HTPC Setup

[jimlenz]

I am new to this and have been doing my research. Here is my proposed setup, I would appreciate your feedback. My budget is 1500. I will use this for bluray and dvd playback, light gaming, photos, dvd, etc.

Case
SILVERSTONE Black Aluminum front panel, 0.8 mm SECC body GD01B-MXR ATX Media Center

Blu-ray
LG Black 8X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-ROM SATA Internal Combo LG Blu-ray Reader & 16X LightScribe DVD±R DVD Burner CH08ls10
or
LG 8X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 6X BD-ROM 2MB Cache Blu-ray Burner Model BH08LS20

CPU
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor

Power Supply
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

Memory
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ

Graphics Card
SAPPHIRE 100269SR Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card

Graphics Cooler
Zalman ZM-RHS90

Hard Drive
Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

CPU Cooler
Scythe SCMNJ-1000 80mm Sleeve "NINJA MINI" CPU Cooler
or
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler

Chipset Cooler(Note sure if needed)
Thermaltake CL-C0034 Copper Fan & Heatsinks

Wireless
ENCORE ENLWI-N IEEE 802.11b/g, IEEE 802.11n Draft 2.0 PCI 2.3 Wireless Adapter Up to 300Mbps Data Rates 64/128-bits WEP Encryption WPA, WPA2 WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK

Audio
ASUS Xonar HDAV1.3 Slim

Thanks for your comments.

Jim

 

[Adidas4275]

good god, that is not a HTPC, that is a high-mid level gaming machine...


okay some issues, with that level of hardware cooling is going to be tough.

I understand the CPU and RAM are to get a high end machine that will last a while....

the hard drive is lame for that setup: go with at a min a 640gb WD black or a 1TB WD black and then use a green drive for storage.

Also you dont need the sound card if you are going to use an AVR with your setup, HDMI from the GPU will do 7.1 trueHD and such with a compatible AVR.

Wireless will not get it done CAT5e or CAT6 1000mb/s hardwired is required for streaming 1080p reliably

FYI this is way overkill.... a cheap C2D w/ onboard graphics will do for HTPC 8x00 IGP.

for light gaming at 1080p a 4850 will do also for most games....

 

[CrimandEvil]

Wait. I thought this was suppose to be an HTPC.....

 

[lowteckh]

How is this a HTPC..? OP needs to go figure out what exactly he wants (and what a HTPC is) - playing videos does not automagically equate to a HTPC.

What you have is just a mid tower gaming system shoved into a flat HTPC case. And no, just because you have a HTPC case doesn't make your thang one

 

[jimlenz]

Thanks for the feedback. In my research I was looking at components and it said this was a high end htpc. Guess, I was wrong. If I dont need all these components, then I definitely dont want to spend the money.

The hard drive is a great suggestion, I appreciate that.

So, I will cut the gpu down to the hd 4850, what about the motherboard and cpu. Do I downgrade that also? I do want something that is going to last and will be able to do 1080p, 7.1 with no problem.

Thanks and I appreciate your help.

Jim

 

[lowteckh]

What exactly are you going to be playing with it? Solitaire?

Cuz' if it's movie playback then an integrated AMD solution is pretty much it.

 

[CrimandEvil]

What you need to do is balance out how much gaming you're going to do versus HTPC work. I originally planned on gaming on my HTPC so I dropped a 4850 into it (this was when they were like $150) and I never gamed on it. It felt odd and not very precise so I never gamed on it. Some around here do. I can't do it cause it annoys the hell out of me AND everyone else in the house since the HTPC is being hogged by my gaming.

It makes more sense to do that in my bedroom. So, my suggestion is to actually think this out. Don't just start throwning shit together and build a system that can do anything but NOTHING else really well.

 

[lowteckh]

What you need to do is balance out how much gaming you're going to do versus HTPC work. I originally planned on gaming on my HTPC so I dropped a 4850 into it (this was when they were like $150) and I never gamed on it. It felt odd and not very precise so I never gamed on it. Some around here do. I can't do it cause it annoys the hell out of me AND everyone else in the house since the HTPC is being hogged by my gaming.

It makes more sense to do that in my bedroom. So, my suggestion is to actually think this out. Don't just start throwning shit together and build a system that can do anything but NOTHING else really well.

For real. Seemed like a good idea to game on my TV, but a fkin' PITA it was. Was not enjoyable at all. Moving back to a desk and smaller screen made it fun again. In the end... got an extender cuz' that's all I wanted my TV to do - play movies.

 

[Adidas4275]

well to do 1080p playback a X2 AMD or low end C2D with an nvidia 8x00/9x00 series motherboard with IGP will do fine...

If I were you..... I would build 2 PCs

1) HTPC $500
2) Gaming Rest of the $$$$


HTPC:
AMD 5050e
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103298
$59.99

ASUS M3N78-VM AM2+/
$75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131318

Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
$24
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148163

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS
$99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

Antec Black M FusionRemote 350 Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - Retail
$199
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129046

LITE-ON Black 4X BD-ROM 8X DVD-ROM 32X CD-ROM SATA Internal 4X Blu-ray Reader Model iHOS104-06 - OEM
$59 (NEED TO GET SOFTWARE STILL FOR BLU-RAY)


Now you can get a much cheaper Case/PSU/Remote setup and save a decent amount (nmedia or ebay)

then take the other $1000 or so and biuld a gaming PC...

 

[e2g]

Also you dont need the sound card if you are going to use an AVR with your setup, HDMI from the GPU will do 7.1 trueHD and such with a compatible AVR.

..

i am trying to understand this a little more. Why exactly would you get that card in the first place if you can send the high bandwidth audio (trueHD and such) through the video card?


I am planning on ripping my movies and encoding them such that I can use 7MC to play them back, but not have to break out the disc everytime. Depending on how I put it on my computer, are you saying the video and audio is redirected through the HDMI on the GPU into an AVR?.....hmm...i need to understand more on how this all works so i can make an informed purchase. thanx in advance.

hmm..further reading...it seems that card would allow decoding of trueHD and such right from the pc. If that is true, then I don't get the HDMI interface. Where is that going?

 

[JohnDC]

i am trying to understand this a little more. Why exactly would you get that card in the first place if you can send the high bandwidth audio (trueHD and such) through the video card?


I am planning on ripping my movies and encoding them such that I can use 7MC to play them back, but not have to break out the disc everytime. Depending on how I put it on my computer, are you saying the video and audio is redirected through the HDMI on the GPU into an AVR?.....hmm...i need to understand more on how this all works so i can make an informed purchase. thanx in advance.

hmm..further reading...it seems that card would allow decoding of trueHD and such right from the pc. If that is true, then I don't get the HDMI interface. Where is that going?

The ATI 4XXX vid cards will send 7.1 lossless audio as LPCM via HDMI, to a compatible receiver. It will not light up the pretty "True-HD, or DTS-MA" lights on your receiver, but the sound will be virtually identical, it is just the vid card does the sound processing, instead of the receiver. If you use the Asus Xonar sound card, you take the HDMI out from the ATI vid card, run it to the INPUT on the xonar, then plug the OUTPUT of the xonar into your receiver. The xonar will actually bitstream the Dolby True-HD or DTS-MA sound to your receiver, which which will then decode them. And the pretty lights will light up.
In theory the Xonar should sound a bit better, because all of the software Blu-Ray players downconvert the LPCM a bit, but most believe it to be unnoticable.

 

[e2g]

The ATI 4XXX vid cards will send 7.1 lossless audio as LPCM via HDMI, to a compatible receiver. It will not light up the pretty "True-HD, or DTS-MA" lights on your receiver, but the sound will be virtually identical, it is just the vid card does the sound processing, instead of the receiver. If you use the Asus Xonar sound card, you take the HDMI out from the ATI vid card, run it to the INPUT on the xonar, then plug the OUTPUT of the xonar into your receiver. The xonar will actually bitstream the Dolby True-HD or DTS-MA sound to your receiver, which which will then decode them. And the pretty lights will light up.
In theory the Xonar should sound a bit better, because all of the software Blu-Ray players downconvert the LPCM a bit, but most believe it to be unnoticable.

Sound Card: This is optional. HDMI audio from the GPU or S/PDIF from the onboard audio is enough unless you want:
-Good analog sound without using an expensive pre-pro or AVR (you still need an amplifier unless your speakers are powered);
-Support for EAX 5.0 in gaming;
-Dolby TrueHD/DTS-HD Master Audio bitstreams through HDMI

So, John, can i conclude that trueHD bitstreams are not possible from the GPU's HDMI? Like you said, the receiver does not indicate it, but you say it's near as the quality as if were receiving it..

 

[CrimandEvil]

So, John, can i conclude that trueHD bitstreams are not possible from the GPU's HDMI? Like you said, the receiver does not indicate it, but you say it's near as the quality as if were receiving it..

Yup. You can't send TrueHD or DTS MA out of a PC's HDMI port unless you get the Asus sound card (HDV I think it is). No other way to do it but, thankfully, LPCM audio is just about the same.