upgrade or replace htpc?

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JLJ

JLJ

JLJ

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I have a htpc which I put together in 2011 and am wondering if its worth salvaging the parts and putting together a desktop and building a new silent htpc.

The htpc specs are
Silverstone GD05 case
Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz PC3-12800 240pin DIMM Memory Module Kit - CMX4GX3M2A1600C9
Gigabyte GA-H55M-USB3 Motherboard Core i7 Socket 1156 Intel H55 Micro ATX
Intel Core i3-530 Processor LGA1156

Thinking of keeping case for HTPC and adding new parts for silent running.
Then getting a new tower for desktop.
Can I get compatible ram to upgrade it to 16GB?
Would adding a GFX card allow me to play games on it or would the processor be too slow?

Or am I better of junking it as its all too old and incompatible.

Cheers
Jon
 
I'm rocking an HTPC with an i3-530 myself. Unless you have a specific need to upgrade it's still perfectly functional. You shouldn't have any problems finding 16GB of compatible RAM, DDR3 is still current tech just and dirty cheap for the low speed stuff you want. What do you want 16GB for though? I have 8GB in mine and most of that is used as a RAMDisk for the TV time-shifting files. 8GB is also plenty for any games you'd play.

The main argument for upgrading would be to get a chip with a lower TDP but comparable (or even better) performance, like the Pentium G3258. However, given the expense I'm not sure it's worth it. I guess it would make silent running easier though.

As to the GPU it depends on what you put in it. You aren't going to be getting the best out of any high-spec GPU but you could put in a 750ti and probably play some games without being completely bottlenecked.
 
yay.. somebody to talk to.
I don't actually need to update, more my new home has a study and I figured it should have a desktop pc.
The current HTPC is great, after you get used to HDD and fan noise.
Based on what I have read, the i3 4130t and a SSD with a quiet PSU will reduce this significantly.
So I'm tossing up if the existing mobo, cpu and hdds are worth salvaging into a new desktop box and add 8 or 16GB ram to it along with a GFX card.
Used to quiet enjoy a little bit of WarCraft III back in the day, so it would be great if it could cope with some gaming, not a priority though.
Alternatively, I'm wondering if I can stick in an SSD and an aftermarket cpu fan and this might reduce the noise.
Then just build myself a new desktop pc.
What do you reckon?
 
It really depends on how important having a desktop vs. a silent HTPC is to you. If it were me I would spend the money on a new desktop and tweak the HTPC as you suggest, but then I use my desktop a lot. If you aren't sure how much you'll use the desktop you could build a new HTPC and use the i3-530 machine as the desktop with a GPU and upgrade it later if you think it's worth it.
 
HTPC is on 24/7, so there is some cost savings using a lower power usage.
Its main usage is netflix, popcorn time, youtube and spotify. Got a foscam which I might try and get to start recording video.
Would any of the stand alone media players or console be a ready alternative?
 
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