need help with a HTPC build

R

rfadream

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 26, 2006
Messages
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A friend of mine asked me to build him an htpc he can hook up to his Philips 47" 1080p tv.
The htpc will be used for internet browsing and bluray dvd rip playback. WIll not be used for gaming.
His budget is betwee $400-500.

I have a c2d e6400 overclocked to 3.2ghz and that runs my 720p and 1080p bluray rips just fine. I was wondering if i could go with some of the cheaper intel dual cores and save some money.

I'm kind of lost when it comes to the lower end dual and quad cores. I know everything about the e6xxx, e8xxx, q6600 series but when it comes to the e1xxx, e2xxx, e4xxx, e7xxx i'm just completely at a loss.

Can someone explain to me the differences and which one i should go with for this htpc build?

So far from looking at the newegg prices the 2180, 2200, and the 2220 look pretty good.
How well do these overclock? i will be putting a xigmatek 1283 on and overclocking.
is it worth paying $20 more for the 2220? or will the 2180 be able to reach 3.0ghz?

the rest of the build so far looks like this.
probably a p35 gigabyte board (open to suggestions)
2x2gb gskill ddr2 1000 (the light blue $85 one at newegg)
WD sata 750gb aaks ($130)
lian li pc-a05b ($110)
some cheap video card with dvi capable of running 1080p video
will be running vista 64.

I'd really appreciate any help.
 
it seems like you're aiming for an intel platform, but for a htpc build i think one of the 65nm amd's with a 780g motherboard is tough to beat. the 65nm brisbane's are dirt cheap right now (tigerdirect has a 5000+ black edition with a gig of memory for $70 after rebate)

on board hdmi and the 3200 integrated video makes a compelling argument for a htpc platform. if you ever decide to upgrade, you can drop in a 3450 and hybrid crossfire it.
 
sounds very interesting i never even considered going amd.
i'm trying to keep the cost as low as possible while still being able to run 1080p bluray rips perfectly thru a dvi -> hdmi adapter.

if integrated video can handle it i have no problems with that. integrated hdmi would be a huge plus too.

can you give me a link to those parts you mentioned?

does this 780g mobo you mention have pci express 2.0?
 
oops so sorry, been here 2 years and i never knew we had a dedicated htpc forum. will post there
 
stainremover said:
biostar tforce mboard for $70 + shipping after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138105

athlon 64 x2 5000+ black edition with 2x512mb ram, $70+shipping after rebate
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3991802&Sku=AMD-5000-1GB

asus 3450, $25+shipping after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121230
Click to expand...

Why are you recommending a dedicated video card when you put him with a 780g motherboard that is fully capable of handling ripping and playback at 1080p.
 
I just built myself a cheap HTPC for some 720p playback and I used the following components. I'm sure they will play 1080p smoothly also.

AMD 4850e - $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103255

Gigabyte 780g - $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128090

Toss in the memory, hdd and case you wanted and you're set. IMO a cheap 2gb kit of Ballistix is worth more than the G.Skill memory you selected, you save about $60. I think Frys still has a 1066 kit for ~$20. Also, I picked up a cheap Antec HTPC case (I think the Minuet, but I heard the NSK2480 is also good) so that should be cheaper.
 
thanks everyone. should i go with the AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Black Edition + 2gb memory or the AMD Athlon X2 4850e for $80 from newegg? the 4850 is supposed to have lower power consumption right?
also what does the black edition have over the regular 5000+?

how hot does the 5000+ BE and the 4850e run compared to my C2D e6400?

i'm thinking of going for the lian li pc-a05b for the case and Antec Earthwatts 430W for $30 AR for the psu. any other better suggestions for either the case or the psu?

this is my first time buying a m atx mobo will it fit fine in the lian li pc-a05b?
 
kmS said:
Why are you recommending a dedicated video card when you put him with a 780g motherboard that is fully capable of handling ripping and playback at 1080p.
Click to expand...

cause i mentioned it in my first post (#2) and he asked for the parts i mentioned in my post. additionally, he asked about pci-e 2.0, which to me suggests he is interested in dedicated grpahics.
 
i only asked if it had pci express 2.0 out of concern for upgradeability down the line. i will stick with the integrated video for now as it seems more than enough. thanks
 
also stain remover it seems like the biostar 780g board doesn't have the hdmi output that the gigabyte board has, is that correct?
 
so far this is my list of parts

Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H - $90+8
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ CPU Memory Bundle - $80+shipping AR
Memory: OCZ Platinum Revision-2 2048MB DDR2 800MHz - $0 free with bundle
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS 750GB - $130
PSU: Antec Earthwatts EA430 430W - $30 AR
Case: Lian Li PC-A05b - $110
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek 1283 - $27 AR

total = ~$480

i am open to suggestions for a cheaper alternative to the case, psu, and cpu cooler.
i still want to knock the price down to under $400 also

is the xigmatek 1283 overkill? i want a silent htpc system that will still be reasonably cool.
 
They are right, 780G is really a great IGP for the price, you can read more about it here:
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3288

If you want a full ATX mobo, this is also a good one:
ASUS M3A78 Pro

If you go with the gigabyte mobo, you can get this CPU with a combo deal for $12 less:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5800+ Brisbane 3.0GHz

You will need RAM if you go with the 5800+ so this 2GB OCZ will cost you $19.49 after MIR:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227139
 
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