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Hello. I am a long-time watcher and member but don’t post much. I wanted to share my little project that was a long time in the making. Since it is a lengthy process, I would probably make a few posts. Basically, I wanted to build a HTPC that was in the form a console. I settled on the NES since it fits a mini-ITX motherboard and was my first gaming console. I saw many people taking a real NES, ripping the inside and cutting holes to assemble a small computer inside. However, I didn’t want to waste a real NES and wanted something that was made to contain a computer. So, I decided to 3D print one… with no prior experience to 3D printing and CAD design. No problems right! I Just needed to find a design on Thingiverse and print it. However, I could only find cases for Raspberry pies and not a full-size NES for a mini-ITX build. I would then need to design it. I thought it couldn’t be that hard since it is basically a rectangle with a cutout for the IO shield and 4 mounting holes for the motherboard. I was so wrong… Step 1 – Design the NES case in Fusion 360 I decided on using Fusion 360 since it is free for personal use and a parametric modeling software. I could then go step by step and go easily go back if I made a mistake. The plan was simple: Take the dimensions of a NES and recreate the shape Have 2 main parts: top and bottom Add the mounting holes for the motherboard Replace the controller ports by USB ports Add some additional ventilation on the sides After a few tutorial videos on Fusion 360, I was ready to dive in. And after many hours, days, weeks of work, the final result looks like nothing I have initially planned. Everyone’s favorite part: the bottom: To say that it was harder that I thought is an understatement. Did anyone notice that the front facia of the NES is at a very slight angle??? Yep, I had to reproduce that and you can see it in the picture above. The dimensions are the same as the NES, but I made a few changes to improve (hopefully) airflow and integrate with the parts that I found. Here are some of the design decisions: The front controller ports are replaced with USB ports. I modeled the front USB port holder after this cable that I found on Amazon: USB 3 cable The power and reset buttons will be 3D printed: The holder is modeled after these switches found at a local electronic store: Power/Reset button switches: At the back, there are a big cutout for the IO Shield and a small one for the DC input connector (5.5mm/2.5 mm). Ventilations holes have been added on the sides. At the bottom, rubbed feet can be installed in the recessed sections. The sides have been made thicker at some locations to reduce flex. Added 4 cable management holes that can be used to pass zip ties. Like the original NES, the screws will come from the bottom to attach to the top piece. The bottom piece took the most time to design. Now on to the top piece! From bottom to top? While easier to design, I had to make some compromises here. No, you cannot open the cartridge loader. I would have love to, but the project already was taking too much time. Designing and printing a hinge would take more time and I wanted to get it done. Here, I also took the liberty to make some additions: Added some ventilation holes and mounts to install additional fans Added an SSD mount Small cutout at the back to accommodate the IO shield Everything together: 2 become 1? I had to go through many iterations to come to this result. The design had to be 3d printable and there were many trials and errors. The challenges to 3d printing this will come in the next post. Stay tuned!

Hello, i'm new to the forum, but kept up with LTT for several years. i didn't see any posts on my exact question, so i thought i'd make one ..... Well, i've been using an old computer for my HTPC for years, but it's just too old and there's no expandability with the motherboard that's in there and most importantly for me, it doesn't have HDMI output for my HD sound. So i was thinking about how far computers have come and i might just run an SBC for my HTPC. i saw the UDOO bolt v8 looks very nice great, it's small, and might be nice for heat/noise. It's very tempting, but high on the cost for an SBC, but probably less than i would spend on an actual computer. i was wondering what would be the best SBC for an HTPC would be without going overkill on it, lol. i'm not trying to run games on it, but if i do, it might just be some retro game. i mainly want it for HD movies, music, & pictures. i want to send the HD audio to my Denon HD receiver, but the motherboard i have now doesn't have HDMI output, which is why i'm looking for an upgrade without breaking the bank. i already have a single 8TB hard disk drive in there with an SSD running the O.S. and already have a NAS on my network, too. Thanks for reading all this and what do you think?

Hi, first time poster, long time viewer coming for advice. Backstory: I have decided to make myself a fully virtual Windows Server 2022 lab with HA, Clustering, Backups, File Server, and all that, maybe even use it as a NAS of sorts (yea, I know, Linux is probably better suited for servers but I'm one of those people that get to work in full Windows environments at work and having a lab with a similar setup to learn some more or test things out would be great). Issues: My constraint is physical space - I can't dedicate any more space for another PC, but I already have an HTPC in the house. The problem list / requirements: I want to run a bare metal hypervisor (preferrably Hyper-V, but I could tolerate VMware if what I'm looking for is not possible on Hyper-V) On that hypervisor I want to run one VM for the WinSrv lab and one VM for the HTPC Win10/11 I want the HTPC system to be easily accessible through the connected keyboard, mouse, and display in such a way, that if my girlfriend were to go watch Netflix in the living room, she wouldn't even notice that she's doing that on a VM. I want the whole setup to be as minimal in maintenance as possible. I've got enough administrative overhead in my life, and I really don't need the whole HTPC/LAB thing to become a "pool water-cooling project" or "living room audio project" of my house if possible The question: How do I even do that? I was wondering if it was possible to give the HTPC VM a dedicated physical HDMI port and USB ports so the physical computer will just output to the TV by default. Is that possible? Do any of you have experience with running that kind of setup? Is a dedicated GPU required then, or can I get by using an iGPU on a Ryzen 5700G? Is there something obvious I'm not taking into account here, or maybe a better, faster and easier solution? All help would be greatly appreciated

Hi, im Stapletn! Im new to the forum and Id like to share what happens when an Albertan redneck gets ahold of computer parts. The setup consists of the following CPU: i7-4790K from the dump Motherboard: Asus Z97-Deluxe #dumploot GPU: MSI 1060 6GB *at the duummmp* PSU: Ziptied together ya 650W Corsair PSU i think from the dump too, maybe my roommates Disk Drive: Bro its a free LG bluray drive, its mint RAM: 32GB of DDR3, 2 sticks came from the dump and two are cheap sticks with no name in the bios Cardboard box: From Olymel factory (yeah, like olymel bacon at the grocery store) Hard drives: refer to pic of storage spaces (almost every drive came from the dump except the 4TB and 2TB) WAN: shaw router on stilts because globe led bulbs have garbage range, 500/100 Switches: HP ProCurve 2810-48G and a Linksys SE3005 not in photo This bad boy runs a whole suite for Plex. - Radarr, Sonarr, Readarr, Prowlarr - Plex, qBittorrent, Ombi, Handbrake, Kavita I am working on creating a automation flow for requesting content. Currently it breaks my brain and i need more whiteboards lol Oh and a Dell PowerEdge 2950 but we dont worry about that ol' girl, shes vibin. Anyways, does anyone know a fool proof way to find out if a drive is dying in windows? When writing to the space, i get very inconsistent speeds. Itll start flyin at 100MB/s and then it dips to 10MB/s barely. Doesnt go any higher than like 10-20MB/s, writes for .5-1 second and then 0MB/s, then it picks up. Its like its stopping to flush to disk which is weird behaviour to be having all of a sudden. Especially after ive just been moving around a bunch of files. Event Viewer doesnt say anything about any of the disks in the storage space.

WARNING: CONTAINS CONSTANT RANTING AND HIGHLY SUBJECTIVE OPINION! Just few hours ago, ETA Prime review the Minisforum AD650I - A "mini ITX" board with soldered 12th gen Intel core i7 mobile CPU and have few quirks at its sleeve, here's the detailed specs: CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-12650H GPU: Intel® UHD Graphics for 12th Gen Intel® Processors Memory: DDR4 Dual channel (SODIMM Slots×2, up to 3200 MT/s, Max 64GB) Storage: 3×M.2 2280 PCIe3.0 SSD Slots(Support RAID0, RAID1 and RAID5) + SATA ports ×2 Storage Expansion: 2×2.5 inch SATA HDD Slot (SATA 3.0 6.0Gb/s) + 1×MXM SSD Expansion Card(Included 3×M.2 2280 PCIe3.0 SSD Slots) Wireless Connectivity: M.2 2230 Key E Slot (Blank slot I suppose) Video Output: HDMI ×2 + USB4×1 Ethernet: RJ45 2.5G Ethernet Port×1 USB Ports: USB3.2 Gen1 Type-A Port ×2 + USB4 Port ×1 + USB3.2 Gen2 Type-A Port ×2 I/O Ports: 4-pin CPU Fan header ×1 + 4-pin System Fan header ×2 + SATA Power connector ×1 $399 price point (now at discount for $350) Image spoiler below: Looks fine to me, until you see how Minisforum (or the ODM) do to the supposed "Mini ITX" form factor. Sure its technically Mini ITX sized board, but what happened with the high-speed I/O ports! Alright, here's probably what Minisforum think this motherboard targeted for: DIY and faster option to Asus Flashtor NAS Series overpowered HTPC??? Embedded board for specialized use case? Whatever crossed in their mind, I cant believe they decide to use MXM instead of standard open-ended PCIe x8 or PCIe x16 (wired as x8 due to limited CPU lane allocation), Sure, maybe the y can use this for embedded solution, for general public tho? WHY? Yes, I know there's a converter to adapt MXM to PCIe like this one from ADT Link, but considering the price and the mess it created, bruh. Now for MXM eGPU, its expensive, VBIOS is a constant hurdle to mess with, and even trough they using MXM standard, every GPU is using different cooler layout, and some board require custom power connector directly in the module (I'm former user of Dell Precision M6700, I know the pain lol). Even in their Q&A section, they still unsure about it. Ok, they apparently include the MXM to 3x M.2 NVMe adapter equipped with ASMedia PCIe switch (ASM2824). This is both generous and ridiculous, why? they probably spending more money to make this custom board including custom heatsink for it, instead just sticking with good old PCIe x8/x16 slot and rebrand readily available PCIe to 4x4 NVMe adapter with the same silicon onboard for cheaper price, this is just creating solution to a problem that should been not exist in the first place. And also we can just hook up standard GPU without any extension cable with it. Now to the power supply, it's a smart move to make it compatible with standard barrel jack with 19v DC adapter to save internal space if you using it in some very small mini ITX case (like ETA Prime shown in the video), and seems like from the image, they include 4 pin EPS power connector for connecting standard ATX PSU, I hope they include built in PSU jumper or internal header that connect to 24 pin ATX connector to send PS_ON signal to the PSU with some jumper cable (like some embedded board does). Overall, I confuse with this product, is they trying to catch niche market like homelabbers that need all those storage speed and running some LXC/Docker container or VM? Or they using already available design from some other OEM/ODM and rebrand it? I don't really know. But definitely the design decision is pretty awful in my opinion. Now you maybe thinking "The OP talking crap about this product", well I kinda do, because I have exact polar opposite of this motherboard that have more "conservative" approach, some of you may know it, some of you don't ,is one of newer lineup From Erying, a Chinese (Aliexpress) brand that probably pioneering this kind of hacksawed mobile CPU put into standard desktop board. It's Erying 12th gen "M-ITX" lineup. For less price ($50 less) you get more powerful Intel Core i9-12900HK, standard DDR4 DIMM, 3x M.2 PCIe slot running in all x4 mode (2x PCIe 4.0, 1x PCIe 3.0), PCIe x16 slot (wired x8 4.0 speed), compatibility with standard LGA 1700 cooler, and more. ON THAT NOTE, IM NOT IN ANYWAY SPONSORED BY THEM IN ANY WAY, I use this board as example that this is more better approach in my opinion. Image spoiler down below: I also realize there's a high chances that Erying or their OEM is using some refurbished part, but still, a deal is a deal, now calculate that this board ship almost to any country mostly with no additional shipping cost, well you didn't the same convenient for RMA and some other after-sales stuff like constant software support (like frequent BIOS update) , it is what is it for now. Let me what your take on this product down below!

i recently bought a old used htpc case from the chieftec brand. and while i get most thinks working one thing doesnt. the display with its dials are connected via usb but in windows is only detected as a generic usb device. any help here ? indont know the exact modell but i beleieve my case is a chieftec hifi series hm-02b case just in silver. or a hm 01 sl. only i coudnt find any drivers and chieftec doesnt even list this case anymore (no productpage)

Hello I'm checking the OS to run my diy NAS server. OMV or truenas can be a great choice. But these OSs runs in headless machines, so play the media files(movies) in the same PC requires a desktop GUI and this can mess up with the OS configuration of the NAS. Goals: Cheap hardware, low power consumption, backup movies and archive work files and data The parts are: MOBO with embedded CPU: N5105I H https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/N5105I-H-rev-10#kf CPU (soldered): N5105 https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/212328/intel-celeron-processor-n5105-4m-cache-up-to-2-90-ghz.html RAM: 2x8 non ECC 2666Mhz M.2 to 5 Sata adapter JMB585 chip: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FZBL391 5x6Tb hdd (refurbished... may be, I don't bought the drives yet) Case: Bitfenix bfc-pro-300 (ITX only, 5x3.5" bays) https://www.bitfenix.com/products/chassis-2/mini-itx/prodigy/prodigy-specs/ (old one, but I get it dirty and unused for cheap $15 usd) This nas will be in the home teather room, and I will like to play movies directly from the NAS without use another client to run (Shield or Amazon Fire Tv) Which is the best route to have the nas oriented OS, and run a GUI on top to have Kodi or Jellyfin client? May be CASAOS can be a choice? or I need VM to passthrough and use the HDMI port? I'm thiking something like the QNAP OS (QTS) with HybridDesk Station (model e.g. QNAP TVS-672XT NAS) Features: +Manage RAID5 5 hdds, and access (ftp, smb, nfs) +Play local files with the HDMI 2.0 port PLUS features: + A easy to use GUI, able to accept HDMI-CEC Inputs from the TV (via IR remote) + A GUI able to start different apps on top: Kodi, Jellyfin, + Moonligth or Steam game streaming could be a great feature to play games in the big screen instead of the main work computer of another floor + DTS, or Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos pass through via HDMI Thanks for your help, I just ask for an orientation to focus my efforts, I can be wandering for several OSs but I don't have the time to check every one. A step by step guide is not necessary, just the general panorama is enough. This is inspired by the JONSBO N1 NAS

Hello, This is my first time posting on LTT forums, so I hope I am posting this in the right area. The specs for my pc and home theater are as follows: CPU – AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz (stock settings with PBO enabled in bios) MOBO – Asus ROG Strix X570-I Gaming GPU – Zotac Geforce GTX 1080 Ti Mini (completely stock and attached by riser cable included with case) TV – LG 75UK6190PUB AV Receiver – Onkyo HT-S5800 The issue I am having, is I can find no way to get consistent video or audio from my computer, to the TV and Reiver. Here is what I have done so far: · The issue is not due to any loose cables or bad thermals. I recently swapped out my Red Dragon 5700xt from this pc, and put in the Zotac 1080 Ti. In any other computer I’ve had the 1080 Ti in, it’s had no issues, the 5700xt, has only had this issue in this PC, when connected to my home theater. This leads me to believe the issue lies between the PC and the home theater as all parts work while attached to a monitor and speakers. All drivers, software, and BIOS are up to date. · I have tried three configurations to make this work: o A single HDMI cable from the GPU to the receiver. This allows me to run in 4K 60Hz to my tv with Atmos For Home Theater enabled, or allowing the receiver to decode audio. I find it very surprising that even with cheap or old HDMI cables, I am able to get 4K 60Hz in this manner. The issue this config has, is frequent video and audio drop outs, often resulting in having to restart equipment to get video and audio back. This happens regardless of sitting idle, watching videos, or playing games. o HDMI from GPU to TV, with a single HDMI to receiver, or HDMI and SPDIF to receiver. When I try to do this, I am either hoping to run audio and video through HDMI with ARC and CEC, or do video from HDMI and audio through PDIF. The problems with ARC, is although both my TV and receiver support ARC and CEC, when I try to do this, the receiver hard freezes immediately and does not allow me to do anything until I unplug it. I read this may be due to CEC incompatibility. I tried turning CEC off on one or the other, and that did not work either. I’ve tried to direct audio from the TV to the Receiver through SPDIF by selecting the TV input on the receiver, but no audio comes out, and I cannot determine why. This even happens when I use the TV apps as an audio source. I am telling the TV to output audio through SPDIF only. o The last method I tried which would only be a temporary fix, is to have the PC Mobo connect to the receiver via Bluetooth and send video to the TV from the GPU via HDMI but any device I connect to that Mobo via Bluetooth disconnects quickly and frequently, if it connects at all. · When I had the 5700xt in this PC, I only had very frequent audio drop outs while connect to the receiver via an HDMI 2.1 cable. I don’t have an HDMI 2.1 cable long enough to reach the receiver where it is now, but even with a cheap HDMI cable, the 5700xt only drops out audio, not video. · When I swapped out the GPUs I did a fresh install of Windows, and these issues existed on both OS installs. · I could put the 5700xt back in that PC, but I would really rather not, as it is too big for my case (Phanteks Shift Evolv) and does not allow for proper air flow and requires two fans be taken out. This would still mean I have audio dropouts anyway. · I have tried using PCIE 3.0, 4.0, and Auto in BIOS, and that seems to have no affect at all. When attached to the receiver via HDMI directly, I have only tried 4K resolution, but with HDR on and off, and have tried several audio settings. · So I either need this to work via GPU>TV>Receiver with audio being transported to the receiver, or GPU>Receiver via HDMI. · On my other PCs, I always output audio from the Mobo, via SPDIF, and just do video over HDMI, and would like to do that for this, but the Mobo does not have SPDIF. Would a USB audio interface or sound card be a good idea? I worry that the receiver will still have problems if I try that. · Is my receiver possibly defective? It has worked with everything else I have it do, but this issue has existed whenever I’ve tried to use this pc with it. Unfortunately, I do not have another receiver to try, and cannot currently afford one that is compatible with my setup. I see the following potential issues: 1. ARC and CEC between the TV and the receiver is incompatible. 2. I don’t know how to properly have the receiver play sound from SPDIF 3. Something is causing audio and video dropouts over HDMI to the receiver. 4. The receiver needs to be replaced Sorry for the long description, but I have tried so many things, and am hoping someone out there might have a solution for me. Why couldn’t something I don’t care about break, like the AM radio on the receiver? LOL Thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer. Thank you, Aaron

Hello all, I've been scouring the Internet endlessly for a solution to my (somewhat peculiar) setup. I currently have a Lenovo Yoga 710-15IKB that sports an i5-7200U with only a micro-HDMI port for output. I currently use this laptop for work/school, but when not working I leave it plugged in to the wall and the TV as a portable 'console' of some sort, because it runs emulation and game streaming via Moonlight for more intensive games. However, I have a 4K TV, and the HDMI port on my laptop only supports 4K at 30Hz. Here's where my problem comes in. I'm worried that leaving my laptop charging for so long will affect my battery's lifespan, even when I have it set to stop charging at 80%, rather than fully charging every time. Also, I'd prefer native 4K output to use my TV at its fullest potential. My questions are: will my laptop decrease in battery lifespan faster when leaving it plugged in when not working/studying? How can I bring 4K to my laptop (the CPU supports 4K60 through DisplayPort)? If the previous is not possible, should I build/buy an SFF HTPC for my use-case (less emulation power is okay, but HEVC support is preferred), or would it be smarter to just deal with 1080p and upgrade the laptop when necessary?

Budget (including currency): about €500 Country: Netherlands Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: HTPC (Kodi ,Netflix, VPN) - Digitalize my DVD/BluRay Collection, Home media/Storage Server. and some video/photo editing. Teams/Skype Meetings. Access the media collection everywhere. Monitors This will be my Primary the Livingroom 50" TV, (Smart TV 4k), Bedroom 32"TV, kidsroom 32"(FHD Smart TV) Peripherals I would need a wireless keyboard mouse. Why? Well, my HomeCinema Set, broke down this is the second time within 3 years. Then shortly after my WD Cloud storage broke stopped working, (i´m still trying to recover some files from the HDD). then the Synology Nas i got from an friend is also dead (and making a terrible noise also, and only able to host 2x 3.5"HDD´s. After my WD storage broke down, i bought a Seagate 6TB Expansion Storage Backup. (but that one after only simple one time use to store a clone of the Notebook files so they could be reinstalled, had the luck that it was a faulty one, because when i started the drive for the second time, to restore the files it made a death sound, and was not accessible anymore. and lost a lot of files). So now i am done with those extension Disk and Ready cloud drives, that have no expendable capability´s and when they stop working you just can´t access the info on it, because you´ll have to format the whole drive to reinstall that specific firmware, it´s just not practical, Therefore I decided, better to handle everything at once. I have a big Movie&Series collection, and do not have the space for it anymore.. so digitalizing and be able to access it everywhere was the way to solve that problem. But now, because i do not have experience in that department i need help. what do i need to realize this.? I´ve watched and read a lot of video´s and info about HTPC and so on. but i can´t filter the information to fit to my needs. Especially when it comes to setting it up / deploying it after assembling the PC. So i have a few questions. Can anyone help me recommend me on completing the parts list. I have some preferred brands with some but just don´t know witch would be best for my needs. Parts: CPU --> Ryzen 7 4750G (present new) M.2 --> Boot Disk WD Black SN750 1TB (Present new) Storage --> Toshiba Enterprise 8TB (Present new) & several used HDD 3.5 & 2.5. MoBo --> B550/x570/or Z.... (Asus/Asrock/Gigabyte) Ram --> HyperX/G.skill/Teamgroup ( how many modules - speed - capacity) GPU --> ? (when needed prefer Gigabyte/Asus/Zotac) Nvidia or AMD what would be better for my needs. (keeping in mind, that i probally would like to be able to run Vm´s with it. PSU Nas --> Hot swap drive cage (3.5 & 2.5" capable) or diy an hot swap drive rack. Other: Sound bar (or is there any way that i can use the 5.1 speakers from the HomeCinema Set ) ? what do i need for getting my Collection digital, on my server Last, what needs to be done, to make it operational? Can someone give me a guide to set it up? Hope on your support.

Budget (including currency): 150 Euro Country: Germany Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: netflix, tv streaming Other details Hello, Im thinking of upgrading my current rig (not the topic here) by which I would stumble on some spare hardware. My main Question: I'd like to build with those parts an htpc for my sister, would the resulting system be any good or rather fast be e-waste. The parts available: Ryzen 3 1200, 8gb 2666 Dual-channel ram, b350 board with no viedo output. Due to possession as GPU I would use a XFX R7770 1gb. So investment Case (ebay), powersupply , shdd. This makes only sense if the R7770 is suffiecient with the use-case and does not cause any Software issues. General this is a part I have no experience with and would like to know your opinion for the use case. Feel free to make suggestions and voice concern

So currently I'm using my grandmother's old pc that I got after her passing. It's just a little prebuilt pc that has one of those real slim cases. I actually like how small it is because it nicely fits on a shelf in my room, but I would like to have more than just one hard drive in it. My use for it is running my Plex server for movies and such and also I've had my Minecraft server running on it. That way my friends can play even if I'm not home. And for Plex streaming I'd like it to be capable of running 4k content if that fits my budget. Which I'm thinking is 500 USD, for now anyway I think it has 8gb of ram so I'm good with that but if I can get 16 for the same or only a little more cost then that's great. I would like the case to have room for at least 2 hard drives, even if it has to be 2.5" slots for an ssd. The cost shouldn't be too much higher than an HDD. I want a modern enough board so I can use an nvme for the boot drive, and the rest will be for media storage. If anyone has recommendations for a good case that meets my needs that's mainly what I'm posting this for. I'll gladly take any other recommendations tho, I'm thinking maybe the amd 5600g would be a popular pick.

Budget: $500 - $1000 (USD) Country: USA Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Primarily listening to Spotify/Spotify HiFi (When it comes out)/Tidal with some browser video playback (Netflix, Hulu, etc.) I am currently researching/putting together a parts list for a HTPC for my dad's music setup. He has some really nice speakers and amp (pictures included). I want to get him a nicer HTPC for the setup because he is currently using his very old laptop. Its extremely slow and the audio output is through USB to a DAC and could be better (It's better coming out of my phone through OTG). Here is the link to my current build: https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Suhtam/saved/#view=VGmbLk My questions are: Is the APU (Ryzen 5 5600G) going to be enough for the small video playback tasks or do I need to throw in a small GPU? Should I go with Intel for the CPU? Should I also invest in a sound card? This would be a later purchase but would it be worthwhile to get one? Notes: - I chose the MB I did because it has optical out and an audio encoder built in. - I don't plan to upgrade the RAM so that's why its only 2x4. - I don't plan to put much of anything on the HTPC so that's why the storage is limited to 500GB - The amp he is currently using is older (but very nice, see pictures) so it doesn't have USB or Optical in, only RCA available, plus he already has the DAC. Pictures:

Budget (including currency): ~AU$500 Country: Australia Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Plex, (Linux) VM's, NAS Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): Hi all, this one is a little complicated and not 1 build per say... in short: I want a little more power in my NAS, and add a second SFF machine to my setup (HTPC). I currently have an unraid NAS running on: Pentium G5400, Gigabyte B365M HD3, 16Gb RAM, Quadro P600, Corsair RM550x, LSI HBA running a 7 drive array. There are two parity drives. The NAS runs a fairly typical array of docker containers for downloads, file sync, and media server duties. Most of the time, this processor is enough for my needs. The processor seems to be a bottleneck during times such as disk preclearing, parity checks, and when transcoding more than 1 video - all threads get pinned to 100%, or near 100% usage for more than a few seconds, and file access slows down, even on the cache pool. Also, I can't run transcodes (even on GPU) and something like a parity check simultaneously. I'm also keen on playing around with some virtual machines on my unraid server, mostly just for fun/curiosity. I'm sure that my transcodes (Plex and Tdarr) are using the GPU, so any CPU use is just unavoidable overhead. My plan is to upgrade the CPU to something efficient, but has more cores/performance than the G5400. At the same time, I've been thinking about adding a SFF HTPC to our living room. So I've been eyeing some refurbished Dell Optiplex 7060s that happen to contain an i5-8500T - these are priced around $500 or so, which is as much as I would be willing to spend on this project at this point. They also happen to be nice and small, which wins mega points with the rest of the house. So the idea is to get one of these Optiplex 7060's, and swap the i5-8500T with my Pentium G5400 in the NAS. The NAS will be upgraded to an i5-8500T, and the Optiplex will be downgraded to a Pentium G5400. We won't be gaming on the HTPC, just Plex/Netflix etc. some web browsing, using the included Windows 10 Pro license for now. Is this a wise move? Would this be possible on the Optiplex? These chips should be of the same generation, use the same socket, and are compatible with the same chipsets? Feedback is appreciated. Thanks! P.S. There are various models of 7060's so the i5-8500T may end up being an i5-8500 non-T version, depending on availability.

I've been looking everywhere for a one-handed HTPC remote with air mouse, keyboard, and scroll wheel but they don't exist. I'm currently using a W10 Gyro and it's almost perfect, it has air mouse and a full keyboard, except there's no scroll wheel. The only one-handed option I could find with the ability to scroll was the Lenovo N5902 which was discontinued years ago. You'd think a scroll wheel would be standard for a PC interface device but apparently not. Instead I have to use the arrow keys which only work for scrolling if the correct panel within the correct window is selected, and if not, I either have to find a spot to click that won't accidentally open something or use the scroll bar like some kind of animal. And it's not like a scroll wheel on a remote is anything new - LG has had scroll wheels on their TV remotes for a long time now. So, it's a little strange that this doesn't exist for HTPC remotes. And yes, I know there are PC remote apps I can use from my phone with one-handed scrolling, but I don't like having to launch an app every time I want to control my HTPC and I prefer physical buttons.

I just recently decided to upgrade my living room TV/media setup, and I’d really like to have some sort of computer doing everything a roku could do that’s also capable enough to stream games and such from my gaming PC in the other room via steam or parsec. My initial thought was to buy a NUC or something similar, but nothing really blew me away as being a great deal in that space. Right now, I’m between a ryzen 5000 series laptop (manufacturer or exact cpu doesn’t matter, just needs gig Ethernet at a minimum) or an M1 Mac mini; I’ve found laptops for around $650 that look alright, and (thanks to my dads service in the military) I could get a base model M1 mini for $550. I know both machines are likely a bit overpowered for this use case but I’m looking for something that’ll age well, so which would you recommend?

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/LRJjyK Well, decided to buy a media PC to go with my new big screen TV in the living room. Case prep with preliminary cable management is done. Got the case, power supply, wireless keyboard, and memory today. Rest of the components won't arrive till next week or later. Featuring the return of the ghetto test bench! Going to leave the riser cable and 2 PCI-E runs for when I manage to find a GPU upgrade for my desktop, so this is ready for my 1080Ti.

Hi all, I am stuck, I have a HTPC that I built around 5 years ago. It has a AMD Athlon 5350 APU, 8GB RAM, 32GB SSD, AMD Radeon R5 240. I have been using it on and off since, but have recently moved into a new house, and we have setup a cinema room in the garage with a 3D tv. Apart from having the issue of not being able to get any sound from the PC whilst watching San Andreas, it does seem to be creaking a little, so I was wondering if a HTPC is worth it any more and would it be worth selling the bits for what I can and just buy like a Roku Premier box or similar instead? I have all my media on an Unraid server, and I play the films through Plex, Emby or Jellyfish. I did have Kodi setup on the PC, with Libreelec. Any advice would be appreciated.

My server is in a pretty unhappy condition at the moment and I need some help to fix it. It will turn on and I can login to Windows and get to the desktop, however, everything seems to freeze up from there. The taskbar and desktop don't load properly and I can't even open the start menu. I usually leave it running all of the time as a Plex server and only access it via Teamviewer and Pulseway as it is not usually connected to a monitor. A short while ago, the server lost internet access whilst I was watching something on Plex. I checked on it using Pulseway and Teamviewer but couldn't get a connection. I verified that the internet was working fine, and forced the server off using the power button. Then, since turning on again, it takes minutes to get to the desktop, but then nothing happens. Everything freezes and I am unable to open anything. Any ideas without doing a full Windows reset? Server / HTPC Details: CPU - AMD Ryzen 5 1500X MOBO - ASRock AB350 Gaming-ITX/ac Mini ITX RAM - Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB DDR4-2666 GPU - EVGA GeForce GTX780 PSU - SeaSonic G550 OS - Windows 10 Home (OEM) BOOT DRIVE - ADATA SX6000 M.2 SSD MEDIA DRIVE - Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM MEDIA DRIVE - Seagate Ironwolf 10TB NAS HDD

Budget (including currency): $2000 AUD Country: Australia Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Good mix of current gen and old games, battlefield and tomb raider to minecraft and BOI. Some CAD/CAM work Case: TBD Fractal node 202/Inwin Chopin (or smaller) CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Mainboard: ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3 Mini ITX GPU: Reuse previous 1080, possible future upgrade RAM: 2x16GB 3200 LPX SSD: 2x Samsung 960 500GB m.2 Power Supply: Silverstone SFX 500W CPU Cooler: The point of this post So I'm looking to build myself a new PC when I finally move into my new house, however, I'd prefer to have a good HTPC set up for couch games on my living room TV (from low demand games like the binding of Isaac to current gen open worlds), while also having a traditional desk PC when I want to use a keyboard and mouse. But given the way the market is here in Oz at the moment, I don't think I'll be able to afford both the house AND 2 decent gaming PCs and like any good engineer, I'd rather waste hundreds of hours now planning every detail just to save a few seconds in the future. My idea is to setup up a super tiny pc crammed with all the hardware above and custom water cool it to try keep the noise down, have 2 sets of radiators set up externally, one in my TV cabinet for when it is used in the lounge and another at my desk for keyboard and mouse games. I will also have a dock at each station so all that is required is connecting 2 water cooling lines, power and a thunderbolt cord. Has anyone tried this or can see any big oversights I may have had with this? My main fear is a whole room water cooling type disaster that ends up being more trouble then its worth. Is water cooling in small form factors even worth it these days (it has been 5+ years since my last full PC build and I have no reference for where we are at with the water VS air cooled argument) Any input, thoughts, smaller case suggestions or info on where to get a water block for a reference 1080 would be greatly appreciated Thanks, Joe

Hi, I'm new to NAS / Server, but I read a bit, and now I am confused. There are some Guides that say a Synology DS1520+ (or similar Devices) is good enough for a Plex Server and is capable of 4K transcoding. Other Users on Reddit or the LTT Forum say that a NAS should only be used as the storage Device and the Transcoding should be done by another PC. How would that work? Do I Connect a PC with no mass storage to a Synology DS and let it do the CPU-heavy work? So here's what I want it for: I want a Plex Server that can stream 4K Movies/Videos to at least one User (2-3 would be preferable), with enough Storage for a lot of 4K and HD Movies/Videos and other Data like Pictures and Documents that don't need a that much Storage Space. It should be expandable in the future. (Or configured in a way that lets my Swap a Drive for one with a higher capacity without losing the Data of the old Drive) I want to access it remotely from wherever I am (or my Family) to Upload of Download something. Should I buy a prebuilt NAS, or should I build it on my own? And what would you recommend? (I know that prebuilds are more user-friendly but probably more expensive, and I know how to build PC's and set them up, so that shouldn't be the problem but I don't know what's important for a Server/NAS like this)

Hey guys, I just completed my build of a small form factor pc to go in my living room with an RTX 3060 that I got from the Verified Actual Gamer Program (thanks Linus!). My build was a success and after some driver updates (almost) everything seems to be working fine. However, I have a very weird bug! Every time that I start some audio, my TV goes black for a second and when it comes back the audio starts playing. It's almost as if my TV/computer has to "load the HDMI audio mode" versus outputting just video through HDMI. Once it's "loaded" the TV doesn't go black anymore, but if I close all sources of audio it blinks for a second again and goes into "video only mode". I already updated the graphics card drivers, tried different cables, etc. I am pretty sure it is a software/firmware problem somewhere in my new PC, since that never happened with my old laptop that I was plugging into the TV before. Have anyone ever experienced something like that and if so, any suggestions on how to fix? For reference, my setup is the following: TCL 55R613 TV Sonos beam with 2 ones as rears plugged into the TV through ARC Ryzen 5 5600X EVGA 3060 XC (outputting HDMI video and audio to the TV) Aorus B550i 16 GB 3600 Hz RAM WD Blue 1TB SATA SSD EVGA GM 450W CoolerMaster NR200

Budget (including currency): € as much as need be, looking for a sensible / affordable approach Country: Germany Hi folks, I have a large blob vault running on an A2SDI-8C-HLN4F, providing ZFS based NAS. The problem is: I don't need it running 24h and I am looking to decrease power consumption. The board/cpu unfortunately does not support suspend-to-ram, which would solve the issue. My idea was to demote this vault to a cold-storage and power it down except for periodic data replication. For that I need a new ZFS server that supports suspending and ECC RAM and that is where I would love to hear some recommendations, as I am a bit lost at how to combine those opposed features. Performance wise I am fine with the lower end of the spectrum, as the system will not have to deal with concurrent use and the like. I would strongly prefer components with lower TDP / power consumption that ideally can be run with passive cooling. I am planning to run this with large but few HDDs, so something between 1-4 drives probably. While AMD has better ECC support, their parts are overall more expensive as it seems. The Celeron G3900TE might be something, but I have no idea regarding suspending. Specs state only that C states are supported, not which ones. I also did not find a matching board with ECC support either for now. I would also like to pair this new NAS with 4k HDR Linux ISO serving capabilities (no transcoding). This could be the same system to simplify buying components, but at the moment I think two more specialized systems would be more versatile as it is already hard to find suitable parts for the server part alone. Form factor is not that relevant for both systems, as I would use spare cases or build something around the new mainboard that best fits. Smaller is better in general here. Thanks in advance for your time and input!

Hi everyone, Recently I saw a GTX 1650 for a good price on Facebook Marketplace and decided to purchase it as a budget GPU; the card works fine as intended with no issues. My lounge PC/HTPC needed a GPU to play light indie games, emulators and some casual games on the TV since it rocks an i5-9400F with 16gb RAM; I thought it was a good deal since they're quite expensive now commercially. Little did I know that the GTX 1650 is looked down upon since the super version exceeds this by quite a lot. The next day, I saw a GTX 1650 super for an extra $25 on top of what I paid; the poster decided to drop the price. I know the super outperforms the GTX 1650 by around 30-40%, which is a big difference and if I'd known this, I would've just gotten the super! This isn't my main gaming PC and I'm unsure what to do with it as I'd like to emulate PS3 games and have the ability to play some AAA titles from time to time while getting good performance. If you were in my shoes, what would you do?