[WolvesPhil]

I have been reading many pages and looking at various builds and I am now ready to take the plunge and invest in a new system to replace my current setup. My current setup is on a Microserver 36L which is a bit laggy at times - this will become my file server and moved into the spare room to feed a TV for rare usage.

I was just wondering what is the best available today as I have read many conflicting thoughts on various machines - I like the look of the Lenovo Q190 but the reported fan issue is putting me off.

My requirements are
O/S - not fussed on Windows or OpenElec
Aeon Nox interface fully customised - would an i3 be better for this or are celeron builds good in the real world?
Steam 1080p / 3D SBS from NAS / File server
Silent
Remote control via Logitech Harmony (I have a MS receiver)

My future proofing I would like
HD Audio as I am also in the market for a nice home audio receiver - model unspecified as yet
Full 3D ISO support

I am open to the idea of a custom build or a pre-built device, my only concern is that it looks nice under the TV and is of course as silent as possible.

[lukasnmd]

Intel NUC i3 + DDR3 + OpenElec + Simrec + MS Receiver + Passive Cooling Case = 0dB

All you want, except for the OpenElec.

Search for your doubts on this thread Intel NUC - HTPC possibilities.

=D

[WolvesPhil]

Thanks for your reply,

Could you expand on what you mean by "All you want, except for the OpenElec"

And also what is SimRec?

[Dougie Fresh]

Actually, one of the complaints most seen about the i3 NUC is the fan noise too.

Where are you located? That will help suggest hardware (no sense suggesting hardware you can't get)

[WolvesPhil]

Thanks Dougie, I am based in the UK.

I had seen this complaint too - if it is minimal fan noise then I could live with that but the dream is to be silent but I understand this may not be a 100% possibility.

[jammyb]

www.simerec.com

It's a way of switching the NUC [or any motherboard with power pins] on or off from powered off.

So in essence you'd have 2 IR receivers in there. But apparently simerec are bringing out a IR capable of doing everything.

Beware buying the Celeron NUC from ebuyer. I'm about to send mine back as it hasn't got the internal USB header pins.

[WolvesPhil]

So I thought I had settled on what I was going to buy - I was planning on basing my build around this case

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduc...catid=2272

However I cannot find either motherboard available to buy in the UK....

"Compatible with Golden Lake D33217GKE & Ski Lake DCP847SKE motherboards"

[cwide]

So I thought I had settled on what I was going to buy - I was planning on basing my build around this case

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduc...catid=2272

However I cannot find either motherboard available to buy in the UK....

"Compatible with Golden Lake D33217GKE & Ski Lake DCP847SKE motherboards"

I don't think anybody sells just the mobos. You will have to buy the entire NUC and then transplant the mobo to the new case.

[Dougie Fresh]

+1. The price for the board is pretty much the same as getting it with the case so it's not as bad a deal as it sounds. Plus, who wants to buy a 10pk?

[WolvesPhil]

Thanks a lot for your advise

I think I am going to go down the root of i3 NUC, USB Openelec, 4GB RAM and look to add other pics as and when needed like the simerec, silent case and possibly mSATA drive if I find that I want Win8

[Cypher64]

Thanks a lot for your advise

I think I am going to go down the root of i3 NUC, USB Openelec, 4GB RAM and look to add other pics as and when needed like the simerec, silent case and possibly mSATA drive if I find that I want Win8

This is pretty much what I'm running, except I have Openelec on a Crucial M4 mSata ssd drive. When playing a movie the Nuc is pretty much silent, the only time I heard the fan is when in the Aeon Nox screens, probably because it isn't offloading to the video card like movies. I replaced the thermal paste with some quality stuff that I had sitting around and the fan in Aeon Nox is much quieter now.

[WolvesPhil]

This is pretty much what I'm running, except I have Openelec on a Crucial M4 mSata ssd drive. When playing a movie the Nuc is pretty much silent, the only time I heard the fan is when in the Aeon Nox screens, probably because it isn't offloading to the video card like movies. I replaced the thermal paste with some quality stuff that I had sitting around and the fan in Aeon Nox is much quieter now.

Is this in the standard NUC case?

[WolvesPhil]

I took the plunge and went for the following case in black http://www.fanlesstech.com/2013/02/impac...-case.html and the i3 NUC, 4GB DDR3 and will run Openelec from USB and stream my content from my NAS

I chose i3 over the celeron as it may be overkill but I wanted it be a bit more future proof...