I am hoping to build an HTPC within the next month or so. This will be my first PC build (of any kind), discounting upgrades/repairs I've done to my past systems. I've been reading a lot of the threads around here over the last couple weeks, and have come up with what I hope to be a decent build. I would really appreciate any advice you guys might have, whether it is in response to the specific questions below, in reference to experiences you may have had with these components, or general comments on my build as a whole. Thanks in advance!
Case/PSU - Antek ISK 300-150 - link - $80
I chose this case mainly because I am looking for a very compact, neat solution (a la the Zino). It appears to accommodate two 2.5" hard drives, a slim ODD, and a half-height expansion card. Will the included 150W PSU be enough to power this build?
Processor - Intel Core i3-540 3.06GHz Dual-Core - link - $105
This looks like the cheapest i3 processor right now. Will this allow smooth playback of blu-rays, HDTV in WMC, HD Flash content, etc? And am I correct in understanding I won't need a separate graphics card?
Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-H55N-USB3 - link - $105
Most people seem to recommend Gigabyte motherboards, and this looks like the only mini ITX i3-compatible Gigabyte motherboard on Newegg. Are there other motherboards I should look at, or does this one have any missing features I should be conscious of?
Hard Drive
I have a spare 100GB 7200rpm laptop hard drive at home that I will use. Should I consider buying a 32GB SSD for OS/programs, which would fit in the other of the two 2.5" drive bays in the case I selected, or is it not really worth it for my needs?
RAM - CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM 1333 - link - $54
Not sure how good of a value this is, but I guess you can't go wrong with Corsair.
Optical Drive - Sony Optiarc Slim 4X BD-ROM - link - $152
Looks like this is the only slim Blu-Ray drive on Newegg. Are there any other models out there to consider?
TV Tuner - Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1250 - link - $50
This thing can definitely get HD ClearQAM channels, right? And how do most people handle the tuner in their setup? I could go with a USB solution but I really don't want a bunch of crap dangling out of the back of my system.
WiFi - TP-LINK TL-WN727N IEEE 802.11b/g/n - link - $14
Any USB WiFi adapter would do. I will likely figure out a way to mount this inside the case by connecting to the USB headers on the mobo. How do most people take care of WiFi in their builds? I know there are motherboards out there with integrated WiFi chips/antennae, but are they any good? Again, I could just stick this in the back of my computer but I really don't want a bunch of crap sticking out the back. Is there another TV Tuner solution that would free up the expansion slot for a WiFi card?
Keyboard - Logitech DiNovo Mini - link - $90? (ebay)
As with the WiFi adapter, I will likely mount the Bluetooth receiver inside the case.
USB Header Wires - StarTech USB A Female to USB Motherboard 4 Pin Header - link - $6 x 2 = $12
As described above, I would use these to mount the WiFi and Bluetooth adapters internally. Will this work?
Total Price - ~$650
Any advice would be really appreciated. I have had a lot of fun figuring this stuff out, but - this being my first build - I am sure I have made mistakes and overlooked some aspects.
Thanks!!
Case/PSU - Antek ISK 300-150 - link - $80
I chose this case mainly because I am looking for a very compact, neat solution (a la the Zino). It appears to accommodate two 2.5" hard drives, a slim ODD, and a half-height expansion card. Will the included 150W PSU be enough to power this build?
Processor - Intel Core i3-540 3.06GHz Dual-Core - link - $105
This looks like the cheapest i3 processor right now. Will this allow smooth playback of blu-rays, HDTV in WMC, HD Flash content, etc? And am I correct in understanding I won't need a separate graphics card?
Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-H55N-USB3 - link - $105
Most people seem to recommend Gigabyte motherboards, and this looks like the only mini ITX i3-compatible Gigabyte motherboard on Newegg. Are there other motherboards I should look at, or does this one have any missing features I should be conscious of?
Hard Drive
I have a spare 100GB 7200rpm laptop hard drive at home that I will use. Should I consider buying a 32GB SSD for OS/programs, which would fit in the other of the two 2.5" drive bays in the case I selected, or is it not really worth it for my needs?
RAM - CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM 1333 - link - $54
Not sure how good of a value this is, but I guess you can't go wrong with Corsair.
Optical Drive - Sony Optiarc Slim 4X BD-ROM - link - $152
Looks like this is the only slim Blu-Ray drive on Newegg. Are there any other models out there to consider?
TV Tuner - Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1250 - link - $50
This thing can definitely get HD ClearQAM channels, right? And how do most people handle the tuner in their setup? I could go with a USB solution but I really don't want a bunch of crap dangling out of the back of my system.
WiFi - TP-LINK TL-WN727N IEEE 802.11b/g/n - link - $14
Any USB WiFi adapter would do. I will likely figure out a way to mount this inside the case by connecting to the USB headers on the mobo. How do most people take care of WiFi in their builds? I know there are motherboards out there with integrated WiFi chips/antennae, but are they any good? Again, I could just stick this in the back of my computer but I really don't want a bunch of crap sticking out the back. Is there another TV Tuner solution that would free up the expansion slot for a WiFi card?
Keyboard - Logitech DiNovo Mini - link - $90? (ebay)
As with the WiFi adapter, I will likely mount the Bluetooth receiver inside the case.
USB Header Wires - StarTech USB A Female to USB Motherboard 4 Pin Header - link - $6 x 2 = $12
As described above, I would use these to mount the WiFi and Bluetooth adapters internally. Will this work?
Total Price - ~$650
Any advice would be really appreciated. I have had a lot of fun figuring this stuff out, but - this being my first build - I am sure I have made mistakes and overlooked some aspects.
Thanks!!