1st Time HTPC Build

[riskyfrisky]

Hello folks,

I'm really keen on the idea of building an HTPC for the purpose of recording TV shows through a standard freeview signal, however, i don't have any clue as to what hardware will best suit my needs.

The OS is taken care of (Windows 7) but the rest of the components are a mystery.

The case needs to be as small as I can get away with, and I would prefer a remote control too. Other than that, a standard mechanical HDD i think would be best rather than an SSD due to capacity; a decent freeview tuner card and a dvd drive.

I would like the HTPC to connect to my 1080p TV too so would i need a discrete GPU rather than an integrated solution?

I look forward to your opions - cheers!

 

[riskyfrisky]

Superb; the advice on this forum is top notch, thanks chaps!

To be honest the idea of this HTPC build only came to me the other day, so right now i'm just taking all the advice in and looking to see what my options are. There is no specific budget but I am certain that I won't be going for an i7 because I already have a gaming rig (not an i7, but it does the job at the mo and I did get advice recently on upgrading it, which I will be doing).

Getting to the specifics - now that i've put more thought into it - i'm not sure if i need a discrete GPU. I already have a blu-ray player in my PS3 but it gets used so much that it may be a good idea to include a blu-ray drive in the HTPC. Would a Llano IGP have enough grunt for blu-ray purposes? There won't be any games played on it, so if I can manage with an IGP based solution I will.

I'm looking into your case suggestions now - thanks again.

 

[riskyfrisky]

For the case I HIGHLY recommend the OrigenAE M10 (see my review on product page). For the CPU, it depends on your budget... I'm currently building a HTPC using an i7-3770S 3.1GHz (3.9 turbo) 65W. 8GB RAM, low profile Radeon 6670 GPU & slot loading Blu-ray ODD. This will be a killer little rig, however, an i3 or i5 and 4GB RAM is also fine for a media PC.

Get the best GPU you can afford though. You really need this IMHO, as it will make a BIG difference when playing back 1080p in MPC (Media Player Classic) for example and you start adding shaders etc. Also helps with Blu-ray hardware acceleration etc. Not to mention gaming.

I can see why you would recommend the Origen case, it is a beautiful HTPC case, though the price did make my eyes water. That's my first choice for the case anyway. The plan is to get a Socket FM1 board in there with a Llano chip, along with a freeview tuner and 4 gigs of ram.

Are any of the FM1 boards known to be too large for the Origen case? Looking at some of them and they do look like a tight squeeze to be honest.

 

[riskyfrisky]

Any Mini-ITX mobo will fit. The trick is in the cable management. I use micro SATA cables, which are so thin, they can easily be routed beneath the mobo. If you go for the Origen, get yourself a Zalman Fanmate II or similar, as the 60mm intake fan is noisy at full speed. Oh... Silverstone or Intel coolers only; I have found nothing else fits in this case (if you are using a dedicated GPU).

I'd have to replace the fan to be honest, i really do not want a fanmate (got one on my gaming rig, but i prefer automatic fan control).

Exploring another avenue, i've got my old Phenom II X3 720 gathering dust, I could well use that in something like the Lian Li PC C33. I know it's much bigger than i would have liked but my TV would fit on top, so it's an option.

If i do go for the Origen case, you've pretty much sorted the build for me though!

 

[riskyfrisky]

Well, i've had a change of heart chaps, i've decided to go for the Lian Li option. I already have the X3 Phenom II, a gigabyte mobo, memory and several desktop hard drives that are all currently in a midi tower case running Windows XP and it never gets used.

In an ideal world i'd have the Origen because it is a cut above, but this way all i need is the TV tuner, a wireless keyboard with touchpad and the Lian Li case to wrap it all in. It will sit below my TV nicely and will hopefully not look too bulky; that's my only concern.

It's not set in stone yet though so plenty of time to make a final decision.