HTPC Build

TheWanderer1984

TheWanderer1984

TheWanderer1984

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Joined
4 Nov 2004
Posts
152
Location
Manchester
I am planning to build a htpc build and i was wondering if i could add any bits and pieces to my spec to either improve performance or save some cash. ill be using it connected to my hdtv (1080p) for films and a bit of gaming. Should i wait until the new nvidia card D9E? comes along or just stick with the 8800gtx?

Zalman CNPS9500-LED CPU Cooler (Socket 478/754/939/940/LGA775) £26.99
(£31.71) £26.99
(£31.71)
Samsung SH-S203D 20x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.99
(£17.61) £14.99
(£17.61)
Samsung SpinPoint T 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (HD501LJ) £58.99
(£69.31) £117.98
(£138.62)
OcUK GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - OEM £229.99
(£270.24) £229.99
(£270.24)
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-8500C5 1066MHz Dual Channel Kit (BL2KIT12864AA1065) £54.99
(£64.61) £109.98
(£129.22)
Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - OEM £136.99
(£160.96) £136.99
(£160.96)
Asus P5E Intel X38 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £119.99
(£140.99) £119.99
(£140.99)
Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 64-Bit Edition DVD - OEM - 1Pk (66R-00838) £101.99
(£119.84) £101.99
(£119.84)
Zalman ZM600-HP Heatpipe Cooled 600W Modular PSU £69.99
(£82.24) £69.99
(£82.24)
Belkin F5D7001UK 125Mbps Wireless Desktop PCI Network Adapter £18.99
(£22.31) £18.99
(£22.31)
Sub Total : £947.88
Total : £1,125.45

It will be put in a black zalman HD160+ case.

Many Thanks

Liam
 
With regards to the graphics card I'd get an 8800GT instead of the GTX as it's only somethin like 10% slower but it's a lot cheaper. And I sense that RAM might be overkill (in terms of speed) as you'll only reach those speeds if you're overclocking it to the extremes, 800Mhz should be enough.

Not too sure about the X38 motherboards either. I've not really heard uch about them, although it might be better to just get a P35-based motherboard as I've heard intel are going to be bringing out a new socket by the end of next year (and hence brand new chipset) so the X38 might not be that good in terms of future proofing
 
Samsung SpinPoint T 500GB

I would buy an hitachi instead of the samsung.
I know most people say the samsungs are quiet
But i have tried both drives in my HTPC and the Hitachi is quieter after you use the acoustic management.When i used the acoustic management
software with the samsung,it never really made the drive any quieter...
 
points to consider:


* i dont see a case mentioned
* do you REALLY need an x38 in a htpc? i thought i was taking the pee with an ip35, but at least i have crap loads of connectivity options. ask yourself what you really need in that htpc
* quad core. in a htpc. do you really need it? i dont think i could realistically get a quad in my htpc case without raising the noise levels. i like it quiet, as a htpc should be.
* vista ultimate. >OEM<. you know the pitfalls of oem, right? id change that to a retail version of home or something.
 
questforquiet said:
Samsung SpinPoint T 500GB

I would buy an hitachi instead of the samsung.
I know most people say the samsungs are quiet
But i have tried both drives in my HTPC and the Hitachi is quieter after you use the acoustic management.When i used the acoustic management
software with the samsung,it never really made the drive any quieter...
Click to expand...

Having owned and worked with pretty much every make of drives you could think of I'd say at this point in time there just isn't a quieter drive than a Samsung Spinpoint without degrading performance and reliability.

They're rock solid, and damn quiet. You simply cannot hear them unless you stick your ear to your PC or you are using a poorly constructed case that only adds to the noise.
 
I'd agree with using the Samsung hard drive, but don't buy vista home as it doesn't have the media center function. Premium is ideal. Only bother with Ultimate if you need remote desktop. Get a media center remote too. Without that and a tv card it's not an HTPC, just a pc connected to your telly!

As for it being overkill........that's your choice. Regardless of whether it's an htpc or a gaming machine, I think it's always best to get the best hardware you can afford. That way it will last longer and performance won't be a disapointment. ;)

Oh and get the 8800GT, then use the money saved on that to buy a decent tv card.
 
Overkill for a HTPC, I've been "perfecting" my HTPC build for years and the spec below will run any h.264 and x.264 1080p file without a dropped frame.

Quad Core Q6600
Asus P4E-VM HDMI (New G35 chipset, onboard HDMI is great)
4 x 1GB Geil LL PC6400
Pioneer IDE drive 112 much quieter than the Samsung Sata drive I also have.
Hard drives of your choice.

Just use CoreAVC codec with the front end of your choice (I use MPC some use KMplayer).
It also runs completely silent, I undervolt the CPU which is like 1.04 volts so it stays cool, I use a Tuniq tower with a Scythe Karma PWM fan.

As for the grfx card if you dont intend to use a HD-DVD or Blueray drive I wouldnt actually bother, you dont need one.
If you do want one, as you say you will be gaming a bit then I personally recommend you go a silent ATI route, these will carry your audio over HDMI if you dont intend to use a seperate Av amp etc, I also found the ATI drivers much better for HTPC use due to great scaling options and overall colour control.Obviously wont be so good for gaming though so it really depends on exactly how much you think you will do.

Its all in my opinion of course :)

Sean
 
Thanks for all your comments, i dont think i made my post as clear as i meant it to be, basically its going to be my main pc but due to space restrictions im just going to connect it to my tv. I choose the 8800gtx for gaming really, ive not been upto speed with tech lately but i know how taxing the newer games like crysis etc are... i meant to add a tv card - Compro VideoMate DVB-E700 Digital TV Internal PCI-E - Retail, is that any good? Also a remote comes with the case + drivers etc.

Dont need blueray/hddvd as i have a ps3, basically i want a pc that can be high performace when it needs to eg gaming and tame when watching tv etc.

Thanks
 
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