[tkarns24]

Well
Here it goes. I have been thinking about this build for a while , now i am ready.

http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/Shoppi...ubmit=view

Case--------------nMEDIAPC Silver Aluminum / Acrylic / Steel HTPC 6000S ATX Media Center

PSU---------------CORSAIR TX Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready

CPU---------------Intel Core i7-3770 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core

GPU-------------- PNY VCGGTX660XPB GeForce GTX 660 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

MOBO-----------GIGABYTE GA-B75M-D3V LGA 1155 Intel B75 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Memory----------OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop

Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard

Drive---------------ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

OS----------------- Microsoft Windows 8 64-bit (Full Version) - OEM

bitdefender Total Security 2013 - 3 PCs / 1 Year

Now here is what i am looking to get

Support for 3 D and all 1080p files and maybe 4k later
Support for 7.1 thru Onkyo receiver and HD Audio
able to run certain Home Automation programs
Not really for gaming as I have a ps3, but able to do so if desired
Do i need a Sound Card and which one will better support HD Audio
Do i need a high end video card and which one will support best video play back with no issues
Is the CPU too much for now even though i plan to keep this thing for at least 5 years.

Hey Guys quality is the biggest factor as i don't want to have trouble playing a 10 GB files, But i don't have unlimited income .Sad
Any help and Advise will be great. Thanks

[Rick P.]

Wow - looks like you're building a decent spec gaming system! The stuff you've spec'd is massive overkill for an HTPC, especially when you consider that in 5 years a $50 box will probably have more processing power and new features you won't be able to take advantage with this build.

If you choose to build this I really recommend looking at a different video card. Putting a 140 W TDP video card along with a high-power CPU into an HTPC case will very likely lead to heat issues (and a warm room). You won't be able to put your case into an enclosed cabinet.

[tkarns24]

Wow - looks like you're building a decent spec gaming system! The stuff you've spec'd is massive overkill for an HTPC, especially when you consider that in 5 years a $50 box will probably have more processing power and new features you won't be able to take advantage with this build.

If you choose to build this I really recommend looking at a different video card. Putting a 140 W TDP video card along with a high-power CPU into an HTPC case will very likely lead to heat issues (and a warm room). You won't be able to put your case into an enclosed cabinet.

Hey Rick thanks for the response. So first off what would you advise me to scale back on, I just don't want to not be able to play my movie files. Also i did plan on adding this as my cpu cooler , but like i said i am open to advise

http://www.quietpc.com/nof-icepipe

[Dougie Fresh]

My response here: http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid...pid1287219

You'd only need the videocard if you're planning to play games. Your specs above are for a gaming HTPC.

No soundcard is needed since you can get sound via HDMI or the motherboard's analog ports unless you're an audiophile.

[RaggSokk3n]

Take a look at my HTPCs and just know that their booth massive overkill and scale down from that

[outatouch0]

OMG, holy $H!T what are you trying to build - a space shuttle navigation computer!! lol
you could probably put a quality HTPC in every room of your house for what you are propsing above (and I don't need to look at the prices to know this).

Start with the sticky at the top - building your first HTPC

other thoughts
Case: a matter of taste but definitly give Silverstone cases a look
PSU: 400W is plenty but get a good one (such as Corsair)
CPU: I am pretty sure an i3 will meet your requirements - even play the video perhaps
GPU: a $40 card will do 1080p, 3D, bitstream audio - see eskros guide (sticky)
SSD: OCZ's had failure problems back when I was building my system (lowest price too). Not sure about now.
RAM: kingston is fine but don't expect to see a rebate.
Optical Drive: Sansung or LG
OS: threads here indiate W8 is a great HTPC OS

bitdefender likely not necessary if you download things on a differnt computer. Win firewall and MS securtiy center by itself will be fine - especially on a dedicated HTPC with a little web surfing. As a matter of fact: that is all I have on my wife's laptop and she uses asian websites (where most virus come from).

[RaggSokk3n]

OMG, holy $H!T what are you trying to build - a space shuttle navigation computer!! lol
you could probably put a quality HTPC in every room of your house for what you are propsing above (and I don't need to look at the prices to know this).

Start with the sticky at the top - building your first HTPC

other thoughts
Case: a matter of taste but definitly give Silverstone cases a look
PSU: 400W is plenty but get a good one (such as Corsair)
CPU: I am pretty sure an i3 will meet your requirements - even play the video perhaps
GPU: a $40 card will do 1080p, 3D, bitstream audio - see eskros guide (sticky)
SSD: OCZ's had failure problems back when I was building my system (lowest price too). Not sure about now.
RAM: kingston is fine but don't expect to see a rebate.
Optical Drive: Sansung or LG
OS: threads here indiate W8 is a great HTPC OS

bitdefender likely not necessary if you download things on a differnt computer. Win firewall and MS securtiy center by itself will be fine - especially on a dedicated HTPC with a little web surfing. As a matter of fact: that is all I have on my wife's laptop and she uses asian websites (where most virus come from).

i3 will cover booth GPU and CPU needs - make sure you get the 3225 if you want some light gaming
GPU not necessary
ocz are fine as long as you stay away from the older series - the cheap vertex plus and agility are booth ok ssds
w7 or w8 if you want gaming, Ubuntu if you want fast boot but still want the opportunity to do some office work on it and openelec or xbmcbuntu for pure HTPC.

[Rick P.]

Hey Rick thanks for the response. So first off what would you advise me to scale back on, I just don't want to not be able to play my movie files. Also i did plan on adding this as my cpu cooler , but like i said i am open to advise

http://www.quietpc.com/nof-icepipe

I'd cut back on the CPU for starters - it doesn't do much when playing videos with a capable GPU. For reference I have a 9 year old Dell Dimension 8400 desktop with a 3.4 GHz P4 CPU. Besides being an effective room heater it also plays multiple simultaneous instances of high-bitrate 1080p movies (40 GB Bluray rips) at maybe 15% CPU load. It does this using a $60 GT-240 GPU.

For HTPC i suggest an i3 (or maybe i5 for futureproofing if you can find one at a good price) with good integrated graphics that can handle 3d video (24 FPS for movies). Someone else can chime in on the best cpu / motherboard combo as all but one of my machines use AMD chips with nVidia graphics. You don't need a card capable of running 3d at 60 Hz unless you've got a display capable of running at this speed (i believe most consumer 3d TVs are still 24 fps). Also, I suggest replacing the black drive you've spec'd with a green drive. You don't need the extra speed of the black drive for an HTPC since you have a SSD boot drive and the blacks do run quite a bit hotter. If you're using Windows with Samba shares, file transfers will be much slower than the green drive can serve anyway.

A 350w or so PSU will be ample. 80+ bronze or better will keep things cool with low fan noise. Modular is nice so you don't have to stuff a lot of unused cables inside your case, but not necessary if you want to save a few $.

As noted, no sound card is required if you're going to a receiver via digital. Just make sure your motherboard supports HD audio, and that your GPU can pass HD audio via HDMI if that's how you connect to your receiver.

[tkarns24]

hey guys i have taking your advice and made some changes . please advise


Case--------------nMEDIAPC Silver Aluminum / Acrylic / Steel HTPC 6000S ATX Media Center

PSU---------------SeaSonic SSR-450RM 450W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD

CPU-------------- Intel Core i5-3330 Ivy Bridge 3.0GHz (3.2GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 Quad-Core Desktop

GPU--------------

MOBO-----------GIGABYTE GA-H77-DS3H LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Memory----------OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop

Western Digital WD Green WD10EARX 1TB IntelliPower SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Drive---------------LG Black 14X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 12X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA BDXL

OS----------------- Microsoft Windows 8 64-bit (Full Version) - OEM



Now here is what i am looking to get

Support for 3 D and all 1080p files and maybe 4k later
Support for 7.1 thru Onkyo receiver and HD Audio
able to run certain Home Automation programs
Not really for gaming as I have a ps3, but able to do so if desired
Do i need a Sound Card and which one will better support HD Audio
Do i need a high end video card and which one will support best video play back with no issues
Is the CPU too much for now even though i plan to keep this thing for at least 5 years.

Hey Guys quality is the biggest factor as i don't want to have trouble playing 20 GB files, But i don't have unlimited income .Sad
Any help and Advise will be great. Thanks

[Dougie Fresh]

If you're going i5, I'd pick the i5-3570K and get the Intel 4000 HD graphics ove the 2500 HD graphics. It's only $15-30 more and at that price level, well worth it IMHO.

Again, the GA-B75M-D3V does not have HDMI and it's micro-ATX but you have an ATX case. If you don't want HDMI then that's fine, otherwise chose one of the motherboards I listed in the other thread:

"GIGABYTE GA-H77M-D3H LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard"
"GIGABYTE GA-H77-DS3H LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard"
"GIGABYTE GA-B75M-D3H LGA 1155 Intel B75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard"

[Lagrik]

Get a different mobo with HDMI 1.4 (1.4 for 3d). I bought the GIGABYTE GA-Z77MX-D3H (link below). I went with Z77 chipset just since it's the latest gen designed specifically around Ivy Bridge. Though you can also go with B75 chipset like Dougie Fresh recommended. But if you do get a board, again, make sure it has HDMI 1.4. Gigabyte's FAQ on all their HDMI boards will tell you what HDMI version that board has.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6813128542

IMO, i5 is overkill. Go with i3-3220 (link below). Lower watts and plenty powerful. I use i3-3220 and it's more than enough. But if you do go with i5, go with Dougie Fresh's recommendation on which i5 to buy.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6819116775

I personally am a bigger fan of the Intel SSDs. Specifically, Intel 520 SSD. It's smoking fast and very reliable.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6820167093 for 120GB and http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6820167092

[RaggSokk3n]

Why I5? There is no way in h*** that's necessary!

What you should buy:

Case--------------nMEDIAPC Silver Aluminum / Acrylic / Steel HTPC 6000S ATX Media Center

PSU---------------SeaSonic SSR-450RM 450W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD

CPU-------------- INTEL CORE I3 3225 3.30GHZ 3MB S-1155 IVY

GPU--------------

MOBO-----------GIGABYTE GA-B75M-D3V LGA 1155 Intel B75 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Memory----------OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop

Western Digital WD Green WD10EARX 1TB IntelliPower SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Drive---------------LG Black 14X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 12X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA BDXL

OS----------------- Microsoft Windows 8 64-bit (Full Version) - OEM

---

Get a different mobo with HDMI 1.4 (1.4 for 3d). I bought the GIGABYTE GA-Z77MX-D3H (link below). I went with Z77 chipset just since it's the latest gen designed specifically around Ivy Bridge. Though you can also go with B75 chipset like Dougie Fresh recommended. But if you do get a board, again, make sure it has HDMI 1.4. Gigabyte's FAQ on all their HDMI boards will tell you what HDMI version that board has.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6813128542

IMO, i5 is overkill. Go with i3-3220 (link below). Lower watts and plenty powerful. I use i3-3220 and it's more than enough. But if you do go with i5, go with Dougie Fresh's recommendation on which i5 to buy.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6819116775

I personally am a bigger fan of the Intel SSDs. Specifically, Intel 520 SSD. It's smoking fast and very reliable.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6820167093 for 120GB and http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6820167092

1. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, you're wrong! And shame on you for misleading information. All 7X series motherboards are designed for IB, the Z series for example are for gamers who want to overclock - so in this case it would be wasting - stick with what bluray, dougie and eskro say: just pick the socket you need with the i/o you want and you're fine.

2.That i3 is wasting get the 10$ more expensive i3 3225 with hd 4000 instead of the hd 2500(the hd 2500 doesn't really bring much to the table and you could just as well gone Pentium/Celeron)

3. The 520 series are way to overkill for a htpc go the simpler 330 Series if you want intel

Now Lagrik lets see what you could have cost this guy if nobody stopped you:

1.
Your suggestion : 124.99$
Dougie : 74.99$
50$
2.
Your suggestion : 129.99$ (i3 3220)
Me : 144.99$ (i3 3225)
55$ (a CPU that doesn't really give you much more than a Pentium so therefore comparable to "Intel Pentium G860 Sandy Bridge 3.0GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics")
3.
Your suggestion : 139.99$ (Intel 550)
Me : 69.99 -> 99.99$ (Intel 330/ocz agility/ocz vertex plus)
70$

A grand total of 175$ !!

[tkarns24]

If you're going i5, I'd pick the i5-3570K and get the Intel 4000 HD graphics ove the 2500 HD graphics. It's only $15-30 more and at that price level, well worth it IMHO.

Again, the GA-B75M-D3V does not have HDMI and it's micro-ATX but you have an ATX case. If you don't want HDMI then that's fine, otherwise chose one of the motherboards I listed in the other thread:

"GIGABYTE GA-H77M-D3H LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard"
"GIGABYTE GA-H77-DS3H LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard"
"GIGABYTE GA-B75M-D3H LGA 1155 Intel B75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard"

Thank Dougie Fresh, my bad thought that i had made those changes. did so now.

[tkarns24]

Why I5? There is no way in h*** that's necessary!

What you should buy:

Case--------------nMEDIAPC Silver Aluminum / Acrylic / Steel HTPC 6000S ATX Media Center

PSU---------------SeaSonic SSR-450RM 450W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD

CPU-------------- INTEL CORE I3 3225 3.30GHZ 3MB S-1155 IVY

GPU--------------

MOBO-----------GIGABYTE GA-B75M-D3V LGA 1155 Intel B75 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Memory----------OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop

Western Digital WD Green WD10EARX 1TB IntelliPower SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Drive---------------LG Black 14X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 12X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA BDXL

OS----------------- Microsoft Windows 8 64-bit (Full Version) - OEM

---

Get a different mobo with HDMI 1.4 (1.4 for 3d). I bought the GIGABYTE GA-Z77MX-D3H (link below). I went with Z77 chipset just since it's the latest gen designed specifically around Ivy Bridge. Though you can also go with B75 chipset like Dougie Fresh recommended. But if you do get a board, again, make sure it has HDMI 1.4. Gigabyte's FAQ on all their HDMI boards will tell you what HDMI version that board has.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6813128542

IMO, i5 is overkill. Go with i3-3220 (link below). Lower watts and plenty powerful. I use i3-3220 and it's more than enough. But if you do go with i5, go with Dougie Fresh's recommendation on which i5 to buy.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6819116775

I personally am a bigger fan of the Intel SSDs. Specifically, Intel 520 SSD. It's smoking fast and very reliable.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6820167093 for 120GB and http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6820167092

1. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, you're wrong! And shame on you for misleading information. All 7X series motherboards are designed for IB, the Z series for example are for gamers who want to overclock - so in this case it would be wasting - stick with what bluray, dougie and eskro say: just pick the socket you need with the i/o you want and you're fine.

2.That i3 is wasting get the 10$ more expensive i3 3225 with hd 4000 instead of the hd 2500(the hd 2500 doesn't really bring much to the table and you could just as well gone Pentium/Celeron)

3. The 520 series are way to overkill for a htpc go the simpler 330 Series if you want intel

Now Lagrik lets see what you could have cost this guy if nobody stopped you:

1.
Your suggestion : 124.99$
Dougie : 74.99$
50$
2.
Your suggestion : 129.99$ (i3 3220)
Me : 144.99$ (i3 3225)
55$ (a CPU that doesn't really give you much more than a Pentium so therefore comparable to "Intel Pentium G860 Sandy Bridge 3.0GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics")
3.
Your suggestion : 139.99$ (Intel 550)
Me : 69.99 -> 99.99$ (Intel 330/ocz agility/ocz vertex plus)
70$

A grand total of 175$ !!

Hey RaggSokk3n

Now the ocz agility is 99.99 and the current on i have is a Crucial V4 for 94.99. Is the a difference in Quality
also is the 520 still over kill if i'm running windows and and some other basic pc programs