Assassin's Simple/Beginner HTPC Buying Guide - Page 14

Yeah I am figuring that out... for example.. the i3 540 shows three times faster than my AMD X2 and they are the same clock speed.

I am hoping my existing system ends up being adequate. I tried watching a 1080p with my existing card (ASUS EN7600GS 512MB) over vga and it choked hard.. but it is four years old. Oh well, if it doesn't work out I am prepared to return the Sapphire 5450 video card and get the i3 setup.

You guys rule!

maybe i'm missing something...please bare with me i have never built a PC before but when following your instructions on your first build with the nmediaPC case you it doesn't say I need to apply thermal paste when placing the the processor on the motherboard???

If you buy the i3 540 that is recommended, the stock fan/heatsink has thermal paste already applied to it. All you have to do is attach it and fire it up!

That's because the stock CPU cooler comes with paste already applied. You only need to apply paste if you're installing an aftermarket cooler or if you prefer some other form of paste over the stock stuff.

Sandy Bridge i3 based HTPC is going to end up more expensive than i3-540 based right?

Should I hold off building a HTPC till sometime in February?

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cool, i just placed the fan over the cpu. does it matter how it place it on? I just noticed mine was placed different from the guide on the first page. I dont think it has any effect on the thermal paste but I figured i might as well ask for feedback to make sure.




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It doesnt matter as far as i know. I just sort of plopped it on in no particular manner. Theres nothing to show it has to go in a certain direction as the base of the heatsink is universal all the way around. The way you have it is perfectly fine. if you are worried just load up bios and check your temps, shouldnt be much over 20C (unless your ambient air temp is 20C+ in which case it shouldnt be much above ambient air temp).

and dont pull it off now or you will need thermal paste. The paste on the stock HSU is a one time use (as is all thermal paste) so if you remove it now youd have to clean both the cpu and heatsink and apply new paste.

I pulled it off within the first hour just to check the situation out. I'm assuming even though i pulled it off within the first hour i need to run out and get some thermal paste for this to play it safe?

Yep, just put the fan so that the fan power connector routes properly to the CPU fan connector on the motherboard. Other then that it doesn't matter so long as it's secure.

Hello again:

Well, the good news is I have my HTPC setup and seemingly running well except for one not so small issue: Stuttering. I have all of my rips on a 'storage pc.' Everything is hooked up via gigabit LAN so it's not a wireless issue. I also think the problem is not related to my HTPC because I had similar problems watching streaming movies on another PC in the house, although I thought I had it fixed.

I have a few things to try, but I thought I would see if anyone else have every had this issue..? It seems weird to get stuttering over a wired LAN. It either must be the drives, the drivers or the LAN hardware. The storage pc is running Windows XP 32 bit with a core i3 and intel board, which I think has an Intel NIC. I am using 1 7K2000 and 2 Samsung F4EG drives. I don't know if the latter are advanced format or not but that may be an issue in XP.

Thanks,
Chris

I don't know how these Media Center Remote works, Does it can replace my mouse and keyboard?

I can't thank assassin enough for making this thread. This is just what I needed to give me the push to finally do this. everything is built and powers on, just waiting for my HD to show up. I noticed when I turn the machine on that my wireless card shows no power from the LED light on that back. it this because there are no drivers installed yet?

Thank you so much. Do you familiar with HTPC with front display? I just posted to ask.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1310052

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...case,2505.html

Thanks again all (especially Assassin) for this great thread.

I just ordered all of the parts for my i3 HTPC build. Only changes to recommended components was the BD Drive and PS that I got some special bundling pricing on so I am confident in the hardware choice and my ability to assemble the unit.

My biggest challenge is around the software. WMC or XBMC? I have read every page of the two installation guide threads and have even tried to setup both on a laptop to get a sense of the functionality of each. I think I have got my movies setup and playing but I am struggling with getting my music library looking good.

Probably a bit off topic but it would be great to see an "Assassin Style" beginners guide to setting up our HTPC once we get it built.

What is everyone else using who have recently built a new HTPC? Any help or pointers would be much appreciated!

Cheers

Wishful thinking on my part I guess :-).

I will be using my new "Assassin HTPC" primarily for movies and music so getting my massive FLAC music library looking good is pretty important to me. I will search for the music plug-in and see if I can make it work.

On a side note do you do remote configurations for donations? I certainly would consider tossing some paypal love your way for all of your great work.

Dang it, I'm receiving my $130 one from Amazon today! Hmm, maybe I'll get another one, they fill up fast.