Please could I request an HTPC spec?

Mike1983

Mike1983

Mike1983

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Hello all

I'm looking to build an HTPC in January but I could really do with some general help on coming up with a decent spec. Please could I request a spec to meet the following main criteria

1) Must be quiet.
2) Will predominantly be used for playing movies stored on a central server (Windows Home Server 2011) so I only need a boot drive, no need for general storage.
3) I want fast boot times, I'm happy to pay for an SSD.
4) Will also be used for web browsing.
5) I can't see me playing games on it but happy to pay for a graphics card if this gives any benefits.
6) I want the case to look like an A/V receiver type device. A large slab of black metal. I like the look of the Silverstone GD06 http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-195-SV.
7) I'd like the facility to have a hot swappable drive bay, again like on the Silverstone GD06.
8) Requires a Blu-ray drive (read only)
9) Will be connected to an A/V receiver, am I to assume that I may need a graphics card for this so that I can connect via HDMI with audio carried by the same cable? Anything special I need to do to enable this?
10) Do not need an OS specifying.

So far I have seemed to set my sights on a Silverstone GD06 with a Samsung 840 Pro 120Gb. Havent a clue on how to spec the rest of the system and don't have any preference over Intel or AMD.

Budget is about £500 but it's no problem if it needs to go over if it makes sense.

Thank you for your time,

Mike
 
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if your only watching movies using onboard graphics should be enough (and reduces noise from not having power draw from psu and fan on gpu)
 
Any recommendations on a CPU with decent onboard GFX please? The last time I was reading up on this it seemed AMD had the edge in this department, still the case?

If using onboard, would there be a suitable way to connect to my AV amp using HDMI?

Thanks
 
YOUR BASKET
1 x Silverstone Grandia GD06 Desktop Case - Black (SST-GD06B) £99.98
1 x AMD A8-5600K Black Edition 3.60GHz (Socket FM2) APU Trinity Quad Core Processor (AD560KWOHJBOX) £71.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan GOLD 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLYD38G2400HC11CDC01) £65.99
1 x Toshiba SSD HDTS212EZSTA 9.5mm 128GB Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £64.99
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 450W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £53.99
1 x Gigabyte F2A88XM-HD3 AMD A88X (Socket FM2+) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £52.99
1 x Liteon DH-4O3S-04-B 4x BD-ROM (Black) - OEM £34.99
Total : £459.02 (includes shipping : £11.75).



You could get an aftermarket cooler and OC the Cpu/apu for better graphics, if you do wish to play a few games. If not, you can drop the ram t 2x4gb.
 
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Thank you for your spec / replies.

So would I be correct in assuming that the audio output over the HDMI will match that of the source file? In other words, if the source is in a surround sound format, the motherboard will send it out over HDMI in the same format?

Sorry if this is a dumb question.

Another question, I note a separate cooler has not been specified. Will fitting one make things quieter than a stock cooler that comes with the CPU?

Thank you
 
Mike1983 said:
Thank you for your spec / replies.

So would I be correct in assuming that the audio output over the HDMI will match that of the source file? In other words, if the source is in a surround sound format, the motherboard will send it out over HDMI in the same format?

Sorry if this is a dumb question.

Another question, I note a separate cooler has not been specified. Will fitting one make things quieter than a stock cooler that comes with the CPU?

Thank you
Click to expand...

HDMI via the mobo or Gpu, will reproduce the sound from the source, movie file or disc.
I did`nt spec a cooler as you are not likely to put any load on the Cpu, just watching videos or browsing. So the likelihood of the fan being noisy, is pretty low. But you have enough in your budget to get one.
 
just remember to setup on the pc the correct sound output (took a while getting vlc to force 5.1 for me). so once hdmi plugged into av receiver set it up on the pc for the correct speaker config.
 
Hello

so I've taken the spec that Idleman gave and made a few changes as some parts were not available.

Please could I ask for feedback on the spec below? I know it's probably overkill, I have the budget though and like to future proof etc... Main changes were the CPU and motherboard, am I correct in thinking these are compatible?

I understand I am restricted to 70mm coolers when using an ODD. I have also read a few reviews where people have suggested the stock cooler may get noisy, just want to make sure it's as quiet as possible.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Silverstone Grandia GD06 Desktop Case - Black (SST-GD06B) £99.98
1 x AMD A10-5800K Black Edition 3.80GHz (Socket FM2) APU Trinity Quad Core Processor (AD580KWOHJBOX) £99.95
1 x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE120BW) £86.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan GOLD 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLYD38G2400HC11CDC01) £65.99
1 x Asus A88XM-PLUS AMD A88X (Socket FM2+) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £59.99
1 x Seasonic G series 360w '80 Plus Gold' Power Supply £49.99
1 x OcUK Value 4x BD-ROM (Black) - OEM £26.99
1 x Akasa Nero LX Low Profile CPU Cooler £24.95
Total : £528.92 (includes shipping : £11.75).

 
Idleman said:
This is why I specced parts that are OoS.
Click to expand...

Understood.

I'd ideally like to build it early Jan so would like to order next week when there's (hopefully) an OcUK Christams discount code perhaps???

So please could I ask if all of the above will fit together OK? Any major screw ups in the build?

Thank you for your time,
 
Mike1983 said:
Understood.

I'd ideally like to build it early Jan so would like to order next week when there's (hopefully) an OcUK Christams discount code perhaps???

So please could I ask if all of the above will fit together OK? Any major screw ups in the build?

Thank you for your time,
Click to expand...

The basket is fine, mate. Although prices may vary when you come to buy it. Keep your eye on the daily and weekly deals.
 
Your spec is fine :D As Idle mentioned you wanna keep your eyes out on deals of the week/day. Buy parts when on offer saving you more even if it takes you a few orders.
 
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