[cdennnis]

Hey guys this is my very first htpc build and would like some input and advice. This will be used only for my home theater. for storing music, video,pics, and for using xbmc and maybe wmc. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated
. CPU

AMD A10-6800K 4.1GHz Quad-Core Processor $134.99 FREE $134.99 TigerDirect Buy
CPU Cooler

Thermaltake Frio 101.6 CFM CPU Cooler $49.99 -$20.00 FREE $29.99 Newegg Buy
$20.00 mail-in rebate
Motherboard

ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ ATX FM2+ Motherboard $104.99 $104.99 Microcenter Buy
Memory

G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory $82.99 -$12.44 FREE $70.55 Newegg Buy
+ 15% off w/ promo code GSKILLHOL, ends 12/15
Storage

Crucial V4 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk $54.95 FREE $54.95 Amazon Buy

Western Digital WD Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive $88.53 FREE $88.53 Amazon Buy
Eligible for free two-day shipping with Amazon Prime membership
Case

Cooler Master HAF XB EVO ATX Desktop Case $89.99 -$10.00 $79.99 Microcenter Buy
$10.00 mail-in rebate
Power Supply

Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply $59.99 -$20.00 FREE $39.99 Newegg Buy
$20.00 mail-in rebate
Operating System

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) $82.99 $82.99 NCIX US

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Correction, i switched out the ssd for a Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk $99.93

[wsume99]

Looks to me like you're building a desktop rather than a HTPC but that's your decision. I would go with a mATX or mITX board and a smaller case. If you go with a mITX case then you need to be careful when selecting a heatsink.

PSU is ok but 500w is way overkill. You really won't need more than a 200w PSU. However my advice is just get whatever is the cheapest and it looks like that's what you did. Only other option would be to get a picoPSU but that will cost your more money. However it will be more efficient and make zero noise and if you went with a smaller case it helps save some room and heat.

If you stick with the A10-6800k it's $5 cheaper at Microcenter and you'll get a $40 discount for buying a MB + CPU from them. I would say that's a no-brainer.

Here's the link to their catalog page showing the bundle discounts: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/22df...2dfdaa8/34

Your description of how you want to use this is pretty basic. You could step down to a A6-6400k and save $60 (you'll also still get the bundle discount from MC) and get the same performance in XBMC/WMC. The only reason to go with the higher processor is if you want to run something like Plex and stream/transcode media to multiple mobile devices or you plan to do gaming. If you are going to do gaming then I'd say dump the AMD APU and go with an Intel i5 plus a discrete GPU.

[cdennnis]

Thanks for your advice! the reason i didnt go with a smaller traditional htpc case is because they have so many restrictions. Because of the size, you can only do so much with them. Plus, Those htpc cases are so expensive. I want to have a powerfull pc to store video, audio , pics and in the future be able to stream to other devices around my home. I want it to be a totally dedicated media center. And because of this, i dont want to have restrictions due to the size of the case. Lets say i want to add another hard drive or something like that, they casing would be an issue. A questions to you and everyone here in the forum , what makes an htpc an htpc? is it just the case? Thanks everyone for you help

[Dougie Fresh]

A PC is an HTPC when you're wife/significant other doesn't make you unhook it from the TV and put it somewhere else

[cdennnis]

Hahaha Dougie Fresh, thats what i was thinking! lol

[Prof Yaffle]

As well as Dougie Fresh's spouse mobility test (which is entirely true), a HTPC is solely used for media rendering. It sounds like you're partly thinking of it as a server, so you need to consider whether you want an always-on box tied to your main TV or whether that function belongs elsewhere in the house - a beast with decent CPU, multiple discs, etc. is likely to be large, noisy, warm and generally not condicive to lounge living.

My personal conclusion when faces with similar was to build my own server to store media, documents, etc. and run the TV tuners, and then use small, cheap, quiet things for the HTPC function. I'm using ION-based boxes for those frontend systems, but I'd have to look at NUC or Android devices if I looked again.

Now, if you also want to do some gaming on your PC, or run a few emulators, that's a different matter...

[trent33]

As others have said, this is overkill, and you could easily scale back on the hardware (and $$) and be able to do everything you want to do.

As far as cases go, check out the Silverstone ML04B: HTPC form factor + looks, standard PSU, multiple 3.5" HDD capacity, good price

One more suggestion: a Corsair CX430 should run you about $20 AR, and provide plenty of power while running quietly.

[thedeadman]

Having been through a few HTPC builds:

Like others have said, your processor/PSU spec really is overkill!

- Your disk selection (SSD for OS, WD green for storage are both sensible choices.
- The case is key - lower your spec and plough the extra cash into the case is my advice. eBay is a great spot - look for deals on Wesena, streacom, fractal design.
- Consider a fanless / passively cooled build if you can. In a living room environment, fans (no matter how quiet they purport to be) become annoying very quickly!
- Consider non-windows based options. Openelec for example is much quicker and is solid as a rock. Another benefit there is that - in event of the inevitable catastrophic f£$k up - you can replace the whole OS/XBMC in 30 seconds.

Have fun!

[cdennnis]

Thanks guys for the advice. It hard to come up with the perfect set up. You guys are right, i am thinking of a server with this current set up. Which is not bad, but it might be over kill like you guys are saying. I love the htpc cases but like i said before, i think i rather spend the money on the inside instead of the outside. This advice was great, i gonna look at different processor and options.

[DJ_Izumi]

With that A10, you should also put Steam Big Picture Mode on it.

[00b5]

Since you aren't buying into the suggestion to get a HTPC case, my suggestion is to then get a case that will hold a fair amount of hdds.

If you get into this, and really like the idea, you might decide to convert this current machine into an actual server, and if you have the space now, get the case that will hold a lot of hdds for down the road when the conversion might happen.

Then you can quickly build additional lower powered HTPC's as you need them for TVs around the house.

** I'm assuming you have more TVs around the house, you might just have the one for all i know. I pipe my media to primary TV, two additional TVs, my PC in the "office" as well as some music to the garage.