HTPC Haswell Build

georgescd · Mar 14, 2014

Hi,

I am building an HTPC system but I am new to the domain and I am not sure if I am overkilling the config and at the same time, I don't want to get something to discover later that it would have been better to get a better part.
My requirement is to watch 1080 movies on my TV and 4k movies later on when they become widely available (and when get a 4k TV) and I would need enough disc space to have enough storage for my library plus probable RAID1 or RAID5

I chose the following config: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/39Rdh

My questions are:
-Is everything in this config compatible?
-Does it include unrequired parts (i5? H87?) for my usage?
-Is a dedicated graphic card required?

Thanks,

s4in7 · Mar 14, 2014

Well, you're missing a video card that's capable of outputting video at 4k...you're going to need at least a GTX 770 with 3gb VRAM to smoothly output 4k videos.

Your CPU and everything else are fine.

IDontUnderstand · Mar 14, 2014

I do not recommend a high end CPU cooler as you are not going to overclock. The stock cooler will handle it just fine, as long as there are good airflow for the system.

Here is my recommendation.
Cheaper RAM, motherboard, and a different packaged 840 EVO (unless you wanted the extra stuff that comes with it)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570S 2.9GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus H87M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($95.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Green 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($164.37 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Green 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($164.37 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Green 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($164.37 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Green 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($164.37 @ Amazon)
Case: Silverstone GD08B (Black) HTPC Case ($153.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($42.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) (Purchased For $0.00)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN881ND 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($18.83 @ Mwave)
Total: $1321.23
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-14 17:26 EDT-0400)

georgescd · Mar 15, 2014

s4in7 :

Thanks for your answer. In the meantime, until 4k movies become available, would the builtin graphic card be enough for 1080 movies?

georgescd · Mar 15, 2014

IDontUnderstand :

I do not recommend a high end CPU cooler as you are not going to overclock. The stock cooler will handle it just fine, as long as there are good airflow for the system.

Here is my recommendation.
Cheaper RAM, motherboard, and a different packaged 840 EVO (unless you wanted the extra stuff that comes with it)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570S 2.9GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus H87M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($95.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Green 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($164.37 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Green 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($164.37 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Green 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($164.37 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Green 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($164.37 @ Amazon)
Case: Silverstone GD08B (Black) HTPC Case ($153.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($42.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) (Purchased For $0.00)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN881ND 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($18.83 @ Mwave)
Total: $1321.23
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-14 17:26 EDT-0400)

Thanks for your answer. Would the stock cooler be as quiet as another cooler?

IDontUnderstand · Mar 15, 2014

It won't be extremely loud especially you're not going to overclock and with all the hard drive and other audio going on, you won't be able to hear it unless you put the system next to your ear. However, if you still prefer an aftermarket cooler, try this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118126

Now I don't believe anywhere on Internet would they specified how far away is the CPU socket to the RAM slots, but I'm assuming it would work with most boards since Zalman designed it and it seems to work well.

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