HTPC Build

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Fix Me

Gawd
Joined
Mar 20, 2007
Messages
746
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Ripped media storage playback, mostly mkv's. I currently have 4 hard drives (a 1 TB, a 1.5TB, and 2 2TB) dedicated to this and one 256GB SSD (OS drive) in a gaming rig that I want to separate into its own rig.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$400-500, tax and shipping not included
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Covington, KY A MicroCenter is nearby, I pass through the area regularly.
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
Case (needs at least 5 bays for hard drives, would prefer something HTPC-ish to fit in my entertainment center), CPU, Heatsink?, memory, PSU. I don't think I'll go with an optical drive since it doesn't really need one. I rip the discs on my main PC with a 2600K
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Asus P8P67 Mobo B3 rev
6) Will you be overclocking?
No
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1080P
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
ASAP
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
Has to have at least 5 SATA headers
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, will use Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit

This is what I was thinking for the build, let me know if there are any objections\comments:

nMedia 6000B case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811204037
nMedia Programmable LCD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811996003
Zalman CNPS8900 Slim Ultra Quiet HSF: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118127
Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145278
Corsair CX430M PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139049
i3 3220 CPU: http://www.microcenter.com/product/398007/Core_i3_3220_330GHz_LGA_1155_Boxed_Processor

This totals around $365
 
I don't believe your mobo supports onboard video and as such you'll need a video card. The LCD display is pretty archaic and it's software is the pits. I never had much luck with the couple I've tinkered with. If you need it I guess try it.

Both the CPU and cooler are excellent choices for an HTPC build and the PSU is more than enough.

So if I remember right the P67 doesn't have integrated graphics so you'll need to choose either a new mobo or a GPU. Since you have a MC near you may want to go for the MSI Z77-G41 and I3 3225 combo. it will cost an extra $70. Or you can opt for a VC which i think this one will fit your system. If you want to game on it of course you'll need a higher end card but I guess let us know which direction you want to go.
 
Duh, I completely forgot the P67 board doesn't have onboard video. I'll need to update the BIOS on the P67 board to support the i3 3220, which may be worth the extra cost for the MSI combo. I'd have to take the 2600K out of my main rig to update it.

I'd like to have a HTPC case with a LCD screen mostly for aesthetic purposes. If it's not worth buggy/crappy software, I can skip it. Would you happen to have any recommendations for a HTPC case with a LCD screen that has enough drive bays? I wonder if I could get a decent LCD screen that would fit in the 5.25" bay since I'm not going to have an optical drive?
 
I'd recommend this case but you may have to check newegg or TD since it is oos at amazon. But it will eat up a significant part of your budget if you can find it in stock. There is also this Antec but cases with build in LCD screens are expensive. The stand alone LCD screens are generally crap and I've stayed away from them in recent years.

If money was no object I would say this case hands down, but my wife would beat me down if she even knew I recommended it.
 
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At $35, that RAM is overpriced considering that $10 more gets you twice as much RAM:
$45 - Corsair CMV8GX3M1A1333C9 8GB DDR3 1333 RAM

If you're gonna stick with that Asus mobo, then I recommend this case instead if you absolutely won't need that LCD screen:
$105 - Silverstone Grandia Series GD06B ATX HTPC Case

IMO, the HTPC cases with the LCD screens aren't worth it since their cooling are often worse and noisier than newer case designs. For example, compare the GD01B and the GD06B. The GD06B has three 120mm fans whereas the GD01B has two 80mm fans and the max fan size for it are 92mm fans.
 
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True dat Danny but with Win 7 32 bit he'll never really use it so it is kinda $10 drawn from another part of his budget.

Also the Silverstone is an excellent HTPC case and can recommend pretty much any of them and Danny is spot on with his cooling assessment.
 
Climber said:
True dat Danny but with Win 7 32 bit he'll never really use it so it is kinda $10 drawn from another part of his budget.
Click to expand...
But at it'll still be a worthwhile expenditure compared to spending $35 for 4GB of RAM. He can easily spare $10 to get a far better deal on the RAM. At the very least, he should be trying to find a 4GB RAM set that costs $25 or less.
 
Danny Bui said:
But at it'll still be a worthwhile expenditure compared to spending $35 for 4GB of RAM. He can easily spare $10 to get a far better deal on the RAM. At the very least, he should be trying to find a 4GB RAM set that costs $25 or less.
Click to expand...

That would probably be even better, but I know what your saying in regards to the 8gb.
 
Thanks guys, I decided to go for the Silverstone case Danny linked. Cooling is more important than a silly LCD screen. lol I also found 4GB of Gskill 1.5v memory for $28. It may still be a little overpriced, but I'm not going to lose any sleep over $3. :)

Climber, I may smack you just for linking that case! LOL Maybe someday I'll have a fancy touchscreen on my HTPC, but not today. :D

So, final build is:

I3 3225 + MSI combo from MC
GSkill 4GB DDR3 1333
Zalman CNPS8900 Slim Ultra Quiet HS
Corsair CX430M PSU
Silverstone Grandia Series GD06B ATX HTPC Case

Total damage is around $400, so I can't complain. Thanks guys, I knew I'd get good advice here!
 
Ugh, this build is killing me, lol. The GD06 case doesn't support ATX motherboards, so I picked up a Gigabyte D3H-MVP instead of the MSI (I drove back to MC to take it back since I didn't realize my mistake until I tried to install the mb and it didn't fit). I got everything together and it looks like the Intel HD 4000 doesn't like my Samsung DLP. I've used both Nvidia and ATI cards in a couple different PC's hooked up to this TV and am usually able to compensate for the overscan since the TV doesn't have a 1:1 setting. However, Intel's overscan feature doesn't seem to work. I've tried the driver from Gigabyte's web site and the most recent driver from Intel. I think I'm just going to grab a cheap AMD or Nvidia card from MicroCenter if I can't figure this out.
 
Ouch. Sorry to hear.

Maybe hit up the HTPC subforum and ask if anyone knows how to get your Core i3 3225 CPU working with your TV? Make sure to include the TV model number.
 
Thanks, I started a thread over there. Hopefully, they'll have some suggestions. My googling hasn't gotten me anywhere. :(
 
Might try the avsforums they have more of an htpc presence their then we do.
 
Thanks for the suggestion Climber, AVSForum was able to help me. I had to set a custom resolution with 24hz (24p) and then I got sliders for horizontal and vertical adjustment. Weird, huh? I'm just happy it's all fixed and up and running! Yay!
 
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