HTPC build critique/questions

[teh impaler]

I think I posted a similar thread a while ago, but now I’m finally getting a chance to build an HTPC box.
HTPC will be used to watch movies (up to 1080p), YouTube/Twitch and light gaming (WoW, etc). Its not a deal breaker if I am not able to game. Audio wise I would like to run the HDMI out from the HTPC into a 5.1 receiver first for surround sound.

Case:
Fractal Design Node 304
Love the design of the case and NewEgg just got it in stock =)

PSU:
SeaSonic X650 Gold - Bought
I know it’s a little overkill for an HTPC, but I got it during Black Friday/Cyber Monday for $90

Motherboard:
Intel BOXDH77DF
Kinda partial to Intel reference boards, though I’m open to suggestions

CPU:
Here I’m torn between an Ivy Bridge i3 and i5.
i3-3220 or i5-3330 (Intel Rubik’s Cube is enticing )
Suggestions?

RAM:
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB - Bought
Cyber Monday again, thought I would max the motherboard out and not worry about it

Video Card:
Need advice here. I know that it has to have an HDMI port =)
I was also thinking about something like a 6450 since it supports UVD 3. Not sure what the nVidia equivalent is.
Like I said above, 1080p movies and light gaming.

Hard drives:
I know that I would like an SSD drive as a primary. I have had luck with Kingston SSDs and Samsungs 830s.
Need help with the storage drive/s. What I really want is some Samsung F2s Since Samsung doesn’t make them anymore, I was thinking WD Caviar Reds or WD Caviar Greens? Whats the difference?

ETC:
Windows 7 I have, thinking XBMC for a front end.
Did I miss anything?

***UPDATE***
Finally had a chance to put everything together.

and its alive =)

Man its a pain in the ass working with such a small case, but in the end I was able to put everthing together.

I'll update the post with my final build and some more pics.

 

[dmoney1980]

Good start, yes the PSU and RAM are overkill but hey if you got them for a good price why not. Regarding the motherboard- while I do agree that it's nice, you shouldn't overpay for a board if you don't have any plans on overclocking. You could save $30 and get this ASUS (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131841) it's basically the same board. The intel gives you the Intel NIC, but the ASUS does give you more SATA 3 and rear USB ports. For the $30difference, you could pick up a quiet aftermarket cooler or invest that money in a SSD / GPU / CPU. Up to you though...

For storage- Samsung 830, Intel, Crucial m4 / Plextor m3 (when on sale) are all solid picks.

The i5 is obviously a little more future proof, but since you're not serious about gaming you should be fine with the i3, it has hyperthreading after all.

What's your max budget for this project?

 

[teh impaler]

Good start, yes the PSU and RAM are overkill but hey if you got them for a good price why not. Regarding the motherboard- while I do agree that it's nice you shouldn't overpay for a board if you don't have any plans on overclocking. You could save $30 and get this ASUS (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131841) it's basically the same board. The intel gives you the Intel NIC, but the ASUS does give you more SATA 3 and rear USB ports. For the $30difference, you could pick up a quiet aftermarket cooler or invest that money in a SSD / GPU / CPU. Up to you though...

For storage- Samsung 830, Intel, Crucial m4 / Plextor m3 (when on sale) are all solid picks.

The i5 is obviously a little more future proof, but since you're not serious about gaming you should be fine with the i3, it has hyperthreading after all.

What's your max budget for this project?

Thanks, I'll take a look at the ASUS board. More SATA is a nice addition.

I'm thinking $500-600 to spend on whats left to purchase. Willing to spend more if it makes sense.

 

[Ken g6]

I notice your case doesn't like long graphics cards. (Max. length with most PSUs seems to be 6.6in.) So that steers me towards a 650ti, $140AR. Of course, you can go cheaper if you want/need to.

 

[dmoney1980]

Based on your budget...

Motherboard - $100 (assuming you go with the ASUS I linked above)

CPU - i3 3220 $120 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116775

RAM- have

PSU - have

Case - $90

HDD - 1.5TB Barracuda maybe? $100 -http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148725
or 2TB WD Red $110 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822236343

sub total $420 assuming you go with the WD Red drive.

that leaves you $80 to $180 left to spend based on your figures. SSD prices suck at the moment This 128GB m4 is a decent price (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148529)

I would recommend picking up a dedicated GPU if you plan on a little gaming, something like a radeon 7 series. This is $95 after rebate (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102969)

 

[mfenn]

dmoney's suggestions look to be on point to me.

 

[teh impaler]

that leaves you $80 to $180 left to spend based on your figures. SSD prices suck at the moment This 128GB m4 is a decent price (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148529)

The M4 that you suggested is Out of Stock, but I did find this one Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2. Looks like its the same thing except the model number being SSD2 at the end. Would it be ok?

I would recommend picking up a dedicated GPU if you plan on a little gaming, something like a radeon 7 series. This is $95 after rebate ([URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102969)"]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102969)[/URL]

That looks like it would actually fit in the case.

As far as a hard drive I think im going to go with a 2TB WB Red.

Last thing, with a 7750 for light gaming would an i3 still be ok, or would I need to step up to an i5?

Thank you all for your input.

 

[dmoney1980]

The M4 that you suggested is Out of Stock, but I did find this one Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2. Looks like its the same thing except the model number being SSD2 at the end. Would it be ok?


That looks like it would actually fit in the case.

As far as a hard drive I think im going to go with a 2TB WB Red.

Last thing, with a 7750 for light gaming would an i3 still be ok, or would I need to step up to an i5?

Thank you all for your input.

Yeah that SSd is the same, boy prices suck onsSSD's at the moment...

the 7750 and i3 should cover you. The i3 does well since it has hyperthreading, you could always upgrade to an i5 in the future and sell the i3.

 

[teh impaler]

Actually I might go with a 3TB Red.

NewEgg has a weekend special on it, $20 promo code. Figure $150 for 3TB is better than $110 for 2TB.

 

[teh impaler]

Yeah that SSd is the same, boy prices suck onsSSD's at the moment...

the 7750 and i3 should cover you. The i3 does well since it has hyperthreading, you could always upgrade to an i5 in the future and sell the i3.

Yea, SSDs are pricey. I know I should have bought a few more Kingston SSDs from Amazon when they were $70 for 120GB =)

Makes sense about the i3.

 

[teh impaler]

Lol, so I overshot the budget a little, but was under $700 =)

Again thank you for all (mostly dmoney1980 ) input and suggestions.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

I would recommend picking up a dedicated GPU if you plan on a little gaming, something like a radeon 7 series. This is $95 after rebate (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102969)

Last thing, with a 7750 for light gaming would an i3 still be ok, or would I need to step up to an i5?

Sapphire makes a low-profile version of the HD7750. Sounds about right for your needs and is only $5 more then the one dmoney linked...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202002

 

[dmoney1980]

Lol, so I overshot the budget a little, but was under $700 =)

Again thank you for all (mostly dmoney1980 ) input and suggestions.

You're welcome! Please update us once you put everything together, and share some pics! Thant's a great looking case by the way...

 

[teh impaler]

Sapphire makes a low-profile version of the HD7750. Sounds about right for your needs and is only $5 more then the one dmoney linked...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202002

Thanks, but I think the Node 304 has full slots in the back =)

 

[teh impaler]

You're welcome! Please update us once you put everything together, and share some pics! Thant's a great looking case by the way...

The build was waiting on the case. Fractal released it a couple of months ago and it pretty much sold out right away.

As soon as I get the parts, I'll post an update.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Thanks, but I think the Node 304 has full slots in the back =)

There is (almost) always a full-length bracket included with low-profile cards... :whiste:

 

[thestrangebrew1]

You've got a powerful rig for htpc duties. That case looks awesome.

 

[LoveMachine]

I have a 7750, and once it's setup correctly it's a dandy card, but I've had a few more driver and HDMI handshake issues than with other GPUs I've used. Not that it doesn't work, it's just quirky (e.g. navigation sounds in WMC wouldn't let it play recorded TV shows and anything newer than 12.8 drivers causes it to not recognize my AVR). You might look at the GT640. They can be had for ~$80 in a variety of forms. However, the GDDR3 does limit it in games. The 650 is better, but requires a 6 pin plug and costs a bit more.

 

[teh impaler]

There is (almost) always a full-length bracket included with low-profile cards... :whiste:

Maybe ... :hmm:

You've got a powerful rig for htpc duties. That case looks awesome.

Thanks =)

I have a 7750, and once it's setup correctly it's a dandy card, but I've had a few more driver and HDMI handshake issues than with other GPUs I've used. Not that it doesn't work, it's just quirky (e.g. navigation sounds in WMC wouldn't let it play recorded TV shows and anything newer than 12.8 drivers causes it to not recognize my AVR). You might look at the GT640. They can be had for ~$80 in a variety of forms. However, the GDDR3 does limit it in games. The 650 is better, but requires a 6 pin plug and costs a bit more.

Good to know. Don't have an AVR to connect it to just yet, gotta save up for it after this purchase =)

 

[dmoney1980]

There is (almost) always a full-length bracket included with low-profile cards... :whiste:

the case he's using takes full height cards, so why pay extra for a low profile card? It also has a smaller (louder) fan

 

[Insert_Nickname]

the case he's using takes full height cards, so why pay extra for a low profile card? It also has a smaller (louder) fan

Point taken. Was mainly for the efficiency and less space used. That kind of case can very quickly get cluttered...

If the OP wants a completely silent card ASUS makes fanless HD7750 and GT640's

http://www.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/NVIDIA_Series/GT640DCSL2GD3/

http://www.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/AMD_Series/HD7750DCSL1GD5/

 

[teh impaler]

Point taken. Was mainly for the efficiency and less space used. That kind of case can very quickly get cluttered...

If the OP wants a completely silent card ASUS makes fanless HD7750 and GT640's

http://www.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/NVIDIA_Series/GT640DCSL2GD3/

http://www.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/AMD_Series/HD7750DCSL1GD5/

You are right about the case getting cluttered .... quickly =)

I was thinking about going totally passive, but the case does have ventilation on the side for video cards. So I ended up getting the 7750 Sapphire with a small and quiet fan.

Thanks for your input =)