HTPC and General PC - Spec Check

chris_super1 · 23 May 2009 at 20:21

Hi all,

New to the forums, but can see theres a lot of knowledge here. Been spec'ing a couple of new self builds this last couple of weeks, and come up with the following.

The aim is to have a new "main" PC and a HTPC that will stream content from the main PC. So, the HTPC needs just to be a good streamer and the main PC being good for general use, a spot of video/photo work etc. No games really. Would be interested in dabbling with overclocking the main PC.

What do you think?

Main PC

CoolerMaster Elite 333 Black Case With CM eXtreme Power 460W PSU

Samsung SpinPoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB Hard Drive SATAII *32MB Cache* - OEM

Crucial 4GB (2X2GB) DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6400 Ballistix Memory

AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition, Deneb, S AM2+, 3.0GHz, 8MB Total Cache, HT 2000MHz, 125W, Retail

Biostar TA790GX XE, AMD 790GX, AM2+, PCI-E 2.0 (x16), DDR2 1066/800/667, SATA 3GB/s, SATA RAID, uATX

Need to add in a DVD/CD drive, but will be using a keyboard, mouse and screen I already have. The aim was to get this build for £400 or less.

HTPC

Biostar TA790GX XE, AMD 790GX, AM2+, PCI-E 2.0 (x16), DDR2 1066/800/667, SATA 3GB/s, SATA RAID, uATX

5050e CPU

Crucial 4GB (2X2GB) DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6400 Ballistix Memory

Antec NSK 2480 MATX Desktop Case Black & Silver - With 380W EarthWatts PSU

Samsung SpinPoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB Hard Drive SATAII *32MB Cache* - OEM

LG Electronics Blu-Ray & HD-DVD-Rom Combo 16x DVDRW Black SATA - Retail Box With Software

KeySonic 2.4Ghz Wireless HTPC Compact Keyboard with Integrated TouchPad - USB

Cyberlink Media Center Remote Control - With Mini USB IR Receiver

Some optical connector gizmo for the motherboard.

Again, aim was to keep around £400.

Both systems are about the £400 mark, which I am fairly happy with.

Look forward to your thoughts.

chris_super1 · 23 May 2009 at 21:55

After some more reading, thinking of swapping the memory to Kingston HyperX 4GB for each machine?

fobose · 23 May 2009 at 22:04

If you will be streaming from your main PC, do you need a 1TB drive in the HTPC? I use a 250GB drive I had spare for my HTPC as I also stream everything from my main PC.

chris_super1 · 23 May 2009 at 22:06

fobose said:
If you will be streaming from your main PC, do you need a 1TB drive in the HTPC? I use a 250GB drive I had spare for my HTPC as I also stream everything from my main PC.

No, I dont need 1TB in the HTPC, but the price seemed good and the drive seems well liked? Is there a better alternative that will save a few quid?

How does the rest of the stuff look, its driving me crazy comparing everthing!

chris_super1 · 24 May 2009 at 08:09

no one want to give any thoughts?

fobose · 24 May 2009 at 09:58

I dont really know anything about AMD, I haven't had an AMD system since the Tbird with a via chipset.

However, when I was looking in to a HTPC build, I started with an AMD spec of my own, consisting of a NSK 2480, 5050e, cheap corsair 2x2GB, and between an asus or gigabyte 780G motherboard.

I wasn't entirely confident with my selection so I went with an Intel build in the end.

chris_super1 · 24 May 2009 at 10:30

What build did you go for in the end with the Intel stuff?

I originally was thinking Intel based, but then the majority appear to recommend the AMD 5050e route.

What are your thoughts on the main PC build? Would you also suggest a Intel based equivalent?

Cost is a big factor. I have managed to price this all up for £800 for the two bits of kit. I really cannot go above that figure.

fobose · 24 May 2009 at 12:06

I ended up going with:

Antec NSK 2480
Sony DVDRW (cheapest drive I could find)
Intel e5200
Scythe mini ninja cooler (run passively)
Asus P5Q-EM
2x2GB Corsair PC2 6400 (cheapest I could find)

That lot cost me around £300. I already had a 250GB hard drive drive spare which I knew was pretty quiet so I just used that.

I cant really comment on your main build. I think the phenom II's are meant to be pretty good, but I dont follow which mobo's are best for AMD, or whats the best bang for buck on the cpu.

chris_super1 · 24 May 2009 at 12:11

Thanks. Before looking at the AMD, this is pretty much what I was looking at. Comes out about £15 more than the AMD. Really cannot decide between these now!

Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 2.5GHz Socket 775 800FSB 2MB Cache Retail Boxed Processor

LG Electronics Blu-Ray & HD-DVD-Rom Combo 16x DVDRW Black SATA - Retail Box With Software

KeySonic 2.4Ghz Wireless HTPC Compact Keyboard with Integrated TouchPad

Samsung SpinPoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB Hard Drive SATAII *32MB Cache* - OEM

Crucial 4GB (2X2GB) DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6400 Ballistix Memory

Asus P5N7A-VM GeForce 9300 Socket 775 onboard VGA DVI HDMI Display Port 8 channel audio mATX Motherboard

Antec NSK 2480 MATX Desktop Case Black & Silver - With 380W EarthWatts PSU

Cyberlink Media Center Remote Control - With Mini USB IR Receiver