Torrent Box


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In need of some suggestions. I'm wanting to build / buy a PC which will be solely used for Torrents.

I'm looking at an Atom for low cost running, but can these CPU's handle being left on 24/7?

Would anyone recommend wether building my own or buying an already built one? Been looking at Acer Revos etc. Once again, can these small Net Tops handle being left on?

If I was to go the route of building my own, I would proberly find an Atom / mobo with built in PSU to keep down the size and running cost, like a Zotac mobo with Atom?

I want a small enough case / box so I can leave it on next to the router.

Also, how well do the fanless Atom models peform? As stated, this would be only used for Torrents.

Any suggestions?

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Building your own is the best way to go. You will probably need to get -

Quiet and efficient PSU.

1GB of RAM (it's all you will need).

Atom CPU

Depending on your disc space needs.. I would get a semi-decent case.

Oh and run Linux on it, less requirements.

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My Revo runs constantly without issue. Only down time is when Windows Update forces me to reboot.

If you wanted to build one yourself it would probably cost more than the Revo.

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AFAIK any modern processor can handle stuff like that. Just make sure the hard drive isn't too skimpy, as it's going to be seeding and downloading alot I presume.

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Still debaiting on the Revo...

The only problem with building my own system is choosing a case to put it all in. Most Mini-ITX cases look fugly and I don't really want an optical drive, which they account for.

This guys Atom build is making me want to build my own...

http://www.overclock.net/small-form-factor-systems/679653-zotac-atom-ion-build.html

Would torrents benefit from using an SSD much?

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Would torrents benefit from using an SSD much?

No. If you just want a seedbox, you want the cheapest, lowest-power machine you can find with a decent hard drive. A net-top would be more than suitable, and they certainly don't mind being left on (at least, my Revo's never complained).

Put it this way - I used to torrent with an XP virtual machine which had 256MB of RAM. It never missed a beat.

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Still debaiting on the Revo...

The only problem with building my own system is choosing a case to put it all in. Most Mini-ITX cases look fugly and I don't really want an optical drive, which they account for.

This guys Atom build is making me want to build my own...

http://www.overclock...-ion-build.html

Would torrents benefit from using an SSD much?

Don't bother with an SSD for Torrenting. Just use a Torrent Client that allows you to specify an amount of RAM to use for caching purposes (like uTorrent). Set the Cache from 256MB to 1GB depending on how many torrents you intend to have active at once.

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Decider to go with a Zotac Z-Box, can pick them up cheap and I have a spare gig of DDR2 ram from an old laptop, so only need a HDD.

Thanks for the advice!

I read in one of the review that the zbox makes an annoying noise. Not very loud but it does.

You could get ASUS AT5IONT-I DELUXE mobo, passive cooling, USB3, and I think it has built in PSU,m350 case plus 1 stick of RAM and you should be fine. Small box, no noise.

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That is awesome! What kind of PSU did you use?

Just the one that came with the case I got. I think it's a 150w PSU, some no-name brand, but fits into a micro-atx case.

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  • 2 years later...

I used a NAS, but could not replace the HD correctly after it no longer worked, so I'm back to using an old, small notebook running on XP with a HD attached to it.

 

I'm thinking of getting a router with DD-WRT, Bittorrent software, etc., installed, then attaching an external HD to the USB port.

 

I'd like to know if anyone has been able to use these routers, and if the external HD can still be connected to a Win 7 desktop, etc., in case I need to replace the external HD or switch it for another. Also, does the amount of RAM of the torrent box, NAS, or router, affect torrent performance or the system? Finally, can I back up the router settings and content (such as the list of trackers, etc.) and restore them, in case something goes wrong with the router and I need to do a factory restore?

 

I'm asking this because I experienced a lot of difficulty with trying to replace the HD of a NAS, and I had to do a lot of things on the telnet level just to back up configurations, copy tracker files, etc.

 

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Still debaiting on the Revo...

The only problem with building my own system is choosing a case to put it all in. Most Mini-ITX cases look fugly and I don't really want an optical drive, which they account for.

 

I'm going mini-ITX with my next upgrade, and unless I see something cooler before then, this is the case I plan to go with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112406.  Of course, you may not want to spend that much on a case for a torrent box.

 

Edit: Ugh, I didn't realize this thread was that old and had been bumped, so that case didn't exist when the discussion was relevant.  Oh well, I still think it's a cool case.

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You could get a Raspberry Pi, which can be turned into a torrent client. It's much smaller and uses much less electricity than other alternatives.

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Yeah a Pi as a Torrent client would be best in these days. But a ESX box would still remain a fantastic solution.

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  • 3 weeks later...

You could get a Raspberry Pi, which can be turned into a torrent client. It's much smaller and uses much less electricity than other alternatives.

 

Thanks, I'll go for that. My only problem is that it'll need some installation and configuration, and I'm not experienced in using Linux, etc.

I was going to reply with rpi until i saw 2010 :laugh:

 

You mean torrent or torrent boxes are now obsolete?

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Thanks, I'll go for that. My only problem is that it'll need some installation and configuration, and I'm not experienced in using Linux, etc.

I'm pretty much the same. I have virtually no linux experience, but I want to get a Raspberry Pi set up so it can become a XBMC media server (using a NAS to store the data) and also a low-power downloader.

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Thanks, I'll go for that. My only problem is that it'll need some installation and configuration, and I'm not experienced in using Linux, etc.

 

Thought Linux torrent software is pretty much out of the box configured.

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Thought Linux torrent software is pretty much out of the box configured.

 

Pretty much, just edit config to determine where to dump files, if you want some more advanced features enabling, etc.

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Use Raspberry Pi..

 

Cheap, loooow power.. and you can manage utorrent from the web interface.. pretty kick ass. 

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