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#1
Hi everyone. So nice to see a dedicated forum for these matters!

I've been running XBMC on my old (and noisey) PC for the past year, but I finally got around to doing something about it. I ordered the Pivos XIOS DS (the thought of Android apps really got me hooked), but I will return it soon, as it is simply too sluggish and bug-filled to my liking. And running OpenELEC on it isn't really an option, as having easy Netflix access is pretty important to me. The XBMC experience was too slow compared to my old PC, so it didn't really fit the bill.

So, after having studied this forum and others for some days, I'm convinced I want to build my own HTPC to suit me. The components I'm thinking about getting are these:

CASE: Silverstone Sugo SG05 300W
MOBO: ASRock A75M-ITX
CPU: AMD A6-3500
CPU COOLER: Scythe Big Shuriken 2 Rev. B SCBSK-2100
RAM: Kingston HyperX blu 1 x 4 GB
SSD: Crucial M4 64 GB
CASE FAN: Enermax T.B.SILENCE UCTB8

Would these components go well together? Is there anything else I need? What would be the weakest link here?

What's most important to me is that 1) everything runs completely smoothly, 1080p blu-ray, and XBMC even with Aeon Nox and a large library, 2) size! the smaller the better, 3) quietness! I'm planning on running Windows 8 on it.

A couple more questions:

1) Is the PSU in the case good and quiet enough or should I opt for something else?
2) Would I need any more cooling? Don't want to burn the little thing!
3) Is there any advantage in getting 2x 2GB RAM sticks instead of 1x 4GB? The reason I'm thinking 1x 4GB is to save a slot for a later upgrade, should that be necessary.

I hope you can help me out here. I'll let it be known that I'm not a complete moron when it comes to assembling PCs. Smile
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#2
You'll have a sweet system. Mine is very similar. And the Shuriken will keep that baby cool. You won't need any other fans.
and you'll also be able to use Aeon Nox with no issues.
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#3
Nice Build!! Similar MB & CPU i used in my 1st Build but your case and cooler is wayyyyyy better than mine
Once all set up, you should have no problems with 1080p movies and Aeon Nox skin will run very smooth.

Enjoy Smile
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#4
that maybe overkill.

I have this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6856119050
Put openelec on that and it'll run like a champ.
Or XBMCbuntu if you'd like some more linuxy features

It's also really quiet with only a small cpu fan and comes with a vesa mount to mount to the back of your TV
XBMC on MacMini + <12TB of material displaying on 60" or 150".
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#5
Intel NUC? Brix?
Modded MK1 NUC - CLICK ----- NUC Wiki - CLICK

Bay Trail NUC FTW!

I've donated, have you?

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#6
A6-3500/A75M-ITX was probably the most popular XBMC build here not too long ago. Search for "A6-PACK". Bottom line is it works very well and is still a very good value. The downside to the A6-3500 is with OpenELEC you don't get HD audio bitstreaming. You do in Windows though. It's a driver issue. If you are going to run OpenELEC, look at Intel.
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#7
(2013-07-12, 14:12)GortWillSaveUs Wrote: You'll have a sweet system. Mine is very similar. And the Shuriken will keep that baby cool. You won't need any other fans.
and you'll also be able to use Aeon Nox with no issues.
(2013-07-12, 17:49)tboggie Wrote: Nice Build!! Similar MB & CPU i used in my 1st Build but your case and cooler is wayyyyyy better than mine
Once all set up, you should have no problems with 1080p movies and Aeon Nox skin will run very smooth.

Enjoy Smile

Sounds perfect!

(2013-07-14, 17:43)PyRo1509 Wrote: that maybe overkill.

I have this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6856119050
Put openelec on that and it'll run like a champ.
Or XBMCbuntu if you'd like some more linuxy features

It's also really quiet with only a small cpu fan and comes with a vesa mount to mount to the back of your TV
(2013-07-14, 17:46)jammyb Wrote: Intel NUC? Brix?

Yeah, these look pretty good as well. But because I want to be able to run EVERYTHING fluidly without any hiccups, I'm more keen on building my own setup (plus I also love fiddling with hardware). And I wasn't very impressed with the ready-made Pivos Xios (which I know, of course, is much less competent than these suggestions). Also, one of my requirements is Netflix support, which doesn't (yet?) work with Linux/ubuntu.

(2013-07-15, 03:37)Dougie Fresh Wrote: A6-3500/A75M-ITX was probably the most popular XBMC build here not too long ago. Search for "A6-PACK". Bottom line is it works very well and is still a very good value. The downside to the A6-3500 is with OpenELEC you don't get HD audio bitstreaming. You do in Windows though. It's a driver issue. If you are going to run OpenELEC, look at Intel.

Nice. Glad to hear that! Yeah, good value indeed. One of the cheapest AMD processors I could find (probably because of its age, compared to the Trinities and Richlands) and the cheapest Mini-ITX / FM1 motherboard I was able to find here.

OpenELEC, as nice as it seems, doesn't fit the bill for me, as I run Netflix as well. I'm used to XBMC on Win7, so I'll most definitely be running Win8 on the new machine.

Anyway, I just bought the components mentioned, will probably receive them Thursday or Friday. Can't wait to see it all in action! I decided to go with 2 x 2GB RAM instead of 1 x 4GB, as I read that that would give me the best performance. I'm quite anxious to see if the Big Shuriken will fit on the A75M-ITX and in the SG05... Fingers crossed!
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#8
(2013-07-15, 09:32)Hetoft Wrote:
(2013-07-14, 17:46)jammyb Wrote: Intel NUC? Brix?

Yeah, these look pretty good as well. But because I want to be able to run EVERYTHING fluidly without any hiccups, I'm more keen on building my own setup (plus I also love fiddling with hardware). And I wasn't very impressed with the ready-made Pivos Xios (which I know, of course, is much less competent than these suggestions). Also, one of my requirements is Netflix support, which doesn't (yet?) work with Linux/ubuntu.

Eh??

i3 NUC, 4GB ram, 64GB mSATA SSD and windows 7 or 8.

Netflix, full 3D and can use software or hardware acceleration!

You can play with it as you have to build it as its barebones!

Plus it's 4" x 4" x 2" - tiny!
Modded MK1 NUC - CLICK ----- NUC Wiki - CLICK

Bay Trail NUC FTW!

I've donated, have you?

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#9
(2013-07-15, 11:20)jammyb Wrote: Eh??

i3 NUC, 4GB ram, 64GB mSATA SSD and windows 7 or 8.

Netflix, full 3D and can use software or hardware acceleration!

You can play with it as you have to build it as its barebones!

Plus it's 4" x 4" x 2" - tiny!

Hehe, it seems I was a bit too fast to reject that option. That NUC seems very interesting indeed. In Denmark, however, they're almost more expensive than this build I'm planning. Besides, I already ordered all the parts. If I can't get it running the way it should, I'll definitely check out the NUC's. Smile
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