Easy DIY Silent & Fanless HTPC

[cs51762]

I posted this over at AVSForum, also. Here's my new HTPC that will be replacing my current non-silent, non-fanless HTPC. My TV tuner is a Ceton infiniTV6 ETH located in the basement. TV is recorded on the SSD, then automatically moved to the Windows Home Server 2011 box that's also located in the basement. Did I happen to mention that this HTPC is FANLESS and totally SILENT?

Hardware:

MSI Z87M-G43 motherboard
Intel 4th Gen Core i3 4330T 3.0GHz 35W HD4600 4MB Dual Core CPU
Prolimatech PRO-SAM17 Samuel 17 CPU Cooler
picoPSU-150-XT + 102W Adapter Power Kit
Samsung Electronics 840 EVO-Series 250GB MZ-7TE250BW SSD
Silverstone ML04B case

[blueiedgod]

That's neat. Why not use Mini-ITX board and case for even smaller foot print?

[hooraah]

He never showed the front of the case, but its a Silverstone ML 04. I think same one I have (or mine is an older ML03). Its a fantastic case for the money - most HTPC cases that have a good AV component look are far more expensive. Its definitely my go-to for new HTPCs unless I need full height.

[cs51762]

That's neat. Why not use Mini-ITX board and case for even smaller foot print?

Several reasons. I don't need a small HTPC as I have plenty of room in my equipment rack. It's the same width as my other components. This case has a vent directly over the CPU cooler, which I believe helps keep temperatures down. Thanks.

[IownFIVEechos]

That's neat. Why not use Mini-ITX board and case for even smaller foot print?

Several reasons. I don't need a small HTPC as I have plenty of room in my equipment rack. It's the same width as my other components. This case has a vent directly over the CPU cooler, which I believe helps keep temperatures down. Thanks.

It looks really nice. How long has it been running without fail now? Months?

[Cryofax]

Nice setup. I love a quiet PC. I keep mine in a cabinet across the room with soundproofing and run the cables over to my desk lol.

So questions... What sort of temps do you get on the CPU? Also, what do you use to dump the SSD recordings to the other server? Is this something you do each night or continuously?

[cs51762]

It's only been running about 3 weeks, but no problems so far (except with Charter's Tuning Adapter).

My CPU temperatures are around 60C for each of the two cores. The server is running Windows Home Server 2011 and when you run its connector software on the HTPC, it adds a service to Windows Media Center that automatically transfers recorded TV from the HTPC to the Recorded TV folder on the server. Pretty neat, I think. Thanks.