HTPC build help

mattchapman

mattchapman

Gawd
Joined
Dec 30, 2005
Messages
572
I'm planning a low power, mid-range HTPC. It will be used primarily for 1080p playback (h264/bluray) and perhaps some light gaming. Most of my files will be obtained from an ethernet cable from my storage PC in another room so no need for tons of hard drives.
My AV Receiver is Onkyo TX-Sr604 and my TV is Samsung LN-S4696.

I've overwhelmed with choices so need some help!

You'll notice I've opted for an AMD build...this is because I read Core i3 does not play some movies correctly and skips. Not sure it will be a big issue for me but it swayed me to AMD (which is also cheaper).


Here's what I have so far in terms of possible choices:

CASE (I want something low profile)
Silverstone ML03 black $60

CPU (low power is preferable to keep heat down)
AMD Athlon II X2 235e 2.7GHz 45W $80
AMD Athlon II X2 250 3.0GHz 65W $61

CPU FAN (not sure I need this but what the hell)
Shuriken Low Profile $45

MOBO (I heard 890GX is the best IGP but 880 probably also fine)
GIGABYTE GA-880GMA-UD2H $100
ASUS M4A88TD-M EVO/USB3 $100
ASRock 880GMH/USB3 $100
MSI 880GM-E43 $80
MSI 890GXM-G65 $120
ASRock 890GM PRO3 $95

MEMORY
4GB DDR3 1333MHz $dunno

PSU (need to be quiet)
Antec Earthwatts 380W (140mm) $40
Seasonic S12 II 430W (100mm) $65
SILVERSTONE ST45SF 450W $80

FANS
Noctua NF-R8 80mm Fan

GPU
Radeon 5450 - optional upgrade later

TUNER
Hauppage HVR 2250 - optional upgrade later

HARD DRIVE
Samsung 2TB F4

OPTICAL
Samsung SH-B123L $90

Thanks
 
Seems like you've got a pretty good grasp on what you want and need to do. :) My contribution is in my sig. Anything like that, give or take, will yield you a great home theater/gaming rig. I do most gaming, but watch and record a little TV as well. Runs like a champ. HVR-2250 is a good choice.

Edit: I should also add that my mobo and case don't quite fit your criteria of low profile. But most mATX cases will be a bit shorter. But I do have an ATX case that I got off eBay that is relatively low profile, currently being discussed here: KT400. It's a modder's special, not the best case right out of the gate, but only $50 and solid construction.
 
You are correct the i3 solutions are more expensive and have a frame rate bug which bothers some users (but from I understand, not all users notice it or experience/perceive the annoyance in the same way).

Motherboard, if you get something USB3 and SATA 6Gb/s it will be more expensive, but perhaps more 'futureproof'. Consider whether you'll need those features on a HTPC in the next 2-5 years. If not, you could save money not getting the newest and latest (or loose money if you need to buy an add-on card down the line). 880g vs 890g is really not a big difference. I think 890 can cross-fire with another GPU.

You might want to consider a smaller/faster system drive. SSD may be too much money, but maybe a WD black driver or something like that?

One thing I noticed, I was going to comment on how none of the AMD integrated graphics support HD audio over HDMI, and thus support the idea of you buying the 5450 graphics card for that reason, but then I noticed your receiver does not appear to support HD audio codecs (DTS HD, Dolby TrueHD), so you'll need to have software process the audio down to regular DD or DTS anyway, which the IGP/motherboard CAN send over HDMI. Unless you update your receiver, I wouldn't really worry that much about the HD audio stuff.

Other than that, it really looks like you have been doing your research, and picked out a lot of good choices. I used to say 2GB of memory was enough for HTPC, but now memory is so cheap, I don't bother (and it may help some if you are gaming, or doing other stuff, but it won't make a difference for live TV/video playback). Anyway, hope this helps.
 
Thanks for the great feedback.
Sort of still toying with the Intel i3 route (as many have said the framerate issue is largely not perceptable). These chips are supposed to be 'better' (performance, power) but of course that comes at a price.
 
are you referring to the i3 frame rate bug as the 24p issue?

that problem only exists if you set your tv to 24hz. most people use 60hz, so it's really not an issue.
 
The problem with not be able to output at 23.976 fps is the IGP not the CPU. Using a HD 5450 along with an i3 would eliminate the frame rate issue as you would be able to specify a 23.976Hz refresh rate. Nothing wrong with going the AMD route but I noticed that you mentioned the 5450 as an upgrade.

I used the Silverstone ST45SF in an Athlon II x4 build I did in December. The 120mm 1200 RPM Scythe S-flex fan I used as an intake was louder than the PSU. With any kind of sound coming out of the TV the system was inaudible.

Also used both the GA-880GMA-UD2H and M4A88TD-M EVO/USB3 in Phenom II x2 builds I did last month. Both are nice mobos and I don't think you could go wrong with either of them. The Gigabyte did need to have the vore set manually, auto was setting it to 1.41v. Previous 2 AMD builds with Gigabyte mobos did this also.
 
Updated:

Purchased:
CASE
Silverstone ML03 black $70
CPU
AMD Athlon II X2 240e 2.8GHz 45W $65
MOBO
GIGABYTE GA-880GMA-UD2H $100
MEMORY
G SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ DDR3 1600 $48

Still open:
PSU
Antec Earthwatts 380W (140mm) $40
or Seasonic S12 II 430W (100mm) $65
or SILVERSTONE ST45SF 450W $80

HARD DRIVE
Samsung F1 500GB $repurpose

OPTICAL
LG Blu-ray Disc Combo UH10LS20 $70
Samsung SH-B123L $60

Optional Upgrades Later
FANS
Noctua NF-R8 80mm- optional upgrade $15
GPU
Radeon 5450 - optional upgrade $45
CPU FAN
Shuriken Low Profile -optional upgrade $45
 
the 880gx does not support anything more then DTS and Dobly Digital.

you would need the 5450 to get LPCM and TrueHD/DTS-HD audio.


the noctua 80mm fans are way to loud for the silverstone case. i had 4 of them in mine, and they added too much air pressure from the massive airflow, it sounded like a wind tunnel.

i eventually swapped them out with the s-flex 1200rpm fans and re purposed the noctuas for a bigger pc. if you plan on using the noctua, you will need to use them with the resistors.
 
af22 said:
the 880gx does not support anything more then DTS and Dobly Digital.

you would need the 5450 to get LPCM and TrueHD/DTS-HD audio.


the noctua 80mm fans are way to loud for the silverstone case. i had 4 of them in mine, and they added too much air pressure from the massive airflow, it sounded like a wind tunnel.

i eventually swapped them out with the s-flex 1200rpm fans and re purposed the noctuas for a bigger pc. if you plan on using the noctua, you will need to use them with the resistors.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I wont be needing LPCM and TrueHD/DTS-HD audio as my receiver does not support it. I've been happy with DTS/DD for a while now.

Interesting comment on the Noctua. I thought these were the best fans available...but did not consider the size of the case. Don't they have 3 speeds already?

Anyhow, given I have the energy efficient CPU and on board GPU I'm going to try and get away with no additional fans to begin with.
 
I've read of some people using that CPU with just the heatsink, no fan at all (passive). but YMMV. Not sure if I'd personally risk that. And yeah, like I said in my first post, if you upgrade your receiver, you can easily buy a 5450 to get the HD audio over HDMI, but you don't need it currently, so no need to build for the future, when the possible upgrade will be so cheap.
 
i would highly recommend you put in new fans when you build. those silverstone fans are absolute junk. out of the 3 HTPC's i built using silverstone cases, the fans didn't last more then a few months before they started to rattle loudly.

yes, the noctua has 3 speeds. but if your gonna use them with the slow speeds, you might as well save money and buy slow s-flex fans
 
af22 said:
i would highly recommend you put in new fans when you build. those silverstone fans are absolute junk. out of the 3 HTPC's i built using silverstone cases, the fans didn't last more then a few months before they started to rattle loudly.

yes, the noctua has 3 speeds. but if your gonna use them with the slow speeds, you might as well save money and buy slow s-flex fans
Click to expand...

This case does not come with any fans and I do not plan to add any at the moment.
I'm going to see how things run without any fans.

Thanks
 
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