) in the future.
I’ve put a much of my video and audio media on a pair of USB sticks. Newegg had a great sale on a 32GB USB 3.0 memory stick and I snapped one up (which now holds most of my media). I have an older 8 GB USB 2.0 memory stick that is currently empty and can be used for more storage if the need arises. This is in addition to the file server I run on the network. This has alleviated the space issues resulting from a 60GB SSD with no extra internal storage, but I do hope to get a 500+ GB SSD down the road to increase the internal storage capacity. I could easily added a cheap 500GB or 1TB HDD, but my goal was as few spinning parts as possible and silence.
Ultimately, I’m fairly happy with the submarine. It runs well and while there have been some other other software issues, I’ve been able to solve everything except the BIOS. If someone was thinking about building a HTPC, the hardware is a very good investment for a computer that runs silently and allows light gaming.