[mythtv-users] what do you think?

rcatrow rcatrow at vt.edu
Tue Sep 7 15:09:52 EDT 2004


http://www.mini-itx.com/projects/minimeshbox/?page=1

Is a smaller home-brew case with certainly no heat problems ; )

-Ross
>===== Original Message From Aaron Griffin <aaronmgriffin at gmail.com>, 
Discussion about mythtv <mythtv-users at mythtv.org> =====
>Hmmm just checked on heat... good point.
>Perhaps the Coolermaster ATC-620?
>link: 
http://www.coolermaster.com/index.php?LT=english&Language_s=2&url_place=product&p_serial=ATC-620C-BX1&other_title=+ATC-620C-BX1+ATC-620
>
>it seems decent to me... though I don't know if I like the flat
>look... seems to 1980s VCR style to me.... any nice looking cases
>someone want to suggest?
>
>
>On Tue, 07 Sep 2004 19:20:24 +0100, Stephen Tait <tait at digitallaw.co.uk> 
wrote:
>>
>>
>> At 18:09 07/09/2004, you wrote:
>> >On Tue, 7 Sep 2004 10:56:54 -0500, Aaron Griffin
>> ><aaronmgriffin at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > > Antec Aria mATX Cube ($83.19)
>> > > NVIDIA GeForce4 MX4000 Video Card ($45.11)
>> > > Crucial 512MB PC2700 DDR DIMM Memory ($76.00)
>> > > Athlon XP (Barton) 2500+ Processor ($89.00)
>> > > MSI KM400 Athlon Motherboard ($51.00)
>> > > Hauppauge WinTV PVR 250MCE ($71.33)
>> > > Seagate Barracuda ST3200822A 200GB Hard Drive ($104.50)
>> > > GD-2500 4x DVD-ROM ($34.00)
>> > >
>> > > Grand Total of $554.13 before shipping (~$600 after)
>> > >
>> > > I chose the PVR-250MCE because I have my own remote setup and it
>> > > wasn't worth an extra $40-ish for another remote.
>> >
>> >Looks solid.  Looking at that case design though, airflow is going to
>> >be a real issue with that Barton.   I'm going to go out on a limb and
>> >say stock heatsink won't cut it.  I personally love the Zalman's
>> >heatsinks, but size is going to be your issue.  I see it's got a
>> >blower for the exhaust on the back, the rest of the air looks like
>> >it's going to have to go up the sides and into the PSU?  I'm not sure
>> >what the solution is, but I'd say heat may be a big factor in your
>> >future.
>>
>> I've come across a fair few reviews of the Aria that say heat is definitely
>> a problem (IIRC I just googled for antec aria review and read the first
>> few). That said, he's picked some of the coolest running components; the
>> Barton 2500 is (I think) the lowest grunt-per-watt of the athlon range, and
>> the dirt-cheap-but-does-the-job-damned-well nVidia MX4000 (I have one)
>> doesn't kick out a huge amount either (well, for a video card anyway).
>> However, once you put 'em all together along with the PVR (which does kick
>> out a boatload of heat) I think heat might definitely be an issue (but then
>> I'm over cautious :).
>>
>> You might want to look into:
>>
>> a) a slightly roomier case (myself and a few others on this list will sing
>> the praises of the CoolerMaster 620, if you can still find any)
>> b) modding the aria with a few fans to get a bit more air circulating (a
>> slimline 7V'd 80mm in each side perhaps?)
>> c) underclocking/undervolting the CPU
>> d) if you install an ACPI system, you can use Athcool to run the athlon in
>> power saving mode, although this can have an adverse affect on sound and/or
>> HD transfers
>>
>> Underclocking seems to be catching on quite a bit now. One of the computer
>> hardware forums I attempt to post on has a few people who are trying to get
>> the most grunt-per-watt out of their A64's, which are apparently very good
>> underclockers.
>>
>> : shrugs :
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>>
>
>
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