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NZXBMC · 2012-09-05, 04:48

This is what I have now come down to:

Changed PSU to be the Silverstone which goes with the case.
Changed motherboards to have USB 3.0 header (to enable USB 3.0 ports on front of case)
Removed the Shuriken as I should be able to use the stock coolers.

[CASE] Silverstone Milo ML03B microATX, Black, Slim/HTPC Case with USB 3.0 w/o PSU (can take ATX)
[MB] Asus F1A75-M PRO, AMD A75, S FM1, DDR3, SATA III - 6Gb/s, RAID SATA, PCIe 2.0 (x16), Graphics On Board, mATX
[CPU] AMD A6 3500, S FM1, Lynx Core, Triple Core 2.4GHz, GPU AMD Radeon HD 6530D 443MHz, 65W, Retail
[RAM] 4GB (2x2GB) Corsair DDR3 XMS3, PC3-12800 (1600), Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 9-9-9-24, XMP, 1.65V
[SSD] 64GB Crucial RealSSD M4, 2.5" SSD, SATA III - 6Gb/s, MLC-Flash, Read 500MB/s, Write 95MB/s *New Version*
[PSU] 400W Silverstone Tech. Strider SST-ST40F-ES, 80% Eff', 80 PLUS, SLI/CrossFire, EPS 12V, Quiet Fan, ATX v2.3, PSU

315 GBP

OR moving to Intel

[CPU] Intel Core i3 3225, S 1155, Ivy Bridge H, Dual Core, 3.3GHz, 3MB Smart Cache, Retail
[MB] Asus P8H77-M, Intel H77, S 1155, DDR3, SATA III - 6Gb/s, SATA RAID, PCIe 3.0, D-Sub/ DVI-D/ HDMI, Micro ATX

372 GBP

A difference of 57 GBP to make the system future proof. Both will do the job of a pretty good HTPC, slightly leaning towards the Intel because the FM1's are EOL.

Arkitket · 2012-09-05, 07:17

Intel is a good choice for future-proofing. If you don't plan on gaming at all, then the HD 4000 would probably be a waste. Save yourself some money and step down to the i3-3220 with HD 2500. In North America they are about $20 difference in price.

beetlesnack · 2012-09-05, 18:04

I usually don't worry about a socket going out of date, because you probably won't upgrade the CPU ever anyway, and if you do the motherboard is probably a smaller cost than the CPU.

The intel is a good option but only if the extra money is not that important to you.

If you step down to the HD 2500, realize that you will be paying more for worse graphics performance than the A6 (but a faster cpu).

NZXBMC · 2012-09-06, 22:15

(2012-09-05, 07:17)Arkitket Wrote: Intel is a good choice for future-proofing. If you don't plan on gaming at all, then the HD 4000 would probably be a waste. Save yourself some money and step down to the i3-3220 with HD 2500. In North America they are about $20 difference in price.

I have gone with the i3-3225, should be arriving tomorrow, had all the other parts arrive today, got everything in the case (MB, RAM, SSD and PSU). I have taken some pics which I will add to the thread once I have the CPU installed.

Arkitket · 2012-09-06, 22:57

Looking forward to the pics Smile

NZXBMC · 2012-09-10, 21:31

All the parts:

Motherboard & RAM installed into case:

PSU and SSD installed:

Finally the CPU installed and cables tidied up!

Very happy with the finished product!

Arkitket · 2012-09-10, 23:20

Looks great Big Grin

Any issues with the front of the ML03 peeling away in the corner? Seems to be a common issue that I have read in reviews.

embedded · 2012-09-12, 08:50

How did you hook the SSD?
I have same case and same SSD.

NZXBMC · (This post was last modified: 2012-09-12, 10:07 by NZXBMC.)

(2012-09-12, 08:50)embedded Wrote: How did you hook the SSD?
I have same case and same SSD.

What do you mean hook the SSD? If you mean how did I install it, I took off the drive cage and screwed the SSD to it.

(2012-09-10, 23:20)Arkitket Wrote: Looks great

Any issues with the front of the ML03 peeling away in the corner? Seems to be a common issue that I have read in reviews.

Cheers Arkiket, no issues with the ML03 peeling away yet. Will keep an eye on it tho.

Here are some stats for those that are interested:

From completely off to boot into XBMC (Windows 7) the system takes around 13 seconds.
Seems to run idle in XBMC with about 5% CPU usage.
The system is completely quiet, can barley hear it.

I need to work out how much power the system is consuming if I leave it running. At the mo I am either shutting it down completely or putting the system into Sleep mode when I am not using it.

Next thing will be getting a remote, something like a Logitech Harmony, also want the ability to power the system on and off from it.

DavidT99 · (This post was last modified: 2012-09-12, 12:01 by DavidT99.)

(2012-09-12, 10:01)NZXBMC Wrote:
(2012-09-12, 08:50)embedded Wrote: How did you hook the SSD?
I have same case and same SSD.

What do you mean hook the SSD? If you mean how did I install it, I took off the drive cage and screwed the SSD to it.

(2012-09-10, 23:20)Arkitket Wrote: Looks great

Any issues with the front of the ML03 peeling away in the corner? Seems to be a common issue that I have read in reviews.

Cheers Arkiket, no issues with the ML03 peeling away yet. Will keep an eye on it tho.

Here are some stats for those that are interested:

From completely off to boot into XBMC (Windows 7) the system takes around 13 seconds.

Seems to run idle in XBMC with about 5% CPU usage.

The system is completely quiet, can barley hear it.

I need to work out how much power the system is consuming if I leave it running. At the mo I am either shutting it down completely or putting the system into Sleep mode when I am not using it.

Next thing will be getting a remote, something like a Logitech Harmony, also want the ability to power the system on and off from it.

With boot up times like that there should be no reason not to do a full power off each time. My build with a G620 boots into Windows in 15 seconds from complete shutdown with a further 10 seconds for XBMC (Aeon Nox skin). What are your power readings like? I get 22 watts idle with 34 watts when viewing a 1080p movie.

David

NZXBMC · 2012-09-12, 11:58

(2012-09-12, 11:56)DavidT99 Wrote: With boot up times like that there should be no reason not to do a full power off each time. My build with a G620 boots into Windows in 15 seconds from complete shutdown with a further 10 seconds for XBMC (Aeon Box skin). What are your power readings like? I get 22 watts idle with 34 watts when viewing a 1080p movie.
David

Hey David, I am still trying to work out how to do the power readings, what software do you use?

DavidT99 · 2012-09-12, 12:00

(2012-09-12, 11:58)NZXBMC Wrote:
(2012-09-12, 11:56)DavidT99 Wrote: With boot up times like that there should be no reason not to do a full power off each time. My build with a G620 boots into Windows in 15 seconds from complete shutdown with a further 10 seconds for XBMC (Aeon Box skin). What are your power readings like? I get 22 watts idle with 34 watts when viewing a 1080p movie.
David

Hey David, I am still trying to work out how to do the power readings, what software do you use?

These readings are at the plug using a plugin power meter.

David

NZXBMC · 2012-09-12, 12:01

(2012-09-12, 12:00)DavidT99 Wrote: These readings are at the plug using a plugin power meter.
David

Ahh of course, might be something I need to invest in Smile

Lakigucci · (This post was last modified: 2012-09-12, 12:03 by Lakigucci.)

Hey NZXBMC, how is the setup working for you?

I'm leaning toward the same setup as you have.
And what do you use to controle your HTPC?

Take a look at my topic, you maybe can give me some input.

Thnx

NZXBMC · 2012-09-12, 12:05

(2012-09-12, 12:02)Lakigucci Wrote: Hey NZXBMC, how is the setup working for you?

I'm leaning toward the same setup as you have.
And what do you use to controle your HTPC?

Take a look at my topic, you maybe can give me some input.

Thnx

Hey mate, yeah the setup is awesome, its fast, quiet, the case looks great and XBMC runs really smooth. At the moment I am using an old media keyboard to control the system. I will eventually buy a Logitech Harmony or similar remote to control it.