[extrafuzzyllama]

hi all am new to xbmc and htpc builds.

i recently just upgraded my HT setup and had a boxee box but there are some things i prefer about xbmc

i am looking to build a htpc and just wanted a bit of feedback on some parts i was looking to buy.

i am looking into the
-nmediapc 6000b case
-intel core i3 2100 or i5 2500k
-amd 6570 2gb gpu
-not sure on the motherboard but a z68 perhaps

i think thats the most important parts i will also get a 60gb ssd and 4gb of ram

i was leaning toward the i5 2500k and amd 6570 2gb for some gaming as well
i want to be able to watch 1080p on my 55" led tv i just got and support for dts-hd over hdmi
i will be using win7

if there any suggestions or changes please let me know

[eskro]

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=94199

[bluray]

not sure on the motherboard but a z68 perhaps

you'll have a lot of choices:

this mobo should be great for i3 or i5- ASRock Z68 PROFESSIONAL GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel . asrock has great bios, and it allow you to tweak to maximize performance too.

[extrafuzzyllama]

the case description says it can fit a atx board but i am leaning toward mini atx or standard but i want to make sure the gpu can fit
are there any cases you recommend that look similar to a av reciever?
i am leaning to a gigabyte mb z68 but i only see atx or micro atx
are there any advantages to standard atx over micro atx?

[bluray]

the case description says it can fit a atx board but i am leaning toward mini atx or standard but i want to make sure the gpu can fit
are there any cases you recommend that look similar to a av reciever?
i am leaning to a gigabyte mb z68 but i only see atx or micro atx
are there any advantages to standard atx over micro atx?

i think that case is designed to fit atx and micro-atx only. you can go with micro-atx. it should serve you well, and here is mobo- ASRock Z68 PRO3-M LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

[extrafuzzyllama]

that MB looks pretty nice.
i will go with that MB.


after looking through that guide i think i have all parts i need but can anyone let me know if any part is not that good or a recommendation for alternative part? thanks

Case: NMediaPC 6000B
CPU: Intel Core i5 2500k
GPU: AMD 6570 2GB
Motherboard: ASRock Z68 PRO3-M MATX
RAM: not sure on brand but 2x 2GB sticks
SSD: OCZ 60GB Agility Sata3 or Corsair Force 60GB Sata3
HDD: Hitachi Deskstar 1TB

am not sure on getting a dvd drive or bluray drive yet
i also need a psu but have no idea how much power i need

[bluray]

RAM: not sure on brand but 2x 2GB sticks

this one should work- G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 . you'll have a very beefy htpc. it should playback bd 1080p with dts-dh/truehd with ease!

[Kirky99]

Corsair > OCZ by a long shot.

[extrafuzzyllama]

this one should work- G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 . you'll have a very beefy htpc. it should playback bd 1080p with dts-dh/truehd with ease!

is this RAM a bit too much?

i saw this one but not sure if performance will be alot lower

Corsair Vengeance 8GB

Corsair > OCZ by a long shot.

thanks i will go with the corsair force 60gb ssd then

[Beer40oz]

Really you don't need 8 gigs..... but hey I got 8 ..... so what ever floats your boat! I don't trust G Skill after many problems I had.

Kingston
Crucial
Corsair

[extrafuzzyllama]

Really you don't need 8 gigs..... but hey I got 8 ..... so what ever floats your boat! I don't trust G Skill after many problems I had.

Kingston
Crucial
Corsair

thanks i will go with the Corsair Vengeance 2x 4GB sticks



anyone know a PSU from reputable brand and how much power do i need exactly?

[bluray]

Really you don't need 8 gigs..... but hey I got 8 ..... so what ever floats your boat! I don't trust G Skill after many problems I had.

Kingston
Crucial
Corsair

that g skill in my suggestion has perfect 5 eggs from all owners. i gave 5 eggs to the g skill in one of my htpc too!

[bluray]

thanks i will go with the Corsair Vengeance 2x 4GB sticks



anyone know a PSU from reputable brand and how much power do i need exactly?

very popular among htpc- Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W

[extrafuzzyllama]

i found a cool PSU calculator online and it said my recommended psu is 233 watts
so that 380 watt psu should do just fine/

i bought a hp media center ir reciever from ebay and i have a harmony one remote.
but is there a way to power the htpc on without physically pressing power button without any type of case modding or expensive hardware?

[bluray]

but is there a way to power the htpc on without physically pressing power button without any type of case modding or expensive hardware?

i'm afraid that you might have to shed more money for this- iMON VFD