- Dec 14, 2003
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I wouldn't use that platform, I would get one of the newest Intel chips that have a GPU that can decode HEVC. You might as well build something that will be relevant for more than a year or two. This build would have been great in say 2014 but the world has moved on.
A Pico PSU can be fine as long as you stay under 50% of its limit. You need something like a KillaWatt to make sure.
The only way I know to go completely fanless is to get one of those cases that is a heatsink. Like these:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/9633/hdplex-unveils-2nd-generation-h5-passive-pc-chassis
I don't think we're talking about the same thing. The build I linked is using a power brick like you'd use for a laptop, and no picoPSU.
To reply to your questions, according to Amazon reviews it powers SATA drives through the motherboard. One thing I disagree with is the SSD. SSDs might be necessary if you want to speed up a sluggish laptop, but since this is a desktop and since you're getting a $100 4TB disk drive already, is the SSD even necessary?
If you are truly frugal and looking to save money I'd strongly suggest purchasing a used Dell or HP SFF off EBay which will give you equal or higher performance at a fraction of the cost. I'm talking $80-120 for a fully built system running Windows.
For funzies. It's already pretty quiet but I've never built a passively-cooled PC before. Why not try?