[coxon888]

So, it's my first attempt at any build nevermind a HTPC...

My needs are split between a HTPC and a 'normal' PC that I will occasionally be gaming on but mostly doing uni work - Computer Science so mostly coding, nothing mega intensive.

Requirements;
Stream quality video via XBMC
Run plenty of applications at once.
Occasional gaming (Steam) - not bothered about super max settings but would like it last a while
Cope with Visual Studio/SQL server management studio etc.
Relatively quiet/low power
Boot quick
Fit under the TV
Option to add blu-ray player

With those in mind and some furious googling I've come up with these parts:
Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5 inch Basic SATA Solid State Drive - £70.19
WD 2TB Desktop SATA Hard Drive for NAS - OEM - Red - £75.43
MSI H87M-G43 m-ATX Motherboard - £63.41
Kingston Technology HyperX BLU 4GB - £31.42
Asus 2GB GDDR5 Nvidia GeForce GTX 650Ti Boost Graphics Card - £129.99
Intel Core i5 4570S Quad Core Retail CPU - £149.99
Noctua NH-L9i CPU Cooler for Socket 1155 / 1156 - £34.95
Silverstone SST-GD08B USB 3.0 HTPC Case - £124.99
orsair Builder Series CXM 500W Modular 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX/EPS PSU - £47.23

Total - £754.02

Now you may think that is overkill and it very well may be so I'm open to any cost-cutting advice that won't make too much difference to performance or benefit. It's also quite possible that some of these parts aren't compatible, which is my main reason for posting here so please do tell if you spot something. Does anyone have any better recommendations or cheaper prices for those parts as they're all from amazon?

I have a couple of specific questions, do I need a 500W PSU for all that gear and is the one I've chosen suitable for that case? Do I really need a CPU cooler? Is that motherboard suitable? Also, is there anything I need to buy in terms of building the machine, anti-static gloves etc? I already have some small screwdrivers.

Any help is greatly appreciated, ta.

[tboggie]

Build looks good. I assume you'll be running win 7 or 8

Case is £100.90 from Scan
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/silversto...tx-w-o-psu

Similar to GD08B, GD07B Grandia is £98
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/silversto...eb-w-o-psu

CPU is £144.69 from amazon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-Graphics-B...ers_text_y

Since you won't be overclocking or running games on max settings, the noise/heat should be ok
If you are worried about either, you can replace it with an aftermarket cooler

[coxon888]

Build looks good. I assume you'll be running win 7 or 8

Case is £100.90 from Scan
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/silversto...tx-w-o-psu

Similar to GD08B, GD07B Grandia is £98
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/silversto...eb-w-o-psu

CPU is £144.69 from amazon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-Graphics-B...ers_text_y

Since you won't be overclocking or running games on max settings, the noise/heat should be ok
If you are worried about either, you can replace it with an aftermarket cooler

Yeah I forgot to mention the OS, mainly because I haven't decided yet. I'd like to go with W8 because the metro look suits a TV much more than the standard desktop. The problem I have is with my Uni work, I need to check whether all of the programs I will be using are compatible with windows 8. Either way, I can download them for free from Microsoft Dreamspark, I'm assuming it's not too much trouble without an optical drive?

---

Oh and cheers for the case, I'm assuming Scan is pretty reputable? I was thinking I might use that discount to get a Blu ray drive, purely for space reasons so I can do away with my Sony Blu ray player.

The CPU is actually a different model to mine, mine is 65W / 2.90ghz and your link is for 80W / 3.20ghz. Do you think the power trade off is worth it?

[zxz0O0]

Personally I would go with Win8 and if a program is not compatible just set up a virtual machine with Win7. Besides you are writing you want to run many programs at once; I recommend installing 8GB of RAM. And better first use the standard cooler and if you have too much heat/noise, buy an aftermarkt cooler (like Noctua).
A micro ATX mainboard will fit this case.
You don't need anything besides a screwdriver to build it.
What games are you planning to play?

[coxon888]

Yeah I run parallels from my mac now so I suppose that is an option.

That should read 4GB x2 sorry, I think the total is still correct though because I just copied it from my amazon basket. Good point about the cooler, I will hold off to see if the stock fan is ok. It also means I'm less likely to break something

As for games, not to sure yet because I don't know what the experience
Is like with a portable keyboard/mouse or controller. I have bought a windows 360 controller so will test that out. I'm not a massive gamer so will probably just end up buying in the Steam sales.

[zxz0O0]

I was just thinking why spending money on an aftermarket cooler if the OEM is enough. Also some aftermarket coolers are quiet big, i.e. they take up space of the ram slots (also depends on mainboard) and you need a bigger case. The one you listed looks pretty normal though, maybe a bit less high than OEM.

The AMD 7850 is only a bit more expensive but seems to perform significantly better in gaming. You might want to check it out (it's bigger though).

[tboggie]

Yeah I forgot to mention the OS, mainly because I haven't decided yet. I'd like to go with W8 because the metro look suits a TV much more than the standard desktop. The problem I have is with my Uni work, I need to check whether all of the programs I will be using are compatible with windows 8. Either way, I can download them for free from Microsoft Dreamspark, I'm assuming it's not too much trouble without an optical drive?

Oh and cheers for the case, I'm assuming Scan is pretty reputable? I was thinking I might use that discount to get a Blu ray drive, purely for space reasons so I can do away with my Sony Blu ray player.
The CPU is actually a different model to mine, mine is 65W / 2.90ghz and your link is for 80W / 3.20ghz. Do you think the power trade off is worth it?

Yes, scan is good company. I use both scan and amazon. I normaly do a price check on both sites and pick the cheaper option.
I prefer scan though. Better communication and when delivering your order, they give you an hour delivery time frame

In regards to CPU, 4570 runs faster than 4570s but needs better cooling. I would go for 4570

I would also suggest you add a bluray drive to your list, so you have an all in one box

[coxon888]

Yeah that makes sense, no point in wasting money. I did pick that cooler because it was reasonably low profile and highly rated.

I'll look into that card, thanks. Hopefully it's not too big to fit inside that case.

[coxon888]

Thanks tboggie. Yeah I've decided to add a Blu ray and take off the aftermarket cooler for now and see how it goes. The case is fairly spacious so hopefully it isn't needed. I'll probably switch to 4570 then

[tboggie]

Goodluck with your build

[coxon888]

Cheers. Looking forward to it.

Any recomendations on a Blu ray drive? I had one saved in my basket on amazon but they no longer sell them. I'll have a look at some tonight when I get home.

[tboggie]

Pioneer BDC-207DBK

[Joelmusicman]

I'll second the response about skipping the "S" CPU. You can easily undervolt the standard one in the BIOS for mostly identical power savings yet still have the extra oomph when you need it. The non-S is cheaper too.

[coxon888]

Ordered the parts tonight.

Changed the ram as they were out of stock. Also ordered the xfx Radeon 7850 as I discovered it was £106.99 on dabs with delivery. Started an Amazon Prime trial so most of it should arrive on Tuesday but hopefully everything will arrive before the weekend.

Will post a full price list tomorrow.