First time HTPC build. (Help)

cundogg

cundogg

cundogg

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22 Jan 2012
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Hi everyone. I am just in the process of building my first HTPC or PC for that matter. I have just ordered the following parts and was hoping to get some advice for the rest.

Antec Fusion Remote Desktop Case - Black
Intel Sandybridge i5-2500K
Crucial CT064M4SSD2 64GB M4 SSD
Asus MAXIMUS IV GENE-Z/GEN3 Motherboard
G-Skill 8GBXL Ripjaws X
Samsung SH-B123L/BSBP 12x Blu-ray Player

My main uses for this will be to watch/record TV, ripped 1080p blu rays and encode videos. I may use this to game aswell some day but not any time soon.

I plan on buying a BGT3600 freesat/freeview hd quad tuner, and will eventually put a 2TB hard drive in there but the ssd drive will have to suffice for now. I was wondering if I should buy a dedicated graphics card or would the integrated graphics in the sandybridge processor be enough for freeview freesat recording and watching ripped blu ray films. I was also wondering what psu would be a good to power this particular build and what wifi dongle/card would you recommend. Also, would the stock cooler of the sandybridge i5 be enough. Please feel free to point out any other parts i may need aswell. Any advice on this would be much appreciated.
 
posted in your other thread but will repost here:

Have you ordered a PSU aswell or so have a spare one lying around?
Nice choice on case, I have one myself.

Couple of things to consider:

Storage

You will need another type of storage in the case or on your network.
If you want to store any type of HD material you will need space.

Blu ray movies tend to take between 19-35GB of space each. (before compression)

Also most freesat/tuner cards require windows to run, which will take up around 15GB of space aswell.

Graphics cards

The HD3000 graphics chip in the i5 will do for playing low end games and medium/low settings but can't play blu ray movies rated @ 23.976 fps. Instead it plays them @ 24fps so you will get to points where it has to sync the video and audio together. This isn't alway noticeble but a dedicated graphics card will sort that problem.

If down the line you want to game on this HTPC then a decent card will bee needed. for now I would look @ a GT430 / GT520 / HD6450 just for your video needs.
 
thanks for the reply. i was going to buy a corsair 500watt psu on amazon for £45. Do you think thats a bit of an overkill or could you recommend an alternative? i was also planning to just use my external 750gb drive at the minute due to running out of money but will definitely purchase an internal later on. I was just going to let windows run on the ssd solely until i get an internal. All my films are on the external drive. What graphics card do you think is the best that you mentioned
 
If you want to upgrade your graphics card later on then you will something around that power.

Corsair make decent PSUs. Only thing you will contend with in smaller cases are unwanted cables. This is where modular PSUs come in handy.

Eg: have a look @ al4x's htpc build here.

You can see he struggled with the unwanted cables.
The only issue with modular PSUs is that they are slightly longer than non modular.
non modular tend to be 140mm, modular 150mm +.
So have a look at the Antec (i can when i get home if you like) and see how much space you have.

The GT430W has the most grunt out of the graphics cards above so if you want to run low end games go for that. if you just want video processing you grab a silent GT520 which would work perfectly.
 
if you could check when you get home would be great. mine doesn't get here til tomorrow. i think i will go for the gt520. as you said yourself if i ever decide to game i can just get a better card. cheers
 
just found a good modular psu on *** for same price as corsair.


i can get that one for £60 on **** but i think 650watts is too much. What do you think
 
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The OCZ ModXStream would be more than adequate.

Dimentions: 150mmX86mmx160mm (WxHxD)
So just need to check if the case can take 160mm PSUs with a 5.25" installed at the same time.

It won't fit on its side which is a shame, so it can't draw air through the side of the case.

But it would certainly suit your needs.
 
Best not to mention the rain forest place on here... especially when talking about items which OcUK sell also, or you might just find that you end up with an unwanted holiday, as it is against Forum rules! (Link)
 
Hi cundogg, sorry it took a while to get back to you. A 160mm length PSU will fit just fine.
So definitely go with a modular PSU for your own sanity!
 
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