Looking for the quietest, smallest mini-itx i can build.......

[quarryman]

The requirements are as follows:

1. Quiet - I would like the setup to virtually silent. If possible the only fan that should used would be in the PSU. Is there a way of even using a passivly cooled PSU (at low cost). I tried using my Shuttle with the 220W PSU fanless but it got a little hot actually it was ok at idle.

2. Small - All i want is one hard drive and a cd-rom. I hope to use it as a file server and it will run 24-7 hopefully. The smaller the better.

3. Cheap - I'm looking for the cheapest i can go with regards to the case. a bare box with a small PSU would do the trick.

4. Performance - this is where i hope to keep the cost and noise down. i would be more than willing to use an epia mini-itx. this seems like a good option as i can avoid buying a cpu etc and it has a lot of onboard features. however i'm a nit clueless as to the best epia for this model. i'd imagine an 800MHz chip would be sufficient.

So any suggestions? I have a feeling I'll have to budge on one or more of my requirements to achieve the other(s) so it'll be interesting to see what the options are. Maybe Nigel at ultim8pc can help me out here, maybe a suggestion on something you have stocked.

thanks in advance

[quarryman]

Looking for the quietest, smallest mini-itx i can build.......

[Ultim8pc]

Quarryman,

To meet your requirements, go for:
EPIA 5000 - silent due to passive CPU - even running Win2K, has adequate performance, even under Win2K.
If you need more performance, go fan the fan cooled EPIA800. (I use an EPIA800 in my Win2K file server, with a Noiseblocker northbridge cooler fitted).
2688 case - silent as it has a DC PSU, leave the 2 case fans disconnected
Seagate Barracuda, Samsung Spinpoint or Maxtor - all very quiet and as fast as you need
slimiline optical drive - choose whatever your budget can stand, or features you need. ie. cd-rom drive, dvd rom, cd-r/w drive etc.
256Mb PC133 - Use decent RAM, we use Kingston, it works without issues. 256MB is more than adequate for file serving.

This combo is as cheap as you can get, but not the smallest. The smallest silent option would be the LEX Light...

You can find all these items in our store.

Hope this helps

Nigel

[fall-apart]

Yeah, the Epia 5000 is fanless, and if all you're doing is running a server, you can save the expense of going with the ME6000.  For your PSU, your best bet is probably a DC-DC board with a laptop-style power brick - if you run a slim optical an standard 3.5" HD, one of those should be able to handle the demand...