First Time HTPC Build

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tate16t

Junior Member
Jan 26, 2008
6
0
0
Hey guys, just joined today. This is a great fourm. I'm probably one of a million looking to build a first (but not first computer) HTPC. Below are the items slected so far. I'm interested in opinions on my choices. I would like to do Bluray/HD DVD playback as well as start to exlpore the gaming world.

Case:
Antec Fusion V2
Antec P182
SilverStone Lascala LC10M

Motherboard:
ASUS P5L-VM
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS4 (rev. 2.0)
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3P

Graphics Card:
Radeon HD 2600XT 256MB or 3850 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16

CPU:
Intel E4400 Core 2 Duo (2.0Ghz)
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600

RAM:
2 x 1GB Corsair Twin2X DDR2 5400 or DDR2-1066

Storage:
2 x 400gb Samsung Spinpoint SATA II hard disks or one single 1TB Disk

Optical Drive:
LG GGC-H20L Super Multi Blue Blu-ray Disc & HD DVD-ROM Drive

Logitech EX110 Wireless KB + Mouse
or
1 x Media Centre Keyboard/Mouse combo
Windows Vista Ultimate or Windows Vista Home Premium
 
The Boston Dangler

The Boston Dangler

Lifer
Mar 10, 2005
14,647
2
0
hi and welcome to AT!

i suggest the silverstone lc-20 case.
-there are 2x 80mm exhaust fans as opposed to the lc-10/13's 2x60mm
-more room to install things
-there is much better ventilation
-there are 2 full 5.25 bays, as opposed to mounting the optical drive with no faceplate and using double-sided tape to hold the case's trim piece on. trust me, this is not a good arrangement.

did you pick those motherboards with the intention to use 2 vid cards? SLI/Crossfire is not going to be a very doable setup with power consumption, heat and physical room. for less money, take a look at the DS3L, DS3R and asus P5K, P5K-E

for a cpu, the only 4-core chips most htpc cases will handle are the yet-to-be released 45nm Intel chips. i will be picking up the least expensive (2.5 GHz) model when the price is reasonable.

cpu coolers are an issue too. you'll need the most effective cooler possible that will fit in the box. with the lc-20, 17, et cetera, most coolers with 90mm fans will fit. the zalman 9500 works OK, but i'm looking into the xigmatek coolers to reduce noise. i don't think the scythe mini ninja would cut it for a 4-core chip (i wish they would release a 90mm version).

RAM - 2x 2GB, DDR2 800, CAS 4
Text i like the ocz for $115

storage - samsung drives are my favorite. the 1TB is nice but the price per GB is poor, $.28/GB. the 500GB and 750GB models are better values at $.22/GB. pick up one of these and Text a samsung 200GB (only $55) for use as C:. absolutely no need for RAID.

you should know wireless keyboards are terrible for games. they will simply let you down every time.
 
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tate16t

Junior Member
Jan 26, 2008
6
0
0
BDangler, i appreciate your response. i will only have one vid card. I will take a look at
your suggestions.

I'm not clear on what CPU you're recommending.

Do you reccommed Windows Vista Ultimate or XP?
 
manimal

manimal

Lifer
Mar 30, 2007
13,559
8
0
Vista MCE is great and with the mymovies plug in is an absolute dream. I only used MC2005 for a little bit on my laptop and I still prefer MCE on vista. A dual core can be fine if all you are doing is playing media. The heat made by a quad could also be a problem so a mildly OCd DC should have enough oomph to play 1080P with a HW accelerated GPU. I would go for the 3850 passive that Saphire is offering right now.
 
The Boston Dangler

The Boston Dangler

Lifer
Mar 10, 2005
14,647
2
0
i use vista32 ult now, but will be switching to vista64 or xp soon. if you like itunes or win media center, those are probably the best. if you like open formats and no drm, your choices are kinda scattered and unpolished. search this forum.

a 4-core processor isn't essential for either games or hd playback, but it is nice too have. heat is the enemy, and i doubt the ability to run a 4-core successfully in most air cooled htpc boxes. intel's upcoming 45nm chips will run easily, once they arrive in the spring.

if that 3850 can fit, it would be pretty sweet. the top of the heatpipes should fit in the silverstone boxes. i have an xfx passive card, and it looks pretty similar in height. the huge cooler on the back might not fit with nb coolers, and it's a full-length card, so you'll have to study pics closely before buying.

Q: what's the budget?
 
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tenax

Senior member
Sep 8, 2001
598
0
0
i have the silverstone lcm 20 case in black. love it to death. decent room to work around in, superquiet (i have 2 nexus fans in the back exhausting, 2 noctua fans in the front intake. i agree re: 80mm or larger vs 60mm fans..any 60mm fan is heretical for an htpc case! i don't need/use the side fan position. it will only accept a 15mm thick fan to squeeze in there if using almost any aftermarket heatsink on the cpu) the height is about as good as it gets for an htpc case (about 6.5 inches in height from the floor to lid. tallest one i've seen otherwise without getting into more a cube style case is 6.75 inches). my htpc is intentionally kind of in the shadows most of the time so i love the black case cause it's "stealthy" with the rest of my equipment. it will fit an 8800gt length card. i have a gigabyte p35-ds4 board in it and the case stays at about 28C with idle temps on my e6400 at about 35,36C. i matched it up with a silverstone element 500 watt ps which is quiet as well. only noise i get is some occasional drive clicking, spinup noise when one of my external hard drives comes out of slumber.
 
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