Help building a HTPC / desktop computer please.

Asamoya

Asamoya

Asamoya

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4 Jun 2011
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11
Ok these are the parts I have chosen so far.

1x Intel Core i3-3220 3.30GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail
1x Silverstone Milo ML03 HTPC Case - Black (SST-ML03B)
1x MSI B75MA-P45 Intel B75 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard
1x Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (WD5000AAKX) HDD
1x Cooler Master Elite Power 500W Power Supply
1x Crucial Ballistix Elite 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (BLE2CP2G3D1608CE1TX0CEU)
1x MSI HD 6450 1024MB GDDR3 Low Profile PCI-Express Graphics Card
4x Akasa AK-190-SM Smoke Ultra Quiet 80mm Fan - 3 pin
4x SilverStone 80mm Fan Grille and Filter Kit

Totals to around £390.

I'm pretty sure they will all fit the case (>.<), memory is a bit tall but I think it should fit...
What I wanted to ask was regarding cables.
Would I need to buy some cables for my HDD seeing as it is OEM? Or do these normally come with the mobo?

Any glaring incompatibilities anyone can see?

Thanks guys ^^
 
Sata cables come with the mobo.

That PSU isn't great to be honest, isn't even bronze rated for efficiency. In small cases modular PSUs are a great help for airflow (temps)

YOUR BASKET
1 x AMD A8-5600K Black Edition 3.60GHz (Socket FM2) APU Trinity Quad Core Processor (AD560KWOHJBOX) £83.99
1 x Gigabyte F2A85XM-D3H AMD A85X Chipset (Socket FM2) DDR3 micro ATX Motherboard £61.99
1 x Silverstone Milo ML03 HTPC Case - Black (SST-ML03B) £56.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) HDD £49.99
1 x Adata XPG Xtreme v1.0 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C10 2133MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (AX3U2133XC4G10-2X) £44.99
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430w Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020058-UK) £39.98
Total : £351.43 (includes shipping : £11.25).



Trinity has a good IGP so you don't need that feeble 6450 GPU.
 
Thanks for the posts guys.
I never really considered an AMD set up...
So the AMD build (with integrated HD 7660D in the trinity cpu) you suggested would have better performance than the i3 + 6450 I suggested? (For everyday use, iplayer, videos, dvds, (very) light gaming + windows xp).

Seagate HDDs, I really don't trust anymore >.<. I'd rather pay £5 less, lose 500 GB, and gain the 3 year warranty (+ peace of mind from Western Digital).
 
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Asamoya said:
So the AMD build (with integrated HD 7660D in the trinity cpu) you suggested would have better performance than the i3 + 6450 I suggested? (For everyday use, iplayer, videos, dvds, (very) light gaming + windows xp).
Click to expand...
Yes, AMD Trinity will be better than Intel i3 for HTPC and you'll save yourself from buying a HD 6450
 
Hmm but in all reviews the intel CPU is much better than even the 5800k...
and uses less power.
Its not really a HTPC, just that I needed a smallish desktop case that can be put under my screen. For everyday use, excel, iplayer, videos, dvds, skype, (very) light gaming + windows xp.

Ok so as it stands, everything is finalised apart from CPU/GPU/MOBO.

Aside from that one more question I have is, should I stick with XP or shell out for the 49.99 Windows 8 upgrade?
 
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have you considered the i3-3225? it has better onboard intel HD4000 graphics compared to the the rest of the i3 range. it's 18 quid more than the 3220 but it should still be cheaper than getting a 6450. i'm too lazy to know how they compare so that's something for you to look at. :p
 
 
Thanks for all the suggestions guys.
I'm probably going for the i3 solo for now.
Can always toss in a low profile GPU afterwards if it can't handle my work software.

Final two questions...

The PSU (430W) that honosuseri suggested looks really nice (modular is always good), 430W going to be enough even if I add in a GCard?

Operating System... XP or Win 7 or Win 8? I heard XP has some issues with dual core? - Wasn't quite clear from the articles I read...
Bearing in mind that I have a XP installation disk already.

Thanks
 
Asamoya said:
I heard XP has some issues with dual core? - Wasn't quite clear from the articles I read...
Click to expand...

what absolute nonsense. it's fine.

having said that, i wouldn't want to use XP now given the choice. i'm too used to windows 7 and going back to it is horrible. :p
 
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