Help me spend $100

[flm_savage]

at Newegg.

So i got a a gift card for 100 and i need to put it toward a purchase.

I just built a htpc and it has no optical drive but I'm not sure if it needs one either....... I am thinking i would rather use that last 5.25 bay with a converter and drop a 2Tb drive into it.

Throw some ideas out people.

 

[neobart]

Maybe a BD drive.

 

[flm_savage]

the only thing is that i NEVER play discs. Maybe once or twice a year but thats it.
I either stream or play what i have saved.

It would be nice to have the option tho.....

 

[Hunter]

How are you set up for cooling? more fans or maybe a better cpu/gpu cooler or if your good there add some usb ports. the system specs would help in searching for that right add on.

 

[Rolex]

Loan me $20. It's well worth it.

 

[hamz9561]

Why not an external drive for the htpc? Try this one on for size:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136471

 

[flm_savage]

Boooo. And ruin the aesthetics of the install? its got 2tb right now but I have less than 500gb free. Might buy that and crack it open for the drive.

here is the build. Its not a super speed demon gaming rig but it functions beautifully as a htpc.

Shuttle SH55J2 H55 Intel 1156
Intel Core-I5-661 (integrated memory controller and gpu among other things)
4Gb Corsair XMS3 Dominator 1600mhz
2x1Tb WD Caviar Hdd's



Its got hdmi straight to the tv and i use my phone (droid X) as a media center remote via wifi. So far it has played every 1080p video i have thrown at it flawlessly. Cores at full load get to around 50C and idle is around 38. Thats not bad IMO for stock shuttle cooling. During 1080p movie playback the cpu is at ~5% utilization.


UPDATE: With the fan in auto, full load only runs around 45C and idle is 29C

one of my 1tb drives only has a 8mb cache so perhaps i could buy the 2Tb WD 64mb cache drive to replace it.

Think i can get $55 for a 1Tb drive?

 

[WoodiE]

Save it? Use it to buy Christmas gifts for the Salvation Army to be used for needy children?

 

[flm_savage]

hmm, thats an idea. All of what i have seen for kids at newegg are fairly pricey collectibles.

 

[WoodiE]

Looks like somehow I missed it was a gift card from Newegg. Well that kinda puts a damper on my suggestion.

Have you checked out water cooling? The Corsair water cooling kit is awesome and nearly silent - I run it on my desktop computer.

 

[flm_savage]

Looks like somehow I missed it was a gift card from Newegg. Well that kinda puts a damper on my suggestion.

Have you checked out water cooling? The Corsair water cooling kit is awesome and nearly silent - I run it on my desktop computer.

Water cooling was one of my first thoughts but there are two things stopping me.
1: i am VERY limited on height for a cooler.
2. The air cooling seems to be working quite nice and is inaudible unless i am encoding video (which i only do at night when we sleep so we never hear it)


The stock cooler looks like a cpu water block actually but it has 3 heat pipes coming off of it that lead to a radiator mounted on the rear case fan. I will try to get a stock picture up. (at the airport and my tethering is a little lame)

this link may work.
clicky

 

[hamz9561]

How about this?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148413

 

[flm_savage]

the WD is the same price and i only use 2.5" seagate drives. I have heard random horror stories about the 3.5's.

still looking. i may just save it until i NEED something

 

[hamz9561]

I know, I've got 2 dead 1.5 TB drives waiting for RMA. It's a good thing that I backed up my server.

 

[flm_savage]

Dead seagates? I really like the momentus laptop drives but that's it

 

[hamz9561]

Dead Seagates. They're the 5900 rpm 1.5 TB drives. Seagate's site doesn't recognize the S/N or model #. I've gotta get the time to call them in.

 

[moe7404]

well, well, well. i would say loan me $50. but being as old as iam i know i would forget that you loaned the money.

 

[flm_savage]

i spent it. decided an optical drive wouldn't be so bad on my htpc after all.

I picked up a Blu-Ray internal drive, a usb 3.0 interface card and a 6 ft usb 3.0 extension for $15 shipped.

My portable external will maintain 100MB\sec when connected with the 3.0 interface as opposed to the 30ish i get with USB 2.0