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If money wasn't an issue, does anyone have recommendations for an HTPC build using a Silverstone GD06 case? I'm open to other cases as well.
The requirements are:
- maximum storage (is going to function as a NAS as well).
- Core I7 processor (or better if something better exists)
- I'd like to have the OS run on a SSD
And of course small form factor, as silent as possible, etc., etc.
If possible I'd like to have IR integrated into the case somehow, but I don't believe this is possible in the Silverstone GD06. I also read somewhere that the core i7 2600 would fit, but the 2600k would not?
Any thoughts? Remember, money isn't an issue.
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HansP
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why u need an I7 for a HTPC ? or do you want to game with it too ?
standaard I3 of I5 will do the trick also ( I3 only to use with added Graphix card )
if u want it to run as a nas it needs to be on 24/7 i presume so u better look for energy saving pieces
but mostly we first need to know what you want or expect
like :
will u game ?
will u rip DVD-bluerays, ... on it ?
will u use it just for xbmc ?
.....
1st Htpc : LC-power LC1360MI case with MSI E350IA-E45 , 2x2gb patriot , 2tb samsung eco
2nd Htpc : same as above except ASUS E35M1-I Deluxe
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I'm getting all the parts together for a friend of mine. He wants an i7 because it's the best, I told him it would be a waste, but he wants what he wants. I may still try to convince him to go with an i5 or i3, runs cooler too.
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The media center experience is really not all about performance, basically once you hit a certain level anything above it isn't even about diminishing return, its just not used. With the speed and power gating of these chips taking a 2600K and using it on media duty isn't going to have any benefits unless you're seriously loading the system with background processes.
My own 2600K sits at its idle state (1.6ghz) while watching a 1080p MKV, may spike higher, but I've yet to see it hit 4.6ghz (my overclocked state), that only happens when I'm encoding video. The same goes for ram, you could toss 16gb in an XBMC machine but unless you can use all that ram, it's just going to sit idle and unused, may as well not exist if it's not going to be used :p
So if this is going to act as a data dump for media and then play it back, a 2600K is overkill. A 2100T is what I use on my media server, which also acts as an ORB server for my mobile media, and it holds up without fail. If you really want a quad core, perhaps the 2400S/2405S would be a nice choice. You're better off paying a premium for the efficiency of these 65w quads than paying a premium for a high performance 95w quad.
Specs for the case list you can have 4x 3.5" drives and still fit a 2.5" SSD for your OS, so presumably if you want the maximum amount of storage internally you would go with 4x 3TB drives, which ought to be plenty of storage given the "average" 1080p MKV is maybe 6gb, though 4-12 is pretty common, more depending on the quality.
You will probably want some RAID set up for redundancy in case of failure, but you won't get much complexity out of a 4 drive array. Perhaps the best option is having a dedicated storage box and only X amount of storage in the media box? I dunno how much protection you need for your data, but bottom line no matter how reliable your drives are or how your RAID is set up, the best form of back up is to have it stored in multiple places. Either a secondary NAS for critical files or put it on some discs some where.
The OS and apps on an SSD is ideal, really this is where you can benefit from opening that wallet. There are some PCI Express based SSDs that offer incredible performance on par with, or above what the newer SATAIII devices can manage, but there may be some initial boot slow down initializing the onboard RAID controllers on these cards, but after that it's going to fly. Also a good option if you want to utilize ALL the internal bays for mechanical drive storage.
It's really all up to you and what this friend want to play with and how much you wanna spend. But this isn't like a gaming PC or a workstation, peak performance isn't what most people go for because it's not necessary. Most try to focus on maximum efficiency (performance per watt), lowest power, lowest heat, lowest cost, smallest foot print, or other such metrics. Few will be impressed with a quad SLI/crossfire-hex core media center when they know their own $200 ION/Zacate machine's can play the same content anyway :p
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An i5-2500k at stock clockings will outperform that i7-960 while using a lot less power, generating a lot less heat, and costing $50 less.
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eskro
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if we start to compare like this, we can swap all the parts forever....
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I agree completely. Its overkill and counterproductive. But that's what he insisted he wanted.
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Agreed, I'm going to try to convince him of going with something that makes more sense. I was trying to tell him that noise and heat are considerations for an HTPC. It's a computer with a specific purpose. I think he's just asking for the most expensive stuff because his company is buying it for testing and they basically have an unlimited budget for this.
