HTPC build any good?

jaminben · 2 Jul 2011 at 13:27

Hello,

It's been a very long time since I built a pc and I'm looking for some advice on a possible HTPC build.

The main things it needs to do:

1. Be as silent as possible (if not silent).
2. Play 1080p content flawlessly (ripped Blu-Rays etc).
3. Quick at boot times (from standby and cold) and loading my HTPC software.
4. Be reasonably cheap (no more than £350 or there abouts).

Here's what I've come up with so far:

Asus AMD E35M1-M PRO Hudson M1 Integrated Dual Core Zacate 18W APU SATA-600 DDR3 mATX (Fusion) [E35M1-M PRO]

Corsair XMS3 4GB (1x4GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Single-Channel Module [CMX4GX3M1A1333C9]

OCZ Agility 3 60GB 2.5" SATA-3 Solid State Hard Drive (AGT3-25SAT3-60G) [AGT3-25SAT3-60G]

Silverstone SST-SG06B Sugo - Black (with 300 W PSU)

Not sure if I've got the right memory for this but the mobo spec's say single channel so thats what I've gone for and I already have an OS. It wouldn't be used to play games but would be used to surf the web, check emails and watch iPlayer / online content.

Thoughts?

Cheers

Ben

jaminben · 2 Jul 2011 at 13:56

Thanks for the quick reply

How will the cheaper ram affect the overall performance? Will it be noticeable?

Nicely spotted on the case.... that would've been a big mess. I'll stick with the Asus mobo as its fanless (well I think it can run fanless). Can you recommend a case which comes supplied with a PSU or is it better to buy a seperate case and PSU (for quietness).

Cheers

Ben

jaminben · 2 Jul 2011 at 14:41

Not really fussed about how the case looks but it needs to be no bigger than lets say an Amp.... if that makes sense. Basically it needs to fit into my cabinet so the smaller the better.

I can't seem to find a picopsu on Overclockers or is pico short for something?

Cheers

Ben

EDIT

Ok, I found the pico psu's..... intersting idea

jaminben · 2 Jul 2011 at 15:04

I did actually try and spec out an llano before I started this thread but the cheapest I could get one setup for was around £500..... I don't think the SSD I added helped tho.

Cheers

Ben

jaminben · 3 Jul 2011 at 13:02

Thanks for all the help guys

I'm more confused than ever but I think I'm probably going to get an llano and go over budget. I need to think more about what I need and how much I'm prepared to pay for it.

Cheers

Ben

jaminben · 4 Jul 2011 at 12:32

Ok, so I'm still trying to work out what to do, how about this...

Asus E35M1-M, AMD Hudson M1, AMD E-350 Dual-Core CPU, PCI-E 2.0 (x16), DDR3 1066, SATA 6Gb/s, mATX
Silverstone Milo ML03B Micro ATX, Black, Slim/HTPC Case with USB3 w/o PSU (ATX)
60GB OCZ Solid 3 SSD, 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s, SandForce 2281, Read 500MB/s, Write 450MB/s, 20K IOPS
4GB (2x2GB) Corsair DDR3 XMS3 Classic, PC3-10666 (1333), Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 9-9-9-24, 1.50V
400W PSU, FSP Zen PPA4000800, 89% Eff', 80 PLUS, Fanless, ATX v2.2

Total inc. delivery: £378.00

Does it look ok?
I'd like to try a pico psu but really unsure how they work and if they supply power to HDD's and external fans as well as the mobo so went with a fanless psu instead which I can use in my desktop once I understand the pico's.

Cheers

Ben

EDIT

I've found this case which includes a 120w PSU.... would this be ok?

Silverstone LC19B-R Black Slim Aluminum MicroATX Case with 120W Fanless PSU & Card Reader

Using this brings my cost down to £347.79 inc. delivery.

jaminben · 8 Jul 2011 at 19:46

Well I bit the bullet and went for the below in the end:

Case - Antec ISK-100, Black/Silver, Mini-i
Mobo - E35M1-I DELUXE MITX DDR3 HDMI DVI SATA 6GB/S GLN
HDD - 60GB OCZ Solid 3 SSD, 2.5" SATA 6Gb
Mem - Corsair XMS3 4GB (1x4GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz

My overall Windows Performance Index is 3.9 with the processor being the lowest performing part. I'm surprised my SSD only scores 5.9 seeing as its supposed to be 6GBs and my desktop SSD which is only 3GBs scores 7.3.

To be honest I'm not all that impressed with the overall performance of the setup.... for some reason I thought it would be better but it does play all my HD content so I guess I shouldn't be too disheartened.

I'd be interested too see what other people score with a similar setup, if anyone knows of any results... my google skills seem to be lacking today as I can't find anything.

Cheers

Ben