Assassin's Hardware Guide

assassin24 · 08-15-2012, 09:31 PM

This is a link to my free hardware guide which I try to keep as updated as possible. In the near future I hope to post an abbreviated version of this guide here at Anandtech.

Enjoy!

http://assassinhtpcblog.com/?page_id=160

ecosmartpc · 08-15-2012, 10:46 PM

A++++

el-Capitan · 08-16-2012, 07:43 AM

Definitely recommend! I've learnt a lot from your guides. Thank you.

cytoSiN · 08-16-2012, 09:25 AM

Really informative. Nominate for sticky.

TheVrolok · 08-16-2012, 09:28 AM

Marked for a read at home

Chapbass · 08-20-2012, 11:28 PM

Used this guide quite a bit, assassin knows his stuff. Can you sticky this for us please?

assassin24 · 08-21-2012, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chapbass

Used this guide quite a bit, assassin knows his stuff. Can you sticky this for us please?

Sure. No problem!

billyb0b · 08-24-2012, 07:22 PM

i've purchased his guide too! it's a must for a great HTPC experience

sgbroimp · 08-29-2012, 09:46 AM

I purchased an HTPC from Assassin. The purchase experience was excellent, but what really impressed me was how they stepped up when I had a problem (which was not their fault, strictly speaking) 8 months later. Terrific folks to deal with.

assassin24 · 08-29-2012, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sgbroimp

I purchased an HTPC from Assassin. The purchase experience was excellent, but what really impressed me was how they stepped up when I had a problem (which was not their fault, strictly speaking) 8 months later. Terrific folks to deal with.

Thanks for the feedback. I will pass it on to Ben.

assassin24 · 09-03-2012, 10:22 AM

Ivy Bridge i3 section updated. Enjoy.

flocko · 09-03-2012, 11:37 AM

Just got finished reading the i3 additions .

Very nice write up and really like the reality check on the 4000 graphics . Seems for most it will be moot but for others it could come in handy for that occasional light gaming itch .

BTW ... Grats on the new position here at one of the best tech sites on the net . They (Anand) have themselves a REAL winner !

ahgem2000 · 09-12-2012, 07:12 PM

good info

assassin24 · 09-29-2012, 11:42 PM

New guide #131 added to my guides tonight for those that subscribe. Ceton Companion App: http://assassinhtpcblog.com/?page_id=181#guide61

assassin24 · 10-12-2012, 08:30 PM

I have added my thoughts and recs on Trinity.

Enjoy.

http://assassinhtpcblog.com/?page_id=160#trinity

assassin24 · 10-15-2012, 08:02 PM

Update my free MakeMKV guide tonight. Enjoy.

http://assassinhtpcblog.com/?page_id=39#guide3

Tony_Montana · 10-18-2012, 01:04 PM

nice job assassin!

Annisman* · 11-04-2012, 07:13 PM

Hey Assasin, something I haven't seen mentioned in your guide: Music playback.

For me, I have alot of .wav files for higher fidelity music. Obviously these tracks need to be played in a stereo output. Is there a program besides WMC that would be better for this playback or a way to know exactly what or where the music is being processed by ?

Or should we just direct WMC to our music collection and just hit the play button ? Is there more to it ?

I mean, for my PC I know my Xonar sound card is doing the processing, and I use mediamonkey for playback, I know it's in 2 channel mode PCM 44.1 Khz. I'm just a little fuzzy on playing through my htpc (and Polk speakers) versus my regular PC+Xonar sound card and headphones.

Thanks.

billyb0b · 11-05-2012, 10:32 AM

this is a great guide for a really nice HTPC experience. I purchased the full guide earlier this year and used it exclusively for the extensive software setup.

it also contains good info on hardware, but i did not use that portion of it.

assassin24 · 11-13-2012, 07:12 PM

Added a few more case options in my server guides for those that use them. Enjoy.

http://www.assassinserver.com/?page_id=55#guide005

Annisman* · 11-16-2012, 02:20 AM

Asassin, love your guide it has been worth 10X the price.

Just wanted to point out that the mediabrowser game plug-in is no longer free to use, it is a premium feature.

Also, would you suggest using Mediabrowser's picture library plugin or just use WMC's standard library viewer ? Thnx.

pauldun170 · 11-16-2012, 08:32 AM

Rosewill 101 case mentioned in guide has been discontinued.

assassin24 · 11-16-2012, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pauldun170

Rosewill 101 case mentioned in guide has been discontinued.

Thanks. Did some updating today.

assassin24 · 01-12-2013, 07:09 PM

Updated the ITX section over at my free hardware guide. Enjoy!

http://assassinhtpcblog.com/?page_id=160#miniitx

Annisman* · 03-15-2013, 10:42 PM

Hey assasin, I'm having a strange issue that just popped up.

When media center launches, the default background is now coming up (I changed it via your guide) Also, many of my libraries are not showing up in Media Browser. The only Library showing is the one on my local hard drive. The other libraries (on my external) are no longer appearing.

The external hdd is fine, I can access it under my computer, and all the files are there. I double checked to make sure Media Browser was still including those folders in the library, and it is.

I updated Media Browser, then updated Media Center Library, still not showing up.

This is all the troubleshooting i wanted to try without going further and messing something up, have you heard of an issue like this before ?

Two things recently happened that may have triggered this.

1. Windows installed new updates (not sure what they were)
2. My HTPC failed to boot and windows went into it's 'check for problems' mode. It asked if I wanted to restore to a previous date, and hit 'no'. The HTPC then booted up fine shortly after.

Anyways, just looking for a couple tips on where to look to resolve this kind of issue, or wondering if you have run into it yourself.

My HTPC is setup just like your guide says, so you know what I'm dealing with in terms of hardware/software.