Help me with my HTPC build (Mini ITX).

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
K

kalel786

Honorable
Mar 30, 2012
16
0
10,510
Hi everyone!

Basically, I'm building a new HTPC.

These are my components so far, just about to make a purchase just wanted to make sure I'm not going to come across any problems:

Motherboard:
MSI B75IA-E33

CPU:
i3 3225 (Ivy Bridge)


Haven't chosen the ram/psu/chassis yet, just want to get the motherboard and cpu combo right as that's the most important. I already have the SSD & drive.

I'm going to be using it for XBMC only so would want to use the integrated HD4000 graphics.

Your comments/suggestions are appreciated.

Regards
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
K

kalel786

Honorable
Mar 30, 2012
16
0
10,510


I prefer Intel. I want to go with the Ivy bridge for power consumption. I think the 3225 would be the perfect CPU for me.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
ingtar33

ingtar33

Glorious
Dec 17, 2012
9,017
198
45,840
mmm depends...

I mean an a10-5800k will trash that i3 graphically.. and pace it in multithreaded tasks. it is also cheaper.

setting that aside, if you aren't playing games and just doing media/movies that i3 is probably TOO much gpu for your task. you don't need intel HD 4000 for a media box. nor do you need an APU. So i have to ask what you're using it for.

if you want to light game you can't beat an AMD APU, if you want a cheap media box you can certainly go cheaper then that i3-3225.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
K

kalel786

Honorable
Mar 30, 2012
16
0
10,510


Which motherboard/CPU combo would you recommend? I might occasionally play games on it too.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
vmem

vmem

Splendid
Feb 17, 2012
3,133
6
21,465


however, he sacrifices CPU performance and makes boot-time and loading software noticeably slower with anything lower than an i3, which is why I think an A6-trinity is the most cost effective solution
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
K

kalel786

Honorable
Mar 30, 2012
16
0
10,510


It's near enough the same price as the i3 3225 & mobo. I think I should get the Intel as it has lower power consumption and will perform better, worst case scenario I'll just upgrade in the future.

Which motherboard should I get?

Will the MSI B75IA-E33 do the job? I want it to be able to use the ivy bridge processor. Would I have to update the bios for that? Should I go for a Z77? These are the list of motherboards.

All I need is HDMI, Ivy bridge support & SATA 3.

I can't decide as there's a couple very close within price range:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=sr_nr_n_0?rh=n%3A340831031%2Cn%3A430512031%2Ck%3Amini+itx+1155&sort=price&keywords=mini+itx+1155&ie=UTF8&qid=1369349891&rnid=340832031
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
ingtar33

ingtar33

Glorious
Dec 17, 2012
9,017
198
45,840


in compute tasks the i3 will perform better in single threaded tasks, in multi-threaded tasks the a10 will match or beat the i3. in graphics tasks there won't even be a contest. The APU is about x2 better then the i3 in graphics tasks... and in games will pull about x2 the fps.

that motherboard is also far more feature rich and quality then the msi for the intel, and will overclock well.

as for an intel, you gain nothing going for a z77, as the i3 can't overclock.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
vmem

vmem

Splendid
Feb 17, 2012
3,133
6
21,465


the i3 will not let you game without a dedicated graphics card, the A10 will get you half-decent gaming. and if you add the graphics card, the i3/graphics card combo will cost more and need more power.

but if you absolutely must go with that solution, just get the cheapest mini-ITX board you can find, personally I think the gigabyte or Asrock options with wifi would be good fits

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
vmem

vmem

Splendid
Feb 17, 2012
3,133
6
21,465


I agree with you on most points mate, but overclocking is the least of someone's concerns when building a pure HTPC. thermals, noise, and power consumption are much bigger issues

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
ingtar33

ingtar33

Glorious
Dec 17, 2012
9,017
198
45,840


I don't disagree. i only am even talking about the trinity setup because OP was talking about gaming.

and if you're talking gaming, chances are you're eventually gonna want to talk overclocking (cause there are massive gains to be had in the trinity with a good overclock)...

AND the op was asking about a z77 mb... the z77 chipset has but one purpose for an intel... that's overclocking (which is something you can't do with the i3)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom