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HTPC Build Advice

post #1 of 27
6/25/11 at 11:20am
Thread Starter 
First Post!!

Hey all,

I am looking to sell my PS3 as I NEVER play video games. So what I am looking for is:
  • watch videos from the system (including HD)
  • watch dvd and blu-ray videos w/ 5.1 surround (through my Yamaha receiver)
  • watch 3D blu-rays
  • have the system serve all media including music
  • have the system serve as my home server for back ups (hence 3x 2TB drives with RAID 5)

So here is what I have for my build:

Silverstone Grandia GD06B
ASUS P8H67-I Deluxe Rev 3.0
WD Caviar Green 2TB x 3
Corsair 8GB DDR3-1333
Corsair Professional HX650W
Samsung SH-B123L
Intel Core i5 2400 3.1 GHz

I am comfortable with computers but I have never built my own, so I am seeking input on my components. Are they overkill? Not enough? Any compatibility issues?

Thanks!

ar
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post #2 of 27
6/26/11 at 8:09am
The parts look fine. For the OS, you should go with Win7 x64 to utilize all of the ram. For a boot drive, I would recommend an ssd.
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post #3 of 27
6/26/11 at 9:44am
There are lots of guides posted for you to review. I'm an AMD-er myself and can't comment on whether the i5 does 3D video or if you'd still need a decent video card. As for 5.1 sound, if it's BR they have HD 7.1 formats which you may consider an upgrade to your AV receiver (in the future). I'm running 2x2GB RAM on my HTPC system and 32-bit Win 7 so I'm not sure if having all that RAM is necessary, or how calling it a "server" justifies it and the 64-bit OS. (CLEARLY you'll need 64-bit if you stick w/more than 4GB RAM, though.) IF you use the 3x2TB in RAID 5 than you have 4TB of space - where are you going to store your video collection? There's always overhead in running a RAID system so maybe that's not the best solution - and what about fans/noise versus placement of this new system... if it's HTPC you want then having the RAID in a separate box and a smallish front-end HTPC may be more to your liking since you'd had a PS3 there before. Also, 650W may be overkill as well - look for efficiency more than higher capability.
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post #4 of 27
6/26/11 at 11:53am
I normally disable the onboard audio which results in one less driver and one less possible source of conflict.
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post #5 of 27
6/26/11 at 1:30pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks all,

Never thought of the noise issue. I looked at the Beginner HTPC thread, and might consider the i3 setup recommended there.

I can always look at network storage for my backup needs.
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post #6 of 27
6/26/11 at 3:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by arcticrogue View Post

Thanks all,

Never thought of the noise issue. I looked at the Beginner HTPC thread, and might consider the i3 setup recommended there.

I can always look at network storage for my backup needs.

Try to be unbiased in the Intel vs AMD debate.

As of today the Intel offerings offer the best "bang for the buck", imo.

The Intel i3 2100 will do 3D and everything else that you want. Stick to my guide and/or Renethx's excellent guide and post your parts once you think you know what you want. We'll help you from there.
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post #7 of 27
6/26/11 at 4:53pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks...

Ok, here is what I am looking at:

Intel Core i3 2100
G-Skill f3 4GB DDR3 - 1600
WD Green 2TB x2 for mirroring
Silverstone Grandia GD06B
Samsung SH-B123L
ASUS P8H67-M Evo REV3.0
Corsair Professional HX650W

and I am considering getting a SSD to run win 7 on.

How does that sound?
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post #8 of 27
6/26/11 at 6:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by arcticrogue View Post

Thanks...

Ok, here is what I am looking at:

Intel Core i3 2100
G-Skill f3 4GB DDR3 - 1600
WD Green 2TB x2 for mirroring
Silverstone Grandia GD06B
Samsung SH-B123L
ASUS P8H67-M Evo REV3.0
Corsair Professional HX650W

and I am considering getting a SSD to run win 7 on.

How does that sound?

Massive overkill on the PSU.

Otherwise looks pretty good. You will need at least 40GB for the SSD.
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post #9 of 27
6/26/11 at 6:27pm
Thread Starter 
I was told that the 650 will run quieter and last long as it will not run near full capacity. Is that correct? It is also on sale for $99 CDN while the Antec Green 380 is $50.

From your sticky thread, the 380 is more than enough. Any better options?

I also have a Harmony One remote. What is the best way to use this remote with the HTPC?
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post #10 of 27
6/26/11 at 6:32pm
Thread Starter 
Found the information about the Harmony One.

Would I still need a mouse with the Harmony One, or would the remote suffice?
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post #11 of 27
6/26/11 at 6:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by arcticrogue View Post

I was told that the 650 will run quieter and last long as it will not run near full capacity. Is that correct? It is also on sale for $99 CDN while the Antec Green 380 is $50.

From your sticky thread, the 380 is more than enough. Any better options?

I also have a Harmony One remote. What is the best way to use this remote with the HTPC?

That's not necessarily true. Having a larger capacity PSU does not necessarily make it quieter.

If you have a budget of $100 CDN for a PSU then I would look at one of the Seasonic PSUs in the 380-430 watt range.

Also the Silverstone 500 watt modular PSU is excellent and completely quiet as well.
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post #12 of 27
6/26/11 at 6:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by arcticrogue View Post

Found the information about the Harmony One.

Would I still need a mouse with the Harmony One, or would the remote suffice?

Depending on what you use it for you will still need a mouse from time to time.

Setting it up will require a mouse and keyboard till you get everything just right. Then the remote can handle 90% of the tasks.
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post #13 of 27
6/26/11 at 7:09pm
Thread Starter 
I can swing the $100 for the PSU, but I don't want to spend the extra on it if I don't need to.

Decent price on the Silverstone, I'll go with that one. $30 cheaper than the Corsair.

I'll probably hold off the keyboard/mouse for now... see if I can make out with corded gear for setup and then the harmony one for most actions and remote desktop for others...

If I find I need the keyboard and mouse then, I can get something.
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post #14 of 27
6/29/11 at 9:17am
Did you end up buying that motherboard? That's the one I've had my heart set on for awhile, but it seems to be getting really bad reviews on newegg. I mainly want it for the firewire connection, but am now thinking about a z68 + firewire card.

Just curious if you are concerned at all.
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post #15 of 27
6/30/11 at 4:51pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jcbaggins View Post

Did you end up buying that motherboard? That's the one I've had my heart set on for awhile, but it seems to be getting really bad reviews on newegg. I mainly want it for the firewire connection, but am now thinking about a z68 + firewire card.

Just curious if you are concerned at all.

Wow! Thanks for pointing that out. I never noticed it was a problem until you pointed it out.

After some research, I decided to change it up a bit. I don't really need a firewire connection as I use USB mainly, so this is the stuff I ordered:

Intel Core i3 2100
G-Skill Ripjaws 4GB DDR3-1600
Silverstone Grandia GD06B
Samsung SH-B123L
Silverstone Strider 500 Plus
Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB x2
Intel 320 Series Gen 3 40GB
Gigabyte Z68MA-D2H-B3
Logitech C310 webcam
Mediagate Win7/Vista One Channel IR Remote

I have to say, I am pretty excited to get this stuff and see how it all works out. Thanks to everyone, especially assassin and his help thread, for all the advice!!!
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post #16 of 27
7/1/11 at 5:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

Try to be unbiased in the Intel vs AMD debate.

As of today the Intel offerings offer the best "bang for the buck", imo.

The Intel i3 2100 will do 3D and everything else that you want. Stick to my guide and/or Renethx's excellent guide and post your parts once you think you know what you want. We'll help you from there.

While it's early days, the AMD A6/A8 Fusion APU's (socket FM1) have just been released. The A8-3800 especially with FULLY integrated HD6550D should be a killer choice for a HTPC, and offer strong competition to the i3, as it's GPU is only on-die, not on-chip. Total TDP for these AMD chips is 65W, which is less than the i3.

Seems to be plenty of socket FM1 mobo's available now. This would be my choice for building a new HTPC.
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post #17 of 27
7/1/11 at 6:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tman247 View Post

While it's early days, the AMD A6/A8 Fusion APU's (socket FM1) have just been released. The A8-3800 especially with FULLY integrated HD6550D should be a killer choice for a HTPC, and offer strong competition to the i3, as it's GPU is only on-die, not on-chip. Total TDP for these AMD chips is 65W, which is less than the i3.

Seems to be plenty of socket FM1 mobo's available now. This would be my choice for building a new HTPC.


Early reviews of the AMD chips are disappointing.

Link

And the real world wattage on both is roughly the same.

I would take a "wait and see" approach before you crown AMD the new HTPC King.
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post #18 of 27
7/1/11 at 7:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

Early reviews of the AMD chips are disappointing.

Link

And the real world wattage on both is roughly the same.

I would take a "wait and see" approach before you crown AMD the new HTPC King.

Interesting review. Thanks.

Interesting comments in the review too, like;

"Does the AMD 6550D render a discrete HTPC GPU redundant? With the current state of affairs, we have to say that the market for GPUs such as the GT 430 and the AMD 6570 will remain in place for some time to come.

Features like CrossFire support indicate that AMD seems to have targeted the gamers more than the HTPC enthusiasts with the 6550D."

Do I read it correctly that, unlike the H61/H67/Z68, you can't with these AMD systems just change your mind and slap in a discrete card later if you are disatisfied with the performance of the imbedded GPU?
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post #19 of 27
7/1/11 at 12:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

Early reviews of the AMD chips are disappointing.

Link

And the real world wattage on both is roughly the same.

I would take a "wait and see" approach before you crown AMD the new HTPC King.

Depends what you're expecting. It's no out and out power house for sure, but then most CPU's are idling most of the time anyway, so raw horsepower is not always required, and AMD seem to be quite upfront about this. For a dedicated HTPC, where you don't need to worry about 3D, removing the need for a discreet GPU with a descent APU (I'll repeat, for an HTPC) would be a big step forward.

Trouble with reviews is, they all run through the standard benchmark set, which often don't represent real world usage. My aging Athlon II XP4200+ (paired with an HD4670) is still going everything I want in my HTPC, and often sits at 1Ghz via C'n'Q most of the time. If I was to rebuild now though, I'd go for a socket FM1 A8 Fusion chip, but I'm not, and probably won't be until Windows 8 is out.
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post #20 of 27
7/1/11 at 12:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tman247 View Post

Depends what you're expecting. It's no out and out power house for sure, but then most CPU's are idling most of the time anyway, so raw horsepower is not always required, and AMD seem to be quite upfront about this. For a dedicated HTPC, where you don't need to worry about 3D, removing the need for a discreet GPU with a descent APU (I'll repeat, for an HTPC) would be a big step forward.

Trouble with reviews is, they all run through the standard benchmark set, which often don't represent real world usage. My aging Athlon II XP4200+ (paired with an HD4670) is still going everything I want in my HTPC, and often sits at 1Ghz via C'n'Q most of the time. If I was to rebuild now though, I'd go for a socket FM1 A8 Fusion chip, but I'm not, and probably won't be until Windows 8 is out.

Anandtech's issues with the AMD chip were not about a lack of processing power, they were about disappointment with the integrated GPU, particularly in an HTPC context, which seems rather pertinent.

And I think Intel already took that "big step forward." Maybe AMD has as well. We'll see.
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post #21 of 27
6/18/12 at 9:26am
Hi all. First time post!! Been reading the forum for a while and have recently used Assassin's guide to set up a HTPC for my brother. A big thank you to Assassin as it made the setup very easy and painless.

I am getting started on building my own HTPC from scratch and have went for some recommendations in Assasins guide which are similar (nearly identical) to your set up.

Intel Core i3 2100
G-Skill Ripjaws X-series 8GB DDR3-1600
Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB x 2
Seasonic S12II-380
samsung 830 64gb
Gigabyte Z68MA-D2H-B3 LGA1155
Silverstone Grandia GD06B

Just really wondering if you are pleased with your setup?

I'm going for the GD06B case so that I can fit extra HDDs in the future.....and also nmedia do not have a reseller in the UK otherwise I would have went for the 5000B. How have you found the case? I've seen some comments in this thread and others about the fan's being slightly noisy, whats your experience?

Also if anyone has any comments on my proposed setup please let me know of any suggestions or alternatives.

Thanks
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post #22 of 27
6/18/12 at 9:51am
The thread you posted in is almost a year old. In this stuff, a year is a lifetime. I suggest starting a new thread and posting this request for comments.

While there's nothing wrong with the 2100 (i use one myself for my main htpc as a matter of fact) right now you probably should at least consider Ivy Bridge and Llano and perhaps an H77 motherboard.

Rumor has it the i3-3225 may be out in the next two weeks.

All that said, other than considering the latest products, your build list looks fine to me.
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post #23 of 27
6/18/12 at 12:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by aidzodoc View Post

...and have recently used Assassin's guide to set up a HTPC for my brother. A big thank you to Assassin as it made the setup very easy and painless.

So useful. Assassin is awesome.


But yes, I agree with Zon. I would start a new thread! smile.gif
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post #24 of 27
6/18/12 at 3:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by aidzodoc View Post

Hi all. First time post!! Been reading the forum for a while and have recently used Assassin's guide to set up a HTPC for my brother. A big thank you to Assassin as it made the setup very easy and painless.
I am getting started on building my own HTPC from scratch and have went for some recommendations in Assasins guide which are similar (nearly identical) to your set up.
Intel Core i3 2100
G-Skill Ripjaws X-series 8GB DDR3-1600
Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB x 2
Seasonic S12II-380
samsung 830 64gb
Gigabyte Z68MA-D2H-B3 LGA1155
Silverstone Grandia GD06B
Just really wondering if you are pleased with your setup?
I'm going for the GD06B case so that I can fit extra HDDs in the future.....and also nmedia do not have a reseller in the UK otherwise I would have went for the 5000B. How have you found the case? I've seen some comments in this thread and others about the fan's being slightly noisy, whats your experience?
Also if anyone has any comments on my proposed setup please let me know of any suggestions or alternatives.
Thanks

From what I can see of the inside of the Silverstone GD06B the hard disk cage sits right behind the PSU. I would recommend investigating a modular PSU as you may find that there isn't enough room to store all of the unused cables from the Seasonic S12II-380 neatly inside the case. This was an issue for me with my PSU and case (Seasonic S12II-430 and NMediaPC HTPC7000B and now I will have difficulty installing an extra HDD if I want to as the spare PSU cables are in the way.
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post #25 of 27
12/28/12 at 3:44am
Thread Starter 
Just thought I'd sound off on my build. It's been about a year and half since I've put this machine together. I have to say that I have been 100% pleased with the system. I have media browser/media centre set up and it's a perfect htpc for my uses.

The one thing that's changes though is that I have some free time in the evenings, and I'd like to get into gaming. I've done a little research, and figured my system should be able to handle gaming (Skyrim, etc) with the exception of a graphics card. To address that, i've ordered a Zotac GeForce 660 Ti AMP! card.

Any input on this would be more than welcome!
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post #26 of 27
12/28/12 at 6:39am
Sounds good! Good luck. You can do modest gaming on that.
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post #27 of 27
12/28/12 at 11:01am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mfusick View Post

Sounds good! Good luck. You can do modest gaming on that.

What do mean by "modest" gaming? Are there games that I cannot play? I've researched the card and it seems I can handle any game out there just fine. Unless the problem is my processor?
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