I've been putting off my HTPC upgrade for the longest time...mainly because once you get out of following hardware, it seems difficult to get back into it. I feel like I'm coming in completely cold and have no idea where to start.
SO, here are the parts I think I need:
Some thoughts and questions:
SO, here are the parts I think I need:
- micro ATX motherboard with onboard graphics for HD video (I have a bluray drive that my current setup stutters on)
- CPU - just needs to handle the video I want to throw at it
- Heat sink - nothing fancy, perhaps the ZALMAN CNPS7000V would work?
- DDR3 RAM - this seems like it would work...and I would think 4GB would be sufficient?
Some thoughts and questions:
- Budget: with mainly just a mobo and CPU, I would think that $200 should go pretty far.
- I have an Antek NSK2480 with 380W power supply. I definitely will reuse the case but I'm not sure if the PSU should be replaced?
- I've seen the GA-78LMT-USB3 come up often in my searching but based on a few things I've read I'm not sure it can handle the onboard graphics with what I want?
- I have Windows 7 that I'll put on the box. I've used 32-bit only in the past but will probably jump to 64-bit this time around. The PC is used for OTA, streaming, physical HD bluray, and digital HD videos. I use it often for regular computer activities that I want a full Windows install.
- No preference on AMD or Intel, but the cooler/lower power and less expensive options are more desirable.