Looking to build a near SILENT media player

I am looking for advice on building a near SILENT media playing computer. I have a desktop which seconds as a HTPC, but the fans annoy me during quiet moments in music and movies. The obvious solution is to move the system to another room, but I live in a studio apartment.

I figure I dont need much power as this system will ONLY be used to play music and movies on a single HT system (will not even be connected to the internet or have any unnecessary software/Windows components installed). Current needs are to output 1080P movies via HDMI or DVI and stereo sound via RCA or XLR connections, but would like to eventually output everything via HDMI to a receiver with 7.2 XLR outputs. I plan to add more speakers as funds become available, starting with a sub hopefully in the next 6-8 months. My music library is entirely FLAC (mostly CD rips) and my movie collection is all direct rips of DVDs and Blurays (VOB and MKV). My total media collection is currently approximately 5TB so I will have to use mechanical drives to stay on budget. Budget is about $750.

Has anyone attempted such a build and if so how did you manage cooling? I am not planning on running an monster graphics card or high end CPU so I was hoping that I could passively cool both with only the fan from the PSU.

Any thoughts?

Do you care about size?

so, do you already have the 5tb of data on drives?

If the only use is going to be for media playback you can get a media player for super cheap. Most have usb/esata ports for adding additional storage.

Some even have networking to access shares.

In that case, save the money, buy a media player and improve your desktops cooling to lower operational temps. (you can use quieter fans and use speedstep to lower clocks/voltages). Hmm maybe watercool your desktop. With enough raddage you can use some seriously quiet fans

Probably one of these: http://deviceguru.com/google-tv-vs-apple-tv-vs-boxee-vs-roku/

Size wise I was thinking an HTPC or rack mountable server chassis. The only front port I need is a USB to transfer new content to the system.

My workstation already has quiet fans and suspended hard drives and sound dampening materials on the walls of the case. However with every expansion slot and 8 hdds and 2 DVD drives, the case is packed and still requires 4 120mm case fans to keep all the temps in an acceptable range. Since I live in a studio apartment, I really want to be able to turn it completely off when I'm watching a movie or listening to music.

This is where my problem is with the network streaming media players. I would have to keep my workstation running or purchase a 4 hard drive NAS system which is just as expensive as expensive as a dedicated HTPC and offers more limited capabilities, limited expansion, and relies on a quality network connectivity. If I had more than 1 TV I can see the benefits but seeing as though I will be in my current location for another 4 years at least, the benefits seem limited.

Something like this?

Since that case only has 3x 3.5" bays I would just get 2x 3TB drives and a low density SSD for OS and apps. Will help with power on times as well making it almost cable box or DVD player fast as far as turn on times.

If using an optical drive with that case you may also want to get a modular PSU.

you will also be limited to low profile expansion cards if you intend to upgrade it in the future. If no upgrade is being considered than that setup will be fine.

another consideration is... get a larger HTPC case and use it as your file server for your desktop. Dont need an SSD if the device is always going to be on. thats what I did with my old HTPC (that got upgraded and became my current desktop) You will want at least a low speed 120mm fan keeping the storage area cool though

Knufire, that's about what I had spec'ed out except for a case with full height expansion slots to allow for my sound card and an eventual video card that passes through DTS MA once I get a receiver.

Would a large CPU cooler be able to handle the demands passively? The most taxing thing this system needs to do is play a single video file which in terms of modern graphics/computational requirements is hardly even worth mentioning. I was definitely thinking SSD for the OS/players/codecs and then start with my 3 2TB ECO drives. Eventually I need to back up my collection as reripping everything would be a time consuming PITA at which time I will upgrade to 3 or 4TB drives.

The things I am most worried about are noise from fans, power consumption, reliability and upgradeability. I do not see 4k video going mainstream any time in the near future, nor do I foresee any drastic changes in audio setups, so I think it is safe to say that this system very well may be in use for 5-10 years. The only thing that will change is storage requirements and maybe some software additions.

I want a system that will produce the minimal amount of heat, which will minimize noise, but still functions for these few basic functions.

I dont think you can go completely passive without looking into the really low end CPUs but then you will not get the longevity either. (hell I thought my dual core ATOM chip needed active cooling)

My noctua 140mm on my c12-14 heatsink is very quiet (system is so quit you can hear the HDDs spin up).

Currently running

cool Master Silencio 450 (the cheap one) $50 my cost
890GX Gigabyte mobo (I use the onboard HD4290 for second monitor used it for main when it was an HTPC) Think I paid $80?
Passive cooled ASUS 6770 (need case with 2-3" of clearance over the full height PCI size) $100
OCZ 750W PSU (I had it already) Refurb unit got it for $25
De "lidded" Corsair Vengeance 1.5v 1600 MHZ DDRs 8GB $50
Noctua C12-s14 heatink (used for $50)
AMD X6 1090T. $140

Scorpio black 250GB laptop drive
2TB hitachi HDD (had 2 in it before)
1TB WD greenpower HDD (had 3 in it before)


Unfortunately with limited cooling for the case the 1090T and GFX card are too much for it I have the side panel off right now with a quiet 120mm blowing on the vid card once I swap cases I will look at how to improve the cooling without adding noise

I can hear my greenpower drives spin up. Thats it if I couldnt see the fans spinning I would think it was off.

If you want quiet, get a decent heatsink, like a Hyper212+, then put a Scythe GentleTyphoon 1850RPM on it and run the fan at 5V. It'll be pretty damn quiet.

Neuromancer said:

I dont think you can go completely passive without looking into the really low end CPUs but then you will not get the longevity either. (hell I thought my dual core ATOM chip needed active cooling)

My noctua 140mm on my c12-14 heatsink is very quiet (system is so quit you can hear the HDDs spin up).

Click to expand...

Funny you should mention passive cooling...

I built the system in my sig for low-noise operation (ignore the video cards -- I couldn't pass up the deal I was offered on them, loud as they may be), going so far as to chain the low-noise adapters that came along with my Noctua along with the case's own fan controllers. My place is pretty quiet, and its very difficult to hear the system at 3' with the fans on "high". On "medium", my ear has to be pretty much next to the case.

Just a few weeks ago I discovered that my heatsink fans were no longer spinning on "medium" (too much dust in the bearings for the combined voltage drop of the low-noise adapter and fan controller). Needless to say, this freaked me out -- especially since I run distributed-computing projects that keep both my CPU and GPUs at full load. I can't remember the temps, but replicating the conditions again is showing 80-85C (room=27C, case=35C).

With a massive enough heatsink you can get away with surprisingly little airflow

JigPu

85C on an undervolted 2500K at stock? Ouch see I wouldn't do that. Thats way too hot for me. But yes I see your point.

I am jaded I guess. "get away with" is subjective if it is under tjmax. And I should have been subjective not objective with the OP. Personal preference is objective. I added active cooling to my last "tower of power" that held my HTPC, a HT receiver, Router, modem, Wii and cable box. I think my monitor runs too hot and want to put a fan on it.

I would rather have a little noise than short lived devices.

then again with my speakers, there was no such thing as a "quiet movie moment."




I guess I am a cooling fanboy ***What you want to go passive you idiot! don't you know that fans are the bomb, you should buy Fan brand over nofan brand every day!!*** (mandatory cooling fanboy interjection ---meant as humour)

honestly though they do make low airflow cases with sound absorbing material for pretty cheap now a days not HTPC style but a mid tower on its side is an HTPC case

85C is way too hot for me as well -- I was just surprised it wasn't melted into goo when I first found out! Since I can't hear it anyway, I normally keep the fans on "high", which equates to 12V on the case fans and about 7V on the heatsink. Load temps are around 50C, which is still kinda warm but well within reason. After putting up with loud systems for the past eight years, I may have overreacted with this build

But yeah, there are quite a few options out there for quiet-yet-powerful (though truly silent is pretty much impossible with PC hardware). I'd reccomend checking out SPCR for ideas, honestly.

JigPu

http://www.nofancomputer.com/eng/products/set_A40.php

this stuff might be taking a look at idk where to buy them but i think fanless is as silent as silent gets throw in a passive 5450 and i think ur good to go

Why have a CPU and a GPU when he can just have a CPU? Whether he uses Llano or Sandy Bridge, both onboard GPUs are powerful enough.

Knufire said:

Why have a CPU and a GPU when he can just have a CPU? Whether he uses Llano or Sandy Bridge, both onboard GPUs are powerful enough.

Click to expand...

idk they are cheap enough i think i got the last one for like 20 bucks refurbed couldnt hurt theres one for 15 bucks after mir

But he'd still have to get a CPU since he wants a new box... and the cheapest is Llano or low-end Sandy Bridge anyway...

ok, just a suggestion 15 bucks and have better a better card if budget allows

Is there are reason why you couldn't just buy a RasberryPi or an AppleTV, through XBMC on there, and then network it to connect to your current desktop? There are a multitude of options like this, so don't take those two as the end all.

It would save you a boatload of money, and XBMC is a wonderful media center software.