my blu-ray & hd dvd HTPC so far

[aerobic247]

As i am building a duel HD disc HTPC i needed a case with 2 disc drive bays and a touch screen
so i could play back my music with out having to switch on my projector so that left me with one choice the silverstone lc18 at £400

My HTPC is built around a Asus p5b wifi deluxe motherboard with a Intel Core 2 Duo E6400

and my grafix card of choice is the BFG 8600 as it has 2 HDCP DVI outputs

I have only have one disc drive in at the moment the new Pioneer BDC-202
i shall be ordering my self a HD DVD rom drive in the next couple of weeks or so

when i switched on the PC for the first time i noticed it sounded like leaf blower so went strait on line and got me a scythe ninja and let me tell you that is one big ass cooler

Here are a couple of before and after pics

I am using a Zalman ZM400B-APS 400w power supply 2 SATA samsung spinpoints a 250GB & 500GB
and a old spare ATA Maxtor 500GB i had in another pc


So please tell me what you think so far, i would appreciate any feedback questions of comments you have

 

[enablerbro1]

Firstly, smart case, I wish I had a spare £400. For my first HTPC I went with a Fusion and a little 12" monitor from DGM.

With HTPCs, more than any other type of PC, the case really is crucial. The fact that you can fit a Ninja in it is very impressive it's just a shame they weren't able to fit in 120mm case fans. How cool does it run in the case, the temp of the CPU in general use? Also, how much CPU usage, 5 wise, when you're playing Bluray?

Will you be getting the Tosh HD DVDRom drive?

 

[aerobic247]

Firstly, smart case, I wish I had a spare £400. For my first HTPC I went with a Fusion and a little 12" monitor from DGM.

With HTPCs, more than any other type of PC, the case really is crucial. The fact that you can fit a Ninja in it is very impressive it's just a shame they weren't able to fit in 120mm case fans. How cool does it run in the case, the temp of the CPU in general use? Also, how much CPU usage, 5 wise, when you're playing Bluray?

Will you be getting the Tosh HD DVDRom drive?

i forgot to say the Ninja was to tall i had to grind 10mm off the top of it
lucky for me i work as a metal fabricator


you read my mind i will be getting the Tosh HD DVDRom
CPU in general use 60ºc of 140ºf with the CPU fan in quiet mode
as for the for blu-ray playback i have no blu-ray discs as yet just HD DVDs


that i play thought my xbox 360

 

[Grimley]

i forgot to say the Ninja was to tall i had to grind 10mm off the top of it

I was gonna say - it looked too big for the case in the picture

 

[enablerbro1]

i forgot to say the Ninja was to tall i had to grind 10mm off the top of it
lucky for me i work as a metal fabricator

I think I would have been tempted to have "adjusted" the case rather than mess with the heatsink.

 

[aerobic247]

I think I would have been tempted to have "adjusted" the case rather than mess with the heatsink.

no way an i cutting a hole in the top of my case for the cooler to stick out of
it was much easier to remove the caps off the copper pipes and take a orbital grinder to them.

 

[aerobic247]

here is a link to my vista Dreamscene
by the way for those of you who don't know, dreamscene is just a video wallpaper

 

[Barmpot]

I love those coolers

 

[aerobic247]

I love those coolers

I know what you mean, but i do wish they made them in a bigger size

 

[enablerbro1]

no way an i cutting a hole in the top of my case for the cooler to stick out of
it was much easier to remove the caps off the copper pipes and take a orbital grinder to them.

Would there be no way to "elevate" the part of the case above the heatsink, cut out a square to accommodate to height of the Ninja and then weld a grill or similar back on?

 

[aerobic247]

Would there be no way to "elevate" the part of the case above the heatsink,

the lid of the case sits flush with the top of the front panel
to raise it would have left a gap

cut out a square to accommodate to height of the Ninja and then weld a grill or similar back on?

ass soon as you start welding aluminum it will twist and warp all over the place
not to mention the mess i would make of the powder coat finish

the copper pipes are only there to transfer heat to the aluminum fins
to remove the excess pipe will not affect the coolers performance in any way

 

[aerobic247]

My HTPC is now all most totally silent i just have to swap out the grafix card cooler with this one
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=614468

and i have added this HD DVD ROM for £83
http://www.techstore.co.uk/browse.php?a=p&prodLineID=113905

 

[SeanT]

That is one cheeky price for the Tosh drive, things are looking up for HD DVD. That is one monster HTPC, I chose the minimalist approach (I still use CDs!) but that is pretty cool!
If you have cut the heatpipes on the cooler you really need to crimp the ends shut again if you haven't already for them to be fully effective (convection)

 

[aerobic247]

i have all ready capped then off with a silicone sealant but thanks any way

 

[the.godfather]

That is one tasty beast of a htpc, great build!

That's a great price on the HD-DVD drive too.

 

[Zarch]

Great looking build, keep us posted.

What software you running on there?

 

[aerobic247]

Vista Ultimate and PowerDVD

 

[fathazza]

ah, i think youve just sold me on an hd-dvd drive... tho im not sure i should have thanked you for making me spend money!

Its a nice looking system i have to say. How are you finding the touchscreen? Ive always thought they look great but are probably really fiddly in practice because they are pretty small. Does it work alright for you or is it something you may find yourself just not using so much after a few weeks?

I cant afford £400, but i did find something a bit cheaper here for anyone else who is interested http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.aspx?sku=329922 tho from the pic the build quality doesnt look that great.


what tv card are you using?

 

[HansDenmark]

Very nice, and more or less similar to the build I want to start/upgrade to.

Question: Have you "integrated" PowerDVD into the Vista media center application somehow?

 

[Epicurus]

That's a seriously smart set up you have made yourself. What do you have it connected to for movie viewing?

 

[superal]

Very nice, and more or less similar to the build I want to start/upgrade to.

Question: Have you "integrated" PowerDVD into the Vista media center application somehow?

You can integrate powerdvd by using mymovies (www.mymovies.name)

 

[HansDenmark]

OK thanks, fits well as I use this great tool.

 

[aerobic247]

That's a seriously smart set up you have made yourself. What do you have it connected to for movie viewing?

For video i am using a Barco 701s CRT projector at 720p

and for audio i am using Cyrus AV5,Q power,XPA and AV master mono,

 

[aerobic247]

ah, i think youve just sold me on an hd-dvd drive... tho im not sure i should have thanked you for making me spend money!

Its a nice looking system i have to say. How are you finding the touchscreen? Ive always thought they look great but are probably really fiddly in practice because they are pretty small. Does it work alright for you or is it something you may find yourself just not using so much after a few weeks?

I cant afford £400, but i did find something a bit cheaper here for anyone else who is interested http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.aspx?sku=329922 tho from the pic the build quality doesnt look that great.


what tv card are you using?

you need to set the touchscreen's resolution quite low, around 480p
or you will not be able to make any thing out

i have not yet decided on a TV card as yet....

so if any one has any suggestions?

 

[SeanT]

Is that a beasty looking matrix switcher on the side there?
You seriously need to find someone to swap a silver amp for a black one!