Cheapest ever HTPC that's decent. Proud of myself. - Page 12

I paid 79.99 for the ASRock. It should be in, along with a Pentium G620, on Thurs. I read the owner reviews and it seems they are 50/50 good/bad. I rolled the dice and bought one. If it's a dud then I will send it back for the Intel board.
The Intel board looks like it has a couple nice uppgrades over the ASRock one being eSATA.

I've been using one of those DH67BL boards for about a year. It's rock solid. I'd definitely pay $5 extra for it over the Asrock given the issues people here have had recently witht he Asrocks.

Heads up for this SSD:

120GB Kingston HyperX 3K SAD 2.5" SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive SSD (SH103S3/120G)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820239045

Deal Live: 5/23/12 at 12:01AM PDT

$89.99 after $30.00 Mail-In-Rebate

*Note: Forms will update later

Promo Code: EMCYTZT1641

I haven't seen a whole lot of issues with ASRock here lately other than the "ITX" thread.
I think motherboards are like anything else. People are more likely to get on the net and report the bad more than the good in an effort to find a solution to their problem. If it's working good why report it?
I've been building computers since 98 and have had a bad one with almost all the major brands as well as the off brands. Asus and EPoX(remember these for OCing?) are about the only ones I haven't had an issues with.
My last major build I used a Gigbyte and it was a PITA to get running. Never did get it working right so it sits in the closet.
I guess if the ASRock causes any grief it will just have to go back. Looking at the specs of the DH67BL does make me wish I would have picked up that one from the start though. Oh well.

Except if you read those threads, that was Assassin and Stardog having those problems -- not just some random internet complaint -- and Assassin was actually communicating with the company about the issues.

But it was just that particular board(ITX) right? I'll report back when it comes in if it's a dud. Hope not, but it wouldn't be the 1st.

Not when the Intel is available for $85.

The only reason not to buy an Intel is because because of price (irrelevant when it's on sale at that price) or because you want to overclock (which should be irrelevant for an HTPC, particularly a budget HTPC).

Asus is generally what I use on my gaming rigs. I have had good luck with them.
Gigabyte, Biostar, Abit, have been hit or miss in the past.
This is my 1st go-round with ASRock. And just to clarify, I didn't buy the H67M-ITX I bought the H67M (B3) which is a micro-ATX.

Sure, if you want one that someone else returned. No thanks.

Because the price for a new one is $80.

I have 3 ASRock boards at my house that I use everyday and have had absolutely no issues (i3 2100+ITX, G620T+ITX, G530+mATX).

I also have used ASRock literally dozens of times with no issues.

However, we (and others) did have issues with the ITX board for a few weeks with the G620 and G620T. We have since had no issues with that board and the G620. I think this was a bad batch of boards/bios that ASRock seems to have taken ownership of now at this point.

What's also interesting is that I have an ASRock ITX + G620T in my bedroom that I have never had a single issue with.

I also bought an OCZ Agility 60gb SSD that has been great so far, but if you read the reviews on amazon and newegg you would think this thing is the devil lol.

I've had two Asus boards that had to be sent in for repair (bad BIOS chip) and their tech support was awful. Maybe just my bad luck though.

For what it's worth, my MSI H61M-E33 motherboard has been going strong since last year, so I am liking MSI these days. I got it on a combo deal from Microcenter with an i3-2100 CPU for $100 total. I trust it and the HTPC enough to be recording right now the finale of "Dancing With The Stars", without worry that my better half will have my hide if something goes wrong, lol.

Oddly the one thing that failed in my HTPC several months ago was a premium Corsair HX-650W modular PSU. (Yeah I know an HTPC doesn't need that kind of power, but I got a nice deal on it and had planned later to swap it to a different rig - now I am having to get a warranty replacement and have an Antec Neo Eco 400 in there.) That PSU was the last thing I thought would be a problem, so I guess sometimes things just happen no matter the make/model.

So, I crunched some numbers last night and I was able to come up with 3 builds that fit within my 300$ budget!

I'm leaning towards build 2, because the case seems to be higher quality, more room, better airflow, etc, all good things for a first timer like me.

However, I have a few questions...

1. Does anyone have any experience ordering from bestdirect.ca? They have very competitive prices (sometimes cheaper than newegg.ca) and offer free shipping for orders > 80$
2. Having one 4gb stick of RAM should give me about the same performance as having two 2gb sticks, correct?
3. An Intel G530 will be more than powerful enough for outputting 1080p in windows or linux, right?
4. Any ideas on what I could do with the "extra" 16$/7$/28$ to make any of these builds nicer?

BUILD 1, micro ATX :

• Intel G530
• Mushkin 4GB
• Corsair Nova 30GB SSD
• Gigabyte GA-H61M-S2H
• APEX DM-387
• Grand total : 283.66$

BUILD 2, micro ATX :

• Intel G530
• Mushkin 4GB
• Corsair Nova 30GB SSD
• Gigabyte GA-H61M-S2H
• Silverstone ML03B
• COOLER MASTER Elite 460
• Grand total : 292.66$

BUILD 3, mini ITX :

• Intel G530
• Mushkin 4GB
• Corsair Nova 30GB SSD
• ASUS P8H61-I
• APEX MI-100BK
• Grand total : 271.13$

As far as your 1x4GB or 2x2GB question, you're going to get better performance from a 2x2GB configuration, as it enables dual-channel access from the memory controller. And I don't think the difference is insignificant.

The Intel G530 will work great in Windows for 1080p. Not sure about Linux -- depends on whether Linux has proper drivers for Intel Sandy Bridge...

I think you might regret going with a 30GB SSD. Although it can be done, it is a little tight for space (you're definitely going to want to install 32-bit Windows instead of 64-bit). Applying large Windows updates gets tricky, in particular service packs. I think it can be done but you're going to have to resort to tricks like disabling the pagefile and hibernation (should have done that already with the SSD), turning off System Restore, at least temporarily, to apply service packs.

Actually it is insignificant. Its about 5% difference at most and certainly not noticeable in HTPC.

One of the big myths in the PC world.

Since 2 sticks are often cheaper than one that's what I use and recommend. But the significant boost in performance just isn't there like many think it to be.

Thanks for the info, but well, for me, 5% is significant. If it was 1-2%, I'd say no big deal. To each his own, I guess.

But compound the performance advantage with the fact that 2x2GB is usually cheaper (as you mention), and I say "why wouldn't you?"

I said 5% at most. In all actuality it is probably less. You won't notice either in a HTPC environment. The initial tests done with DDR2 RAM comparing the two haven't been replicated to my knowledge.

You can sometimes find a single 4GB stick for less than $15. So that's the reason.

Cheapest 4GB of RAM on newegg.ca was a single 4gb stick, as opposed to 2x2gb.

First, I think it's less than 5%, and second, even if it was 5% in memory performance, that doesn't translate to 5% overall performance.

There certainly is a difference, and it certainly won't be noticable in an HTPC.

Here's what Tom's hardware said about it after running actual tests a couple of years ago with DDR2:

"But back to RAM and hard drives. As expected, the performance difference between single channel and dual channel DDR2-800 memory using an up-to-date Core 2 Duo system is little to nil, depending on the benchmark - most tests show differences, but they are really small. For games and enthusiast PCs, we recommend sticking to high-performance dual channel RAM, because the memory is one of those components that you want to perform best for a smooth experience. For regular applications, though, it doesn’t really matter much whether you run single or dual channel. Two 1 GB DIMMs typically are cheaper than a single 2 GB module, but a single DIMM will reduce your power consumption by several watts (which might just be more interesting than it is important)."

There are so many other things that will influence overall performance more than this. It's typically cheaper to buy 2x2 so there's usualy no reason to bypass the small dual channel advantage, but it won't be noticed in real life.

You're definately going to want a bigger SSD. I went with a 60gb and just with the OS, updates, and codecs I'm over 50% so a 30gb would be a no go.

Why are you doing this?

I would save up an extra $50-$100 as it will go a long way to reducing any possible buyer's remorse on this build, imo.

You get what you pay for in HTPC. I see it time and time again on AVS.

By the way, I echo the comment that the 30gb SSD will be uncomfortably small. Are you paying $50 for that? You can apparently get an OCZ Agility 3 60gb for $55 at NCIX or a 60gb Mushkin Chronos at Newegg Canada for $68 or a 60gb Kingston for $73 at BestDirect, and I'd highly recommend doing so.

Frankly, I've gone to using 120/128 as my standard size.

+10

Thanks for the heads up on the SSD size!

Here's my updated plan...

From NewEgg.ca :

• (19$) Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 4GB RAM
• (60$) Mushkin Enhanced Callisto Deluxe 60GB SATA II SSD

From BestDirect.ca :

• (31$) COOLER MASTER Elite 460
• (65$) Gigabyte GA-H61M-S2H
• (56$) Silverstone ML03B
• (49$) Intel G530

TOTAL COST : 295.59$


I'm a poor electrical engineering student :-P

And, I don't feel like I'm getting second grade components here...
The SSD uses a Sandforce controller and has excellent reviews. The Cooler Master PSU has very good reviews as well and is more than powerful enough. From what I've read Gigabyte makes very good motherboards. I actually feel like I'm splurging with the Silverstone case - if I had to upgrade it'd be for a 100$ case. Although, I'll admit I wouldn't mind getting the G630 but it's probably overkill for playing DVDs and DVDrips, streaming files over LAN/FTP, etc...

If you could upgrade one or two things about this build, what would it be?

Kevbel. Just to give you an idea on the initial cost of a budget build, here is what I just spent to get my new "budget" HTPC running.
Side note: I could have saved some money by just calling MS and buying a 2nd license for the Win 7 I already had, but I didn't.
Here's the list:

ASRock H67M (B3) $79.99
Intel Pentium G620 $69.99
Kingston HyperX T1 DDR3 1600 $59.99(you can get cheaper memory. I just happen to have these laying around from an earlier build so my memory cost on my HTPC build is $0)
Samsung 1TB HDD $109.99(again I had this laying around from another earlier build so $0)
LG 12x Blu-ray drive $57.59
Hauppauge HVR-1250 $66.27( you may not need a TV tuner if you don't want live TV.)
OCZ Agility 60gb SSD $69.99
Win7 Home Premium $99.99
Iogear wireless keyboard $34.00
Cooler Master Elite 360 W/ 350 watt PS $64.86
total: $542.68 not including memory or storage HDD

Edit: This doesn't include the cost of software ie: TMT5 or PowerDVD12...

I've used that memory which has great and I have the 120gb version of that SSD which has been just fine.

460w is actually a little too big and you'll be operating at pretty low efficiency given the minimal power demands of this system, and Coolermaster wouldn't be my personal choice in PSUs, but that's an FSP made one and should be fine. You could certainly do a lot worse, particularly for the $20 you're paying for it. The case is very nice, but realize that there is no room for installing any full height cards ever.

But before anyone can answer if you should be using different components, you need to explain what it is you are trying to do with this box. You have no storage for rips, no tuner for OTA or cable, and no optical drive for disks. As a device for internet streaming, it should be fine, but what else did you have in mind?

Oh, by the way, you probably need a couple of 80mm fans; I don't believe that case comes with any. Looking at what Best Direct sells, I'd probably pick the Silenx Effizios. Newegg Canada may have more choices, but don't just buy the cheapest fans you can find or they'll be noisy and won't last.