How to Build a Silent HTPC

  Some people may cringe at the thought of having a PC as the controlling factor of their home theater, simply because PCs are often very loud.  There are certain steps that can be taken to assure that a HTPC (home theater PC) is as quiet as a stealthy ninja, but these steps start with the basics.  Follow these steps and not only will you be familiar with how to assemble an incredible piece of technology, but you will also gain the knowledge to keep it as silent as possible.

1.  Choose a case.  With this project you will need a case that is barely noticeable in size.  The small form factor cases are fine, but they are expensive and too much maintenance.  The best decision is that you go with a full size PC tower and have it placed in an area where it's out of sight, but in range of the remote control.  Make sure you have room for the PC to vent, also.

2.  Select a proven Processor. The two processors you should even consider using are AMD and Intel.  The AMD processor is more popular with PC builders because of the simple fact that they are cheaper and perform just as well as an Intel processor.

3.  Select a good main board (motherboard).  The main purchase you should focus on is the main board because it will make or break the performance of all the components that will be attached later.  Also, the type of main board you choose will depend on the processor you choose.  Look at any paperwork that comes with the processor and it will guide you to which motherboard to choose.  Note that if the two aren't made to accompany each other, they will be incompatible and your project will be put on hold until you find the right match. 

4.  Select an HDD (hard drive). The higher the GB an HDD has, the better.  But, the higher the rpm of the HDD and the louder it will be. Most importantly, choose the right HDD for your main board: SATA or IDE.  There is a definite difference in connections and you will be extremely disappointed if you don't catch this.  Luckily, today's technology has allowed newer main boards to be manufactured with both interfaces integrated into the board. 

5.  Select the memory (RAM).  The only thing to remember in this area is to make sure the memory is compatible with the main board you purchased previously.  Some main boards have two slots for RAM, so make sure the RAM match.  The DDR abbreviation means Dual Data Rate and the numbers are the MHz that the RAM operates at.  This can be very confusing to a newcomer; so just remember that the higher the RAM you have, the more memory you have.

6.  Select the preferred graphics card.  The graphics card you choose will be the deciding factor in how awesome your system is at displaying a flawless picture on your television.  If the motherboard you're eyeing has an on board graphics card and you don't plan on playing video games, then stay put.  If you do plan on doing some serious gaming, pick a graphics card with an HDMI output.  Keep in mind that once you start getting more powerful video cards, the hotter your system will get and the louder those fans will blow.  We want to be quiet, don't we? 

7.  Select an optical drive (DVD).  If you plan on watching any DVDs or saving anything via compact disk you'll need a DVD drive.  The best DVD drives to choose write Dual Layer +R and -R formats.  The main thing to remember when selecting a DVD drive is that they get more expensive the faster they write data.

8.  Determine the amount of fans.  In order for your system to keep cool, it will have to be equipped with fans.  The problem is that fans can be extremely noisy!  The best route to take is to go with a large case fan and see if any other components that come with fans have a fanless alternative.  This brings me to a good point; the more fanless components you have means there will be more heat building up inside the case.  Purchase a decent case fan to eliminate build up of heat once you go fanless on components that normally come with a fan.

9.  Select a quiet power supply. Under normal conditions, power supplies are pretty loud because they are very busy powering all the components inside your system.  The best option is to choose a power supply that is deemed silent by the manufacturer, advertises a large power rating, and sports a 120mm fan.

10.  Select a tuner card.  In order to watch TV, you'll need a tuner card.  What's cool about tuner cards is that if you have two installed, you can watch one thing while recording another!  Awesome!  Also, shoot for a tuner card with some sort of AV (audio video) input because you might want to download some home movies, music, or pictures at some point.

11.  Take control of your creation! Now that you have custom built the most silent and awesome HTPC known to man, you have to be able to control this beast.  You'll need a remote to do this, though.  Some TV tuner cards come with a remote, but Microsoft also has great options compatible for use with Windows Media Center.