Steptoe HTPC build...

Brownstone1892

Brownstone1892

Brownstone1892

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Joined
21 Oct 2013
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20
Hi guys,

First time poster, so go gentle.

I've got an HTPC which is in desperate need of an upgrade. It's a few years old and is starting to creak under the strain of most current games even at 1280x720, with all the fancyness turned off.

Current spec:

ECS MCP73T M3
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
Sapphire Radeon HD4850 512mb
Kingston Kvr800d2n6k2/4g (2x2GB RAM)

All wedged into an Antec NSK2480 HTPC case.

Now then, I only have £370 to spend, and I realise that's not going to get me a monster spec, but I'd like something that will stand side by side with the PS4 and XBox One.

I'd like to keep the case, and the two monster SATA drives in there, as I'm not convinced of the performance gains of solid state drives. I'm happy to wait around for games to load ;o)

Am I dreaming, or is this possible? All suggestions welcome.

Cheers,

BS...
 
AMD Fm2 route would be a good start a 6800k with a 65 to 70 quid motherboard, 8gb of ram and then you can either choose to upgrade your psu to a 450 watt model and get a lesser video card lime a 7790 or stump more cash and get a 270x.
 
To be honest I wouldn't bother with FM2 if your looking for a gaming htpc. I run an AMD A10-5700 with 2133MHz RAM in my htpc but it really struugles with most games. Some older titles like Dirt 3 arent too bad and it can manage medium-high settings but something even like Fifa 13 really makes it sweat. For it to be playable (ie just about scrape a smoothish feel) I'm playing it (well used to) at 720p, lowest settings, no AA etc. Now for htpc duties its great and i'm sure for some games it'll be ok but i got pretty fed up of it very quickly. I've actually gone back to playing on the PS3 in the lounge as its a much better experience than on the htpc for most games. Personally i'd grab an intel i3 and a 7850 or similar which has considerable more grunt and can be upgraded in time, eg. an i5 or gpu etc. Just my 2c.
 
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Your current CPU should be fine. I'm having difficulties currently trying to source a board to build a semi decent build off for a spare/HTPC/possible home server.

The CPU isn't the problem as the Q6600's can get up to 3.0 mostly so will be capable.
 
I'll assume the socket type will be quite old now, so will limit MoBo choices, or is the socket type my Q6600 uses still in use? I used to be so knowledgeable about these things, but have become waaaaay out of touch in the last couple of years.

I'm wondering if I could just upgrade my CPU, MoBo and RAM for now, and look at using my current GPU until I have the money to replace it.

Let's go with that scenario and look at replacing everything but the GPU. I'd love to go i5, but think my budget will be too low for a semi-decent one, primarily so I end up with a more 'modern' MoBo. That is unless there are modern MoBos with my Q6600 socket type...

Guys?

BS...
 
You can buy i5-2300/2400/3330 under 100 pounds on Ebay (95 pounds 3330S), they can be overclocked to 3.2-3.6 GHz depending on model which is enough for most gaming.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BG-310-MS&groupid=595&catid=689
50 pounds for mobo

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-136-KS&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1517
50 pounds for 8GB RAM

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-185-MS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=411
155 pounds for graphic card.

You have to check your PSU, if this is Antec Eathwatts 380W, you need to replace it to stronger 430-450W, like this (if you sell current set mobo+CPU+memory+PSU, you've got a money):

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-059-CS&tool=3

BTW, I replaced Q9550 for i5-2300 some time ago. It was worth.
 
Great post, thanks!

This actually gives me hope of a decent build.

I am limited with the size of the PSU, I think. I'll take a butchers tonight.

If I were to go to £150 for a processor, what're we talking? And is that GPU pretty decent? Am I looking at 40fps+ in the latest games, etc?

Thanks again,

BS...
 
Brownstone1892 said:
I'll assume the socket type will be quite old now, so will limit MoBo choices, or is the socket type my Q6600 uses still in use? I used to be so knowledgeable about these things, but have become waaaaay out of touch in the last couple of years.

I'm wondering if I could just upgrade my CPU, MoBo and RAM for now, and look at using my current GPU until I have the money to replace it.

Let's go with that scenario and look at replacing everything but the GPU. I'd love to go i5, but think my budget will be too low for a semi-decent one, primarily so I end up with a more 'modern' MoBo. That is unless there are modern MoBos with my Q6600 socket type...

Guys?

BS...
Click to expand...

Should be an LGA 775 socket which is outdated now.
 
Brownstone1892 said:
Great post, thanks!

This actually gives me hope of a decent build.

I am limited with the size of the PSU, I think. I'll take a butchers tonight.

If I were to go to £150 for a processor, what're we talking? And is that GPU pretty decent? Am I looking at 40fps+ in the latest games, etc?

Thanks again,

BS...
Click to expand...

Like Battlefield 4? Forget it, you might average 40 FPS but the minimums will make it unplayable to put it another way I struggle on a 3570K @ 4.6Ghz GTX670 on BF4.

What sort of games are you looking play anyway? On my HTPC I play mostly sports and driving games (basically anything I can play with a 360 controller that's not FPS), they don't require very demanding hardware, I get away with a Q6700 @ 3Ghz and a Radeon 5770 1Gb for 1080p in games like Grid, Virtua Tennis, Street Fighter 4, F1 2012, Dirt 2 etc.

You could try and overclock your CPU to get free performance, I don't know much about your motherboard though it might allow you to push it to 3Ghz. A new video card however would give a massive boost in performance, the 7870 linked above would give you more then double the GPU grunt then you get from a 4850. You would also need a new PSU, I wouldn't risk running a 7870 on a 380 watt power supply, this should sort you out.
 
It sounds like all you really need is a a graphics card upgrade.

a Q6600 should be fine to drive a 7850, and would be more than enough for the majority of current games on high settings.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-191-MS

Definitely upgrade your GPU first before CPU / MB, as that will have by far the biggest impact on gaming.

I'd also reccommend a SSD, it makes a world of difference.
 
pandem0nium said:
It sounds like all you really need is a a graphics card upgrade.

a Q6600 should be fine to drive a 7850, and would be more than enough for the majority of current games on high settings.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-191-MS

Definitely upgrade your GPU first before CPU / MB, as that will have by far the biggest impact on gaming.

I'd also reccommend a SSD, it makes a world of difference.
Click to expand...

Excellent suggestions, and this is what I'm going to do. GPU, SSD and PSU.

Now then, any suggestions? I'm not arsed about capacity of SSD, a 120Gb will do me fine, I'd spend £150 on the GPU and the Corsair PSU for £50 suggested earlier looked fine.

@Freddie1980, I do exactly the same with mine bud, anything you can play with a pad.

Cheers,

BS...
 
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Right chaps,

Here are my choices:

MSI HD 7850 OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Cards - 119.99
MSI HD 7870 Black Knight 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card (R7870-2GD5T) - 155.99

Kingston HyperX 3K SSD 120GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive (SH103S3/120G)" - 79.99
Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE120BW) - 86.99

Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020046-UK) - 39.95
Corsair Builder Series CX 430w Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020058-UK) - 43.99
Corsair Builder Series CX 500W V2 '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020047-UK) - 49.99


What I need to work out:

Is the difference in GPUs really worth £36?

Much difference in the SSDs?

Do I really need a 500W PSU over a 430W? Modular would be nice though, to keep things tidy.

Any pointer would be great, as I'm looking to make a purchase by the weekend.

Cheers,

BS...
 
GFX: I'd say go for a 7850 over the 7870 (as you can clock it up anyway) my recommendation would be a HIS 7850.

SSD: Samsung or Crucial M4, try to get a Samsung "pro" rather than the "basic" though.

PSU: Corsair Builder Series CX 430w Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020058-UK) - 43.99 as modular is always preference over non modular.
 
Steveocee said:
GFX: I'd say go for a 7850 over the 7870 (as you can clock it up anyway) my recommendation would be a HIS 7850.

SSD: Samsung or Crucial M4, try to get a Samsung "pro" rather than the "basic" though.

PSU: Corsair Builder Series CX 430w Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020058-UK) - 43.99 as modular is always preference over non modular.
Click to expand...

These were more or less my thoughts anyway Steve, so thanks for backing me up, and the HIS and Pro tips.

Cheers,

BS...
 
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