[cwide]

OK, thanks for the replies guys!

Originally my plan was to have the ITX HTPC in a slimline case <86mm in order to fit in the space in my TV unit. Then have a small NAS box situated near my router to store my media.

Having looked at some of the cases you've suggested it's got me thinking, I have a sideboard cupboard that is capable of taking something within these dimensions - W400mm x H260mm x D405mm. I'm sure there will be a ITX case available fitting this kind of dimension which will also give me the ability to fit enough drives to do away with the need for a NAS.

Question is, will keeping it cool and ventilation be a problem? Below is my spec so far
Asrock a75m-itx mobo
A6-3500

I plan on buying a SSD for the OS and fitting 2 x 2TB & 1 x 1TB, then some RAM.

Lots of cases that will fit that.

Here's one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811119261

If you are putting this in a closed cabinet you basically need to treat the cabinet like a case. Going to need at least one fan. If is is partially open then it's probably not a big deal. Check this out: http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l1/g54/Cabi...oling.html

[Dougie Fresh]

Your server spec sounds like an HTPC spec. Are you building a dedicated server, HTPC or a combination of both?

[denz13]

The OP didn't specify needing any sort of special programs along with a NAS. Why can't he just get a cheap prebuilt NAS if all he wants is to simply access files?

He asked for options cheaper than a NAS. And then when presented with cheaper options said they were too big and asked for something smaller.

I guess it's hard to give a suggestion without knowing his exact needs. Cheapest option (if he doesn't have the drives) is to just buy a Seagate/Buffalo/WD single disk >1TB NAS. I'm sure most people on here don't like those, but if all you are doing is serving files to one client I can't see how they would be THAT bad. Granted, building your own NAS is going to be much better in the long run. I went years with the combined HTPC/Server machine and I couldn't be happier after I switched. It's just a lot less hassle to separate functions.

To the OP. I just recently built a FX 4100 based server for ~$150 using the microcenter combo deals (I also already had the drives). Yes, it is big, loud, ugly, and power hungry, but I just hid it in the basement and it is effortlessly streaming all sorts of media. You basically just need to run an ethernet cable and find a place to hide these things if you want to go the cheap route. Once you get more money you can upgrade around it.

My requirements aren't complex in comparison to other on this forum.

My current setup is as follows:
50" Samsung TV, Samsung AV receiver, Router

These are all in the same room.

My plan is to attach a small ITX PC running Win 7/8 with XBMC, which is quiet, low power and always on. I already have an ITX mobo and CPU, I just need to get the remaining parts. As mentioned in my previous post I originally planned to buy a slim ITX case to fit in the space in my TV unit then attach a NAS to my router. I'm now thinking maybe I should go for a ITX case with a decent drive capacity, then there would be no need for the NAS. My main concern with doing this is that it could lead to it being a loud and hot case, which wouldnt go well in my living room.

I think my main problem/limitation is where to put the HTPC, it's either in a cupboard (heat/ventilation concerns), in my TV unit (lack of HDD capability, Nas required) or tucked behind a sofa...

[cwide]

I just came from a combine HTPC/Server using an i3-3225 with stock cooler. I also used a Silverstone ML03 as my case and it was fantastic. I couldn't hear it from over 3 feet away and it looked nice. I can't imagine an A6-3500 being much louder and if it is you could fix it with an aftermarket cooler.

If I was only serving one or two clients I would have stuck with my combined machine. Unfortunately I was serving 5+ and it was a hassle any time I wanted to mess with either side of things.

If you only have one client I don't see the harm in combining your functions.

[Diggs]

Have you thought about an HP Proliant Microserver? In the UK there was a £100 cashback deal running for ages that made it a very cost effective solution. Works very well with unRAID.

Just have to second this suggestion. Seems they are on sale in the UK often. I bought one in the US and love it. It is tiny and mine is very quiet with room to grow later. I am running unraid on mine as well.

[noggin]

Yep - I'm surprised the Proliant Microservers don't get talked about more often here.

4 x 3.5" SATA bays with simple mounting system, AMD CPU, optical bay, eSATA and a PCI-E slot. Runs unRAID really well, and very cost effective. Even an internal USB socket on the motherboard to allow unRAID USB flash boot to be mounted internally!

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/...html?dnr=1
http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quick...16_na.html

In the UK they were going for £150ish after cashback (which seemed to run for months)

[denz13]

The micro server already has a mobo installed, can this be switched out for my a75m-itx & amd a6-3500?

[denz13]

Wouldn't I be putting 1 mobo and CPU to waste if I did this though?

[Dougie Fresh]

I think the problem is from your description no one knows what you're trying to build -- an HTPC, a dedicated ITX server or a combination of the two. I get "small and cheap" but as I said storage-oriented small cases are expensive.

You have a A6-3500 and A75M-ITX. How many hard drives do you want to add and what do you want to do with the system -- HTPC and/or Server? You don't want a tower. You don't want Lian-Li. Do you want an HTPC-style case then?

[DavidT99]

Just buy a cheap USB drive for £150 like this one.

http://www.ebuyer.com/339426-hitachi-4tb...ve-0s03400

or for £200 a NAS like this

http://www.ebuyer.com/290545-netgear-v2-...m=products

with a couple of 1TB drives.

David

[denz13]

I guess a combination of the two, although I won't have any other clients connected. Literally just a PC connected to the tv.

my original plan was to have a slim itx (which are limited to 1 x hdd) which fit into my tv unit then have a nas connected for additional storage.

Following the posts in this thread it now seems inefficient and more costly doing it this way just because I want a htpc to fit in my tv unit. So, I have an itx mobo and cpu ready to fit in a case, now it makes sense to fit this in a larger case capable of holding 3-4 hdds and sticking it in the cupboard I mentioned previously.So I guess it's now just a case of finding a case capable of fitting the space in my cupboard which is capable of storing 3-4 drives..

[DavidT99]

If you let us know the max size your TV unit will take we may be able to recommend a case that will fit.

David

[denz13]

the height of the space in the unit is 87mm. So pretty limited.

[DavidT99]

That is pretty shallow for adding HDD's. I think my USB option above would work as the enclosure could be put anywhere within cable reach and it comes with a 4TB HDD. A case, PSU and 4TB of storage in HDD's will cost more than that.

David

[denz13]

Thanks, that may be a suitable option. How well does streaming large 1080p blu-ray rips work over usb3 from an external drive?