2012-11-28, 20:42
Hello everyone! Been reading the forums for the past month or so and finally registered. I'm getting close to buying the components for my first HTPC and would love some critique.
I'm looking for something with a small form factor. I might be moving the machine between rooms until I get a 2nd unit down the road, so something small and easy to carry around is what I'm looking for. The parts I'm currently looking at are at the bottom of this post. Primarily I'd like the box to be able to stream 1080p video, maybe some light emulation gaming... but mostly just video. I was planning to use it with OpenELEC, but might be open to other options (still pretty new to this, but OpenELEC seemed like the best option for quick boot times and a pretty no frills XBMC experience). This is a bit of a pet project for me and I've never used a linux system before so I might tinker around with different distributions just to see what the limits of my little HTPC might be.
Media for now will be served off of an external HD either attached directly to the HTPC, or connected to another PC on the network (but would be streaming wirelessly... mostly 720p content). I plan to build an unraid server down the line but until then I'm likely going to get a simple NAS enclosure and hardwire it into my router.
My main question revolves around cases/psu's. I'd like to use one of the Antec ISK-300's but I've heard a lot of fuss being made about the PSUs. I really like the look of the Realan E-I7 case and was wondering if the included PSU with that case is adequate. I will probably go with the Realan E-I7 if you guys think that case is legit. Also, does anyone have experience with the Inwin BQS656.DD120BL? Is the PSU on that adequate? It says 120w so unless they're lying I'm assuming it will be enough.
Can somebody also tell me if the specs of this machine will provide a fluid UI experience with XBMC using some of the more flashy skins? Anyways, looking forward to whatever advice I might be able to get!
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: AMD A6-5400K 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.98 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Scythe BIG Shuriken 2 Rev. B 45.5 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($39.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75M-ITX Mini ITX FM2 Motherboard ($101.00 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($22.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial V4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($79.00 @ B&H)
Case: Inwin BQS656.DD120BL Mini ITX Desktop Case w/120W Power Supply ($89.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $402.93
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-28 13:42 EST-0500)
I'm looking for something with a small form factor. I might be moving the machine between rooms until I get a 2nd unit down the road, so something small and easy to carry around is what I'm looking for. The parts I'm currently looking at are at the bottom of this post. Primarily I'd like the box to be able to stream 1080p video, maybe some light emulation gaming... but mostly just video. I was planning to use it with OpenELEC, but might be open to other options (still pretty new to this, but OpenELEC seemed like the best option for quick boot times and a pretty no frills XBMC experience). This is a bit of a pet project for me and I've never used a linux system before so I might tinker around with different distributions just to see what the limits of my little HTPC might be.
Media for now will be served off of an external HD either attached directly to the HTPC, or connected to another PC on the network (but would be streaming wirelessly... mostly 720p content). I plan to build an unraid server down the line but until then I'm likely going to get a simple NAS enclosure and hardwire it into my router.
My main question revolves around cases/psu's. I'd like to use one of the Antec ISK-300's but I've heard a lot of fuss being made about the PSUs. I really like the look of the Realan E-I7 case and was wondering if the included PSU with that case is adequate. I will probably go with the Realan E-I7 if you guys think that case is legit. Also, does anyone have experience with the Inwin BQS656.DD120BL? Is the PSU on that adequate? It says 120w so unless they're lying I'm assuming it will be enough.
Can somebody also tell me if the specs of this machine will provide a fluid UI experience with XBMC using some of the more flashy skins? Anyways, looking forward to whatever advice I might be able to get!
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: AMD A6-5400K 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.98 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Scythe BIG Shuriken 2 Rev. B 45.5 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($39.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75M-ITX Mini ITX FM2 Motherboard ($101.00 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($22.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial V4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($79.00 @ B&H)
Case: Inwin BQS656.DD120BL Mini ITX Desktop Case w/120W Power Supply ($89.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $402.93
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-28 13:42 EST-0500)
. The Big Shuriken will fit if you forego the optical drive.
