New HTPC Build: Passive Cooling Only?!

[rosco6912]

Hello all,

I've been out of the hardware game for a while, but I'm currently looking to get back in. I'm wanting to build an HTPC for my living room that runs passive cooling only.

Uses are playback of 1080p h264 media files via network share, playback of bluray/DVD, only audio-out I am concerned about is AC3 pass through via SPDIF/HDMI. I am not concerned about 3D at this time. I will use windows 7 media center with media browser interface. Interface responsiveness is hugely important. I will be also running media center master among other applications in the background.

I'm looking to use an SSD (128gb kingston?)
I'm looking for low heat CPU/GPU. No gaming will be needed.
I want zippy responsiveness browsing the web, loading netflix, hulu, amazon vod, etc.

I may add a cable card reader in the future, though DVR capabilities are not a priority.

What case, psu, cpu, gpu, motherboard would YOU recommend?

 

[mnewsham]

What case, psu, cpu, gpu, motherboard would YOU recommend?

None.

 

[DominionSeraph]

If the i3 can do what you need it may be able to be passively cooled if locked to its lowest multiplier and undervolted.

 

[DaveSimmons]

> Interface responsiveness is hugely important. I will be also running media center master among other applications in the background.

You will need a good amount of CPU power and probably a low-end dedicated video card.

If you want a small form factor such as mini-ITX I doubt passive is possible. It might be if you're OK with a full ATX monster case and massive passive cooler.

Go to silentpcreview.com and look at their very quiet but not passive/silent HTPC builds.

Some mini-ITX cases have 120mm fans that can run near-silent.

 

[DesiPower]

about passive cooling - a 120mm fan running at 600 - 800 rpm will not be loud at all and with a BIG heat sink, it will move enough air to keep it cool (operational temp of 60 - 70).

You have choose a silent PSU too, they make noise too, the fan adjusts to heat on some of them

 

[BTA]

Best decision I ever made was doing an hdmi and usb run from my livingroom to the office with all the computer equipment. I don't have to worry about how loud or hot or whatever my HTPC is.

Spent too much time and money trying to get a good performing HTPC that was silent as well.

 

[Spikesoldier]

heres what im running:

i3 530 (stock intel hs/f)
msi matx p55 mainboard
msi hd4550 1gb gddr3 (passive)
4gb g.skill eco 1333 c7
30gb ocz agility
lite on pci-e b/g/n adapter
lite on blu ray drive
antec htpc half height case
antec 350w 80plus

the 60mm fans in the case are the loudest thing in there, but im too lazy to crack it open and unplug them. it is on 24/7.

imo you can ditch the 128gb ssd and go with a 30. if all of your media is on the network like mine, or on an external source, then 128gb is overkill. remember win7 even x64 version will only weight in at like 16gb. you also dont need much video card, or use the onboard one. if my mainboard was h55 instead of p55 i would probably using the i3's graphics.

 

[rosco6912]

heres what im running:

i3 530 (stock intel hs/f)
msi matx p55 mainboard
msi hd4550 1gb gddr3 (passive)
4gb g.skill eco 1333 c7
30gb ocz agility
lite on pci-e b/g/n adapter
lite on blu ray drive
antec htpc half height case
antec 350w 80plus

the 60mm fans in the case are the loudest thing in there, but im too lazy to crack it open and unplug them. it is on 24/7.

imo you can ditch the 128gb ssd and go with a 30. if all of your media is on the network like mine, or on an external source, then 128gb is overkill. remember win7 even x64 version will only weight in at like 16gb. you also dont need much video card, or use the onboard one. if my mainboard was h55 instead of p55 i would probably using the i3's graphics.

appreciate the reply..

Anyhow, my thinking was passive for less noise, but also less power useage. There's a new core i3 coming out at 35W TDP. It only has the intel HD 2000 graphics though, so I'm not sure how good that is for future's sake.

Core i3 2100T

If I can go fanless on the CPU/GPU and PSU with an SSD, I think I'll be in the money. I'd like a smaller form factor, but something with at least a pci slot or three... Onboard wifi would be a plus.. saving room for the tuner I have laying around in my closet..
.
Anyways, these are just preliminary thoughts.

Thanks in advance to more contributors!

 

[Davidh373]

It is not advised to passively cool a CPU. That is the only part that needs some sort of active cooling.

 

[fffblackmage]

It is not advised to passively cool a CPU. That is the only part that needs some sort of active cooling.

Well, my Phenom II is technically passively cooled by a fanless Scythe Ninja, but I guess it's not really passive when you consider my 5 case fans....

 

[mfenn]

Anyhow, my thinking was passive for less noise, but also less power useage. There's a new core i3 coming out at 35W TDP. It only has the intel HD 2000 graphics though, so I'm not sure how good that is for future's sake.

There's no way you're going to be able to passively cool a 35W CPU inside a case with no airflow. You need to be looking at Atom, Brazos, or ARM if you want to be completely passive.

 

[ther00kie16]

Brazos gets my vote but i remember seeing a matx (or was it itx?) case that acted as the heatsink and temps maxed out in high 60s for a desktop CPU (think it was a core 2 or X2).

Otherwise, maybe a quiet CULV or any laptop guts fitted with some better cooling.

 

[frostedflakes]

about passive cooling - a 120mm fan running at 600 - 800 rpm will not be loud at all and with a BIG heat sink, it will move enough air to keep it cool (operational temp of 60 - 70).

You have choose a silent PSU too, they make noise too, the fan adjusts to heat on some of them

This. Even with low power parts, your system is going to cook without at least a little airflow.

However, passive CPU/GPU/PSU along with one or two low speed case fans is very doable and can be effectively silent. 785G or 880G motherboard + Athlon II X2 is perfect for HTPCs IMO -- plenty of performance, power efficient, and affordable. I'd recommend undervolting the CPU to further reduce power consumption, heat, and noise.

 

[mnewsham]

Here buy your regular old HTPC and replace all the fans with some of these. get passively cooled graphics card (or go with sandy bridge for IGP) then get the hyper 212+ and replace the fans with the ones above (make sure you use a dampening materiel between the heatsink and the fans so it wont vibrate)
finally get this PSU.

the fans are rated for 10.7 decibels if you think you are going to hear that then there is no hope.

 

[Zap]

I'm wanting to build an HTPC for my living room that runs passive cooling only.

There is zero functional difference in noise between a "silent passive" computer and an "inaudible" computer. However, there is a huge temperature and performance delta between the two.

The other thing is unless you watch stuff with the volume on MUTE, you won't hear any computer that is reasonably quiet.

Your best bet would be something like this mobo/CPU combo whenever it comes out. You can power it passively with a Pico PSU or other embedded PSU. HOWEVER, you can't just toss it into a case without fans. Low power as it is, it still needs airflow of some kind, unless your case is mesh/grill all over.

 

[rosco6912]

Thanks for all the great replies so far.

Guys I'm looking to passively cool it to reduce power consumption, reduce noise, and also because i'm trying to get as close to set top box as possible.. I don't want alot of weight in it...

 

[Davidh373]

Guys I'm looking to passively cool it to reduce power consumption, reduce noise, and also because i'm trying to get as close to set top box as possible.. I don't want alot of weight in it...

Don't say we didn't warn you... a CPU fan probably uses 1W, and I'm not saying you can't passively cool anything else. You will have to spend quite a bit on a cooler that is heatsink only to properly cool the CPU. Otherwise the CPU will overheat and you'll see a lot of blue.

EDIT: Also, Most set top boxes have at least 1 fan in them somwhere. The MacBooks have fans in them, lot's of laptops do as well. Just because you can't see or hear something from the outside doesn't mean it isn't on the inside

 

[mfenn]

Don't say we didn't warn you... a CPU fan probably uses 1W, and I'm not saying you can't passively cool anything else. You will have to spend quite a bit on a cooler that is heatsink only to properly cool the CPU. Otherwise the CPU will overheat and you'll see a lot of blue.

EDIT: Also, Most set top boxes have at least 1 fan in them somwhere. The MacBooks have fans in them, lot's of laptops do as well. Just because you can't see or hear something from the outside doesn't mean it isn't on the inside

This.

OP, we're well aware of what you're trying to minimize (you mentioned it in post #8) and that's why we're telling you that a passively-cooled system is not the way to achieve that goal. In fact, it's pretty terrible way to try to achieve that goal because you have to use very slow components. I suggest reading up on the principle of race-to-idle.

 

[rosco6912]

okay well taking your opinions into account...

if i stick with fanless PSU, do i go with core i3 or athlon x2 + onboard video ?

will i need a casefan if i use stock hsf on either chip?


thanks a bunch, i appreciate the honesty i'm getting here!

 

[frostedflakes]

Well I'd hate to discourage you. You *can* do a fully passive system with relatively decent components. The problem is that it involves so much more money and time, it just isn't worth it IMO. Why spend five times as much on passive cases when a well designed system with only one or two fans will, for all intents and purposes, be silent. Heck even passive systems aren't always silent, imagine spending $500+ on a fanless case only to realize that the coils in your PSU or on your motherboard have an audible squeal. Not to mention a quiet air cooling system will generally allow you to use more powerful components without having to worry about overheating.

But if you really have your heart set on passive cooling, check HFX's HTPC cases.

http://www.hfx.at/

 

[Davidh373]

okay well taking your opinions into account...

if i stick with fanless PSU, do i go with core i3 or athlon x2 + onboard video ?

will i need a casefan if i use stock hsf on either chip?


thanks a bunch, i appreciate the honesty i'm getting here!

As long as you are using a cooler on the CPU, it may run hot, but I don't think ambient temp will matter all that much for the CPU. You could actually go for an i5 2500k as long as you have a decent budget.

 

[mfenn]

okay well taking your opinions into account...

if i stick with fanless PSU, do i go with core i3 or athlon x2 + onboard video ?

will i need a casefan if i use stock hsf on either chip?


thanks a bunch, i appreciate the honesty i'm getting here!

I'd get the Athlon X2 + a 880G mobo because the driver support is better.

You will likely need a case fan with the stock cooler and a fanless PSU for either chip. The best bet is probably to get a normal PSU with fan (quality ones are very quiet!) so that the PSU fan can serve as your case exhaust fan. That would eliminate the need for a case fan with the stock cooler.

 

[fuzzymath10]

I was digging into my case and I forgot to plug back the CPU fan. I ran it normally for about a week and all I noticed was an increase of about 5-10C that I thought was caused by my 2nd display and the video card running at higher clocks because of it.

However, this was probably because I had two exhaust fans running just above it. However those are easier to replace and clean than CPU fans so I might unplug my CPU fan again and live with it.

Short of giant heat sinks and low power, you could get a practically silent PC going with some good fans. I've got four fans in my case (2x Scythe S-flex, 2x Noctua) and it's very quiet. It's 5' from my head when I sleep.

 

[Zap]

if i stick with fanless PSU, do i go with core i3 or athlon x2 + onboard video ?

I believe Core i3 will idle at lower power draw and create less heat than an AMD quad.

will i need a casefan if i use stock hsf on either chip?

It depends on your case. If you use a Mini-Box M350, for instance, you would just use your stock CPU fan since the whole top of the case is perforated.

 

[Spikesoldier]

you would be surprised how little heat that an amd chip would make when its underclocked and undervolted. the athlon ii x2 or single core sempron are excellent choices for HTPC. downclock them to lets say 1.6 or 2.0 and you should have a very cool, power sipping chip.