May 2009 Entries
With a new HD TV, it was time to put together a new Media Center PC. Here's a quick write-up on the build and a few niggles I ran into. It's based on a pretty standard configuration of an Antec Fusion Remote case with a Asus P5Q-EM running a Core 2 Duo E7400. Finally got a blu-ray drive in the form of a Pioneer BDC-S02.
My CPU was running hot even though it had Scythe Mine cooler and plenty of airflow. I was getting CPUID Hardware Monitor showing SYSTIN readings of 70 and CPU temperatures in the high 40's. It just didn't seem right.
So I guessed that those nasty Intel push pins the socket 775 weren't holding the cooler properly and decided to reinstall it using a Thermalright LGA775 Bolt-Thru-Kit ordered from Scan.
It was a bit of a fiddle trying to turn the screws hidden under the mass of the Scyte Mine but I eventually managed it. CPU temperatures are back down to the high...
Finally decided it was time to replace my 8 year old TV. Sad to say that I paid £2100 for my Sony KV-36FS70 and it sold on ebay for only £21! That's the price of progress.
It was quite a challenge figuring out what to buy and where to get it from. First stop was to flick through the AV magazines, create a short list, read a bit more and go to the shops and have a look.
While plasma is probably the superior technology, I decided it was too power hungry and the TVs were too heavy for the small advantage...