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Tips on my build plan?

post #1 of 61
2/29/12 at 4:25pm
Thread Starter 
So I've decided on pretty much all the parts for me new build, and wanted some opinions on it. I'll be recording live HD TV via OTA antenna, playing blu rays and DVD's, as well as blu ray and DVD rips and avi files. Right now I'm basically in SlickDeals watch mode, as I'm not in a huge hurry. Here's my plan:

Case: nMediaPC 6000B
Mobo: Gigabyte Z68
CPU: Intel Core i3-2120 Sandy Bridge
RAM: 8GB G.Skill Ripjaw Series
PSU: PC Power and Cooling Silencer MK III
OS HDD: 64GB SSD (just waiting on a good deal on a decent one)
Storage HDD: 2x2TB drives from my current build.
Tuner: Hauppauge 2250 from current build.
BluRay:ASUS

I'll be using my trusty old MCE remote that I've got in my current build, and an ioGear multimedia bluetooth keyboard I've already got. (Don't really use the keyboard much anyway. We only use this for media center use.)

So just a couple questions.
1. Will this motherboard allow me to use dual monitors? (dual TV's) I ask because I'm currently doing that with my setup with a long svideo cable going to the bedroom, with the bedroom tv and the HD tv in the main room in clone mode. I'd like to continue something similar to this until I can build a cheap bedroom PC extender.

2. Is there a decent sub-$100 graphics card that would turn this into a decent gaming system? I don't currently game at all on it, but might like to in the future.

3. The PSU is the thing I guess I'm most unsure about. Any better/cheaper suggestions? Too much power? Not enough? Remember I may want to add a discrete graphics card in the future.

Any other tips or suggestion you have would be appreciated. Thanks!


UPDATE: Everything is ordered, only waiting on the motherboard and a few fans. Here is the final parts list.

Case: Silverstone LC13B-E
Mobo: ASRock Z68 PRO3 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68
CPU: Intel Core i3-2100"]Intel Core i3-2100 Sandy Bridge
RAM: 8GB G.Skill Ripjaw Series 1600
PSU: PC Power and Cooling Silencer MK III
OS HDD: Crucial m4 64GB
Storage HDD: 2x2TB drives from my current build.
Tuner: Hauppauge 2250 from current build.
BluRay:ASUS
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post #2 of 61
2/29/12 at 4:40pm
Thread Starter 
Crap, now I see this deal for a nice PSU and a DVD burner for $40. I would jump on this in a second, cause I can use the burner in my bedroom pc build, but I like how the PSU I've chosen is 100% modular. Would this one be better?
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post #3 of 61
2/29/12 at 6:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by paqmanbiker View Post

So just a couple questions.
1. Will this motherboard allow me to use dual monitors? (dual TV's) I ask because I'm currently doing that with my setup with a long svideo cable going to the bedroom, with the bedroom tv and the HD tv in the main room in clone mode. I'd like to continue something similar to this until I can build a cheap bedroom PC extender.

It should if it has two video outputs. I know many boards allow this.

Other solution would be a video card- But assuming you choose your motherboard correctly you won't need it.

I don't personally have much opinion or knowledge on Gigabyte. I tend to go with Asus and Asrock myself- not sure why. That said- nothing really wrong with owning a gigabyte board. I just am not familiar with it and too lazy to go look up the specs.

Quote:


2. Is there a decent sub-$100 graphics card that would turn this into a decent gaming system? I don't currently game at all on it, but might like to in the future.

Short answer= Yes.

You can get nice video cards under $100.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150542
XFX HD-667X-ZHF3 Radeon HD 6670 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

This is a nice card for $69. For $99 you can get into the 6750 level stuff

Quote:


3. The PSU is the thing I guess I'm most unsure about. Any better/cheaper suggestions? Too much power? Not enough? Remember I may want to add a discrete graphics card in the future.

Any other tips or suggestion you have would be appreciated. Thanks!

Your probably safe with any 450watt PSU. 400-500 should be good for you build.

If you buy too much (like 1000watts) - you lose efficiency. But that is also overblown. Some people think it's a sin against humanity to use a little extra electricity. Personally I pay about 6 cents a killowatt hour and could care less. I waste a lot more money in other areas of my life than 5$ on my electric bill.

My suggestion is to get a decent brand name for a good price in the 400-500 watt range. It should be a good choice and give you plenty of power for future upgrades including more drives and a video card.

Your build looks pretty solid to me- Your have some nice choices and products selected. 8GB might be worth considering. Since you chose a Z68 board use PC12800 or 1600mhz DDR3. Don't get the ultra cheap slower stuff. Gskill is good choice btw...

Good luck and congrats.
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post #4 of 61
2/29/12 at 9:36pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mfusick View Post

It should if it has two video outputs. I know many boards allow this.

Other solution would be a video card- But assuming you choose your motherboard correctly you won't need it.

I don't personally have much opinion or knowledge on Gigabyte. I tend to go with Asus and Asrock myself- not sure why. That said- nothing really wrong with owning a gigabyte board. I just am not familiar with it and too lazy to go look up the specs.



Short answer= Yes.

You can get nice video cards under $100.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150542
XFX HD-667X-ZHF3 Radeon HD 6670 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

This is a nice card for $69. For $99 you can get into the 6750 level stuff



Your probably safe with any 450watt PSU. 400-500 should be good for you build.

If you buy too much (like 1000watts) - you lose efficiency. But that is also overblown. Some people think it's a sin against humanity to use a little extra electricity. Personally I pay about 6 cents a killowatt hour and could care less. I waste a lot more money in other areas of my life than 5$ on my electric bill.

My suggestion is to get a decent brand name for a good price in the 400-500 watt range. It should be a good choice and give you plenty of power for future upgrades including more drives and a video card.

Your build looks pretty solid to me- Your have some nice choices and products selected. 8GB might be worth considering. Since you chose a Z68 board use PC12800 or 1600mhz DDR3. Don't get the ultra cheap slower stuff. Gskill is good choice btw...

Good luck and congrats.

Yeah I'm not stuck on Gigabyte, I've always actually used ASUS myself, but for some reason this one stuck out for the price. But actually, around that same price range, this ASRock would probably be great too. I'm not as familiar with that brand.

I tried looking on the specs of the motherboard, any idea what spec would tell me if they would support dual displays? I'd rather not go with a discrete graphics card at this point, trying to keep the budget down, while keeping the HTCP components fairly high end. Then later on I might add a discrete GPU.

I probably will end up with 8GB ram honestly, I see deals on those pop up on SlickDeals all the time, just gotta wait around for it. And as for the PSU, I think the one I mentioned is actually made by OCZ, and they're generally pretty good, right?

Anyway, thanks for the input. Much appreciated.
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post #5 of 61
2/29/12 at 9:41pm
OCZ doesn't make any PSUs. You have to find out who makes each model for them. Some are good and some aren't so good. This is true of many of the manufacturers nowadays.
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post #6 of 61
2/29/12 at 9:44pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

OCZ doesn't make any PSUs. You have to find out who makes each model for them. Some are good and some aren't so good. This is true of many of the manufacturers nowadays.

Oh, I must have gotten confused when reading your guide assassin, you mentioned this power supply, but now that I read it again, you say that is made by Seasonic for PP&C/OCZ. I actually picked it due to your recommendation in the guide. Great guide by the way. Alot of my choices were based on it.

Edit: I noticed that the rebate on this power supply expires tonight. But you mention the rebate in your guide. Can I assume by this that this power supply always has that rebate on it, and that tomorrow or next week there will probably be another $20 rebate on it? I'd like to take more time, but was going to buy it tonight because of the rebate expiring today.
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post #7 of 61
2/29/12 at 9:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by paqmanbiker View Post

Oh, I must have gotten confused when reading your guide assassin, you mentioned this power supply, but now that I read it again, you say that is made by Seasonic for PP&C/OCZ. I actually picked it due to your recommendation in the guide. Great guide by the way. Alot of my choices were based on it.

Edit: I noticed that the rebate on this power supply expires tonight. But you mention the rebate in your guide. Can I assume by this that this power supply always has that rebate on it, and that tomorrow or next week there will probably be another $20 rebate on it? I'd like to take more time, but was going to buy it tonight because of the rebate expiring today.

I don't know if it always has a rebate but I can say that it usually does. At least since I have seen it.

I also don't know how good OCZ is about actually getting you that rebate.
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post #8 of 61
2/29/12 at 9:51pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

I don't know if it always has a rebate but I can say that it usually does. At least since I have seen it.

I also don't know how good OCZ is about actually getting you that rebate.

Yeah I hear ya. I usually take rebates with a grain of salt. If I don't think the product's worth it without, then I don't bother. But I've generally had good luck with OCZ rebates. Either way, I think I can wait and shop around a bit. I might end up going with this one later if another rebate pops up on it, but at least I don't need to rush on it tonight. Thanks for your input. Any other thoughts on the rest of my build? How about the motherboard? I really feel uneducated when it comes to motherboards.
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post #9 of 61
3/1/12 at 7:19am
Thread Starter 
One other question I just realized. I'd like to put this system in a closed cabinet shelf in our wooden entertainment center. Am I going to have to cut holes in the back for it to breathe? How will it do in an enclosed cabinet like that? I worry about the heat.
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post #10 of 61
3/1/12 at 9:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by paqmanbiker View Post

One other question I just realized. I'd like to put this system in a closed cabinet shelf in our wooden entertainment center. Am I going to have to cut holes in the back for it to breathe? How will it do in an enclosed cabinet like that? I worry about the heat.

Either take the doors off, or drill a 5" hole in the back and mount a 120 mm fan to blow out of the cabinet. This way the hot exhaust from the PSU and the case is vented. There are usually enough gaps in the doors that fresh air will be able to enter, if inside pressure is slightly negative.
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post #11 of 61
3/1/12 at 9:21am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by blueiedgod View Post

Either take the doors off, or drill a 5" hole in the back and mount a 120 mm fan to blow out of the cabinet. This way the hot exhaust from the PSU and the case is vented. There are usually enough gaps in the doors that fresh air will be able to enter, if inside pressure is slightly negative.

Yeah I may have to drill the hole in the back as we would like to keep the pc in a closed cabinet to keep the baby away from it.
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post #12 of 61
3/1/12 at 4:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

OCZ doesn't make any PSUs. You have to find out who makes each model for them. Some are good and some aren't so good. This is true of many of the manufacturers nowadays.

he does not need the extra wattage of the OCZ anyways... so get a better quality 400-500 watt
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post #13 of 61
3/1/12 at 4:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by paqmanbiker View Post

Yeah I'm not stuck on Gigabyte, I've always actually used ASUS myself, but for some reason this one stuck out for the price. But actually, around that same price range, this ASRock would probably be great too. I'm not as familiar with that brand.

I tried looking on the specs of the motherboard, any idea what spec would tell me if they would support dual displays? I'd rather not go with a discrete graphics card at this point, trying to keep the budget down, while keeping the HTCP components fairly high end. Then later on I might add a discrete GPU.

I probably will end up with 8GB ram honestly, I see deals on those pop up on SlickDeals all the time, just gotta wait around for it. And as for the PSU, I think the one I mentioned is actually made by OCZ, and they're generally pretty good, right?

Anyway, thanks for the input. Much appreciated.

Asrock is like Asus little brother...
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post #14 of 61
3/1/12 at 4:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by paqmanbiker View Post

Yeah I may have to drill the hole in the back as we would like to keep the pc in a closed cabinet to keep the baby away from it.

I just took the whole back off the AV cabinet.. Think that's enough air?
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post #15 of 61
3/1/12 at 4:39pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mfusick View Post

he does not need the extra wattage of the OCZ anyways... so get a better quality 400-500 watt

The more research I do, the more I like the PSU I listed in my build in the original post. And I agree with you about the 400-500 watt range, however, they offer a 500W and 600W for $10 more each respectively. I wonder, if I ever plan on putting in a discrete gpu, I should just go with the 600W one. I'm drawn to them because the reviews state how quiet they are, and I like the modular design, as I'd like to keep the airflow in my build as good possible. By all means, if you know of a good quality PSU in this price range, that is quiet and modular, do suggest one.
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post #16 of 61
3/1/12 at 4:39pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sammy2 View Post

I just took the whole back off the AV cabinet.. Think that's enough air?

That's actually not a bad idea. We haven't even put it up yet, we just bought it. I could just leave the back off entirely. I'll think about that.
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post #17 of 61
3/1/12 at 6:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

I don't know if it always has a rebate but I can say that it usually does. At least since I have seen it.

I also don't know how good OCZ is about actually getting you that rebate.

I got about 5 rebates from them in the past.

I had no issues.

Crucial still owed me a rebate from two years ago though...

No hesitation recommending OCZ as far as rebates go...

As a PSU- they farm them out. So some models are good and some are not so good depending on who makes it.
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post #18 of 61
3/1/12 at 6:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by paqmanbiker View Post

The more research I do, the more I like the PSU I listed in my build in the original post. And I agree with you about the 400-500 watt range, however, they offer a 500W and 600W for $10 more each respectively. I wonder, if I ever plan on putting in a discrete gpu, I should just go with the 600W one. I'm drawn to them because the reviews state how quiet they are, and I like the modular design, as I'd like to keep the airflow in my build as good possible. By all means, if you know of a good quality PSU in this price range, that is quiet and modular, do suggest one.


You could add the most powerful GPU discrete card out now for $500 and still have enough power with a 500 watt.

Hope that puts into perspective how much your build does not need a 600watt or more model.

(And I own a 1000watt in my PC)

Nothing wrong with going big- but I don't think your build really needs it- not now... and not after future upgrades you have planned.

If you had 20 HDD's, case fans, lights- and two video cards-- You might need to consider the bigger ones.

Your build will run nice on 450watts. I am sure.
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post #19 of 61
3/1/12 at 6:45pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mfusick View Post

You could add the most powerful GPU discrete card out now for $500 and still have enough power with a 500 watt.

Hope that puts into perspective how much your build does not need a 600watt or more model.

(And I own a 1000watt in my PC)

Nothing wrong with going big- but I don't think your build really needs it- not now... and not after future upgrades you have planned.

If you had 20 HDD's, case fans, lights- and two video cards-- You might need to consider the bigger ones.

Your build will run nice on 450watts. I am sure.

Awesome. Thanks.
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post #20 of 61
3/1/12 at 7:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by paqmanbiker View Post

Awesome. Thanks.

Your original build looked fine to me.

Don't let a attractive price on a PSU you don't need sway you.

Personally I would get 8GB for DDR and Asus or Asrock Mobo- but that is just me. Your build was solid.

Nice work.
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post #21 of 61
3/2/12 at 6:25am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mfusick View Post

Your original build looked fine to me.

Don't let a attractive price on a PSU you don't need sway you.

Personally I would get 8GB for DDR and Asus or Asrock Mobo- but that is just me. Your build was solid.

Nice work.

Thanks. Yeah I think I'm just gonna grab 8GB. It's only like $10 more.
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post #22 of 61
3/4/12 at 8:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by paqmanbiker View Post

Thanks. Yeah I think I'm just gonna grab 8GB. It's only like $10 more.

Yup. smart choice. Cheaper now than later.
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post #23 of 61
3/4/12 at 9:33am
Thread Starter 
Couple changes in my build. Newegg dropped the price of the core i3-2100 down a bit yesterday so I ordered one of those instead of the 2120. Won't make much if a difference. Also, I know this case is a lot more expensive, but man its beautiful and I have to have it. I'm watching the price right now on camelegg, it commonly comes down lower than what it is right now, so when it does, I'll snag it.
Any opinions on this one as opposed to he nMediaPC?
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post #24 of 61
3/5/12 at 2:23pm
Silverstone is nice.. but generally almost always overpriced for all products they make.
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post #25 of 61
3/5/12 at 2:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mfusick View Post

Silverstone is nice.. but generally almost always overpriced for all products they make.

It's have to agree, just from my research. I'm betting this one will drop by $15 or $20. If not I may still consider the 6000b.
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post #26 of 61
3/5/12 at 3:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mfusick View Post

That case is sexy though...


I wouldn't mind one.

Totally the opposite of my case...

It's understated and elegant. I like that for a HTPC.
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post #27 of 61
3/5/12 at 3:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mfusick View Post

Totally the opposite of my case...

It's understated and elegant. I like that for a HTPC.



Here's a shot of mine when I was first building it.
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post #28 of 61
3/5/12 at 7:33pm
Thread Starter 
Lol, yeah, I was just gawking at your post about that build earlier today. Sweet setup. I could see using that case as a big NAS or a media server or something.
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post #29 of 61
3/6/12 at 4:23pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mfusick View Post

Yup. smart choice. Cheaper now than later.

What about 1333 vs 1600? Am I going to notice any difference from 1600 vs 1333? Just curious. I see deals all the time on 1333. I'm nitpicking here, cause the 1600 is only $10 or $15 more, I'm just curious.
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post #30 of 61
3/6/12 at 4:28pm
No, you won't notice any difference at all for typical HTPC use. If your board supports 1600 (Z68) then get it. If not then get 1333.

The only other reason to get 1600 is if you were planning on upgrading again to Ivy Bridge and re-using the 1600 in the Ivy Bridge build.
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