Build for HTPC/Gaming PC Hybrid. Budget $500-$700

[nolegrl]

I'm looking to build a htpc/gaming PC. I don't do much gaming on my PC now, but that may change when I have one hooked up to my TV. Here is what I have so far:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/f3Q5
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/f3Q5/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/f3Q5/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($159.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro4-M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($102.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Crucial M4 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($62.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Silverstone GD04B HTPC Case ($99.60 @ Amazon)
Total: $535.56
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-19 22:00 EDT-0400)

I'm not sure about the motherboard, but am sure about the case, CPU and HDD. Does anyone have any suggestions for the other parts that will fit this build? Most builds for the i5 come out to about $1000, but I don't have/want to spend that much. I'm looking to play games on a low/medium setting, don't need the highest settings possible.

Also, I'm trying to stick with Amazon as the merchant since I frequently get giftcards and am trying to pay for this as little out of pocket as possible.

 

[assassin24]

Have you considered getting an i5 Ivy CPU?

For the motherboard I like ASRock a lot. They are a great basic board.

For non-gaming storage I would get a green drive. I actually think the 7200RPM drives are relatively contraindicated in HTPC. Of course if this is what is going to store your games later then that is different.

PSU and RAM? Gaming card? I don't see that listed.

You might also want to consider adding a gaming worthy CPU cooler. While the stock CPU cooler is great for HTPC for gaming it is going to get a little loud and hot.

 

[nolegrl]

Have you considered getting an i5 Ivy CPU?

For the motherboard I like ASRock a lot. They are a great basic board.

For non-gaming storage I would get a green drive. I actually think the 7200RPM drives are relatively contraindicated in HTPC. Of course if this is what is going to store your games later then that is different.

PSU and RAM? Gaming card? I don't see that listed.

You might also want to consider adding a gaming worthy CPU cooler. While the stock CPU cooler is great for HTPC for gaming it is going to get a little loud and hot.

Do you have specific models/prices in mind? I only listed the parts I know I want, everything else, I don't know what to get and I need some suggestions. I am going to store my games on the non-ssd (and just games, since I have a NAS for my media). Should I get a green drive instead?

 

[assassin24]

Do you have specific models/prices in mind? I only listed the parts I know I want, everything else, I don't know what to get and I need some suggestions. I am going to store my games on the non-ssd (and just games, since I have a NAS for my media). Should I get a green drive instead?

For games I would use a 7200RPM drive.

For everything else take a look at my hardware guide. You are probably going to want a 500-600w or so PSU.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

What games are you planning on playing? That will have the biggest impact because if you are playing games that don't require significant CPU or GPU power you might be able to get away with an I3, or you might be able to use a G series celeron with a lower-level dedicated GPU.

 

[AssassinBen]

For the graphics card in my opinion the 560ti is one of the best graphics cards for the money. I've used a dozen or so of them and no one has ever complained and we've received a lot of positive feedback on how nicely they play everything at max levels you throw at it. You can pick up a good EVGA 560ti for around $200 if you time it correctly.

If that's too much the 550ti might fit your needs as well for about $80 less.

 

[Destiny]

Get either an AMD 6000 series or better...or Nvidia 400 series or better graphics card = can bit-stream HD Audio (Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA) over HDMI.

 

[silveryhat]

If you love a quiet htpc and hybrid gaming rig you probably like this configuration $800 / $1200 Hybrid Gaming HTPC Build.



Now I know that your budget is exceeded here, but it is possible to bring the cost down.

If you live nearby a Microcenter store, you are in luck. When you catch the motherboard + cpu bundle deal mentioned in the article you will be able to tak ~$80 off the total. While you are there you might as well want to check out other components on sale, too. I'm sure you can get the whole system for about or less than $726 plus tax

 

[NutBucket]

Uh, for your budget you're missing RAM, a TV tuner/cable card (unless you don't need one) and an OS. That will practically blow your $700 budget before factoring in a vid card. Honestly for that budget you could almost buy a decent Dell and add your own vid card.

I spent under $600 for my HTPC which started with a Dell Inpsiron tower (i5 2320, 6 gig ram, 1TB HD) to which I added a dual ATSC tuner. Assuming I had your budget there's enough room for a decent vid card.

 

[darkfalz]

I recently put together the following:

ASUS P8H77-M LE
i5 3470
8 GB 1333
2 TB HDD
Fractal Define Mini case

Was about $500 AUD. Re-used PSU, GTX 560 and a couple of 2TB for a RAID-5 array.