[eskro]

yes, the APEX MI-008 can accommodate a 5.25" Optical Hard Drive...
However, i dont really like LITE-ON drives...
i'd keep LG or SAMSUNG....
thats why their more pricey, because their better...

The ASRock E350M1 might be very unstable on Linux currently...
I'd stay way from it until stable drivers are out in the wild..
Avoid Headaches, get Windows7 for now,,,

and yes i think the FAN is necessary,
the CPU's HeatSinkFAn sit directly under the PSU!
Kind of a bad design, but easy to work around...

OH yeah and side note,
The ASRock E350M1 might not be as fluid under certain Heavy XBMC skins like AEON MQ2.
just bare that in mind...

[bluray]

yes, the APEX MI-008 can accommodate a 5.25" Optical Hard Drive...
However, i dont really like LITE-ON drives...
i'd keep LG or SAMSUNG....
thats why their more pricey, because their better...

The ASRock E350M1 might be very unstable on Linux currently...
I'd stay way from it until stable drivers are out in the wild..
Avoid Headaches, get Windows7 for now,,,

and yes i think the FAN is necessary,
the CPU's HeatSinkFAn sit directly under the PSU!
Kind of a bad design, but easy to work around...

OH yeah and side note,
The ASRock E350M1 might not be as fluid under certain Heavy XBMC skins like AEON MQ2.
just bare that in mind...

LG Black 10X BD-ROM is ok with me. Samsung BD-ROM has good spec, but I don't like the two tone face. I preferred all black front. Do you mean I have to replace original Heat Sink Fan with Newegg fan? Windows 7 is what I'm planning to get. Do you preferred Windows 7 home premium with 32bit or 64bit for Asrokc E350M1?

[eskro]

well, im on 64-bit and love it,,,,

The FAN should be placed here --> http://i.imgur.com/e57Nn.jpg

[bluray]

well, im on 64-bit and love it,,,,

The FAN should be placed here --> http://i.imgur.com/e57Nn.jpg

Okay...it seems to be the rear fan for the box. Is the fan blowing out or in? Since this is my first dealing with SSD and it is minor qestion- do all SSD come with proper bracket?

I'll confirm everything with Newegg. I hope that they'll give me extra discount for buying everything from them. I hope this Asrock mini-htpc can put an end to dts-hd and truehd playback fiasco. I had terrible time with several HD media players (Boxee Box, Xtreamer Sidewinder, etc). It suppose to playback dts-hd and truehd, but it never works as their spec suggested.

Here is my latest list:

1. APEX MI-008 Black Steel Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case 250W Power Supply
2. ASRock E350M1 AMD E-350 APU
3. OCZ Vertex Series OCZSSD2-1VTX30GXXX 2.5" 30GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
4. Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR1066D3N7K2/4G
5. SilenX IXP-74-09 120mm Case Fan. I'm not sure if this is necessary, but I go with Eskro suggestion.
6. Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade Family Pack (3-User)
7. LG Black 10X BD-ROM

I'm thinking of one of this too- Lenovo Multimedia Remote with Keyboard. My price meter seem to climb very quick!

[bluray]

Here what I end up with:

1. APEX MI-008 Black Steel Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case 250W Power Supply
2. ASRock E350M1/USB3
3. Kingston SSDNow V Series SNV125-S2/30GB 2.5" 30GB SATA II Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
4. Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR1066D3N7K2/4G
5. SilenX IXP-74-09 120mm Case Fan
6. Rii Mini Keyboard
7. LG Black 10X BD-ROM

BD PQ/AQ are superb with MPC-HC and FFDSHOW. It blast the 56" HDTV and 7.1 surround sound at full force with DTS-HD and TrueHD sounds. I have not have time to install XBMC. I stick with Media Center and MPC-HC for now. MPC-HC playback everything perfect. I haven't find way to get Media Center to playback DTS, DTS-HD and TrueHD sounds. The lower version sounds from Netflix and decoded MKV playback fine on it.

The hardware installation is very simple (it is as easy at buying the pre-built) and very quick. The hardware for mini-htpc in eskro Zacate options fits in Apex box very well. The case is very good quality too, and I didn't have to modify anything. I spent less 1/3 of time when I built the desktop HTPC.

Here are some photos:

[eskro]

Sweet HTPC bluray!!

Thanks for those pictures!!

Indeed, all parts fits perfectly in that APEX case!!

So, not to noisy?

if u have spare time, shoot a little video

[bluray]

Sweet HTPC bluray!!

Thanks for those pictures!!

Indeed, all parts fits perfectly in that APEX case!!

So, not to noisy?

if u have spare time, shoot a little video

I tried very heard to hear the fan noise, but I hardly notice any noise from the fan. It's running very quiet and as cold as ice too!

[eskro]

can we know final total shipped purchase price? just for the HTPC, not the remotes

[eskro]

oh yeah and, about the SilenX Fan,
i think that it should be used as an EXHAUST FAN,,,

so it vacuums the internal hot air and throws it out of the case
since the side where the fan is placed has Honeycombs vent holes...

however, you should monitor your Case TEMPS using both configuration,,,
EXHAUST and INTAKE...

u can use an app called HWMonitor just for that!

and then you could judge and decide which way is best!!

[bluray]

It's $370 total. It's better deal than any pre-built mini-htpc for the same spec . Rii mni remote is the only thing bad in this built. The touch pad is very slow and very bad. I end up using my PS3 Bluetooth keyboard instead.

[eskro]

place its dongle in the front of case... not in the back,,, my Rii works great this way!

oh yeah and, charge it a couple of hours too,,,

when battery is low, the rii works bad,,,

also, set the mouse speed to High in the windows mouse options...

i use the rii to control XBMC and to type stuff in Google search box...

for the rest, i use the Gyration Air Mouse GO+ ...

[bluray]

place its dongle in the front of case... not in the back,,, my Rii works great this way!

I did! I'll return it, and I might replace it with this Anker New OEM RII Mini Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard or this Logitech Harmony 300i Remote Control.

[eskro]

well try to charge it for the night

[bluray]

I tried XBMC for the last couple days, and it looks very nice. It seems that Netflix streaming is not as stable as Windows 7 Media Center. I'm going to stick with MCE till XBMC support DTS-HD and TrueHD pass-through option.