| Re: Building an HTPC
Had a chance to check out the Core 2 Duo and I amore then impressed. If intel keeps up this momentum then they can reclame their crown.
As far as cases, the best I have seen are the Silverstone, the LaScala editions are top notch. The next best would be an Antec Sonata but lose the PSU that comes with it as it is louder in terms of fs. Get a NeoPower 500 with a single 120mm fan.
As far as storage the Hitachi/IBM Deskstar 500GB SATA 3.0Gb/s are a steal.
DVD+R/W the NEC drives are like $30 and are nicely built.
Video can be handled by onboard (think 6150 or equivilent) until DX10 cards come out next spring, its a waste spending a penny on a DX9 one now.
To further soundproof the case and deadin it, get a few of the cheap mousepads for like $1 and 2-way tape them to the inside top of the case, maybe place one inbetween the HDD/DVD cage and the sidwalls of the case to quiet those down and eliminate vibration. If you keep good airflow this won't effect the temps..
~Bob
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