My HTPC Build.

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jono80

n00b
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Jun 5, 2008
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Im building this system. I will be using Win7 w/ WMC.

System consists of:

1 x CPU AMD|ATH II X2 250 AM3 3.0G RT - Retail

1 x HD 500G|WD WD5001AALS % - OEM

1 x MB MSI|760GM-E51 760G RT - Retail

1 x PSU OCZ|OCZ550FTY 550W RT - Retail

1 x VGA SAPPHIRE|100296HDMI HD4670 R - Retail

1 x CASE SILVERSTONE| HTPC GD04B RT - Retail

1 x MEM 2Gx2|CORSAIR TW3X4G1333C9A G R - Retail

1 x Hauppauge 1850 TV Tuner

Does this look like a pretty decent htpc? Any suggestions? I will be hooking it up to my Sharp 32" LCD TV.
 
Ive already ordered this.. I know the 760G will not decode HD if i read right.. but having the ATI 4670 video card should make up for that right? or am i wrong here.. i dont know much about htpcs.. I just build a new desktop computer which is an evga x58, i7 920, ati 5870, 12gig ram and love it.. but i wanted something i could hook up to the tv as well.. so i came up with this.. anyways.. should i send the mb back when it gets here and get the msi 785g mb?
 
I think you're fine, if you aren't planning on upgrading soon. I do recommend getting the MSI R5450 though if your planning on bitstreaming HD audio unless you plan on getting a sound card that does.
 
CrazyCuz2k said:
I think you're fine, if you aren't planning on upgrading soon. I do recommend getting the MSI R5450 though if your planning on bitstreaming HD audio unless you plan on getting a sound card that does.
Click to expand...

Well, the 760 doesn't do complete hardware decoding so it's kind of a waste of money along with a video card when the OP could have gotten a 8000 series mobo for less and have a near full featured HTPC (only thing you miss is bitstreamed TrueHD and DTS-MA).

Also, a 700 series AMD board on it's own for an HTPC is an utter waste of money.
 
CrimandEvil said:
Also, a 700 series AMD board on it's own for an HTPC is an utter waste of money.
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I don't know about that I have 2-780G HTPCs and they are fine for what I need... They stream 1080P fine, I'm not an audiophile though... to each his own I guess...
 
jono80 said:
Does this look like a pretty decent htpc? Any suggestions? I will be hooking it up to my Sharp 32" LCD TV.
Click to expand...

It's ok but it's pretty bad for the money for the following reasons:
- The WD 500Gb Black drive is a horrible buy considering that there are faster drives for less or the same price:
$55 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$70 - Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$75 - Western Digital WD6401AALS 640GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Both the Samsung and WD 640GB drives listed above outperform the WD 500GB Black by a wide margin.

- The PSU is an older Sirtec model. As such it is of pretty low quality. Not as bad as Apevia then again that's not saying much.

- The CPU was a tad overill considering that you could've gotten the $9 cheaper X2 240 CPU which would have provided about the same HTPC performance as the X2 250.

- The HD 4670 was a bad buy at $70 considering that for $20 more you could have gotten the HD 5670 which supports bitsreamed audio as well as provide better gaming performace (if that was a requirement):
$90 - SAPPHIRE 100287VGAL Radeon HD 5670 PCI-E Video Card
 
well all the parts came in today.. I have decided to sell everything but the case and processor to my buddy.. so now im going to put together a better system for myself. I should of researched a little better before i bought this stuff..

so im going to pick out some new hardware and post here for some better opinions...
 
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