Custom build 2016

[Oliver]

Hi all,

I need to replace the graphics card in my VGX-XL, whilst searching for the latest and greatest cards I thought it might be time for me to upgrade my entire system. I am watching eBay to see if any custom builds come up for sale cheap, but I think I'd rather build my own as I don't seem to find any that suit me perfectly like a custom build would.

I can't decide how much to spend, a part of me wants to go high spec but it seems like a waste as I'll not use it to it's full potential, but I do want to future proof and leave my options open to upgrade as and when, so I'll probably go over kill on the motherboard. Obviously I'm used to having my beautiful VGX-XL sat under my TV so I am going to spend a lot on the case.

I will document my build here...

<<<EDIT-06.June.2016>>>


My case when it first arrived, a secondhand Silverstone LC20-B-M from eBay with an included a 850watt PSU and Blu-Ray player



After fitting the motherboard (Asus Pro Gaming) and CPU (i5 6600t)



I took the front end of the case, something you are not suppose to take off but due to a bad  cable routing plan by Silverstone I had reroute the HD audio cable (I got this idea from others with my case who had the same issue) 



Here is the short (badly planned/routed HD audio cable)



Here it is the HD audio cable rerouted, as you can see it now has plenty of length to route neatly



I also spotted a 30cm wire running from the front pannel through the case and back to the front panel, I rerouted this wire too. IT only needs to travel about 2cm, so the 30cm cable running through the case was totally overkill. I have no idea why they did this?, baffles me!



This is all the 30cm wire had to travel



I installed ram



Fitted 2 "silent" 80cm Coolink Swift 2 case fans to the rear (these are actually very quiet)



I have fat fingers and need to use thread to get the rubber silencing screws through the case and fans



Fans fitted



Applying thermal paste (Artic Silver 5) prior to...



...fitting my heat sink and fan  (1 of only 3 fans in my case)



The idea for air flow management is a basic one, The heat-sink fan blows towards the rear exhaust fans and they aid each other



Next I stalled a SSD drive for OS and programs, I bought a cool front load SSD/HDD caddie that holds 1 SSD, 1 HDD and has 2 USB 3.0 ports. It makes swapping drives a breeze  



I bought some cable tie/supports and neatened up my cables



I decided to replace my PSU with  a Semi-Passive PSU to make my HTPC even quieter



I added some Silverstone vented PCie covers



Here is the finished product (for now )
Internals



Rear of HTPC



Another rear pic, its a shame the internal lights are hidden from view, they look pretty cool. I can turn them of with ASUS software when I get round to it.



The front end



With front bay covers open



Finally, in it's intended place



Close up with included iMon remote

[Oliver]

I've been looking on eBay for a good value HTPC case and just had an offer accepted today on a Silverstone LC20
it is a nice looking case and is the size I wanted (same width as a VGX XL) most large HTPC cases are 440mm wide the exact width of my TV Unit selves so would not fit, this case is 430mm just enough room for air to circulate around the case.
The case comes with a 850watt PSU! Which although is modular and 80+ rating, is not a top brand and appears totally overkill for a HTCP system, If I was going to buy a PSU I would have probably gone for a 450watt, but it should be OK, shouldn't it?
The case also comes with a Blu-ray/DVD drive that looks pretty generic and cheap in the pics but I'm sure it'll do the job, I basicly rarely use DVDs and don't own any Blu-rays so not a priority, nice to have just incase though.

The case doesn't appear to have any fans, but at least I can choose some decent quiet fans like maybe these CoolLink Fans

I found this helpful AVForums thread that should help with the build

Here is the eBay listing, I think I got it for a good price and I'm looking forward to starting my build, any comments?

[IT Troll]

The case looks good. Nice that it has the remote integration.

As you said the PSU is probably completely overkill for what you need - unless you want to put a monster graphics card in it. The 80+ rating will mean that you do not waste too much power even it you only use a fraction of it's rated output.

Some modern PSUs will run semi-passive so that the fan does not spin under low load. It would be nice if it has this feature as that would be top of my wish list when selecting a PSU.

[Oliver]

May 12, 2016 10:21:43 GMT IT Troll said:

The case looks good. Nice that it has the remote integration.

As you said the PSU is probably completely overkill for what you need - unless you want to put a monster graphics card in it. The 80+ rating will mean that you do not waste too much power even it you only use a fraction of it's rated output.

Some modern PSUs will run semi-passive so that the fan does not spin under low load. It would be nice if it has this feature as that would be top of my wish list when selecting a PSU.

I don't think it's worth buying another PSU now I have this one, apparently it has "120mm Low noise cooling Fan system" and some reviews back that up, so hopefully noise won't be an issue. If it is noisy I guess I can eBay it, but I'll give it a go first.
But I agree, if I need to replace this one, I'll go for a leading brand 450watt semi Passive unit.

I've been researching motherboards and like the look of ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming apparently it is great for sound, it has load of USB 3.1 Ports and looks very future proof.
I am thinking if I add a i5-6400 or similar I'll be able to play 1080p video without needing a graphics card, in the future when we're all watching 4K/8K UHD I can a graphics card then (or 2 with this motherboard).

I know it's a little overkill for a HTPC but I'll save on the cost of a graphics card and it should (fingers crossed) last for many years to come.

I thought you'd like the remote control, I wasn't too bothered, but I'm hoping I'll appreciate it once I start using it

[IT Troll]

The Z170 chipset is aimed at gamers and overclockers. You may find a similar spec board with the H170 chipset which will do most of the same (except overclocking) and save you a few quid.

The Skylake processors also come in the T-series variant which are low power and cooler running. They are clocked slower than the regular parts but are still ample for HTPC purposes.

As you probably saw in my build thread, I originally used the integrated graphics which performed well, but had some annoying visual and audio glitches. The other thing with integrated graphics is the position of the HDMI port on the I/O shield. Often it is positioned very close to the case which doesn't give much clearance for thick cables.

Also worth remembering that if you do end up using a separate graphics card with it's own HDMI audio then you won't be using the motherboard audio.

[Oliver]

I've ordered all the parts now for my custom 2016 HTCP build.

Case:
Silverstone LC20B-M-USB3.0 (black + multimedia)



Motherboard:
Asus Z170 Pro Gaming Motherboard

PSU:
Powercool 850watt 80+ modular

CPU:
Intel Core i5-6600T (35watts)

CPU Cooler:
Thermalright True Spirit 90 Power Cooler

Memory:
Corsair Vengeance LPX 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4 2400 Mhz CL14 XMP 2.0

HDD:
SanDisk SD8SNAT-256G-1122 Z400S M.2 2280 256 GB SSD

Case Fans:
4x Coolink SWiF2-800 - Ultra Silent 2 80mm for front and 2 80mm for rear

Generic Blu-ray/DVD drive that comes with the case and PSU

Waiting on delivery of these items now, hope I don't have compatibility issues.

Later I plan to add;
Large capacity internal HHD drives.
And eventually when I upgrade to a 4K TV I'll be adding a dedicated graphics card
I'm a little worried about having a huge 850watt PSU powering this low power set up, but (after limited research) believe that worse case scenario is I'll get 1or2% less efficiency than the 80+% it usually performs at.

Just waiting on delivery and I'll get building

[AVsonyfan]

Interesting case, but it is nowhere near as nice on the eye as a VGX!

[Oliver]

May 15, 2016 15:08:23 GMT AVsonyfan said:

Interesting case, but it is nowhere near as nice on the eye as a VGX!

Beauty is objective but your probably right.
I have not seen a case I can honestly say is nicer looking than a VGX-XL.
This LC20 IMHO is very nice looking I hope once I see it in flesh I will like it equally.
I will add some comparison photos once it arrives, it's the same width but taller.

[Oliver]

My build is already not going as planned

I tried to save a few quid buying a second hand case (with power supply and Blu-ray drive), but I'm starting to regret it.

The case came well packaged and does look very nice, maybe not as nice as a VGX-XL but not far off.

Unfortunately the case has missing parts and was described inaccurately..

*The 6 internal HDD enclosures are missing

*the Centre support bracket is missing

*was advertised as the version with front USB 3.0 but only has front USB 2.0

*a motherboard standoff (not a big deal, but these things are really hard to source)

*SATA/Power combi cable for the Blu-ray (which I can pick up from Amazon reasonably cheap)

Below shows the missing parts..


The exterior looks really nice thought..





I think I'm going to have to send it back, waiting on a reply from the seller but those missing HDD enclosures are a deal breaker for me.

In both the title and item description the seller said it was USB 3.0 and had 6 internal drive bays





I will probably get a new LC17 on Amazon for £90 and a look for a 450watt semi Passive PSU

[Oliver]

OK the build is back on track, I agreed a £20 discount to make up for the missing HDD enclosures, support bar, and USB3.0.

I'd rather have the missing items than the £20 but for the money I wouldn't find a better deal anywhere else.

[AVsonyfan]

Oh that sucks bigtime, can you obtain the missing pieces needed for the build? Might have to bite the bullet and get the right case, and sell this one on yourself...

[Oliver]

New CPU came today, I expected better packaging from a new £190 processor.

[IT Troll]

May 14, 2016 22:05:54 GMT Oliver said:

I've ordered all the parts now for my custom 2016 HTCP build.

The spec is looking good. You probably didn't need such a big cooler with the low voltage CPU, but it's not going to hurt. The BIOS on the Asus motherboards is a joy to use and their fan control system is unbeatable. With PWM fans you can really fine tune the cooling for silence/performance as required.

[Oliver]

Thanks, my logic with the large g heatsink is that the fan will not need to work as hard.
I wanted a high fan as I think it will help with the flow of air from in the front to out the rear. Plus it was only £13 new(ish) Amazon warehouse return.
My m.2 SSD will need to be returned, my PC uses Gen3 but my SSD is Gen2
Just gonna get. A regular SSD and this hot swappable caddy with USB3.0 and HDD

[IT Troll]

May 18, 2016 22:45:43 GMT Oliver said:

My m.2 SSD will need to be returned, my PC uses Gen3 but my SSD is Gen2
Just gonna get. A regular SSD and this hot swappable caddy with USB3.0 and HDD

No loss. There is no advantage to M.2 SSDs which use a SATA AHCI interface (other than the physical space saving). The SATA interface is the limiting factor. You need one which uses NVMe to utilise the increased bandwidth.

Asus currently have an offer on with their "gaming" motherboards in which you get a free copy of Doom (2016). Which is a nice bonus if your a gamer or otherwise something you can perhaps sell or give away.

[Oliver]

May 18, 2016 22:59:52 GMT IT Troll said:

May 18, 2016 22:45:43 GMT Oliver said:

My m.2 SSD will need to be returned, my PC uses Gen3 but my SSD is Gen2
Just gonna get. A regular SSD and this hot swappable caddy with USB3.0 and HDD

No loss. There is no advantage to M.2 SSDs which use a SATA AHCI interface (other than the physical space saving). The SATA interface is the limiting factor. You need one which uses NVMe to utilise the increased bandwidth.

Asus currently have an offer on with their "gaming" motherboards in which you get a free copy of Doom (2016). Which is a nice bonus if your a gamer or otherwise something you can perhaps sell or give away.

Thanks for letting me know, it appears that I would qualify and I've just jumped through all the hoops so hopefully I'll get the game code. My son will be happy

[Oliver]

It was next to impossible installing the 80mm case fans with the short rubber grommets, but I found a way...

Thread tied to grommet...




Maybe this will help others with installing awkward grommets or does anyone know a better way?

[IT Troll]

May 19, 2016 17:17:37 GMT Oliver said:

I don't know how old your son is but Doom is rated 18 so you might want to "vet" it first.

[Oliver]

My son is 13, it didn't enter my head that it might not be suitable, so thanks.

He is a sensible kid and we do allow him to watch and play 18 content. I've looked at the game play on YouTube and I guess it's an 18 because it is very violent, I'm not too worried because it is fictional beings that you are killing, demons and the like it's not realistic so I'm OK with it. If his behaviour changes through playing it I'd ban him, but like I say he's a very sensible boy so should be fine

[Oliver]

Today I've added the front HHD cage USB 3.0 and internal USB 2 (for the display screen)



The high heatsink made installation difficult and fiddly but with cable ties, long nose pliers and a load of patients I managed it.



The digital front panel requires plugging into a MB USB or external USB, the guy who had the case before me must have used the external USB and didn't include the other lead, I bought a lead to connect it up, the lead has dual USB so I can add the keyboard USB dongle to the other one (or if I ever needed to I could add a WiFi dongle).



I decided to tape it up, just to make double sure it can't short anything