Guide to Building a HTPC, Workstation and Server - Page 532

Have you tried using xbmc its available for pc now.Ive only used it on my old xbox which is what I use for streaming but it does not do HD very well so I was wondering how it works. This is what I want to build to replace my xbox but I would like to retain xbmc.

What are your thoughts on this build?

MOBO:GIGABYTE GA-H67A-UD3H
CPU: i5-2500K
RAM: Choice(1) G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Model F3-10666CL9T-6GBNQ
Choice(2) G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Model F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS 1.5TB 7200 RPM
CASE+PSU: APEVIA - Aluminum X-MASTER-AL/500 ATX Media Center

Is the 6GB of ram excessive for an HTPC or should i just go with Choice(2)?
Will this be a good somewhat powerful budget htpc?

I haven't built a PC in 6-7 years so I'm a little rusty and don't really know what's going on in the world of PC components. Just put together this HTPC thanks to the guide (bought the parts several months ago, finally got around to building):

APEX MI-008 Black Steel Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case 250W Power Supply
GIGABYTE GA-H55N-USB3 LGA 1156 Intel H55 HDMI USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core i3-530 Clarkdale
G.Skill 2GB (2 x 1GB)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM
ASUS Black 24X DVD+R

I have a few questions:

1. The case is already super cramped, so I'm already thinking at some point in the near future I'll upgrade to a Micro-ATX case so it's easier to open up and upgrade parts, better airflow, etc. Will I be able to put the Mini-ITX mobo in there and use the rest of the parts I already have still until I eventually upgrade/replace it or will I need to do so right away?

2. Upon booting up the computer I got a message that said "SATA is found running at IDE MODE!" and asked if I wanted to set SATA to AHCI mode instead. I selected yes, thinking I was supposed to. Did I screw anything up?

3. I get Windows 7 Pro for free through my university and MSDN. Should I go with regular, or the 64-bit edition?

Thanks in advance for any help.

renethx
Can U tell me about optimal temperature in desktop HTPC case,please. I'm afraid I have some overheating.....

Thanks!

What is it about the 64-bit Windows 7 that makes it more complicated? Configuration and such?

404Ender,
Win7 64-bit uses different drivers than the 32-bit version and due to it's newness there are some drivers that do not exist and even some that never will.
For instance... some older printers and scanners will never have 64-bit drivers written for them.
On the good side the ram goes from a limit of 3+ gigs with 32-bit windows to much more with the 64-bit versions.
Here are the upper RAM limits for the different editions of Windows 7:
•Starter: 8GB
•Home Basic: 8GB
•Home Premium: 16GB
•Professional: 192GB
•Enterprise: 192GB
•Ultimate: 192GB

Typically you don't really need much more than about 2 gigs of ram unless you are doing serious video editing.

please elaborate on the k version being useless with h67? is the h67 required for igpu? also what do you mean by "although iGPU has twice EPU"?

K version overclocks, and nicely.
K version has double the on chip graphics power.

Non k versions are not very overclockable, CPU wise, and have 1/2 the graphics power.

H motherboards allow on chip video, has hdmi port, but no real CPU over clocking. Hdmi is 1.4a, so supports blu Ray 3D BUT you need a card for 720p 3d projector support, if that's your thing.... a radeon 5xxx or 6xxx will do nicely.

P motherboards allows overclocking of CPU, but no on chip graphics, need a card.

All chips and boards discussed in this post can stream dts-HD master or truehd

So basically buy a k version for graphics power or overclocking, but not both

Z boards out latter should allow both....

Just bought a 2500k myself, damn fine chip.

Micro ITX P board is coming in 2 weeks from gigabyte.

Oh...my mini itx shoebox sized build

Cpu: 2500k sandy bridge
Motherboard: Gigabyte p67 mini itx form factor
Graphics: Radeon 6950 hacked/unlocked to 6970 power
Ram: 2 x 4 gig sticks
Storage: 160 gig ssd
Silverstone Sg07b case(comes with a nice 600w psu) mini itx form factor
Slim style blu Ray player, only kind that fits the case...


Should make a nice htpc/gaming rig ready for 3D projection, will work for now with my optoma hd20

so the 2500k with h67 is still a good combination if u want to use the cpu's igpu capability and have descent graphics capabilities? if i am not interested in overclocking the that combination is a good idea?

also is the Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS 1.5TB 7200 RPM a good, reliable, fast hdd?

The dvi detective didnt work. It allowed the ATI card to think it was connected to a 1080p device but still wouldnt output 1080p.

I was able to fix the problem simply by using an nvidia card (gt430). (just to refresh, I was trying to clone the 1080p output onto a converter to send to my old tube tv's, but connecting the converter forced the resolution down on both outputs)

Apparently once the video card is connected to that 1080p converter, it loses the hdcp handshake. This has the following results....

ATI - resolution is forced below 1920x1080 on both displays

NVIDIA - resolution can remain at 1920x1080 even without the handshake.

I assume this means with the nvidia I cant use a blue ray player, no biggie since I only watch blu-ray on my standalone player. I cant understand why the ATI needs to cripple the output without the handshake, I thought hdcp only applied if I was trying to watch protected media?

Unless you go to encode video or similar with your HTPC, an i5 2300 is much more than enough. The K series have the multiplier unlocked, good for overclock but always accompanied by p67.

To use the igpu is needed H67 chipset, P67 has no video output.

Both p67 and H67 work with dual channel memory, therefore you should always choose 2x1 or 2x2gb

idk if u are familiar with solid works (3d cad program), would the i5 2300 be enough to run that smoothly and efficiently?

Maybe, but you should ask Solidworks or check here. It would be better to use a certified video card if possible.
I use Pro/E on an i7-930, 6GB, Quadro FX 3800, Win7 64 system. Solidworks has lesser hardware requirements.

Yes, h67 would be the way to go for igpu. Other factors to consider when choosing a board is need for USB 3, SATA 6 gig speed, etc. These probably won't be an issue for you though.

Hard drive looks fine. SSD drives are nice, but not critical. Many people opt for a small SSD drive 40 gigs or more to put windows and a few favotite tprograms on, while using the terabyte normal drive for media. If you use a SSD than the SATA 6 gig is a nice motherboard feature. SSD does allow for faster booting and turn offs, but is not a must have by any means.

To recap, a 2500k with a h67 will make a very nice htpc. I would go with a micro atx or a micro Itx format unless the pc is well hidden. Towers are ugly.

EDIT: I don't know if the integrated graphics will meet your needs for CAD. They might. You can over clock the igpu on h67 though, just not the CPU.
If any integrated graphics can run it, the 2500k surly can. It has the fastest igpu to date.

I have one foot in the water so to speak and plan to build my first HTPC once the new guide comes out.

I currently am testing the user experience and have installed the Ceton card in my Dell Studio XPS, i7, 8 gigs ram, Radeon HD 5400 video card. Computer bought last April. Win 7 64 bit.

The video from the Ceton Card viewed in 1080p on a dell monitor or through my hard wired network on an xBox 360 Live extender looks great on material that was originally produced with video cameras (sports, news, etc.) Movies originaly produced with a film camera in HD are moderately jittery and appear to be dropping frames.

I have downloaded the latest drivers for the video card and bios for the Dell.

I am using the HDMI output.

If I can't resolve this issue I am concerned about making the investment to build a dedicated HTPC, but I really want this to work.

I have an open ticket with Ceton but their first round of suggestions did not resolve this. I expect more help.

Any suggestions?

I'm excited to see this month's build now that I've donated.

Fulfilling my promise to donate 5% of the cost of my hardware purchases that were inspired by renethx's guide. It still seems cheap, given how much time and pain I saved.

/jab

@renethx,

I just downloaded the most recent guide. Very helpful and well worth the donation!

I was wondering why the Silverstone GB05B is not one of the recommended cases? I'm looking at cases and it was on my short list...

I built my HTPC using the SilverStone Grandia GD02B (may be discontinued now) but a very similar case tot he GB05B. Has plenty of room for 2/3 HDs and a optical drive. One thing I like about the GD02B is how the ports are hidden behind a door on front giving it a very clean look. About the size of my AVR but without all the knobs.

Watch the width of the PSU pick. Stay away from the plug in cable types, they are too wide for a full size optical drive to fit well. I went with the SilverStone 500w SilverStone PSU short cable model. It's the one they recommended for my case. I used the bottom bay for the little extra PSU cabling that end up with.

GL

@renethx,

In your guide for MicroATX > Mid-Range > AMD > nVidia, you have an "x" next to TrueHD/DTS-HD. From everything I've read, the GT 430 supports streaming HD audio. Please clarify.

Hi, Im new at the forum. Is there any reason that starting page 2 of this thread all images are Reserved?.


Thanks.

Don't know about the lossless on that card, but do know that it needs an optical cable run to it ( video card) I think.

Correct