First HTPC Build: Existing Parts Work?

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NotSoSimple

[H]F Junkie
Joined
May 17, 2003
Messages
14,618
Come June we are ditching DirecTV and going to pure HTPC. Currently my equipment list is:

-Asus M3A32-MVP Deluxe/WiFi-AP
-Phenom 9550 Quad Core
-2x1GB of DDR2 (Not sure of the speed)
-Onkyo TX-SR605
-Asus EAH4350 Graphics Card
-Cables To Go 40430 IR repeater
-Logitech Harmony

1) I need a case that accepts an ATX motherboard. Hoping for it to fit the same footprint as the onkyo so I can stack them in my media closet. Need it to have room for one optical drive and would like a 3.5" bay but that is not necessary.
2) I do not have a 'new' PSU that I would trust so I will need a PSU. Do HTPC cases come bundled with decent PSUs these days? If not what would I need?
3) RAM amount OK?
4) What would be the best way to transport audio? Using audio over HDMI to the Onkyo, or should I use Coaxial/SPDIF on the motherboard?
5) With the Harmony and the IR Repeater, what do I need to be able to use the Harmony? I will also be getting a dedicated wireless keyboard but being able to use the remote some is a needed feature.
6) I have a Windows 7 Ultimate license, should I be using that or WMC?
 
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i dont think the radeon 4350 supports the hd audio formats over HDMI. you need to get one of the 5xxx series, like the 5750 to support DTS-HD (you need to research on which 5xxx series has full compatibility, i dont remember off the top of my head). SPDIF/COAX does not support the HD audio, only HDMI is capable of DTS-HD.

you wont find a AV sized case that supports ATX mobos. that's pretty much not possible unless it's double the height. and most cases do not come with a PSU, you have to buy it separately. 350 watts should be more then enough.

ram is so cheap these days, the more the merrier!

WMC is part of all versions of windows 7
 
af22, thanks for the response. At this time I do not have a complete 5.1 environment anyway, so just looking for the best way to supply audio at this time.

Wont this case be close to the footprint of the Onkyo?
 
1) I need a case that accepts an ATX motherboard. Hoping for it to fit the same footprint as the onkyo so I can stack them in my media closet. Need it to have room for one optical drive and would like a 3.5" bay but that is not necessary. How big is your Onkyo? I have several cases that are as big or smaller than many receivers. And I just recently picked up a KT400 case from eBay that I've been thoroughly impressed with. Comes with a 500W PSU that has been putting out stable votlages, no problem.

2) I do not have a 'new' PSU that I would trust so I will need a PSU. Do HTPC cases come bundled with decent PSUs these days? If not what would I need? See #1

3) RAM amount OK? 2GB is the minimum for Win7. Might as well double it. Cheap upgrade.

4) What would be the best way to transport audio? Using audio over HDMI to the Onkyo, or should I use Coaxial/SPDIF on the motherboard? Depends on your setup. I prefer through HDMI. I then use OpticalOut on my TV to my receiver. In most cases the two options you mention are the same. Some require a jumper to pipe the SPDIF to your GPU (example: EVGA GTX260 core 216)

5) With the Harmony and the IR Repeater, what do I need to be able to use the Harmony? I will also be getting a dedicated wireless keyboard but being able to use the remote some is a needed feature. You'll need an IR receiver on your PC end. By means of mobo input or tuner card or case feature.

6) I have a Windows 7 Ultimate license, should I be using that or WMC? I prefer WMC, but there are other options out there depending on what you want to do. WinTV, MythTV, etc. But WMC is the cleanest option given your hardware is all compatible.
 
NotSoSimple said:
af22, thanks for the response. At this time I do not have a complete 5.1 environment anyway, so just looking for the best way to supply audio at this time.

Wont this case be close to the footprint of the Onkyo?
Click to expand...


let me clarify. your onkyo supports dts-hd and dobly hd. you must use HDMI audio to get that output to the receiver. the radeon 5xxx 5750? best supports that format at the moment.

even if you don't have 5.1 speakers, the dts-hd and dobly hd audio quality if vastly superior. your receiver will handle converting it to 2.1 playback.
 
#3 Ram is cheap, but with 64 bit win 7, on 2 of my systems, I have never had a problem with 2 GBs, FYI. Obviously DDR2 is going to be phased out and become more expensive, so DDR3 is recommended, but that would also require a mobo upgrade.

#4 The 5750 is a ~$125 graphics card. If you don't have awesomely nice speakers, and you don't have full surround sound, and you are trying to save money, then you can have your software decode the audio into a format that you CAN send via SPDIF. If you have money to burn, and you want to get the fancy HD audio lights to illuminate on your receiver, then go with a 5750 (or go with a 5450 if you want to save money @ ~$30, as it can also do HD audio via HDMI). But keep in mind that as is you will be able to get audio out of your computer via SPDIF on your montherboard with no upgrade. Not to get into an argument, but I don't agree that the new HD codecs are vastly superior. If you don't have nice speakers in a good acoustically treated environment, it is probable that you won't be able to tell any difference.

#6 just to be clear, WMC comes standard in most (except the most basic) forms of Windows 7. So no need to choose between WMC and Win7, as they are not mutually exclusive.
 
xrintrahx said:
#3 Ram is cheap, but with 64 bit win 7, on 2 of my systems, I have never had a problem with 2 GBs, FYI. Obviously DDR2 is going to be phased out and become more expensive, so DDR3 is recommended, but that would also require a mobo upgrade.
Click to expand...

Agreed, 2GB is plenty for an htpc.

xrintrahx said:
#4 The 5750 is a ~$125 graphics card. If you don't have awesomely nice speakers, and you don't have full surround sound, and you are trying to save money, then you can have your software decode the audio into a format that you CAN send via SPDIF. If you have money to burn, and you want to get the fancy HD audio lights to illuminate on your receiver, then go with a 5750 (or go with a 5450 if you want to save money @ ~$30, as it can also do HD audio via HDMI). But keep in mind that as is you will be able to get audio out of your computer via SPDIF on your montherboard with no upgrade. Not to get into an argument, but I don't agree that the new HD codecs are vastly superior. If you don't have nice speakers in a good acoustically treated environment, it is probable that you won't be able to tell any difference.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more. The only things that really matter are which speakers you have, where are they placed with respect to where do you sit/how is your room shaped, what leveling of your speaker setup have you done, and does your amp have enough juice to drive them. And getting the right audio signal to your receiver, of course....getting 5.1 or 7.1 if you have that many speakers.

The rest is all BS. The onkyo receivers are nice as they have the Audyssey speaker setup system which is very, very useful. Others have it, too, but I'm not familiar with a list off of the top of my head. Proper speaker leveling via Audyssey will do 100x more for your sound than whether you have HD audio or this amp or that amp (as far as "sound quality" goes).

http://www.audyssey.com/technology/faq.html
http://www.tom-morrow-land.com/tests/ampchall/index.htm
 
NotSoSimple said:
1) I need a case that accepts an ATX motherboard. Hoping for it to fit the same footprint as the onkyo so I can stack them in my media closet. Need it to have room for one optical drive and would like a 3.5" bay but that is not necessary.
Click to expand...
Take a look at Silverstone's ATX HTPC cases:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ption=&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=
NotSoSimple said:
2) I do not have a 'new' PSU that I would trust so I will need a PSU. Do HTPC cases come bundled with decent PSUs these days? If not what would I need?
Click to expand...
If we're talking about ATX HTPC cases, the answer is no, none of them come with decent PSUs. Hell only a handful of mATX HTPC cases comes with decent PSUs. So you will need a new PSU no matter what ATX HTPC case you get. I recommend this:
$40 - Antec Earthwatts Green EA380D 380W PSU
NotSoSimple said:
3) RAM amount OK?
Click to expand...
Yes
NotSoSimple said:
6) I have a Windows 7 Ultimate license, should I be using that or WMC?
Click to expand...

Ummm, WMC isn't a seperate OS or anything. It's a bundled program thats found in Windows 7 Ultimate. If you don't have any other Windows 7 license, then yes that Windows 7 Ult will work just fine.
 
Sell off the memory and the old Phenom. They are power hogs. You can get a cheap dual core AM3 chip that will sip power and run super cool. You could also look for low voltage DDR3, like 1.35 volts. The price has come down a lot recently. If you're replacing the board, you might as well replace the processor and memory too.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231316

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103903

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138283

And if you wanted to take a chance, get this processor and try for an unlock.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103698
 
I agree with the general advice in the above post. If you are getting a new motherboard, get a newer, power efficient CPU, and DDR3 memory.

On the video side of things, since you have a receiver that supports HD audio, you should get a video card that can bitstream that content via HDMI, as mentioned above. Any of the video cards that can do this will have sufficient processing power to handle up to 1080p video content, assuming you are using hardware acceleration. The ATI 5450, probably the cheapest card with the HD audio HDMI support is fine for most people, but it doesn't have the power to add a lot of extra video post processing effects, and has minor issues with advanced de-interlacing options. Most cards above it don't have these faults. On the NVIDIA side of things, this review may be of some use http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/hqv-2-radeon-geforce,2844-10.html (keep in mind only some of the 4xx cards can do the HD audio, though most can convert and send LPCM via HDMI). This also assumes no gaming is involved. If you are going to game, just pick the best card for you are willing to buy for you games, that also supports HD audio over HDMI.
 
If you can use your 3450 for a while, do that and wait for the HD6450, HD6570, the HD6670 to come out. Right now they are only OEM's. But I would imagine that after a little time they will show up in the retail chain.
 
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