[SirDeadpool]

Hey,
So after I discovered xbmc I thought it would be nice to have an HTPC to access my media in my living room.

Now after reading some of the guides in this forum i came up with this build:

Case: Silverstone Tek GD05B-USB3.0 Aluminum/Steel Micro ATX HTPC Computer Case with 2X USB3.0 Front Ports Cases (Black)
Mainboard: ASRock H77M-ITX
CPU: Intel® Core™ i3-3225
RAM: G.Skill DIMM 8 GB DDR3-1600 Kit
HDD: Western Digital WD10JPVT 1 TB
SSD: Crucial M4 2,5" SSD 64 GB
BluRay: LG CH10LS28
Power: be quiet! Pure Power L7 300W

OS: Windows 7 64bit Ultimate

So what do you think of this Build it will be also used to capture Videos from my TV Reciver with this hardware and software.

P.S.: Sorry for the german links , I couldn't find these parts in amazon.com. Also the price of this HTPC is exact 600 € = 799,2 US$

Thank you

[binwiederda]

CPU: I have the same CPU. Works like a charm.

Power: 300W is a bit much I think for this build. For my build (1 SSD, 2 HDDs, 1 Bluray drive, i3-3225), my 150W PSU is too much. I should have gone with a 90W picoPSU.

--> You know you could go fanless with your build. Go picoPSU and choose a fanless case. Streacom FC8 or something :-)

[SirDeadpool]

Power: 300W is a bit much I think for this build. For my build (1 SSD, 2 HDDs, 1 Bluray drive, i3-3225), my 150W PSU is too much. I should have gone with a 90W picoPSU.

I have thought about weaker PSU too but haven't found any on my german vendors sides expect the ones which are bundled with the cases but they seem to be not that good.

--> You know you could go fanless with your build. Go picoPSU and choose a fanless case. Streacom FC8 or something :-)

Fanless sounds nice and the Steacom case looks neat ( although it's too expensive for me ) but can the System really Operate probably even when its under full load?

And these picoPSU (never saw on of them before) how do they work, they don't have any case a little bit confusing for me.

Thank you for you answer hope my English is understandable.

EDIT: @binjawiederda Scheinst ja auch Deutsch zu sein

[Dougie Fresh]

Under full load the i3-3225 with an SSD, 4GB RAM will pull about 80W. Add some more things like a HDD and it's maybe just under 90W. But, when watching videos and doing HTPC tasks it's more like 40W. You'll be fine with the 300W power supply it just won't be very efficient. There's no harm in it. It just could be better with a lower rated power supply. Those are the tradeoffs.

The way the picoPSU works is there are two parts. There's the AC-DC adapter which is external to the case like a laptop adapter. The picoPSU module is a DC-DC converter that plugs directly into the 24-pin ATX power on the motherboard. It has a harness that goes to the outside of the case where the AC-DC adapter plugs in and another one with a molex, SATA, floppy and CPU power plug on it (or not a CPU plug depending on the version). The picoPSU part is really only converting +12V to +5V, +3.3V, -12V and +12V that the other components need.

These guys are in Germany and have some nice HTPC cases: http://www.ms-tech.de/ger/index.php/prod...s/pdcid/66

[binwiederda]

80W under load? Really I haven't had number near that... Anyway, I think 150W should still be sufficient even though it's not efficient.

I bought my picoPSU at Amazon: http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B004BUBD...02_s00_i00 -- the bundle I bought not available anymore apparently, but there are others. This looks like the same bundle: http://www.amazon.de/picoPSU-150-XT-DC-D...061&sr=1-2

Here's a closeup of the picoPSU. The 12V wire goes to the case wall, where you screw it in. And then you connect the AC/DC adapter like you would with your laptop. More pictures here.

[bluray]

Power: 300W is a bit much I think for this build. For my build (1 SSD, 2 HDDs, 1 Bluray drive, i3-3225), my 150W PSU is too much. I should have gone with a 90W picoPSU.

For what you have in it, I wouldn't go below 120W. 90W PSU is cutting it way too close to the hairy edge. You better hope that there is absolutely "0" fluctuations in efficiency and quantity of power delivered over time. Pico PSU unlike standard PSU don't run over spec, so 120W or higher is the best to power all your components.....