NEED HELP selecting parts for HTPC Build
#1
Hello everyone,
So I'm the newest member on here as of a few seconds ago. I created an account here with hopes of getting some ideas or suggestions on selecting the right components for building the perfect HTPC setup.
I'm looking to build something small yet powerful enough to stream HD video content at full 1080p off the internet, I'm highly considering buying a Mini ITX HTPC case, the Realan E-i7 to be exact along with the optional $89.99 Toshiba Blu-Ray slot load drive (TS-TB23L) and possibly the $27.99 120W AC Adapter. All of these items are available at ecosmartpc.com
For weeks I've been searching for the perfect case for my build and I've come to the conclusion that the Realan E-i7 is really what I want to use for this project. I must mention that the Luxa2 LM100 was my favorite choice for the longest time, until I came across the Realan E-i7 case. The HTPC will be used primarily to stream movies and TV shows using XBMC since that's what I do about 90% of the time anyhow. So I'm looking to build a system that will allow me to do the normal web surfing to pay my bills online, but it must be capable of streaming video at full 1080p flawlessly without any hiccups.
I must mention that I've never built a computer before, but I think I got a pretty good idea of what it takes to build one.

The following is what I'm planning on buying, but I'm open to all suggestions particularly on SSD drives and memory types or brands. Any ideas, comments or suggestions are very much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Case:-----------------------Realan E-i7
Undecided feature:-----20W AC adapter.
Motherboard:-------------Gigabyte GA-H77N-WIFI
CPU:------------------------Intel Core i3-3225
Optical Drive:-------------Toshiba TS-TB23L
Undecided feature------2.5'' Seagate Momentus XT 500GB Hybrid Drive
Memory:-------------------8GB DDR3 (Brand Huh)
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#2
You're off to a good start, I wouldn't change anything. Check out Crucial's Silverline series RAM. Cheap, gets the job done. Also, I'm a fan of the Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB drives. 4GB would suffice.
Intel NUC 11 NUC11PAHi3 // LibreELEC 11.0
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#3
(2013-01-04, 03:45)thereddog Wrote: You're off to a good start, I wouldn't change anything. Check out Crucial's Silverline series RAM. Cheap, gets the job done. Also, I'm a fan of the Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB drives. 4GB would suffice.

Hey man thanks for the quick reply. I think I'm going to take your advice on the Crucial brand memory. On the other hand, that WD hard drive you suggested, that's only available as a 3.5" right? I think the case I'll be using (Realan E-i7) only allows me to use 2 X 2.5" HDD when using an optical drive which is my case. I was thinking about using maybe a small 32GB SSD for the OS which to my knowledge speed up the booting time, and then maybe a 500GB 2.5" laptop HDD. I'm not planning on downloading a lot of stuff so there's no need for a 1TB or anything larger.
I'm also thinking about buying a low-profile CPU cooler and a big quiet 80mm case fan which should work on the E-i7 case according to the guys at ecosmartpc.
If you can think of other suggestions, please feel free to drop me a line. Thanks again!!!
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#4
Yea, oops. Caviar = 3.5" Scorpio = 2.5"
Also disregard the Silverline comment, that's actually Muskin

If I were in your shoes:

Samsung 840 120GB SSD
WD Scorpio Blue 500GB HDD
Scythe Shruiken Rev. B cooler (may or may not fit depending how the drives are mounted, looks like it would though)
Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) CT2KIT25664BD160B
Case + PSU

All set.
Intel NUC 11 NUC11PAHi3 // LibreELEC 11.0
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#5
Kool..! I think I got pretty much all the info I was lacking. Maybe I can start ordering some of the parts as soon as tomorrow. Thanks once again!
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#6
If you use a cooler < 40mm, mount the 500GB HDD under the optical drive and mount the SSD on the side of the case you'll be able to fit all that. Although, that hybrid drive is a nice choice if you want to cut down on components/costs. I just used those in 3 builds and they're nice.

I'd get a 80mm case fan too. The 80mm Noctua fans are nice though the optimal 80mm fan is a thin 15mm fan but I've yet to find one as quiet as the 25mm ones. The Dynatron T459 is a nice cooler for that setup.

You can't really go wrong with Crucial, Kingston or G-Skill. I'd get whatever is on sale in DDR3-1600.

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#7
So how exactly does a hybrid hard drive works? I was watching a YouTube tutorial video a few days ago, and unless I misunderstood, I think the guy stated that after you boot up Windows a couple of times, the hybrid drive would eventually remember to boot up from the SSD resulting in a faster boot up time. Do I have the right idea or am I wrong?
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#8
There is flash memory on board the drive that acts as a cache. The most commonly used items (not sure if it's files, sectors, etc.) are cached in that flash memory. A cache needs to "learn" (re: populate) so it takes a little while. So, yes, you have exactly the right idea.

This is it at a high level: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cache_(computing). It probably uses an LRU cache or some variation.
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