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HTPC Dolby 7.1 and 1080p

B

brasp

Junior Member
Hey everyone,
This is my first HTPC build and before I bought the parts I was hoping you could look it over and confirm a few things for me. This is what I am planning on buying:

CPU: AMD A8-5600K 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus F2A55-M LE Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($85.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($16.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Toshiba 320GB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Aerocool M40-BK MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($89.74 @ CompUSA)
Power Supply: FSP Group 300W 80 PLUS Certified Micro ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($91.77 @ Amazon)
Total: $516.44
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

I want to make sure that I will be able to get Dolby TrueHD out of the HDMI on the Motherboard when I am playing BluRay, and the best available sound quality the rest of the time. I also want to make sure this will have enough power to watch HD video without lagging or anything.

I appreciate any help or input you may have
 
Will the system be just media/movies? How important is noise in your room? Cheaper power supplies are likely to be a touch noisy, and you might be able to use a brick-style picoPSU that is fanless if you went with a lower TDP APU. If it's just for media, the lower power system would be just fine. If it's general use or any gaming, then the above suggestion won't fly.

I'd also consider 1600mhz memory. The integrated graphics of the APUs benefit from a little more speed. It won't be any major difference, but for 3 or 4 bucks, it might be a good investment.
 
We're talking gains in the NANOseconds by going with slightly faster RAM, but if its only a few dollars you might as well.

Did you already get the 7.1 system? If not, I'd recommend cutting back to good ol' 5.1, and saving a bit of money .. 7.1 is absolutely pointless and frivolous, but that's a discussion for another time.

If this is a NON gaming PC, you could easily cut back on the processor too..

This is just a really small amount of hard drive space for an HTPC. That's my concern too.

If you'll be ripping blurays, just to get an idea.. the Planet Earth Bluray for example will weigh in between 50gb-100gb depending on how much you compress it.
 
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