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HTPC Build...thoughts?

M

Matt915

Banned
Uses: Watching blurays, hulu, netflix, etc. , watching HD TV, recording some HDTV, but not a ton.

Case: nMEDIAPC Red Wood Wood 89.99
Mobo ASUS P8P67 LE 144.99
CPU i3 Sandy-Bridge 124.99
HDD SAMSUNG EcoGreen F2 HD103SI 1TB 59.99
Ram G-Skill 2x2GB 42.99
PSU Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D 380W 39.99
Optical Lite-On BD 49.99
O/S W7 Premium 99.99
Tuner & Remote: ????

Total 652.92

A couple questions:

1. Is there any cheaper mobo that would be usable? (From Asus, preferably)
2. since Sandybridge has integrated HD & 3D onboard I don't need a video card, correct?
3. What tuner card should I use?? I'd like to be able to view/record as many channels as possible though this thing, including things like ESPN.
 
that case is cool, I went with a nmedia 6000 for mine and it seemed to be a fairly quality piece.
With sandy bridge, you will still have to buy a videocard, or either wait for the next batch of motherboards. The chipsets that are out now do not support integrated video. I went with a amd regor dual core/ integrated radeon 4250 for my htpc. It is decent for video and i don't care about hd audio so it was a good value I think, but if you are wanting hd audio another chipset would be better
 
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so integrated graphics ISN'T on the mobo? Crud. I had read Assassin's HTPC guide and he was saying it was. If it's not built in yet, are there rumors as to how long it's going to be? Otherwise I may just go with a cheap bundle of some sort. I'm not concerned about HD audio either.

Sandy Bridge LGA1155 (3D) Intel i3-2100 - $129
The Sandy Bridge does it all. This CPU is the "latest and greatest" but is also the most expensive option out of all the builds I have listed. It has plenty of power for all 1080p and 3D movies (it will use less than 10% of it power during playback). Advantages over the Clarkdale is the built-in on-board HD AND 3D integrated graphics (yes you read that right --- you don't need a separate video card to watch either 1080p HD OR 3D --- they are built right in to the card and motherboard),
Click to expand...
 
correct, i was referring to the motherboard he linked which was a p67, but I didn't realize that many h chipset boards were out yet. The idle power consumption is nice on these sandy bridge rigs...but the initial price is just higher for the cpu. If I was going to leave my htpc on all the time I'd have gone that route too I think.
 
trexpesto said:
I think he meant the P67chipset doesn't do it, sounds like you want the H67 or H61 for integrated graphics. They don't overclock or play games well. Way cheaper! 🙂

Newegg's selection of H67 & H61:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...el%20H61%2FH67

That is one weird case.
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I'm confused....none of the mobos on that list have onboard/integrated video listed...Was the link to show me some cheaper mobos than what I had listed?
 
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They use the i3: the first paragraph of the Overview of the proc you linked:
"As the first level of Intel’s Sandy Bridge processor family with the visuals you want built-in, the 2nd generation Intel Core i3 processor offers a fast, responsive, and visually immersive PC experience available to everyone. With the 2nd generation Intel Core i3 processor, you get built-in visuals that offer a rich and exciting set of capabilities for a stunning and seamless visual PC experience with no additional hardware required. Also featured is Intel Hyper-Threading Technology, which enables each processor core to work on two tasks at the same time, giving you smart multitasking performance to move between applications quickly and without hesitation. This is where to start for visibly smart performance."
Click to expand...
 
nm, I'm a moron, so 86 was saying with the P series mobos I'd still need a gpu, but with the ones you linked to I'd be fine
 
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..back on track.. you got it.
Be careful though, for instance not all of them have HDMI.
Some may not have good video performance, need reviews.
Looking at the Asus P8H67 variants, it's not that much cheaper.
 
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I too am looking for tuner reccomendations that don't bust the bank. some such as the hauppage 1250 come bundled with a cheap media center remote, but then it doesn't have onboard mpeg hardware acceleration.
 
Hey there is a pretty good sound card right now on newegg shellshocker for 2 more hours or so.

$134.00
HT | OMEGA CLARO Plus+ 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card
 
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trexpesto said:
Hey there is a pretty good sound card right now on newegg shellshocker for 2 more hours or so.

$134.00
HT | OMEGA CLARO Plus+ 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card
Click to expand...

This is an HTPC that will be used for Blu-rays. The OP is going to want to use HDMI audio so that he can bitstream Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio to his receiver.

OP, I agree that an H67 board is right for you. Check out the MSI H67MA-E35 for $100. As for a TV tuner, I'm a big fan of Hauppauge products like the HVR-1250.
 
If I were you I'd get a cheaper motherboard and buy an ATI 5450 fanless GPU for ~$25. It can bitstream all HD audio. I'd also go with at least 6GB of RAM, when I ran 4GB I would get stuttering on my Blu-ray's which caused the audio to go out of sync. You probably also want at least 2TB of movies depending if you rip DVD/BD's or not. Keep in mind 15min HD recording = 1GB. I have an LG BD-ROM and it is very quiet highly recommended although I think my model is discontinued now.

Do you have digital cable? If so, the ceton infinitv is really the only way to go. It pays for itself in the long run by saving on DVR monthly fees. Otherwise, I had good luck with ATI and Hauppage cards. PM me if you need more info.
 
50 said:
If I were you I'd get a cheaper motherboard and buy an ATI 5450 fanless GPU for ~$25. It can bitstream all HD audio. I'd also go with at least 6GB of RAM, when I ran 4GB I would get stuttering on my Blu-ray's which caused the audio to go out of sync. You probably also want at least 2TB of movies depending if you rip DVD/BD's or not. Keep in mind 15min HD recording = 1GB. I have an LG BD-ROM and it is very quiet highly recommended although I think my model is discontinued now.
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H67 can bitstream HD audio as well and is cheaper than the P67 boards. As for your stuttering problem with 4GB of RAM, that has to be a configuration issue on your end. You can play Blu-rays just fine on a 2GB Win7 box.
 
Matt915 said:
There's no onboard video like with the i3 though, is there? I think I'd have to buy a video card still, which would possibly negate savings.
Click to expand...

theres onboard video that bests the i3. it is really a cheap power efficient package that can handle every htpc task, unless you assign heavy gaming to your htpc.

if i were to redo my nas and htpc, i would be running two zacates.
 
Spikesoldier said:
theres onboard video that bests the i3. it is really a cheap power efficient package that can handle every htpc task, unless you assign heavy gaming to your htpc.

if i were to redo my nas and htpc, i would be running two zacates.
Click to expand...

Hmmm that is very tempting. Reviews of them for HTPC purposes look very good, and it's 1/2 the price for the mobo/cpu....
 
Spikesoldier said:
have you considered an amd zacate setup?

should shave quite a bit off the build cost.
Click to expand...

The thing about Zacate is that while it is certainly fast than Atom, it ain't that much faster. It works out pretty much like this:

Atom x 2 = Zacate
Zacate x 5 = i3 2100

Zacate is fine for HTPC and home server tasks, but it is going to show its age much faster than the i3 will.
 
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