HTPC Build (£211)

geordiejc · 19 Nov 2015 at 15:08

Hey all, i thought i'd share my HTPC

My PSU arrives tomorrow to complete the build.

If i were to build again i'd try and source a case which has less depth as it does hang over the satelite box mounts underneath and as i havent fitted an optical drive its wasted space.

I would consider sending the case back to the place i bought it from if i could find a case which was smaller. - suggestions welcome.

spec:

Intel Pentium G3258 (will be overclocked)
Gigabyte Gigabyte GA-H81M-H
1 x 4GB Hyperx Fury Ram
120GB Sandisk SSD
Silverstone ML03 case.

geordiejc · 19 Nov 2015 at 18:09

ha!

yeah its a bit funny looking but does its job ans saves me £850 a year in sky/tv bills

can you get raspberry pi2's with windows on that can do what this HTPC can do ?

geordiejc · 20 Nov 2015 at 00:23

i've decided to use the ML05 case and buy a mini ITX baord this will reduce the 'depth' by 10cm

new m/b , case and PSU arrives sat!

it was TOO big, and an eye sore

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tnfs_3DjJM8

geordiejc · 20 Nov 2015 at 14:30

I'll be looking to get a 3.8 - 4ghz overclock on the stoc cooler. web browsing and 1080p file playback shouldn't cause the CPU to go over 50 degree's with that workload @ 4ghz.

I did consider getting the Noctua NH-L9i for the CPU as it's low profile however it would be surplus to requirements temp wise. Sure Prime95 during stress testing might get it to 80- 90 degrees but that's a totally unrealistic workload for what it will be used for.

The CPU is overkill for what i need. Essentially an AMD 5350 APU would have done the job fine and dandy but the G3258 will last a lot longer due to single thread performance. It cost me £45 extra to have the intel build

geordiejc · 20 Nov 2015 at 15:24

How much though ?

geordiejc · 23 Nov 2015 at 03:14

No i havent put a TV card in this build.

I went for the Milo ML05 - its a great case!
** Any image wider than 1280 pixels should be linked or placed in spoiler tags **

geordiejc · 27 Nov 2015 at 00:30

stree said:
You honestly could not find a smaller case? Really? Just look at that motherboard in there......Like a suitcase in the Albert Hall.
and the mounting on the wall? Why? It is ugly, and must be a real distraction when watching that screen.
As others have said, that Pentium K chip is overkill, and AMD 5350 or even 5150 would be ample, run cooler and either of those in a smaller case would Vesa mount behind the screen.
And the pentium lasting longer? Due to single core? Pardon? Where did you read that? I have one of each of the CPUs mentioned and all are 2 core.
As for overclocking the 3258K... Why? so you can watch telly faster?
I suggest a rethink from the ground up, ask for advice here and you will end up with a great box that will meet all your needs and chances are it would have the aesthetics wand waved over it as well...
Sorry, but I find the whole approach wrong and the look of it appalling.
The floor lamp is OK though.

Stree,

The wall mount underneath the TV was where my satelite box (Sky) USED to live, now the revised build does. It is not distracting as its on par with a sky box in terms of size.

Look at post #11 for an update, i found a smaller case (Silverstone ML05)

There is no room behind a the TV to vesa mount the HTPC, the TV is flush against the wall ? are you meaning for it to sit inside the wall ???

For single core/threaded applications the intel @ 4Ghz will outperform an amd 5350 and it will really snappy for web browsing in years to come whilst overclocking it to 4ghz is free performance especially on the stoc hsf. The g3258 can playback 4k content whereas the 5350 cannot according to this article ; http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/amd-athlon-5350-apu-and-am1-platform-review,16.html & http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/pentium_20th_anniversary_series_g3258_processor_review,15.html Therefore it will have a longer lifespan in terms of its viable usage as more 4k content rears its head.

And AMD 5350 is 30W TDP less than the intel, We turn it off when we dont use it for TV as the SSD can boot up in a matter of seconds. Additonally as the G3258 is capable of 4k there is no requirement for a dedicated GPU, whereas the AMD would need one.
The whole system cost £41 more than the AMD 5350 / AM1 m/b build and offset the cost of a £20 dedicated GPU.

untwist your knickers and go grab a snickers you DIVA

geordiejc · 27 Nov 2015 at 13:49

lude1962 said:
... the 4K resolution Elysium trailer, here we have an MP4 H.264 file and you can see that the CPU load peaks to 68%... new cooler time

but we look at the hardware used for the pentium test

Graphics Cards
GeForce GTX 780 Ti

as prev stated the pentium doesnt support 4k output
from intel
Max Resolution (HDMI 1.4)‡ 1920x1080@60Hz
Max Resolution (DP)‡ 2560x1600@60Hz
Max Resolution (eDP - Integrated Flat Panel)‡ 2560x1600@60Hz
Max Resolution (VGA)‡ 1920x1200@60Hz

so the pentium can software decode 4k but not output it without another graphics card

so why exactly do you have to run windows ?
I see a hole in the wall for the cables, where are the satellite cables coming from?

I didnt think of that, good shout.

The cables are coming from outside where the satellite dish is which is now redundant.

I have a windows 7/ free upgrade to 10 key which microsoft happily transfered from my broken laptop to the htpc - i thought that was really good of them as it was an OEM tied to my laptops m/b

geordiejc · 27 Nov 2015 at 13:55

stree said:
If it is a stud wall then not too hard to make an aperture for the box. If a solid wall then not worth it. Also see point made by Jude.
How will you cool the CPU at 4k? I doubt a small ITX enclosure can take a cooler to do the job. Plus the graphic card you will need to output 4k, which incidentally will mean a heftier PSU to cope. All adding up to power draw and heat which must be taken into account.
Throw it to the folk on here to do a theoretical build for you within a budget, you may be surprised ( pleasantly) at the outcome.

It's a stud wall but i'm happy with the htpc sitting where it is.

I'm using the stoc cooler, using a synthetic stress (prime95 v26.6) a 1hr run tops out @ 71 degrees which isnt too shabby for a stoc cooler and a mini atx case - real world the CPU useage won't come close to it.

I've already built the PC it's up and running. The only thing i need to source at a later date is a low profile GPU to resolve the 4k issue - i welcome any suggestions ? I have main rig of a 4770k @ 4.4ghz , 980 ti and 4k Gsync monitor so i'm not looking to game on the HTPC , however i'm now considering if i could have any other uses for it, again open to suggestions. i've read a little about SABnzbd and Sickbeard as i use newsgroups, it would be nice if this could be set up in such a way that it could download legitimate stuff whilst i'm at work...i have skygo, kodi and other software already installed.