New HTPC

gerrod · 2 Jun 2009 at 07:40

Hi all -

I'm trying to put together a HTPC and am wondering if I've chosen the best equipment for the job. I've never put a system together before so am a bit nervous about getting it wrong :-)

.

Here's what I'm looking at:

=====------------------------------
Case: Antec Fusion Remote HTPC
Power: OCZ StealthXStream 500w

Mobo: MSI M3-F
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E7400
Cooling:
+ Scythe Mini Ninja
+ Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound

HDD: 2x500GB WD Caviar, RAID 0
DVD: LG 22x DVD+/-RW

RAM: OCZ Gold 2x2GB DDR2 PC2-8500C5
Video: Asus ATI Radeon HD 4870
Sound: S/B X-Fi Xtreme
=====------------------------------

So my questions are the obvious ones:

1) Will this all fit together?

2) Any suggestions for improvements/substitutions, or any glaring omissions?

3) Any tips for putting it all together - e.g. things to watch out for, etc?

Thanks in advance, all help appreciated!!

/gerrod

JonJ678 · 2 Jun 2009 at 07:57

Looks nice. Raid 0 is interesting for a htpc, and the graphics card is probably more powerful than you need too.

Little boxes are prone to running very very hot, so a weaker graphics card could be a better option. Processor is nice, same with the ram and psu. No experience with the rest of the components.

I think it'll all fit, but it would be a good idea to find a review or even better a build log of the case. It'll be more frustrating than building in a massive case, but more satisfying when you finish

jak731 · 2 Jun 2009 at 07:57

any gaming on the pc?

if not

Your basket
Product Name Qty Price Line Total
Antec Fusion Remote HTPC Case - Black (No PSU) £120.74
(£104.99) £120.74
(£104.99)
Asus M3A78-EM AMD 780G (Socket AM2+) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £70.14
(£60.99) £70.14
(£60.99)
Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (WD10EADS) £67.99
(£59.12) £67.99
(£59.12)
Sony BDU-X10S Blu-Ray Reader Serial-ATA Drive - Retail £53.99
(£46.95) £53.99
(£46.95)
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 5200 2.70GHz (Socket AM2) - Retail £51.74
(£44.99) £51.74
(£44.99)
Seasonic Silverpower 400W Power Supply £45.99
(£39.99) £45.99
(£39.99)
OCZ Gold Edition 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 PC2-8500C5 Dual Channel (OCZ2G10664GK) £41.89
(£36.43) £41.89
(£36.43)
Sub Total : £393.46
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £12.50
VAT is being charged at 15% VAT : £60.89
Total : £466.85

gerrod · 2 Jun 2009 at 14:10

Thanks very much for the replies. Jak731: No, I probably won't be gaming on the system, but I *do* want a dedicated graphics card.

So here's the mods I've made then:

- Downgraded the gfx card to a "low profile" 4350 card (thx JonJ678)
- Dropped the sound card (will more than likely be using onboard optical out to an amp instead)
- Changed to a 1TB drive instead of 2x512.

Last question - which motherboard should I go for? The one I had originally selected was using quite an old chipset (G31), plus not sure about onboard audio. Would something like the Asus P5QL EM be better?

Or am I better off going with Jak731's suggestion and going the AMD route instead?

Thanks again for your help!
/gerrod

jawor121 · 4 Jun 2009 at 18:52

If i were you i would try to find Gigabyte G31 motherboard.It quite cheap but works great and allows you to overclock processor if you like to.If you wanted to go for amd then maybe Phenom II x3?Then you could also boy some matx motherboard on 780 chipset.There is an feature which make integrated card works when not much power needed and then turns the dedicated card on when required.