HTPC upgrade

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l3ender

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Jan 1, 2007
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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:

  • 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.
 
Anyone have any advice? An i3 seems like it would be overkill, but I'm not sure what direction to start in for finding a good mobo+CPU.

Thanks!
 
I have built many HTPC's and I am really liking AMD APU's lately. Good, cheap, and better video quality than Intel HD graphics. I like the AMD A4-6300 Richland Dual-Core 3.7GHz CPU, plenty of power for HTPC needs and only $37. As for the MB just get a good brand name one. Nothing fancy is needed if you are just using the HDMI to pass through sound and video.
 
i3 isn't overkill, but the AMD APU's are killer for this. I just upgraded my ancient AM2 based HTPC to an APU - next step up from the Lothar recommended, the A6-6400K Richland. Power is low, 65W and the stock HSF works very well btw.

Dual core is really all you need for an HTPC that is an HTPC. This APU has handled everything I've thrown at it without any issues. APU and new mobo cost me just about $110.00.

4GB "should" be okay. Let the graphics have 1GB for breathing room, and the OS the rest. I have 8 GB in my HTPC (had it, so I used it). Gave the graphics 2GB "just because".
 
I just finished a HTPC using an ASRock fm2a88x-itx+ and AMD A10-6700 APU, 4 gigs of GSkill 2x2 RAM, 500 watt Corsair modular PS and GSkill 120GB SSD. The RAM, PS, and SSD were left over from another build.
Using the stock fan and heat sink with a 65W APU gets me 93F degrees watching an HD movie. I went the cheap route and didn't use a case so I could put the MB and PS on a shelf, and to keep any possible overheating down.
 
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