Sub $450 build verification (HTPC and light Gaming)

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
P

poorking2u

Honorable
Nov 25, 2013
17
0
10,510
I'm trying to make an HTPC for my living room and run it into my HD receiver via HDMI; so far I've settled on these parts for the build:

http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=80963&promoid=1244
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=75057
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=67358&promoid=1244
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=36517&promoid=1244

I'm going to use my friends old 64gb SSD, a 500gb internal hard drive, 1TB portable hard drive and get a slim-line Blu-Ray drive off of Ebay.

This is my first build so anything I have missed is purely ignorance; will this setup as is work for HD video streaming, audio streaming and occasional light gaming (I dont need it to do anything harder then 30fps at most and 1080i/p). Will the A6-5400k APU be enough juice for my needs?
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
P

poorking2u

Honorable
Nov 25, 2013
17
0
10,510
the specs as listed price out as $342.46, what I want to know is whether or not it would be able to handle 1080p gaming occasionally or if I'd have to go to my $450 max to achieve that. Also not included is the price of the optical drive which i still need to get
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
P

poorking2u

Honorable
Nov 25, 2013
17
0
10,510


So... yes the items I've listed will work.
PLEASE ANSWER: is the MSI FM2-A75ma-E35 and AMD A6-5400K
sufficient for light gaming?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
P

poorking2u

Honorable
Nov 25, 2013
17
0
10,510


Need for speed, GRID, mass effect, XCOM

Mostly racing games, but I like a couple FPS.
I have heard that Crysis, Bioshock and Mass effect are pretty demanding and I just want to know if the parts i've listed would play them comparable to a ps3 or Xbox 360? This would be output through the HDMI port on the mobo
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
IRONBATMAN

IRONBATMAN

Honorable
Aug 30, 2013
3,359
0
13,460
Comparable to Xbox or PS3 ? No way.

Let me list the build for convenience

CPU + GPU / APU

AMD A6-5400K

Motherboard

MSI FM2-A75MA-E35

RAM

AMD performance 2x2GB

PSU

Antec Basiq 350 watts

Case

Fractal Design Node 604


______________________________

This is my first time seeing someone buy AMD's RAM. So I went to check some reviews.
Here's what I found
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/amd_performance_edition/7.htm
It doesn't seem too bad.

The A8-5600K isn't fantastic, but I'm sure it would run most games on at least low-med settings.
I could only find BF3 Benchmarks
50167.png


A small upgrade would be the A10-5800K
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
P

poorking2u

Honorable
Nov 25, 2013
17
0
10,510


Is that the format vthat i should have listed parts in? My bad.

Ok, updated parts list as follows:

APU
AMD A10-5800K

Motherboard
MSI FM2-A75MA E35

Memory
G.Skill Sniper series 8GB DDR-2133

PSU
Antec Basiq 350Watt

Case
Fractal Design Node 605

Price total for this build is $370.37
Would this now be comparable to a console?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
P

poorking2u

Honorable
Nov 25, 2013
17
0
10,510
Alright so its really a matter of choice between console and pc gaming; the reason I wouldn't go out and buy a PS4 is because I'm a very casual gamer, I still play my PS2 and O.G. Xbox sparingly. I want to step into the new age of gaming but I use my laptop which is extremely slow, unable to stream anything higher then 480p so therefore doesn't like its job of watching boxing and kickboxing online. At most i'd get a used ps3 but I'd like to play my ps2 games still. It doesn't make sense for me to buy a 6 year old ps3 that originally had over heating problems, so I've come to the conclusion that it makes more sense to build a pc That plays games well and streams even better and keep my ps2 and xbox for SAG.

But my budget is an issue. What's confusing me is the fact that an experienced member who's helping a lot is disagreeing with articles and builds I've read here and on other websites.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
IRONBATMAN

IRONBATMAN

Honorable
Aug 30, 2013
3,359
0
13,460
So are you looking for a PC that's comparable to a Console and that can stream videos smoothly ? It won't be very slim if you're looking for one. You will have to subscribe to a better connection plan if you want to stream videos more smoothly. So that's maybe $50 a month or something. And then if you want a Console replacement, $600 would be just great.
here
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($117.96 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($76.97 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec VSK-2000 ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Mwave)
Case Fan: Cooler Master COOLER MASTER JetFlo 120 Blue LED Case Fan 95.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $619.84
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-27 03:48 EST-0500)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
P

poorking2u

Honorable
Nov 25, 2013
17
0
10,510
No, I'm looking for a home theater pc that can stream videos smoothly and play games with little difference compared to a last gen console.

Everytime I see a build that compares to a console its within my price range but includes a video card.
http://www.gamefront.com/how-to-build-a-pc-that-can-kick-the-ps3s-ass/

If i were to add a video card that had an HDMI out, would that bring me closer to my goals?
Again, what I dont understand is why pc's with CPU's less capable than the A10-5800k seem to be better for gaming then the build I've listed. I know theres something here you know that I'm not understanding and I'm starting to suspect that its the lack of a video card.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Nuck Chorris

Nuck Chorris

Honorable
Feb 26, 2013
344
0
10,810
At $436 (added shipping. After rebate) this is a pretty great build. It's around 10 fps better compared to next gen consoles too.
The CPU is basically an A10 without the integrated GPU.

R9 270X GPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161443

MSI FM2 MOTHERBOARD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130661

EVGA 500W PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438012

ATHLON X4 750K FM2 CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113328

FRACTAL DESIGN 1000 CASE:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352032

GSKILL 4GB DDR3 RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231421
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Nuck Chorris

Nuck Chorris

Honorable
Feb 26, 2013
344
0
10,810
With that build, you can play most games at high settings.
Not sure about 4k but I've heard really good stuff about this GPU's audio so if you want an HTPC that can handle games like:
Bioshock Infinite at 73 fps, Ultra
Metro Last Light, 56 fps, Very High
Crysis 3, 33 fps, Very High
all at 1080p then this build is probably the best for your budget.
The R7 260X 2GB is also a great option if you want to save. It is priced at $139 and it runs
Metro Last Light at 45 fps on High, Crysis 3 at 33 fps on High and Battlefield 3, 36 fps on Ultra
all on 1080p

The R9 270X is pretty much just a tweaked 7870 so watch this.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIT9uLDjZcg

Benchmark by Austin Evans, aka duncan33303
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
P

poorking2u

Honorable
Nov 25, 2013
17
0
10,510



Ok, so lets get this straight.
The reason that the A10 build was inadequate was due to the fact that it lacked a GPU? Yeah?
If I want a PC that will adequately play games I need a graphics card because most APU's is not powerful enough. Correct?
If I want to add a Hauppauge board will it fit on this board alongside the GPU?

Is there any way to rotate the 5.25 drives in the case so that they are horizontal?


 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Nuck Chorris

Nuck Chorris

Honorable
Feb 26, 2013
344
0
10,810


Yes,
Yes,
and possibly yes. Depends on what PCI port it uses, if it uses PCI Express 1 then no (the small one) because the GPU will block the port. You'll either need to find a TV tuner that uses the PCI port or get a different Motherboard like this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130662 it's $59.99, has analog audio ports, more USB 2.0 ports, 2 USB 3.0 ports and a DVI port.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/PCI_und_PCIe_Slots.jpg
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
P

poorking2u

Honorable
Nov 25, 2013
17
0
10,510


The Loolz, you suggested the mobo I was originally going to use.
Ok, following your guideline setup and doing a little research and part picking of my own I've come up with a setup as follows:

CPU
AMD Athlon II X4 750K

Motherboard
MSI FM2-A85XA-G43

Memory
G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB DDR3-2133

GPU
PowerColor Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB
(I choose the HD 7870 because the tomshardware review of the R9-270 said there was almost no difference between the two and I can get this GPU for under $150)

PSU
Antec 450W ATX Power Supply (is this enough juice?)

Case
Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 (Black)

Will this do what i ask of it? Total is $362 seeing as I'm in Canada (doesnt include GPU or shipping) so I have a little wiggle room in my budget but if this is good enough I'm all good :lol:

Also, does anyone know of a touchscreen/lcd screen that will display info (song artist, Place in DVD, temps, time etc) that will fit in the 5.25 bay (a la fan controller)?

 
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