Building a HTPC/ gaming system

minimaniac

minimaniac

minimaniac

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4 Feb 2011
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7
Hello All,

I am looking to fully embrace the digital age. I was considering a gaming PC however I have given it more thought. I would like a nice looking HTPC to sit under my TV that will allow me to:

-Play my extensive HD movie collection
-Play my extensive itunes collection
-General Pc use (web, excel, Word)
-Run emulators for the following seemlessly (saturn/n64/gamecube etc)
-Be able to play modern Pc games (crysis 2 for example)- however I am not a serious PC gamer. So this will be a rarity.
-Be somewhat "future proof" in terms of the PC industry, i know as soon as its built its out of date. However it should "do" for a couple of years.

Here is what I have come up with:

Computer Case Zalman HD503 (ATX)
CPU AMD Phenom II X4 980 (4 x 3.7 GHz) AM3 8MB - Black Edition
CPU Heatsink standard
Memory Corsair 8GB XMS3 PC3-10666 1333MHz (2x4GB) - Lifetime Warranty (DDR3)
Graphics Card ATI Radeon HD 6450 - 1 GB - (Sapphire) - Silent (PCI-E)
Motherboard Asus M4A78LT-M (AMD 760G)
Networking Wireless LAN 54Mbps (PCI)
Power Supply 530W Be Quiet Straight Power - Ultra Low Noise
Hard Drive #1 500 GB SATA-II Samsung (HD502HJ) Spinpoint F3 - Low Noise
Optical Drive #1 LG (BH10LS30) 10x Blu-Ray Re-Writer/Reader & 16x Dual Layer DVD +/-RW Writer - Black (SATA)

Can anyone see any major issues with the above? I have it priced up at the £600 mark IFI build it myself.

I have gone with AMD for costing reasons.

As for HDD capacity- I have all my media on External HDD's so that wont be an issue.

I am a novice- I have installed the odd graphics card etc over the years but never built a PC. So two major questions:

1- Will that graphics card support sound through the HDMI cable directly to my TV? I want it plug and play ideally.
2- If i buy the above is it simply a case of putting it together and installing an OS or have i missed anything glaringly obvious (apart from a keyboard and mouse! :) )?

All info and feedback appreciated.

Thanks

Richard
 
The PC you've specced seems quite reasonable. However if you are considering recording TV or if there are other people who are using the media PC, think about whether combining the media and gaming roles is a good idea.

You don't want to be recording HD tv whilst playing a game. Obviously if you are playing a game or doing general office use, it's tricky for someone else to use the media function at the same time (can be done with multiple displays but I don't recommend it).

Personally, I have a low powered PC for my HTPC. It's specced to be quiet and to always be available for media. I also have my gaming PC which is specced to be quick (read not very quiet). You can combine the roles but it's a compromise.

Ian A.
 
I would go with the Phenom 955 for the CPU, the 980 is a bit of a rip off when they are just the same CPUs but clocked a bit higher. The GPU should put sound through the HDMI. (At least I hope so as that is what I am planning on doing when I get around to building my PC, all components are under my bed, got delivered this morning :D )
The GPU is a bit underpowered for gaming though. Actually it is very underpowered. I would recommend this at the lowest. Stulid will be along shortly though to properly sort you out.
 
DO NOT use the standard cooler on the Phenom II X4's, especially if you plan on using it as a HTPC. when the processor is running hard (eg, when its encoding videos) it will be unbelievably loud. the standard cooler on my Phenom II X4 955 could be heard from every room in the house. since getting my new cooler my dad has commented on how much quieter my PC is, and he is normally in a different room to me

also, go for the X4 955. the only difference between that and the 980 is one setting in the BIOS, which takes about 30 seconds to change (i've just been too lazy to do it on my own computer since ive got my new cooler)
 
Yes that graphics card will do audio over HDMI to your TV but don't expect to be playing any games smoothly on it.

You do not need 8GB of RAM for gaming or for playing back HD video. Drop it to 4GB, get the Phenom II 955 BE and put the money towards a better graphics card or a larger HDD (500GB doesn't last very long with HD filmsetc). I know you said it its mostly stored on external drives but for ease of access and tidiness I opted to store mine on a a single 2TB internal drive with backups on externals. Your not going to be able to get a passive card capable of gaming either. As a minimum I'd recommend something like a 768MB GTX460/5770/5830/5850 etc depending on budget.

Not really a future proof system as the AM3 socket will soon be end of line once Bulldozer is released but you would be able to pop in a Phenom II X6 at a later date.

As someone mentioned above it's not always a good idea to have a system working as both a HTPC and gaming system. It's massively overkill for playing back video etc and just about cutting it as a gaming system (once you have a decent dedicated graphics card).

Given that your on a budget, is that case really a wise choice? Yeah it looks pretty sweet but its a huge chunk out of your total budget. If you still want to be gaming, consider a standard midi case and up the budget for a better graphics card/larger HDD/freeview HD tuner card for example. I guess it depends on what your focus is but remember it's not exactly a subtle case either measuring in at 450 x 170 x 455 (WxHxD mm). Just my thoughts.

edit

How about something along the lines of the following as a starting point.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5850 Extreme 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card **OcUK Exclusive** £116.99
1 x AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition "125W Edition" 3.20GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £89.99
1 x LG BH10LS30 10x BluRay-RW / 16 x DVD±RW Drive - Black (Retail) £81.98
1 x Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H AMD 880G (Socket AM3) microATX DDR3 Motherboard £59.99
1 x Antec High Current Gamer 620W Power Supply £49.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/4GX) £34.99
Total : £445.93 (includes shipping : £10.00).

Blu-Ray burners aren't cheap either. Not spec'd a case as OcUK don't have a great range of media style case and its down to personal preference/remaining budget.
 
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So I have had a rethink with the feedback you guys have given. Thanks by the way!

Here is what I have come up with. Further refinement needed, you tell me!:)

Computer Case Zalman HD503 (ATX) £149.94
CPU AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition 125W C3 (Socket AM3) Processor £82.79
CPU Heatsink Scythe Shuriken Rev.B Quiet Low Profile CPU Cooler 27.59
Memory 4GB Kingston HyperX Blu (2x2GB) PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit £35.99
Graphics Card MSI ATI Radeon HD 6790 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £107.99
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-US2H 760G (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard £48.26
Sound Card Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1 (PCI) £19.99
Networking Wireless LAN 54Mbps (PCI) £7.99
Power Supply 530W Be Quiet Straight Power - Ultra Low Noise £44.99
Hard Drive #1 1TB Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000524AS 3.5" SATA III Hard Drive £40.79
Optical Drive #1 LG (BH10LS30) 10x Blu-Ray Re-Writer/Reader & 16x Dual Layer DVD +/-RW Writer - Black (SATA) £69.54


That comes to £635, budget would be £650 max i would say. I would consider a different case, but they are all so ugly!

Is the above all compatible?
 
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All looks compatible. Still a couple of things, however. I'd do away with the 6790 and get either of the two below:

OcUK Value GeForce GTX 460 "Green Edition" 768MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card

Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5850 Extreme 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card

Also you don't really need a sound card, most onboard sound cards are very good these days. Particularly true if you will be sending audio over hdmi to TV speakers.

That cooler will obstruct two of the memory dimm slots, would still leave two free slots just to let you know.

The 5850 is a cracking card. Mine runs at just 30ºC at idle and never goes above 55ºC during gaming. Also its silent at idle and quiet even at full load (stock fan profile).
 
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shadow_boxer said:
All looks compatible. Still a couple of things, however. I'd do away with the 6790 and get either of the two below:

OcUK Value GeForce GTX 460 "Green Edition" 768MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card

Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5850 Extreme 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card

Also you don't really need a sound card, most onboard sound cards are very good these days. Particularly true if you will be sending audio over hdmi to TV speakers.

That cooler will obstruct two of the memory dimm slots, would still leave two free slots just to let you know.

The 5850 is a cracking card. Mine runs at just 30ºC at idle and never goes above 55ºC during gaming. Also its silent at idle and quiet even at full load (stock fan profile).
Click to expand...

Can you suggest a cooler that wont obstruct the dimm slots? How do i know what cooler will and wont obstruct the dimm slots?

I'll take your advice on the 5850 and grab it and do away with the sound card for the time being.
 
max length for the graphics cards in that case is 260mm. the only short graphics card that comes to mind are some of the GTX560 Ti's, which are ~£175

you would have to remove all the HDD drives to fit any sensibly priced graphics card in there

i would recommend looking for a different case :(

*edit*
if you used a motherboard where the PCIe X16 slot was in the very top expansion slot, you might get away with a longer card, but you will need to be very careful to make sure the slot is in the right place, because some motherboards dont have anything in the top slot, making it look like the PCIe X16 is in the top slot when it really isnt

as for coolers, it looks like the all in 1 watercoolers probably wont fit (because it will hit the motherboard in the only 120mm fan slot). you will need something below 125mm
 
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Thanks Guys.

Another revision-

Any issues of compatibility?

Computer Case Zalman HD503 (ATX) £149.94
CPU AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition 125W C3 (Socket AM3) Processor £82.79
CPU Heatsink Antec Kuhler H20 620 CPU Cooler £49
Memory 4GB Kingston HyperX Blu (2x2GB) PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit £35.99
Graphics Card Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 5850 Extreme 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £116.99
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-US2H 760G (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard £48.26
Sound Card motherboard
Networking Wireless LAN 54Mbps (PCI) £7.99
Power Supply 530W Be Quiet Straight Power - Ultra Low Noise £44.99
Hard Drive #1 1TB Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000524AS 3.5" SATA III Hard Drive £40.79
Optical Drive #1 LG (BH10LS30) 10x Blu-Ray Re-Writer/Reader & 16x Dual Layer DVD +/-RW Writer - Black (SATA) £69.54
 
I don't get why people are STILL recommending Phenom II X4, when SandyBridge 2100 is faster than even the Phenom II X 980BE (3.7GHz) for gaming, cheaper, consume less power and generate less heat and not neccessary to pay extra for a 3rd party CPU cooler...

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/362?vs=289

And AM3 board is definitely not "future proof", as the socket is already a dead-end...the new AMD CPU need AM3+ board.

Also, the TDP 65W of the 2100 is definitely more suitable than the 125W TDP Phenom II X4 for a HTPC.
 
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