[huzz456]

Hi all!

What i'm after:

Good quality media center that is capable of 1080p 3D playback and bitstreaming DTS through Toslink (my AVR doesn't support HD audio), also that can record HD/SD 2 chanels at a time.

I'd also like to be able to play some games at reasonable settings on a 50inch plasma but don't expect to be able to play the latest and greatest on extreme settings

What i'm looking at getting at the mo:

[cpu] - AMD A10 5800K Black Edition
[cpu cooler] - Scythe Shuriken Big 2 Rev.B Low Profile
[mobo] - AsRock FM2A85X Extreme4-M
[case] - Silverstone SST Grandia HTPC ATX
[psu] - Seasonic S12II-430 430W ATX12V Standard Power Supply Unit - Bronze
[hdd's] - Crucial 128GB M4 SATA 6Gb/s 2.5 inch Internal Solid State Drive
+ Western Digital 2TB SATA 6Gbps - Caviar Green
[ram] - Corsair CML8GX3M2A1866C9R LP Vengeance 8GB 1866MHz CL9 DDR3 Memory Two Module Kit
[tuner card] - Suggestions?


My questions:

1 - Which fan(s) whould you reccomend for this to keep it cool and quiet (hopefully silent)?
2 - Will i be able to buy an internal ir receiver and fit it to the case so i can use my Harmony remote? - Any recommendations?
3 - What are my options with adding a graphics card in the future to make it a more capable gaming machine?
4 - Will i be able to use windows 8 or am i better off with 7?
5 - I often read about mild stuttering in playback due to refresh rates; i have a 60hz TV do i need to be considering anything with my hardware choices to overcome this?
5 - Other than mains power lead is there anything i'm missing to put it all together?
6 - And most importantly, what do you all think of this setup, am i on the right track with what im after?

All opinions, reccomendations, suggestions much appreciated!

[GortWillSaveUs]

Looks pretty sweet and is similar to what I'm currently building.
Would love to see pictures of your build when completed.

Although I'm also partial to the Scythe BIG SHURIKEN 2 Rev B. 5-Heatpipe Universal Low Profile CPU Cooler,...I'm a little confusded on whether it is FM2 compliant. I've seen only one reference saying it was,..while the Scythe web-site makes no mention that it is FM2 compatible at all. So, I decided to use the Cooler Master GeminII M4 - CPU Cooler with 4 Direct Contact Heat Pipes instead.

[bluray]

Good quality media center that is capable of 1080p 3D playback and bitstreaming DTS through Toslink (my AVR doesn't support HD audio), also that can record HD/SD 2 chanels at a time.

You are building a very capable and powerful HTPC. Would as well spend another $190 for this "Onkyo TX-NR414 5.1-Channel 3-D Ready Network A/V Receiver", and you'll enjoy all the latest audio codecs.

This internal IR "4 in 1 Backlit Remote and CIR Receiver w/Cable and Mounting Bracket for ASRock Motherboards" should be good for Asrock mobo...

You should be fine with Windows 7 or 8. Since Windows 8 is the latest version, would as well go for the latest version....

[huzz456]

Good quality media center that is capable of 1080p 3D playback and bitstreaming DTS through Toslink (my AVR doesn't support HD audio), also that can record HD/SD 2 chanels at a time.

You are building a very capable and powerful HTPC. Would as well spend another $190 for this "Onkyo TX-NR414 5.1-Channel 3-D Ready Network A/V Receiver", and you'll enjoy all the latest audio codecs.

This internal IR "4 in 1 Backlit Remote and CIR Receiver w/Cable and Mounting Bracket for ASRock Motherboards" should be good for Asrock mobo...

You should be fine with Windows 7 or 8. Since Windows 8 is the latest version, would as well go for the latest version....

Thanks bluray, does the case I'm using have a little window for the ir receiver to sit behind? Any input on the other questions in my first post? From reading around the forum you seem to be the man to ask

[bluray]

Good quality media center that is capable of 1080p 3D playback and bitstreaming DTS through Toslink (my AVR doesn't support HD audio), also that can record HD/SD 2 chanels at a time.

You are building a very capable and powerful HTPC. Would as well spend another $190 for this "Onkyo TX-NR414 5.1-Channel 3-D Ready Network A/V Receiver", and you'll enjoy all the latest audio codecs.

This internal IR "4 in 1 Backlit Remote and CIR Receiver w/Cable and Mounting Bracket for ASRock Motherboards" should be good for Asrock mobo...

You should be fine with Windows 7 or 8. Since Windows 8 is the latest version, would as well go for the latest version....

Thanks bluray, does the case I'm using have a little window for the ir receiver to sit behind? Any input on the other questions in my first post? From reading around the forum you seem to be the man to ask

The case description don't mention anything about internal IR. You can always drill a small hole to mount it, and a lot of users did it....

As for installing a discrete GPU for gaming in the future, you should be able to install most gaming GPU in that case......you should be fine with other stuffs in your list....

[huzz456]

After doing a lot more research i've decided to take a slightly different approach to make sure i get the standard of gaming im looking for

[cpu] - Intel I5 3570K 4x 3.4ghz
[cpu cooler] - Noctua NH-L12 Low Profile High Performance CPU Cooler
[mobo] - ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M
[case] - Silverstone SST Grandia HTPC ATX
[psu] - Be Quiet BN106 Pure Power L7 530W Power Supply
[ssd] - Crucial 128GB M4 SATA 6Gb/s 2.5 inch Internal Solid State Drive
[ram] - Corsair CML8GX3M2A1866C9R LP Vengeance 8GB 1866MHz CL9 DDR3 Memory Two Module Kit
[gpu] - ASUS GeForce® GTX 660 Ti DirectCU II

So basically i've changed to an Intel I5 plus graphics card instead of the AMD processor. I've picked a card which is supposedly the quietest in its class and changed some other bits to hopefully be quieter. Do you guys think i will be ok heatwise in the silverstone case and not too loud for watching movies at night?

[huzz456]

Forgot to ask as well; does anyone know for sure if that graphics card will fit in the silverstone gd04? I know it's gonna be tight!

[MultiMediaman]

I just finished a new build with the i5-3570 and the built in intel 4000 GPU works fine, no v card needed. Since the ASRock has the 77 processor I would think it should work as well.

Case - Silverstone Tek GD05B
Mobo - Intel BOXDH77EB
Processor - Intel Core i5-3570K Quad 3.4 GHz Ivy Bridge Onboard Intel 4000 GPU
RAM - Crucial Ballistix Sport 1.5V 1600 DDR3, Two 2x4GB
Power Supply - KingWin Stryker 500W Fanless
Boot Drive - Crucial M4 128GB
Recording Drive - WD Caviar Black 2.0 TB
Optical Drive - Pioneer 15x BDR-2208 includes Cyberlink Media Suite 8 Blu-Ray software
OS - W7 Home Premium 64 bit

The fans in the case are very quiet as is the Intel CPU fan that comes with the CPU. Processor is at 44C with the cpu fan running at 1100 rpm, case fans run at 500 RPM. If anything I would consider disconnecting one of the case fans just for power savings as the overall system runs very cool. Their is plenty of room for add on cards. I put some pics of my build on a review on Amazon for the case ["Multimediashtick" reviewer name]. As mentioned you would have to drill your own IR hole, with the 05 case the double wall front has about a 1" X 3" opening in the internal wall below where the DVD mounts which should work just fine for this... assume it would be the same as the only difference between the two cases is the opening for the optical drive.
I use the Silicondust prime and dual tuners for TV and this system can record 5 channels, be outputting to its 52" LCD and be accessed by an xbox for another TV and runs like a champ.

[Rick P.]

Forgot to ask as well; does anyone know for sure if that graphics card will fit in the silverstone gd04? I know it's gonna be tight!

It'll fit. According to the specs you can fit two in there but I have the GD04 myself and am not so sure, but it's been awhile since I've had the case apart. . One of these plus smaller cards would be ok

Re noise the Silverstone case fans are quiet - the majority of your noise is likely to come from your video card. With all the stuff you're putting in there keep in mind that regardless of the quality of the case fans it will run hot (and probably noisy) if you put the case inside a cabinet. The fans are on the side of the case and it's full width so you'll have less than 1/2" clear on either side if you put this in an 18" cabinet. Also, fyi if you put a DVD drive in the case you'll have to lose one of the fans on your cooler.

[huzz456]

Thanks for the info guys. I've just realised that according to silverstones website the graphics cards I want to use is just slightly too wide due to the heat pipes (as in the case hasn't got enough height). Rick, have you got experience that you know it will fit in for sure? I'm struggling to find a card of this standard that is still gonna be relatively quiet and is narrower than the case spec

[Rick P.]

Thanks for the info guys. I've just realised that according to silverstones website the graphics cards I want to use is just slightly too wide due to the heat pipes (as in the case hasn't got enough height). Rick, have you got experience that you know it will fit in for sure? I'm struggling to find a card of this standard that is still gonna be relatively quiet and is narrower than the case spec

Sorry, I don't have a card this size in mine since I'm only using it as a HTPC and only looked at the length of the card you want. Based on the 5.4" card height it won't fit in the GD04 (or any other Silverstone HTPC case for that matter).
It looks like the Galaxy 66NNH7DV6WXZ will work if you can find one though. Supposed to be reasonably quiet (never heard one myself).

[huzz456]

Thanks for suggesting the Galaxy Rick, looks like a great card, just bought one from Amazon

[huzz456]

I just finished a new build with the i5-3570 and the built in intel 4000 GPU works fine, no v card needed. Since the ASRock has the 77 processor I would think it should work as well.

Case - Silverstone Tek GD05B
Mobo - Intel BOXDH77EB
Processor - Intel Core i5-3570K Quad 3.4 GHz Ivy Bridge Onboard Intel 4000 GPU
RAM - Crucial Ballistix Sport 1.5V 1600 DDR3, Two 2x4GB
Power Supply - KingWin Stryker 500W Fanless
Boot Drive - Crucial M4 128GB
Recording Drive - WD Caviar Black 2.0 TB
Optical Drive - Pioneer 15x BDR-2208 includes Cyberlink Media Suite 8 Blu-Ray software
OS - W7 Home Premium 64 bit

The fans in the case are very quiet as is the Intel CPU fan that comes with the CPU. Processor is at 44C with the cpu fan running at 1100 rpm, case fans run at 500 RPM. If anything I would consider disconnecting one of the case fans just for power savings as the overall system runs very cool. Their is plenty of room for add on cards. I put some pics of my build on a review on Amazon for the case ["Multimediashtick" reviewer name]. As mentioned you would have to drill your own IR hole, with the 05 case the double wall front has about a 1" X 3" opening in the internal wall below where the DVD mounts which should work just fine for this... assume it would be the same as the only difference between the two cases is the opening for the optical drive.
I use the Silicondust prime and dual tuners for TV and this system can record 5 channels, be outputting to its 52" LCD and be accessed by an xbox for another TV and runs like a champ.

Are you using HD Homerun? This looks very interesting. Does it work well through xbmc like a sky+ or TiVo box does?

[vandycamp]

Forgot to ask as well; does anyone know for sure if that graphics card will fit in the silverstone gd04? I know it's gonna be tight!

I'm VERY interested in this thread as well, since it sounds like we're looking to build a very similar rig. I'm happy to settle for a lesser GPU though and as wondering if this ASUS GeForce GTX 550 Ti or ASUS GeForce GTX 560 Ti ( would work in the SILVERSTONE Grandia Series GD05B? Also, is the GD05B really only 12" deep? My cabinet is only 16" deep so that would be perfect. Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

[huzz456]

Forgot to ask as well; does anyone know for sure if that graphics card will fit in the silverstone gd04? I know it's gonna be tight!

I'm VERY interested in this thread as well, since it sounds like we're looking to build a very similar rig. I'm happy to settle for a lesser GPU though and as wondering if this ASUS GeForce GTX 550 Ti or ASUS GeForce GTX 560 Ti ( would work in the SILVERSTONE Grandia Series GD05B? Also, is the GD05B really only 12" deep? My cabinet is only 16" deep so that would be perfect. Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

I haven't got mine yet but according to the silverstone website as long as the graphics card is less than 11" long and 4.92" wide then it will fit. Unfortunately the super cool and quiet ASUS cards have heatpipes that make them 5.12" wide so won't fit. Check out the galaxy versions that Rick P suggested, they are still up with the best in terms of heat and noise but are narrow enough to fit the silverstone case