48 MAXIMUMPC OCTOBER 2006
HOME THEATER PC HOME THEATER PC HOME THEATER PC HOME THEATER PC
WHY NO WATER?
Since we’re as concerned about noise as we are about performance, we con-
sidered a water-cooling solution for the HTPC, but after much consideration,
we ditched the idea. First, the poor airfl ow through the case would prevent the
passive coolers around the CPU socket from catching a breeze. Second, the
Zalman CNPS8000 delivers great cooling performance in a low-profi le package,
without making any noise.BEHIND THE SCREEN
The touch screen on our Ahanix case is mounted
in front of this metal grill, and all the electronics it
needs to display an image and respond to controls
lie beneath the cage. Additionally, the hard drive is
mounted vertically in the cage, as you can see here.
Like we said, it’s tight in these cases!TV GOES IN HERE
Every media center needs a way to capture video. For ours, we
chose the Hauppauge PVR-250. While there are more fully featured
tuners out there, the PVR-250 works with nearly every piece of PVR
software on the market, making it a no-brainer.QUIET THE GPU
Keeping the GPU quiet is one of our biggest priorities. By using MSI’s
GeForce 7600 GT, which comes with a large heatsink and a small fan,
we were able to run a decent videocard—complete with HDCP support
for maximum compatibility with next-gen optical discs. That kicks ass!Your typical home-theater PC is a totally different beast than a normal desktop rig. You have to pack a ton of
hardware into a tiny space, while keeping everything running cool and quiet. Here’s how we made it happen.THE FINISHED PRODUCT
without making any noise. Like we said, it’s tight in these cases!