Pg 20 - Building an HTPC
6/25/05 - Here are my components assembled before the action begins. After reading a very favorable review on The Tech Report I chose Silver Stone LaScala LC01 case. Other parts are an AMD 64 3800+ Venice, Thermaltake Silent Boost K8, 2 x 512MB Mushkin 2-2-2 PC3200 memory, Asus A8N-E mobo, Antec NeoPower 480 and Plextor PX-716A.
6/25/05 - My purpose here is NOT to give a tutorial on how to build a PC, but rather to highlight some details and components that I personally like. First off is lapping the heatsink with progressively finer "sandpaper" until there is a mirror finish. The smoother the surface in contact with the CPU, the better the metal-to-matal contact and heat transfer will be. I found these very handy and complete lapping kits somewhere on the internet. They consist of 400 grit to 2000 grit wet/dry and a piece of glass on which to perform the process.
6/25/05 - After much work and a cut finger I am able to achieve the mirror finish you see here.
6/25/05 - I use Arctic Silver III and apply a very small amount. My tool of choice for spreading the thermal transfer paste is a flat razor blade. While not evident from this photo, it is VERY thin.
6/25/05 - The Antec NeoPower 480 has no captive power lines other than the mobo power. You only add what you need. This makes for much cleaner looking case innards as well - and actually more important - better air flow.
6/25/05 - Time to mount the motherboard - let the screwing begin!