Quiet HTPC

[pauljon1603]

I am looking to play Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 at 1080p.

I would like a system that is about the size of an Xbox 360 or smaller and that is quiet.

I would potentially like to be able to play CEMU games in the future. Can someone please help me to buy a unit off the shelf, or put a pcpicker parts list together?

I was thinking of buying a Wii U but the videos online of Galaxy in 1080/4K are amazing!

[mstreurman]

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/YDkTVY would be my pick, this is what I will be building soon (waiting to get my own place before building it)

It might not be completely silent or small nor extremely cheap, but it does do some futureproofing: want a better processor: you can, want to halve disk or double up the mem? you can, want a better GPU? you can.

I will be using the NVidia 1060 6GB as graphics card myself since I only play at 1080p and I will be using it to play PC games as well, and start out with the Pentium to eventually put in in i5 or i7 kaby lake.

[Helios]

So, they ask for a certain kind of system and you recommend a system that is nothing of the sort, and also acknowledge that? Alright.


Back to the OP, what you're asking for is somewhat tricky, but not impossible. It probably won't be smaller than a 360 shell though. You could get an Intel NUC but that will bottleneck you a fair bit at 720p because of the GPU, but that would be as small and as quiet as you could get.


Are you okay with something that is the size of a MicroATX case, some HTPC cases may be smaller

[admin89]

And what is your budget ? Is it ok if I throw a 3000$ 4k gaming beast here ?

[KHg8m3r]

What about the Skull Canyon NUC?
https://www.amazon.com/Intel-NUC-Kit-NUC6i7KYK-Mini/dp/B01DJ9XS52

[NaturalViolence]

If you want REALLY small (1.5L-6L volume) then you need to get a prebuilt or barebones mini PC. Those however are not super quiet unless you get one with very poor specs since they have limited space for cooling. If you're willing to go a bit bigger and spend a lot of money there are specialized cases in the 6L-9L range (bigger than a console but not by much). If you are willing to go bigger than that 12L-16L will get you cases that are still pretty small and are much cheaper and easier to build with.

If you're willing to use integrated graphics that opens up a lot more options as far as smaller cases are concerned. However you won't be able to play PC games well or run dolphin at 4K. Let us know in greater detail what you are looking for here and I'll give you some options.

[pauljon1603]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies. The quiet element is not the most crucial. Most significantly it needs to fit in one of these: m.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/art/30269129/

I currently have a 360 in one of the middle shelf areas so that was my reference point.

I know that I don't want to play PC games, this really is a machine for Mario Galaxy, Mario Kart 8 (once CEMU is further along) and Wind Waker.

Budget - I would really like to spend less than £400, I'm not sure that that's much more in $ terms anymore.

I do have a 4K TV though I'm not sure how much difference there is between 1080p and 4K in gaming terms. I honestly struggle to see the difference be the two on Netflix.

[pauljon1603]

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-NUC-Kit-NUC6i7KYK-Mini/dp/B01DJ9XS52

This looks great, could do with one that's slightly cheaper but can cope with my requirements.

[admin89]

You still need to buy Ram , Windows licence and a storage drive though
You will have no space for HDD , M.2 SSD will be the only option .
M.2 SSD is not cheap and it runs even hotter than my laptop CPU , you can make an omelet or two on it
The alienware alpha r2 is much more powerful and cheaper than that Intel box (at least they include everything , even an OS)
http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/productdetails/alienware-alpha-r2-desktop?dgc=BA&cid=308301&lid=5829896&acd=123092303582786742c101442632&ven3=277003703342473149

[NaturalViolence]

If you're going to put the PC in an enclosed space (which I don't recommend but it can be done) please grab a holesaw and drill a large circular hole in the back of the drawer and furniture to make sure it has some ventilation.

The alienware alpha has a faster GPU but a slower CPU so it's not going to be as good for dolphin. The Intel skullcanyon NUC has been known to have issues with thermal throttling and noise when you tax the system, which dolphin does. If you can measure the dimensions of the area that you're trying to put the PC in I can give you some options.