Hello All,
The last time I built a PC was about 15 years ago, so when I decided to build a HTPC, there was a lot catch up reading to do.
I am thinking about building a middle of the line HTPC. The main requirements are:
So here is the list that I have come up with so far. Any suggestions/help is greatly appreciated. Also, I am currently living in Australia and I am sure the cost of some of these parts is going to be higher here than US but for the sake of simplicity I am using the US prices. My budget is around 800-1000.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i3-3225 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($136.65 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-M PRO Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($136.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($49.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.99 @ Adorama)
Case: Lian-Li PC-C33B HTPC Case ($169.98 @ Newegg)
(Couldn't Find the C37U on the website so I picked C33. They are about the same price. C37U link
)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 400W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($63.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On ihes112-04 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $872.55
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-04 00:31 EST-0500)
Do I need an aftermarket CPU cooler? From what I have read, the stock cooler is good enough.
Is the C37U case too big? Since, I don't need a lot of internal storage, can someone recommend a smaller case?
I would like to run XBMC on this build. My wife and I are going to be the major users of this device. Do I fork out money for Windows 8 or stick with Linux? Is DVD playback well supported on Linux?
Thanks for all your help.
The last time I built a PC was about 15 years ago, so when I decided to build a HTPC, there was a lot catch up reading to do.
I am thinking about building a middle of the line HTPC. The main requirements are:
- Stream movies from either an internal hard drive or NAS (I am planning to acquire one in the near future)
- Light gaming. Possibly some emulators. For now I am leaving out a dedicated video card but I want to leave an option to add one later on.
- After reading some of the reviews, I am keen to have an SSD for OS and a 2-3TB drive for storage until I get the NAS
- No plans to have a TV Tuner card yet but once again, I want to leave enough room to add that feature later on
- I want the build to be silent but not looking for a serious fan less build or anything like that
So here is the list that I have come up with so far. Any suggestions/help is greatly appreciated. Also, I am currently living in Australia and I am sure the cost of some of these parts is going to be higher here than US but for the sake of simplicity I am using the US prices. My budget is around 800-1000.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i3-3225 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($136.65 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-M PRO Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($136.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($49.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.99 @ Adorama)
Case: Lian-Li PC-C33B HTPC Case ($169.98 @ Newegg)
(Couldn't Find the C37U on the website so I picked C33. They are about the same price. C37U link
)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 400W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($63.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On ihes112-04 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $872.55
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-04 00:31 EST-0500)
Do I need an aftermarket CPU cooler? From what I have read, the stock cooler is good enough.
Is the C37U case too big? Since, I don't need a lot of internal storage, can someone recommend a smaller case?
I would like to run XBMC on this build. My wife and I are going to be the major users of this device. Do I fork out money for Windows 8 or stick with Linux? Is DVD playback well supported on Linux?
Thanks for all your help.