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633 views 12 replies 4 participants last post by  pbrandt 
#1 ·

I had started a thread in the Home Theater Computer section looking for help on my first build. I have learned a lot from reading through countless forum posts, members on AVS, and other websites. I was referred over here as my mindset has changed. I do like playing video games such as BF4 and COD. I am awaiting Titanfall!!! I have a PS3 currently and will more than likely get a PS4. I was thinking that there really is not much of a point to getting an Xbone since a lot of the games come out on PC. If figured why not make my budget HTPC that I was starting to order a little better and skip the Xbox.

 

What I care about...

Ripping DVD's and Blu-rays (also 3d) 

Possibly put in a Ceton InfinitiTV4

Quiet (While watching movies. Doesn't matter when playing games)

Decent game graphics (as good as PS3)

XBMC (Should be no issue?)

Eventually setup NAS to store all movies and games on

 

I made tons of different builds on pcpartpicker from $350 to $1000. The one listed below is towards the top of my budget.

Here is the build I am looking at (Never built a Gaming PC so please critique my build)....

 

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($219.95

Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard  ($129.98

Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($76.99

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($88.99 

Case: Silverstone SST-GD08B (Black) HTPC Case  ($139.99

Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($34.99

Total: $690.89

 

Do I need a separate GPU

I have Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit already. (WMC)

Probably just pick up a cheap Blu-ray drive

 

Thanks for any feedback you can provide!!!

Phil

 
 
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#2 ·
Looks pretty close to my lowly rigg. Should be fine. I added an Nvidia GTX 550 ti for like 120 bucks to mine a while back and haven't looked back. Streams across the house with no transcoding, plays all the games with the sliders all the way to the right, etc. I don't have a bluray drive in it. Your spec looks fine for what you want.
 
#3 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by darthrsg  /t/1506690/first-htpc-gaming-theater-room-help-needed#post_24098850


Looks pretty close to my lowly rigg. Should be fine. I added an Nvidia GTX 550 ti for like 120 bucks to mine a while back and haven't looked back. Streams across the house with no transcoding, plays all the games with the sliders all the way to the right, etc. I don't have a bluray drive in it. Your spec looks fine for what you want.
 

I was looking to add a GPU, but wasn't sure which one?

Do you think it will be quiet while watching movies or television?
 
#4 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by pbrandt  /t/1506690/first-htpc-gaming-theater-room-help-needed#post_24098894


I was looking to add a GPU, but wasn't sure which one?

Do you think it will be quiet while watching movies or television?
I'm no guru but my card never spins the fans while watching movies but will fire up on games. I don't use mine in a strict home theater sense but I do use it daily. I've no doubt some here can weigh in on that aspect. I have a few USB drives that get loud sometimes but the definition of loud varies. My 360 sounds like a lawnmower and heats the room but my PC never gets that loud.
 
#5 ·
That's a great budget build for an HTPC. If you're looking for a cheaper GPU that's still got some horsepower to play games, keep an eye open for deals on the GTX 760. There's really no better bang for your buck card.


As Darth said, in almost all cases, while watching movies and such, you'll never hear the GPU fans, and heck, even during most gaming you won't either unless it starts to get crazy hot.
 
#6 ·

I am not sure on this, but how many PCI slots will I need. I think the mobo that I listed will suffice.

 

Correct me if I am wrong but these are the items that would use these 4 slots...

Discrete GPU (1 to 2 slots)

Ceton InfinitiTV4 (1)

 

Thanks,

Phil
 
#9 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by pbrandt  /t/1506690/first-htpc-gaming-theater-room-help-needed#post_24100521


Unless anyone has any other recommendations I am going to start ordering parts in a few days. I will hold off on the discrete gpu for now. Probably add that in a few months.


Do prices ever tend to drop after the first of the year?

Yeah. Prices are all over the place. I know this is AVS and you're scum if you don't pay out the nose but I would not sweat getting an "old" card.
 
#10 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by darthrsg  /t/1506690/first-htpc-gaming-theater-room-help-needed#post_24100696


Yeah. Prices are all over the place. I know this is AVS and you're scum if you don't pay out the nose but I would not sweat getting an "old" card.

A 660Ti is still a great card for gaming if you're looking for something a tad cheaper.
 
#11 ·

I ended up changing the mobo I planned on getting due to a fair amount of bad reviews. So heres the problem. No matter what board you look at they all have issues!

 

I switched to the following board

 

Asus P8Z77-M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard

 

The only issue that I possibly see is that once I get a discrete GPU, it may overlap the PCI Express slot I will need for my Ceton InfinitiTV 4. 

 

Does anyone else see this as being an issue?

 

Should I consider going to a full ATX mobo instead?

 

If so which model preferably Gigabyte or Asus?

 

Thanks,

Phil
 
#13 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Yrd  /t/1506690/first-htpc-gaming-theater-room-help-needed#post_24109135


You can put the mini slot into one of the bigger slots. It's not an issue. As long as it physically fits, it will work. PCIe cards.
 

Thank You! I was reading some more and I thought that would work, but wasn't sure.
 
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