[dragon20]

Hi all,


I am in the processes of building my HTPC and wanted to obtain some feedback before I purchase some of the final parts.


Below is my part list

Case - Wesena HTPC-e6V - Bought
Power Supply - Seasonic X-400 Fanless Gold 400W - Planned Buy
Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-H55M-USB3 or GA-H57M-USB3 - But I don't need onboard video so if there is something better please recommend Planned Buy
Ram - 8GB Ram - Can any one recommend?
CPU - Intel i5 750 - Planned Buy
Graphics - Shapphire HD 5570 - Planned Buy
Hard disk - 80GB SSD - Planned Buy


I plan to use this as my Home Theater PC to play all my movies on and also make it Mame station also.


I plan to Run windows 7 Pro x64 and W7MC. Or does any one recommend anything else in terms of software?


Would it be worth putting in a TV Tunner card considering It has enough balls? Does a TV tuner card provide some good benefits on W7MC?


Some might think this is a bit of an over kill. But i have some had disappointing experiences trying to build an Atom system that just couldn't cut it.


I have a strong IT background but I am new to the HTPC world so if any one has any recommendations or other cool things i can do please recommend!


My main aim is I want a media centre that is very fast and wont bog down when doing things. I want the menus to be smooth and for it to do a little more than just play movies

 

[Zon2020]

If you're building a new system, why would you buy an old generation cpu like an i5-750. That was a great processor two years ago. A current i3-2100 is much cheaper and just about as fast, or you can for the same price get a much much faster i5-2500k. And those new Sandy Bridge chips have an on-chip GPU and you don't even need a graphics card for what you want to do. But even if you decide to use the graphics card, they still are much higher performing, cooler running, and better value chips and they are current technology.


You'll need an LGA1155 motherboard with those chips; one with an H61, H67 or Z68 chipset if you want to take advantage of the on-chip graphics.

 

[dragon20]

Hi Zon,


Thanks for the feedback. I havn't had much experience with the new generation i5. I read online that a few people still weren't 100% happy with onboard GPU, but this might have been the older generation.


I was originally going to buy a antec ISK 310-150 but a lot of people were saying the Power supply would be stretched with a video card.


I might have gotten away with it but I wanted to have the ability to put in the video card and maybe also a TV Tuner card.


Thanks for your feedback. Any other advice would be great.


Cheers!

 

[StardogChampion]

2nd gen i3 or i5 with a Z68 motherboard is definitely the way to go. You get very good on-board graphics to do all the things you want now and a good upgrade path if you want to throw discrete graphics in there in the future.


If you want HD5570-like performance now without a discrete graphics card, the new AMD "Llano" chips are also worth looking into. The on-board graphics are supposed to perform on part with an HD5570 card. Do some Googling on "A8-3850" for more information and reviews.


I think given the state of on-board graphics for 2nd gen i3/15 and AMD Llano, adding a HD5570 or weaker card to a new system with those CPUs is a waste of money. You won't get that much if any better performance.

 

[Zon2020]



Quote:
Originally Posted by dragon20 /forum/post/20869800


I read online that a few people still weren't 100% happy with onboard GPU

You'll read online that people aren't 100% happy with ANY GPU, onboard or discrete.


And indeed, none are perfect.


But I use an i3-2100 in my htpc with no separate GPU and am very happy with it, and if I ever feel the need, I can always add a separate GPU later. But in the meantime, I don't need to worry about cooling a graphics card.


Understand that with the new processors, the GPU is part of the cpu itself, not the motherboard. You need a motherboard with the right chipset and connectors to take advantage of it, but it's not like the old integrated graphics where the GPU was built into the motherboard.

 

[renethx]

Core i5-750 is $215 ? That's not a good choice. I recommend Core i3-2100 and a H67/Z68 motherboard.


HD 5570 is now relatively cheap, but again a generation old. I recommend HD 6570 or GeForce GT 430.

 

[dragon20]

Hi guys thanks for your feedback, I think i am heading towards i5 2500 and z68 motherboard.


If i were to combine a graphics card with the case considering I have the room and power supply power - would a HD 5750 be the go or would you guys recommend something else? - This would be for a bit of gaming and also HD movies.


I saw on gigabytes site they have technology on their boards to take advantage of both onboard GPU as well as separate graphic card to keep power low.


Any thoughts?


Also would considering I have the room would any one recommend a good HD TV tuner card. I mainly want to this to integrate it into W7MC for an overall HTPC experience. (need to get the mrs comfortable with using it!)


Cheers

 

[jeffkro]

Gts450 will handle gaming and everything HTPC. Read lots of reviews to find one that doesn't make a lot of noise.

 

[ptaylor999]

I'll echo renethx's comments on the processor. I just finished a build with an i5 2500k and a Z68 mobo, no discrete gpu, and, despite some early travails, I'm now now quite happy with my htpc - In no small part due to some much needed guidance from rene and a few others on these forums.

 

[dragon20]

Hi guys, thank for the additional information.


I think I will definitely go with the i5 2500k and z68 mobo. I would still lilke to purchase a dedicated graphics card and was thinking of power colour low profile HD 5750.


I did a bit of reading about the GTS 450 but found that it wasn't worth it unless you were looking at 3d? let me know if i got something wrong here

 

[jeffkro]



Quote:
Originally Posted by dragon20 /forum/post/0


Hi guys, thank for the additional information.


I think I will definitely go with the i5 2500k and z68 mobo. I would still lilke to purchase a dedicated graphics card and was thinking of power colour low profile HD 5750.


I did a bit of reading about the GTS 450 but found that it wasn't worth it unless you were looking at 3d? let me know if i got something wrong here

The 450 was because you said you also wanted gaming

 

[dragon20]

Thanks Jeffkro,


Thats right wanted to do a bit of gaming here and there. Also read the GTS 450 has DDR5 as compared to DDR3 i think for the 5770. So thinking of going with your recommendation.


Will keep all posted on my final parts list.

 

[renethx]

Isn't Wesena HTPC-e6V a low-profile case? There is no low-profile GTS 450 card afaik. PowerColor low-profile HD 5750 may be the best gaming low-profile card?

 

[dragon20]

Hi guys, still doing some research on the graphic cards here.


Can any one tell me why I should be choosing GTS 450 vs Ati 5770 when multiple reviews show Ati outperforms GTS 450?


Am i missing something?


Cheers!

 

[dragon20]

Hi renethx - Sparkle make a low profile GTS 540.


Also there is a PowerColor 5770 low profile - http://www.tcmagazine.com/tcm/news/h...-arctic-cooler


Still thinking 5770 unless some one can tell me why GTS would be preferred.


Cheers

 

[dragon20]

Hi all,


Thanks for your help so far. Parts list updated to the following

Case - Wesena HTPC-e6V - Bought
Power Supply - Seasonic X-460 Fanless Gold 400W - Planned Buy
Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-Z68M-D2H - Planned Buy
Ram - Cosair 1600 8GB Ram - Planned Buy
CPU - Intel i5 2500k - Planned Buy
Graphics - GTS 540 Low profile - Or 5770/50 Low profile - Planned Buy
Hard disk - Corsair Force Series 3 60GB SSD - Planned Buy

TVR - Hauppauge HVR2200 MCE PCIe Dual Hybrid

 

[renethx]



Quote:
Originally Posted by dragon20 /forum/post/20876234


Hi renethx - Sparkle make a low profile GTS 540.


Also there is a PowerColor 5770 low profile - http://www.tcmagazine.com/tcm/news/h...-arctic-cooler


Still thinking 5770 unless some one can tell me why GTS would be preferred.


Cheers

540 or 450? A link? I don't see such a card at Sparkletw.com or Sparkel.com.tw or Sparkle-usa.com .


Has PowerColor low profile 5770 ever been available at retail stores?

 

[dragon20]

Sorry renethx - I meant 450.


You are right - further searching shows Sparkle hasnt released this yet. I saw a few sites talk about this but when i wanted to find one to buy. Dost seem its out.


I will probably opt for Palit GF GTS 450 Low profile or PowerColor HD5750 although I cant seem to find any in stock so its probably going to be the Palit GTS 450.