I'm building a new HTPC: may i have some hints, please?

Hi to ya all, mates!
I recently discovered this marvelous forum and i'd like to ask you some advices about a new rig i'm building. I'm looking for a (quite) silent PC which needs to run for a lot of hours every day (i have to work with it), good in the multimedial aspects (playing music, HD movies, etc), and easy to connect to a 37" Plasma HDTV. On the top of it, i'd like to play some games (obviously, without too many requests). So, i was thinking about somethin' like that (the prices are expressed in EURO, cause i live in Euroland):

CASE: ANTEC SOLO 90

RAM CORSAIR DDR2 TWIN2X4096-6400C4DHX 4GB (2GB x 2) CAS 4 90

MOTHERBOARD GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H 90


CPU AMD PHENOM 9750 AM2+ 2,4 GHZ - BOX 95 WATT, STEPPING B3 (NO 125W) 170

VGA RADEON HD3450 512MB PASSIVE COOLING (IN HYBRID CROSSFIRE) 40


PSU CORSAIR HX MODULAR 520W 90


HD SAMSUNG HARD DISK 160 GB SAMSUNG SPINPOINT S166 SERIES HD161HJ SATA II 40

Tot: 610 euro

About the monitor, i'm looking for a Samsung 206bw. What do you think about this configuration? Is it nice? Is it silly?

Thank you very much for your attention, guys (and pardon my bad, rusted, english)!

Why Phenom, and not Core 2 Quad?

Is the priority of this HTPC gaming, multitasking, or low noise/heat output?

Is your HDTV 720p or 1080p? Is your HTPC going to be used mainly with the HDTV, the 206BW, or both?

Which games/programs do you use?

tiraides said:

Why Phenom, and not Core 2 Quad?

Is the priority of this HTPC gaming, multitasking, or low noise/heat output?

Is your HDTV 720p or 1080p? Is your HTPC going to be used mainly with the HDTV, the 206BW, or both?

Which games/programs do you use?

Click to expand...

Hi Tiraides,
at the beginning, i was oriented to a Core 2 Quad (Q6600), but then i read some reviews of the 780G chipset, and i changed my mind.

My priority for the new PC is multitasking (nothing too heavy, anyway. Lot of internet browsing, a little of photoshop, some p2p, FTP downloading and uploading, etc) and silence, cause i need to spend a lot of time on the PC. I recently bought a Panasonic Viera TH37-PX-7E (720p), and i'd like to use the new PC to view some movies on it. Anyway, most of the time i'll use the PC with the 206BW. About the games, i mostly play on a 360, but i'm curious to test some PC titles (except Crysis, obviously: i know i couldn't) and, in the case i won't be satisfied, buy a new VGA, in the next months. Then, it would be great if i'll be able to run some emulators (mame, for example) on the TV set.
Thank you for your time!

Since we keep throwing around the term HTPC like it means something, I'd like some clarification....

Is this computer going to be a multitasking machine with an emphasis on gaming, or will it be a multimedia machine in which you'll also use as a (secondary) TV/DVR?

And where is this PC going to be primarily used at?

tiraides said:

Since we keep throwing around the term HTPC like it means something, I'd like some clarification....

Click to expand...

Ok, i agree, i used the term "HTPC" improperly. Pardon.

tiraides said:

Is this computer going to be a multitasking machine with an emphasis on gaming, or will it be a multimedia machine in which you'll also use as a (secondary) TV/DVR?

And where is this PC going to be primarily used at?

Click to expand...

Hum, I'm trying to build a PC for multitasking/music/movies with an emphasis on gaming. I'm not interested in Overclock and i don't want to spend money for something i won't use. I'm asking too much?
The PC will be in my room (monolocal).

Thx!

I was inquiring about HTPC because most users' HTPCs are designed to (also) function as television tuners and/or digital video recorders. If you wanted those features you would have to buy an add-on TV tuner/capture card, like the Hauppauge WinTV series.

The case, power supply, and RAM are all good choices (though, if you could find some CL5 RAM for less, get that instead).

Intel is currently the better choice in processors -- the nearly-two-year-old Q6600 could compete with the Phenom 9750 easily. The catch is that AMD motherboards have more available features at a lower cost than Intel motherboards.

The Intel equivalent to your above setup would be:

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad -- either the Q6600 or the Q9300
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L or the ASUS P5K SE (both use the Intel P35/ICH9 chipset)

If you want to play some games -- or, at least have the ability to play games at med/high visual settings -- consider either the 9600GT or the 8800GT over the HD3450. They both could play Crysis, albeit at medium or low settings (based on whichever "monitor" you use).

(Also, where specifically are you planning on buying everything from? I only posted the NewEgg links so you could see what I was talking about.)

Hi Tiraides,
here i am. First of all, thank you for your time and for the clear explanation: i appreciated it!

I was thinking to go with the AMD configuration mainly for two reason: it's cheaper and can run HD content just with the onboard graphic card, but the risk, if i understood right, is that i'll be unsatisfied with the games. So, i'll seriously consider the combo gigabyte ga-p35-ds3l+q9300+8800 GT.

About the TV tuner, i don't think i'll need it, but I Do need a capture card to grab screenshot from external devices (wii, xbox 360, PS2...), so with a component IN. Can you suggest me one?
Thank you!!!

PS: Why CL5 is better than CL4?

Mario said:

PS: Why CL5 is better than CL4?

Click to expand...

Generally CL5 costs a lot less than CL4. You won't notice any real world performance increase from going with CL4 so just stick with CL5.

The 780G is GREAT for an HTPC because of its onboard graphics -- it has hardware decode/encode for HD video content. However, you're emphasizing gaming, and picked up a secondary graphics card for hybrid crossfire, which won't perform that great on games using an HDTV monitor. So, you'd be better off, IMO, ditching the 780G/AMD all together, and going for an Intel build with a P35 chipset and a G92 based GPU, which can not only get you good gaming performance, but will also help with decoding/encoding HD video content.

Thank you guys, you solved my doubts.
Last question: a motherboad with a good integrated audio card? Thanks!

Onboard sound's good enough for most people nowadays. Try it out first, then revisit this question later (if it really doesn't work for you).

You might see some improvement over Intel HD audio if you get a soundblaster audigy or extreme music (if you plan to do this dont get an OEM version of the X.M due to the terrible driver support(It dosent come with the driver CD in most cases and creative dosent have the driver on their site))

Ok, i'll go with the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L, then.
Thank you guys, this forum is splendid!