Home Theatre PC: Part 2

In the last post I posted about what the htpc is all about, and what kind of hardware I'm going to put into it. This post is about how I put the hardware in. Enjoy...

Ordering and delivery
I ordered all of the components from MegaPC, an online store based in Melbourne. The total cost, including delivery, came down to just over AUS$1500. Plus they got all of it to me within one week - not too shabby.

I exchanged a couple of emails with Marshall at MegaPC, who was very helpful in keeping me informed about my order, and did some last minute work to get it out the door. Good on ya mate! All in all, I'm very satisfied with their service.

Unpacking the package
This is the package, as delivered by MegaPC - sweet anticipation...

MegaPC did a good job. They did mix up one item though - they put a Hauppauge WinTV PVR-150 in the box, instead of the requested Hauppauge WinTV Nova-T-500. But I made a mistake myself: I ordered the wrong CPU cooler. The Zalman CNPS7000B-Cu is not compatible with Socket AM2, which is clear if you read the specs carefully - which I clearly did not. Oops, my bad.
Oh well, shit happens. Marshall has already emailed me back to help sort it out. On to the...

Assembly
The case, inside and out. As you can see, it is a big roomy case - not exactly petite, but then this is supposed to be the SUV of home entertainment centres.


The power supply goes in on the side. It has its own air vent, pointing out to the side.


Installing the motherboard is very easy, since there is so much space inside. The dvd drive I chose fits perfectly in the top middle bay. It also aligns spot on with the external switch on the case, so no adjustment necessary. Video card, RAM, motherboard connectors, VFD, et cetera... just plug 'em all in.

There is a couple of catches though: the choice of motherboard I made does not provide me with firewire, so the front panel's firewire connection is still dangling. Also, the motherboard supports three extra internal usb connections. I chose to connect the VFD and the front hotkey panel (both of which require a usb slot) internally, so that left me with only one active front usb port, out of a total of four. This can be fixed however...

It took some creative wiring to tuck away the connections, and the final result is pleasing: lots of room for air to circulate. And the fans are soooo quiet!

Next up: Powering up, installing Windows and Linux

PS: You can see some more photos of this project here.
peace out.