Budget 0-20k DN2800MT as a Desktop PC, HTPC and Download Rig

T

The Dark Knight

Disciple
Q: What is your budget?
10K - 15K

Q: What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)
Monitor - BenQ G922HDL


Q: Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)
Monitor - BenQ G922HDL

Q: Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name). If you have already decided on a configuration then please mention the (component brand and model) as well, this will help us in fine tuning your requirement.
Mobo - Intel® Desktop Board DN2800MT
RAM - 4GB DDR3 1066 Mhz
SSD - 64GB SATA 3.0Gbps
Adapter - DC Output 8V - 19V. 8A. 150W.

Q: Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which component
Yes.

Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
Hyderabad.
Open to online purchase.

Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market
No

Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
Browsing
Desktop Processing
HTPC
Download rig, 24x7 operation
Watching HD movies


Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
Nothing in particular.

Q: If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?
N/A

Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
Desktop - 1336 x 768
HD TV - 1920 x 1080

Q: Are you looking to overclock?
No

Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
Windows 7 32 bit
 
Intel Atom DN2800MT Combo-7k OR Intel G620+Gigabyte DH61M-D2H-6.7k
Corsair Value Ram 2X2Gb-1k
Any Circle/Zebronics Case with PSU-1.5k
Corsair Force Series 3 60 GB-4.9k
Hope this helps.:)
 
The Dark Knight said:
I must've mentioned earlier. I am trying to make a fanless PC. So, no PSU / CPU fan.
Click to expand...

Only one option then and it is arguably the best if you can sacrifice the Windows environment in favour of Linux. The Raspberry Pi. Costs ~5000/- (including Custom levied), requires no fan, stores data in SD-cards, can be hooked to HDMI devices. Another plus point is that it can run of a laptop power-brick [no fans].

For more on the same --> Raspberry Pi | An ARM GNU/Linux box for $25. Take a byte!.

If you will use standard Intel OR AMD SoC solutions to the problem at hand [HTPC, download RIG] and want it to run on passive cooling I would strictly avoid such a move.

And please do not use an SSD as a data dump / download drive, nothing will sap the life out of it so fast.

Jakob said:
Corsair Force Series 3 60 GB-4.9k
Click to expand...

Do not use an SSD as your download-disk, pretty please.
 
The Dark Knight said:
I do not intent to use the SSD as a download disk. I have a separate 640GB WD disk for downloading purposes. The SSD is just to boot up asap.
Click to expand...

Still getting an Intel / AMD ATOM OR equivalent system running on passive cooling is not advised, most people who have m-ITX motherboard + processor combo complain that even with a well ventilated case and a noisy 80mm fan strapped onto the heat-sink on the motherboard the cooling is anemic and the system regularly touches ~80° C (not at all safe for any system) while on the primary duty as a HTPC.

So I will seriously avoid this situation, give the Raspberry Pi solution a shot (power consumed is much-much lesser); you might come to like it but in the end it is your choice.

Hope this helps, Cheerio!
 
ALPHA17 said:
The Raspberry Pi. Costs ~5000/- (including Custom levied), requires no fan, stores data in SD-cards, can be hooked to HDMI devices.

If you will use standard Intel OR AMD SoC solutions to the problem at hand [HTPC, download RIG] and want it to run on passive cooling I would strictly avoid such a move.
Click to expand...

Getting my hands on a Raspberry Pi for the time being is difficult as it is out of stock most of the time.
Is cooling an issue on the Atom with a TDP of 7W? Lets say I use a fan on the CPU but still stick to not using a PSU, is DN2800MT such a bad option? Because one can get rid of a PSU entirely with this mobo.
 
The Dark Knight said:
Getting my hands on a Raspberry Pi for the time being is difficult as it is out of stock most of the time.
Is cooling an issue on the Atom with a TDP of 7W? Lets say I use a fan on the CPU but still stick to not using a PSU, is DN2800MT such a bad option? Because one can get rid of a PSU entirely with this mobo.
Click to expand...

That is the main issue, you will need a fan with effective CFM that is not noisy. Passive cooling is risky business, the power to move / dump excess heat in lieu of a air-power has to be made up with huge heat-sinks.

If you can arrange that (I have a few suggestions will list them) then you can use the Intel DN2800MT any-which way you desire.

Fans that might interest you --
  • Cooler Master SickleFlow 120mm ~450/ per piece; these are common in most local computer-shops and online retail sites. Not the quietest of the lot and require some voltage tweaking to hit the sweet-spot.
  • Cooler Master S2 Silent 120mm ~200/ per piece; another common find with most retailers, these are really quiet but that is thanks to the fact that they hardly move a lot of air.
  • Deepcool UF120 120mm fan ~600/ per piece; these are rather new pieces and I have no experience with them.
  • Noctua NF-12 120mm ~1000/ per piece; these are available with most online retailers and are the premium variety, come with a lot of paraphernalia to reduce noise output [rubber grommets instead of screws, fan RPM adjusters et al]

You can source the fans from these sites --> Fans & Heatsinks Price List India: Computer Components: Flipkart.com / Online Shopping | Buy Computer Hardware Online | India - Hardwire.in / Computer Fan in India / http://www.techenclave.com/techxtreme/deepcool-cooling-products-131187/#post1638722.

Hope this helps, Cheerio!
 
Note that the DN2800MT has precious little system resources.

For example, when playing back a demanding 1080p rip, though the video will play perfectly you can only use the onboard soundcard , neither USB or PCIe cards work well without clicking and popping in mad fits. The onboard works fine, though the sound quality leaves a lot to be desired. Haven't checked the SPDIF output. The USB is specially bad.

There is absolutely no need to use a 150W adapter. Mine runs fine off a spare adapter from a WD Elements disk, but I now use a Coolermaster universal 65W adapter and it has plenty of power to spare.

I also use a 32GB mSATA SSD on the board, and everything else streams off the network. It runs Win7 x86 (video card drivers for x64 not available as of this writing) and the Aero performance also sucks (though to be fair I haven't checked for newer drivers) though I leave that disabled. Similarly for general desktop usage it's pretty slow unless you use a SSD to alleviate some of the performance issues.

My target was to have a music and movie PC that would get into a case 35mm high (1.5") for a really slick look and that could be used in a living room.

This almost did it, but not quite there yet.

I would give Intel a few generations to sort things out with third-party video integration.

I would pick:

Intel DN2800MT: 6.2k
DDR3 4GB 1066Mhz: 1.2k
60GB SSD (take yr pick): 5.5k
CM 65W Universal adapter: 1k
Case of your choice: 2k max.

It is quite possible to build a fanless PC with a good fanless cooler (HR-1) if you take it easy on the PC. A PicoPSU will power even a G620+ motherboard (as long as you get the 120W model) but that is a very pricey way to go.

Note that a mechanical hard disk can generate more noise than a lot of fans. I don't know which 640GB drive you got, but the WD640 Black is pretty loud and needs a fan to keep it cool.
 
Any idea of a ultra thin cabinet of 25mm or similar which can take advantage of this motherboard's size. Neat board for carputer setup
 
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