[mythtv-users] Quiet PC / Frontend recomendation

[Matt Garman]

On Sun, May 13, 2012 at 09:32:57PM +0100, Paul wrote:
> Apologies, because there seem to be many of these type of posts,
> but I'll add mine.  I'm planning to build a new PC which will also
> function as a mythtv frontend in my small office (wired ethernet)
> and replace an ageing HP Evo D530 corporate PC.  Cost and noise is
> the main factors for me.  Here's my current shopping list
> 
> 
> ASUS P8B75-M Motherboard by Asus - £63.68
> -or-
> ASUS P8H61-M LE Rev.3.0 Intel H61 1155 Motherboard (PCI-E 2.0 x16,
> DDR3 1333, SATA, On Board Graphics, Micro ATX) by Asus - £48.80
> Intel i3-2100 Sandybridge Core i3 Quad-Core Processor ? 3.10GHz, 3MB
> Cache, Socket 1155 - £95.32
> Corsair TW3X4G1333C9A XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 Memory  - £17.95
> WD Caviar Blue WD3200AAKS - Hard drive - 320 GB - internal - 3.5" -
> SATA-300 - 7200 rpm - buffer: 16 MB - £58.87
> VTX3D VX6670 2GBK3-H AMD Radeon HD 6670 Graphics Card (2GB,
> PCI-Express, AMD App Acceleration) - £58.73
> Antec VP Power/VP 350P - £33.75
> Antec Three Hundred Midi Case by Antec - £33.49
> 
> So, some questions that I have for myself,  Do I need a CPU cooler,
> or is the stock Core i3 cooler sufficent ? (I had looked at Gelid
> Solutions Tranquillo Rev.2 Quiet CPU Cooler - £21.50)
> 
> I've seen foam designed for case quieting like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Akasa-AK-PAX-2-Paxmate-PLUS-full/dp/B000OGX548/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1CKDU8MO8RJVI&colid=1E0M4XTSZ0DUM
> Akasa AK-PAX-2 Paxmate PLUS for full ATX - £14.17).  Is it any use ?
> 
> Any other comments / suggestions ?

My suggestion is to omit the AMD 6670 from the above list, and just
use the integrated graphics of the i3-2100.  That's exactly the CPU
I have, and I don't have a discrete video card.  Most distributions
by now have good drivers for Sandy Bridge graphics.  I'm still using
Myth 0.24, which means software decoding of video; even with
high-bitrate 1080p (e.g. single sliced Bluray) video, I get 100%
smooth playback.  The situation gets even better with Myth 0.25,
which adds VAAPI support (Intel/AMD equivalent of nvidia VDPAU).

Whether or not you need an aftermarket CPU cooler is a matter of
personal preference.  If you use Myth 0.25 w/VAAPI, then your
i3-2100 will likely never see much of a workload, and even the stock
cooler ought to stay relatively slow-moving (meaning quiet),
particularly if your motherboard has decent fan controls.  I have no
experience with the boards you've listed, but based on what I've
read Asus fan controls are usually decent.

For what it's worth, I found the stock i3-2100 cooler too loud for
my tastes; but I have my system stuffed in a tiny case (Habey
EMC-800) with minimal ventilation.  The Antec 300 is a much larger,
much more open case, so would probably result in slower fan speeds
than what I experienced.  The cooler I ended up with is the Scythe
Big Shuriken 2.  If I do a stress test on my frontend, the ran will
ramp up and be loud.  But under ordinary usage, it spins slowly
enough that it's silent.

In general, the authority on silent PCs is the website Silent PC
Review (http://www.silentpcreview.com).

-Matt