Thoughts on build please

A

Axsuul

Limp Gawd
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Aug 15, 2003
Messages
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I'm building a HTPC for my parents this Christmas and would like an opinion on the components please :) The budget is $350ish. The purpose of the HTPC is to play 1080p rips (no gaming) through Windows Media Center. No hard wire can be run to the TV so a WiFi card is necessary. Also, I will be using a spare copy of Windows 7 Home Premium.

The build so far is


The subtotal so far is $381.92 before tax and shipping.

Will the PSU that comes with the case be able to handle the load (especially from the GPU)? Will the hardware be sufficient to handle the requirements? Thanks for your time!
 
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Looking pretty solid. However as far as the GPU is concerned :

Minimum 350W System Power Requirement
Click to expand...

You might run into trouble there considering its 50 watts less on the PSU than recommended but the system your running it in is pretty low powered so you could maybe get away with it. You could consider just using the onboard video to do the decoding since its fine to handle Blu Rays unless you desire the Power Color for HDMI lossless audio decoding.

If you need the Power Color you might wanna consider a beefer PSU just to be safe is what I would recommend personally.

AMD's website recommends 400 or greater. http://www.amd.com/us/products/desk...d-5450-overview/Pages/hd-5450-overview.aspx#3
 
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I agree with Godmachine. I'd try to go with a bigger PSU. you might be able to get away with that one, but there are much better (safer for your components and more efficient) ones out there for not a lot of cash. See if you can get your case in a non-psu included version to save a few bucks towards a better PSU. I also see that you have a wireless card included in the build. Just as a friendly reminder, streaming high-bitrate/HD content over wireless G isn't recommended. Get a wireless N card now, even if you don't have an N router, and avoid the headache of having to get a new one later when you inevitable find out that G doesn't offer you the speed you need (though BD's over N are still pretty much a no-go)
 
A good quality 300W PSU would have been enough for that system. However that's a shitty quality 300W PSU that's included with the HEC. You don't need a larger PSU: Just a better quality one.

I recommend getting this CPU + mobo to shave off $39:
$108 - AMD Athlon II X2 255 CPU + Biostar TA880GB+ AMD 880G mATX Motherboard

Then use that $39 towards this Seasonic PSU if you really really want to use that hec case:
$46 - Seasonic SS-300TFX Bronze 300W TFX12V PSU

Or spend that cash towards a significantly better looking, better cooling, and quieter case/PSU combo:
$115 - Antec NSK2480 mATX case with Antec Earthwatts 380W PSU
 
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^^ agreed get the better power supply. The onboard gpu should be able to handle 1080p playback fine, no need for the separate card. You may also need to consider upgrading their router if it cant hold a steady connection and they want to stream video.
 
I'm running that exact same 5450 with a 150 Pico PSU. Surely if that can run it a crappy 300w PSU can as well (it's probably more like a decent 250w PSU).
 
CrimandEvil said:
I'm running that exact same 5450 with a 150 Pico PSU. Surely if that can run it a crappy 300w PSU can as well (it's probably more like a decent 250w PSU).
Click to expand...
Its probably ok. The 5450 has a really low TDP, something like 20W. My worry is not that the supply is underpowered, but that its a really really cheap piece of junk. If they use really cheap caps, it might not have that long of a working life even at low power. I've had cheap psu's go on systems that probably never exceeded half of the PSU's rated power, and lost a GPU in the process.
 
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