Building a Home Theater PC (For Cornell Solar Decathlon)

[darkspazzlord]

Go go and buy an OS and boot from the install disc

[ZmyhayZ]

Guys if my Pc has optical and my home cinema has optical they will work right ??full 5.1 sound?????

[lapisfly]

hardcore

[01Minecrafter]

thats a nice 800x600 you have there

[NightWolfEditing]

Lol, thats the same CPU in my gaming rig!

[puntedcat]

I know this is an old build. But I would have just used the SSD for the OS then added another HDD for files and whatnot.

[SlyFoxMcNeil]

NERDGASM

[fl0r1svdk]

@TheInvisibleWaffle ive done it when i was 12 with a 1200 euro pc everything worked from the first time

[Cam5X5]

Lol I say put the thing in mineral oil xD That would make it nearly completely silent.

[Tomthetoolman100]

@TheInvisibleWaffle dont be worried have built 5 comps and only 14

[Darcin8or]

Onboard graphics, is this a good idear for a home theater PC?

[sciguy14]

@Darcin8or They are not "onboard" in the ordinary sense. This motherboard has a separate nvidia graphics chip built into the board. It plays blu-ray beautifully.

[Eversor86]

@sciguy14 Actually its onboard GPU. If GPU is integrated into chipset - its Onboard GPU and nothing more to say about it. What you describe would be if this mobo have had an separate GPU chip alongside default chipset one - connected to chipset via pci-e lines. For HTPC any integrated onboard GPU is good, as long as it support video playback (DXVA, BR) and you don't plan to play hi-end games. For HTPC with some games AMD APU is probably best option.

[sciguy14]

@Eversor86 I said what I meant - there is a graphics processing chip on the motherboard separate from the CPU. Integrated graphics leverage the CPU to do the video processing.

[Eversor86]

@sciguy14 I think you just got lost a bit here. First you write as an response, that those GPU aren't on-board. While instant after it you write that this particular mobo have an separate nVidia GPU chip build into the board which is a definition of "on-board" (actually its GPU build in NVIDIA nForce® 730i chipset in that mobo). Then you write that GPU isn't in CPU (I didn't say it is), and that it helps with video (Again didn't write GPU won't help - thou some older ones are to weak for 1080p).

[SGlitches]

@Darcin8or depend what onboard gpu you have, if its a older motherboard probably not but newer like 2009 and up should have a decent gpu, but i would still upgrade to a nvidia or ati card

[sciguy14]

@TheInvisibleWaffle Just go slow, and double check your connections, you'll be fine. Don't forget the motherboard standoffs!

[gab1971]

@sciguy14 What is a motherboard standoff? I am going to do the same type of thing that TheInvisibleWaffle did.

[blueovalfan23]

@gab1971 it ls something to make a space between the board and tray or case. without them, it will short out the board. it's pretty much a screw with a nut as a head so you can screw it to the case and put the board on it and put screws through the board. some case will not require them and have them made into the tray. if that doesn't help, i gues google it. it's pretty much something you understand when you see one. if it helps, it looks alot like the nuts on vga and dvi ports if you unscrew 1

[gab1971]

@blueovalfan23 Oh! Now that makes sense! Thank you!!

[blueovalfan23]

@gab1971 you're welcome

[gab1971]

@sciguy14 Oh nevermind. I was dumb.Sorry for bothering you.

[experimental0000]

while the atom may not always be great for handling HD 1080p etc, I'd think that at roughly 8-10 watts that it'd be more energy efficient than a C2D at 3.0 ghz. I've got another computer with an AMD Athlon II x2 250u at 1.6 Ghz that seems to do ok, and it's about 12-18 watts :) just curious about the cpu as I don't know how you went about choosing the cpu. the other items make sense just not the cpu, to me.

[bayandsl]

what are the difference of a home theater pc and a ordinary pc?

both can play dvd and blueray.. but i think the major difference is home theater pc has a remote controll right?

[ranagill]

How are you going to watch movies with all the noise, cpu fan, power supply fan. they have quiet cpu fans and fanless power supplies out there, but over all its a nice build,, the onboard video was a good idea, that cuts noise/ heat/power.

[ZeroParad0x]

you used intergrated video?

[SaiE8]

Good build, Antec Veris Yaay im using one of their 5.25 screen / controller.

Wait why did you use a SSD, a dual core running 4gb of ram wouldnt have problems with reading 1080p vids in the drive :S or processing blu rays you coulda got a larger standard HDD.

[sciguy14]

@SaiE8 All media is stored on a media server on the network, didn't need a big drive in the computer, and we needed to keep power consumption low.

[teo5151]

what about thermal paste on the processor?

[bayandsl]

@teo5151 the heatsink it self has a pre-apply thelmal paste

[moviefreak412]

How much would it caust to do all this? And how much could it be sold for?

[sciguy14]

@moviefreak412 There probably isnt enough of a margin to sell this. I dont recall the exact price, maybe 1200.

[j3k2006]

first i was like.. cool a HTPC building video.. then I saw the stock cooler NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO­O

[sciguy14]

@j3k2006 ...it's an HTPC, why would I waste money on a cooler it doesn't need...

[jamesfreddieboy]

@sciguy14 Because its quieter 

[SuperMachead1]

@jamesfreddieboy they could have used a 40gb SSD since it was getting media from the NAS...128GB was a waste of money...infact SSD was a waste of money since you would never hear a standard HDD over the roar of those fans...very noisy I would assume...I use an old laptop as my HTPC...its COMPLETELY quiet and runs on very little power...use my iphone as a remote....the perfect HTPC really...

[PRINCEofPECICA]

onboard video oh no!

[sciguy14]

@PRINCEofPECICA Integrated Nvidia graphics play 1080p like a dream.

[sneaker177]

@PRINCEofPECICA The cpu does the decoding of the video. Lol

[TheMartynneil]

is it bad if ur motherboard doesn't come in an anti static bag??

[sciguy14]

@TheMartynneil Most do, but it''s okay if it doesn't.

[BratvaTV]

There was no parts list on that link..

how much would something like this run?

[Velocityrapor]

it was really a pleasure to watch this video, thanx a billion !

I´ve a pretty similar setup though I decided to go for a cheaper 2.5" 7200 rpm hdd instead of an ssd

but why did you keep the intel boxed hsf while all other parts are optimised for silent operation ? Scythe Big Shuriken would be perfect here...

And to have true hd sound via hdmi during BR playback you also might want to add a radeon hd5450 (ok - only works if you run windows 7, power dvd 10 and a suitable av receiver... ;-)

[sciguy14]

@Velocityrapor The stock was quiet enough, so we didn't bother with an aftermarket. No video card because we wanted to keep the cost down.

[m4airsoftmaster]

dont know y u used a ssd i would have gone with multiple 2tb

[sciguy14]

@m4airsoftmaster We wanted speed on this. We use a network server for storage and streaming

[greysmoke321]

you've got the best PC building videos..

[sciguy14]

@greysmoke321 thanks!

[badbradmx]

@jamiestew123 your right, that is what it means, and its designed to fit in with all your other DVR's and AV recievers and god knows what else you got

[matadorslr]

@DKing124D

1:03

[badbradmx]

@jamiestew123 kind of the point, HTPC, you know what that means right.

anyway cool build shame your using vista though lol

[lezbriddon]

Front lcd by imon, quality company lolz

[mennogamer559]

thats the good way for a home theater pc

[take1er]

how many PC's have u guys built? Cause u basically just put the CPU fan without putting any type of thermal paste on it. i now that some CPU fans have a thermal paste lining on it, but still. nice build though

[sciguy14]

@take1er stock intel heatsinks have thermal paste pre-applied.

[michaelball123]

Nice simple video. Good work.

[WZZA1610]

Cool! But eww Vista. Get some linux on there! Boxee, or the XBMC LIve Install!

[iTzTrAx1]

@WZZA1610 fuck linux linux sucks balls!

[GoodDay2YouSir]

my computer is 1700$ and its twice what i see there, how much did that damned Solid State Drive cost you??

[sciguy14]

ARound $250 if I recall correctly.

[00iCrazy00]

I've been wondering, are the prices at Crucial (for RAM) considered high to anyone here? They seem very high especially because I'm not old enough to have a job and my allowance is $20 a week.Does anyone know a cheaper place to buy RAM if possible?

[Spider7xx]

@00iCrazy00 crucial and kingstons prices are high very high

[MyVideosAreAllHere]

MSY

[foxman105]

Dude you spend 20 dolars a week?!

[00iCrazy00]

Is that a lot? And no, i don't spend it. I have so save it most of the time for stuff I want, I'm saving for MAG and Bayonetta. I need about $30-40 to get both but I'm getting MAG first since I have a pre-order for it

[foxman105]

@00iCrazy00: yes it is in our currency. I'd have a PC fully brought by now if I'd had your budget :D

[00iCrazy00]

Oh really? lol Where are ya?

[foxman105]

I'm from Europe.

[iceboarderz]

Did you win?

[7Avenged7X]

how much did all this cost?

[sciguy14]

somewhere around 1800

[chr0n1cl3]

How many ppl you need for build a pc...

1 filmer 2 builders?

[sciguy14]

You really only need one person to build.

[cal22583]

was that a real question? lol

[brett248vista]

Great Video! Just got done building one myself. Went with a Core2 @ 2.66Ghz, 4GB PC5200, Nvidia 9600GSO 1GB, 2x 160GB hard drives for now, 2 750GB drives also going in. Used an nMediaPC HT6000B case with the nMediaPC Pro LCD OEM front panel display. Monitor is my 67" Phlatlite LED DLP.

[SleeplessChaos]

hippievogelei thats stupid this way is cheap and you can customize it for your needs.

This looks almost like the computer we built for Digit Media Technology last year alot we used XP

[hippievogelei]

looks so stupid just buy a Mac pro with 8 cores. cost with some nice options, 5000 bucks.

[Ivdro]

Mac is overrated, period.

[lucianos1990]

@Ivdro

overpriced yes, overrated no.

[STLFANSS]

Been to your site and I didn't see the parts list. Probably right in front of my face though lol... can you help me find it?

[need4speed402]

use a grafix card bwcuse if your huking it up to a lcd or progector the reselution is not gona be good becus of lo frame ratewith grafix card you get better frame rate and beter resilution

[sciguy14]

This works perfectly, even for blu-ray on 46" LCD.

[TheMRamstaff]

dual core in a home theather :( quad if better

[KamronFultz]

Ya, but is it really needed?

[ROBDOMINICANKING]

nice

[Hekynn]

Very nice I'm gonna use a 730i for my media server for the house. :)

[3Z3K13L08]

So the only storage in this HTPC is one 128GB SDD? Call me crazy but isn't the whole point of a HTPC is to store media on and watch it? I'm talking about TB's of data... I could fill 128GB in less than a month, more so with 720/1080p content.

[daimportant1]

lol i got like 1.5tb of video on my pc :p bout 200gb of music XD

[3Z3K13L08]

I envy anyone who doesn't live in Australia. Our download quotas are a joke. For $65 USD, I only get 40GB a month at 10mbit download :(. I can use that in a day, easy! It really blows not being able to get everything you want. There are so many TV/movies I'm missing out on, grrrr. The crazy thing is, I'm on one of the best internet deals in the country!

[daimportant1]

yea me and my mates d/l heaps den we swap it every so often.

you think ur nets shit aus is even shitter i got like 12gb month it suks i could use this in like a F*ckn day

[3Z3K13L08]

I live in Aus dude... 40GB a month is huge over here but people in the US d/l something like 200-500GB a month! Aussie internet is a joke >:-(.

[metalmulisha98101]

lol sam i just 850gb of movies off of my m8

[osi1]

The description indicates that it will be used with a server. Therefore eliminating the need for big storage, and rather having a silent and fast ssd.

[3Z3K13L08]

I'd take having the data on HDD's in the PC over streaming media any day. I've over streaming content, just too annoying, especially when large video bitrates and transcoding is involved.

Each to their own though. I say good on the video creator for building it, all things computers are great in my eyes :-).

[sciguy14]

Over Gigabit ethernet, everything streams perfectly.

[LeJimster]

Well in my case I will probably do a 64GB SSD for cheapness and I plan to run a 5TB media server to stream to my HTPC. Just depends on how you want to set your beast up :).

[3Z3K13L08]

64GB for cheapness? The Intel X25-E is far from cheap! :0. Just kidding :P.

It's hard to justify buying an SSD just for a HTPC seeing as all you're going to do it just use a media app (such as media portal). Kinda of a waste of potential I think :-(. Still, would be very nice indeed, just would be better in a desktop.

[LeJimster]

The SSD is more just for silence though in my case. I'm going to build one of those tiny Mini ITX systems that consume 30w when they're running. :)

[3Z3K13L08]

Lol! Those things are cute! :D

[deadkillerbud1]

another cool creation.i like your stuff you make

[sciguy14]

thanks!

[fragrante]

pasta termica naum passa ???????????

[swanny812]

to many fans

[leoivarsdeargentina]

Windows vista and 4 coolers are bad choices for htpc.

[sciguy14]

where are you getting 4 from? There is the CPU fan and two case fans. The computer is totally silent when it's on, and vista works great.

[leoivarsdeargentina]

You forgot psu fan. In six months coolers increase noise. I think it's better to use mini itx form factor hardware and free software like mythtv or similar to build htpc.

[sciguy14]

good point, i did forget about PSU, which is also silent. Most of the noise actually comes from the Hard drive when usinga stock cooler, but I eliminated that problem by using an SSD and putting my HDDs in a home server. Fans don't get louder if you keep them clean, and a mini ITX board would not handle Blu-ray well.

[lizardmannnn]

you should have bought a third party cpu cooler for better cooling adn you also should have used a creative x-fi pc sound card for HD audo

[bbr7515]

well the hell is ur ground straps 2 ur body to prevent static charge???????? are u that careless? u may say it cant happen to me.. arg. noobs

[changemeahh]

He probably has an ankle strap

[LCWBUT]

Sweet !.

[mcliars]

2:13 the Asus Q-Shield is sometimes 100% WIN.

[lynntinymite2]

I understand that the term "home theater" is loosly used all the time, but in my case it's quite literal. I was just looking for the next great option to offer my clients.Most game consoles can be easily integrated with control processors and such but finding things to incorporate into the system is very limited in a sense. Kaleidescape,Escient,and rack mounted PC are standard in the industry. I wish there were more things to add.

[lynntinymite2]

Oh, I figured the web surfing and games, but the integration with universal remotes and such might prove too difficult for the consumer and the installer, since one remote is the standard for theaters. a good wireless keyboard with extended range and bandwidth limitations of most wires for 1080p along with EDID issues. this is what I have to deal with when installing theaters...sucks,but still fun.

[lynntinymite2]

What are the specs? 1080P, Dolby TrueHD DTSHD outputs ect. I build theaters with apple tv and other sources so my question: is this mostly a movie server and if so, what are the benifits over a 130 GB apple tv? for $300.00? Not being sarcastic, just curious.

[sciguy14]

It has all the output of an AppleTV plus many more. This is not simply for watching movies, it's a full-fledged computer for websurfing, games, and multimedia.

[S0Sgeek]

where do you get the money from?

[sciguy14]

read the description. this isn't my computer. I didn't pay for it.

[bigboy939]

where do you guys get the money for these builds?

[sciguy14]

Many of these builds are not financed by me. This one was financed by Cornell's Solar Decathlon Team, of which I am the controls team leaeder.

[casua1ty27]

is it better to put RAM into DIMMs with the same color?

[sciguy14]

yes, those are linked.

[johnedwards1968]

I'm curious what you think the minimum size for the Solid State Drive could be? There's a huge price difference between the 64 GB and 128 GB categories! Would 64 GB do it? I'm also curious if your specs will work under Linux ( Mythbuntu)?

[sciguy14]

The minimum size should be dictated by what you plan on storing on it. If you want to hold lots of multimedia, I may suggest a SSD for the OS, and a standard large drive for your multimedia. This computer should work fine under linux.

[osxmaniac]

Why build an HTPC now if the decathlon is in october? And will you put Windows 7 on there?

[sciguy14]

we need it now for testing and setup. We may put windows 7 on eventually.

[moj0123456790]

the casing is too big for home theater pc!

[sciguy14]

It's microATX...it's actually much smaller than most HTPC cases.

[juancho704]

Is the integrated audio controller capable to manage blu-ray quality sound?? what sound card do you suggest to do this?

PD: great videos, keep up the good work!

[sciguy14]

Yes, the computer manages blu-ray very well.

[ceroo12cool]

JOJOJOJO!!! lo mas piola que vi en mi vidaaa!

[osxmaniac]

nice build, oddly my newly built machine is slower than your htpc

[slaterking1000]

Nice build, shame you didn't use a dedicated video card.

[sciguy14]

We're trying to be energy efficient. The onboard nvidia GPU handles Blu-Ray perfectly.

[Vagmonster666]

why would you use 128gb ssd for home theater pc when you need space and not the speed. just get a 1tb drive wow just wow haha

[sciguy14]

There is a home server connected with 1.5TB of space for storage. We chose the SSD to make the system speedy and reliable. Read the description next time.

[eoinycroiny]

why use a 2.5" hdd and adapt it to 3.5" when you could just use a 3.5"hdd to begin with???? is their a benifit of doing it this way???

[ikcti]

I'm not too sure but I think SSDs are more meant for netbooks so they may need adapters. Well, I guess there are 3.5" SSDs out there.

[eoinycroiny]

ahh i just looked up SSD and understand, they are way better and more reliable then your average HDD only downside is the price :( killer system:)

[40ozmaltliquor]

The reason for that is because he's using a solid state HDD. Which runs faster and much cooler then a regular hard drive because their are no moving internal parts.

[sciguy14]

there are no 3.5" SSD drives yet.

[slaterking1000]

Would solid state just have a faster seek time but the transfer wont but much fast.

Question - Does solid state need de fragmenting, i don't think it does can I have your opinion please.

[sciguy14]

Yes. Fragmenting is caused by the NTFS file system, not the drive itself. However, a fragmented SSD still performs way better than an equally fragmented HDD.

[milodaman2]

3:57

Cable Management!

aww man nice video.

[sokn4576]

i want to get windows vista home premium 64-bit edition? is the 64-bit edition included on the disc or you have to order it online?

[ikcti]

It's either you buy 32-bit or 64-bit.

[sokn4576]

what is the form factor of the ssd for a notebook?

[sciguy14]

2.5 inches

[jimmy1078]

thanks for the very informative video, good stuff

[kasm279]

i would have said that but the comment was already to long. you could also use wifi!

[kasm279]

i always like your videos because of the music.. is the IR for the remote an IrDA transceiver or just a reciever?

[sciguy14]

I believe it's just a receiver for the remote.

[kasm279]

it would be cool if it were a tranciever because then if you have a Palm handheld or a WinCE/PocketPC/WinMobile device you could just point it at the front of the box and transfer pictures, video, or whatever between the two.....

[sciguy14]

Or you could just use bluetooth. Thats faster and more common now.

[sciguy14]

We haven't decided on the BD software yet.

[nemesisslr]

Hi, nice build but i have a few questions:

how come you did not use a passive heat sink for the processor? Why is there no tv card? and why would you need a E8400 for a media centre?

[sciguy14]

The stock fan is almost silent, and we want to keep the CPU cool. There is no TV card because we may not have access to a cable line when this computer is used in the solar decathlon house. We may add one later. an E8400 is not overkill for media center. You want a speedy processor for media decoding and HD playback.

[MarioAranda2010]

how would you connect a computer with Digital Audio Out, with a standard jack? I have a 2.1 speakers that hook up to the headphone jack or analog audio, Is there a way to connect the speakers via the orangey (looks like a RCA , red, white, and yellow things) female input.

THanks you

Nice Vids by the way!!!!!!

very informative!!

[sciguy14]

You can buy a cable that is mini phono on one end and RCA SPDIF on the other.

[kasm279]

iv got a few questions and comments:first, why did you place the RAM in those particular slots?, why a ssd?, cool case!, i want one!, wow, lot of power in the power supply!

[sciguy14]

Read the motherboard manual. If you are not using all four RAM slots, you put them in certain slots first to enable dual channel.  We chose an SSD because it's very fast, and very power efficient, which was a goal for this computer. Media is stored on a networked server.

[sokn4576]

which one is better in performance western digital velociraptor 10000 rpm hdd or intel x25-m 80gb ssd?

[sciguy14]

They are pretty comparable, but at the moment, SSDs seem to be winning in benchmarks.

[ramanglass544]

why ssd?for a home theater wouldnt a hdd be better?

anyway sweet build!

[sciguy14]

All the media is on a network server with 1.5TB of space.

[sokn4576]

i have been looking for intel ssds. what is the 7mm and 9.5mm stand for? also what is mm number?

[sciguy14]

mm is millimeters, for size.

[Jamie081993]

Nice theater PC build.

Sciguy14 i was thinking of building a home theater system like this but is there anyway for free i could copy all my DVD's onto the hard drive including copy right procected ones?

Thanks,

Jamie

[sciguy14]

There are ways to do this.. you just need to get a DVD ripping program. Some are free.

[Jamie081993]

Can you send me a link to one that will let me copy copy right protected dvds on my hard drive please? Thanks

[sciguy14]

imTOO makes a DVD ripper that works pretty well.

[Jamie081993]

Is it free tho and when i say free i mean full version not trial or demo?

[sciguy14]

no, but the free ones all suck. (at least in my experience)

[Jamie081993]

Ok thanks anyway, nice video.