[boosh]

I have not purchased anything yet, waiting ~2 weeks when I get back from my trip. Here's what I have so far:

[CPU+GPU] Core i5-650 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6819115220) $189.99
[MOBO] Zotac H55ITX-C-E (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6813500056) $129.99
[CASE] Lian Li PC-Q08 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811112265) $109.00
[RAM] G.SKILL Value 8gb (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6820231424) $79.99
[HDD] SAMSUNG F4 2TB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6822152245) $89.99*6
[Video] GeForce GT 430 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6814162067) $64.99

[Total]: $1113.90

[Update] version 1.5

[Client] Option 1 - Sandy Bridge

[CPU+GPU] Core i5-2500k (http://www.amazon.com/Intel-i5-2500K-Pro...B004EBUXHQ) $228.99*
[MOBO(Proposed)] Zotac H67ITX-A-E (http://www.zotacusa.com/zotac-h67itx-a-e...board.html) $149.99*
[CASE] Lian Li PC-Q08 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811112265) $109.00
[RAM] G.SKILL Value 8gb (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6820231424) $79.99
[VIDEO] GeForce GT 430 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6814162067) $64.99
[Total] $632.96

[Client] Option 2 - Core i5

[CPU+GPU] Core i5-650 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6819115220) $189.99*
[MOBO] Zotac H55ITX-C-E (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6813500056) $129.99*
[CASE] Lian Li PC-Q08 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811112265) $109.00
[RAM] G.SKILL Value 8gb (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6820231424) $79.99
[VIDEO] GeForce GT 430 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6814162067) $64.99
[Total] $573.96

[Server]
*Butchered parts from a old Dell Dimension 8400 (http://reviews.cnet.com/Dell_Dimension_8...19189.html).
Actually I've decided I'm going to use the entire 8400 chassis. I'll probably have to mod it out a bit to fit 6 drives, but it's got everything I need for a server (OpenFiler). I'll end up having to get a 6port SATA card though. Not worried about hardware raid because.

still checking out modular psu's (i'm willing to pay more for less cables to deal with). i know my budget is way over what most people would use and i could build this way cheaper. for the amount of load i'm going to put on this, i need a configuration like this.

comments? suggestions?

[eskro]

ok, many will recommend you to build 2 different PC's here...
One to act as HTPC, and the other one to act as NAS Server....
With a price tag of $1048.91, you can easily achieve this!!
Even for less

Thing is, many dont like to have many Hard Drives inside their HTPC
because of the HEAT it can generate and the NOISE....

[boosh]

thanks. i'll look into that. another option was using either the wd green series or the equivalent seagate drives.

if i end up going that route my case options totally change... because now instead of using a 3.5" hdd, i've got quite a few 200gb 2.5" drives i can use. if i separate some of the functions, i can probably safely go with the core i3-550.

stay tuned for revision 1.1 of this !

[bmcclure937]

First things first, your build is just that... your very own. This is the wonder of custom builds, everyone has their own preferences and needs. So please only take my advice in perspective with your objectives for the HTPC you are planning to assemble.

Since your build is more of a mash-up of HTPC, file server, and workstation I will give my input but leave it to you to decide the best route to take. You are already at $1000 (including your 6x2TB storage drives)... but you are still missing a PSU and GPU, which will add around $80-$100.

For this amount of money I strongly suggest and advise creating 2 builds, each one dedicated to the specific task at hand. Create yourself a HTPC XBMC front-end and then a back-end media server.

In the long run, using a front-end/back-end combo will keep your HTPC system quieter, which is a good thing since it will be running in your living room. You will also have more freedom to expand the functionality of your media server or use a NAS-specific OS (such as FreeNAS or UnRAID).

You can then dedicate your media server to running supporting services, processing media, ripping BluRays and transcoding video... This will purr along nicely and you can plop in whatever CPU is necessary.

The HTPC front-end client running XBMC can get by for $350ish. Use the remaining $700 you have already budgeted towards a media server. Just my opinion.

--------

Back to your current hardware. If you choose to move forward then I recommend a single-rail PSU (such as Antec NeoWatt) and a GT430. The CPU will help with ripping BluRays and encoding video, but it probably overkill. You could use a Core i3 530 and it should do fine... but I am not sure how much ripping/encoding you plan to do. If you plan to heavily use the machine for that purpose then sticking with the i5 is smart... but using a Quad-Core would be even smarter. Especially for $190


*EDIT* wow I must have taken a while to type that reply. 2 replies already since I was composing it. when you edit your build please leave your original post intact so we can see what you have changed and switched.

[eskro]

i 100% agree with what bmcclure937 said...

The $100 AMD Athlon X4 640 Propus 3.0HGz is perfect for any Video Intensive Tasks!!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6819103871

i would also Lower the RAM to 4GB (2x2GB) and choose a Lower Case Latency like CL7!!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6820104140

[bmcclure937]

It depends on the route he chooses to take. If he sticks with the combined build then I would definitely keep the 8Gb DDR3 RAM.

DDR3 is so cheap right now, you might as well get adequate RAM (and maybe more than adequate) for all of your intended tasks. Plus, you might as well buy it now rather than planning to upgrade in the future because RAM is so cheap now.

[eskro]

the 4GB (2x2GB) suggestion for his HTPC was if he's getting a separate NAS Rig

[bmcclure937]

Okay. Makes sense.

[eskro]

Okay. Makes sense.

+1

[boosh]

how about the: ZOTAC H67ITX-A-E WiFi LGA1155 Mini-ITX Intel Motherboard

considering it for the sata 6g because i still need a decent amount of space (500gb is more than enough) and there's no way i can squeeze in a ssd for even close to the cost of the mb + hdd.

[eskro]

first we need to know what kind of setup u want,,,,

HTPC XBMC front-end and then a back-end media server??

or all under the same roof?

[boosh]

first we need to know what kind of setup u want,,,,

HTPC XBMC front-end and then a back-end media server??

or all under the same roof?

going the client/server route. i am going to use the parts from my old dell (p4 3ghz) for openfiler.... so we're covered there. the config i threw up earlier is going to stay the same for the most part except the 6 drives. i'd like to use a 500gb or 1tb sata 6g drive. the load is going to still be the same, i'm just cutting back on disk space since it'll be in my butchered dell. i found a zotac mini-itx motherboard that has sata 6g (http://www.zotacusa.com/zotac-h67itx-a-e...board.html).

[toolpunk]

Your client's motherboard and CPU are incompatible.
I think you want a H55 or H57 chipset instead of a H67 one.

If you purposely picked a Cougar Point board you'll have to get a Sandy Bridge CPU such as the Core i5 2300.
But then again I would wait for the new, fixed motherboards.

[boosh]

Your client's motherboard and CPU are incompatible.
I think you want a H55 or H57 chipset instead of a H67 one.

If you purposely picked a Cougar Point board you'll have to get a Sandy Bridge CPU such as the Core i5 2300.
But then again I would wait for the new, fixed motherboards.

yeah i was weighing two different boards / cpu's there. if i went the h67, i'd go sandy bridge. for the issue reported with the cougar point chipsets i don't think i'm going to have any issues since i'll only be using the sata 6g ports anyhow.

[boosh]

contacted zotac. they said if i got the board now i could rma it once the new ones are ready.... so i think i'm gonna go with the sandy bridge cpu.