New to computer builds. Want to build a nice HTPC

Travis_1203

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Apr 17, 2014
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So I am tossing around the idea of building a nice HTPC for my home. I have been doing a little research the past few months but it is a little overwhelming. I do not give up easy though. I know the basic components I need but I do not know exactly what is best to use for my need/wants. My friend has built numerous computers for clients and he said he would help me. I would not say I do not have a budget for this build but I am not looking to spend a fortune on it. I am looking to build a fast, quiet, functional and fun HTPC. I really like the Silverstone GD07B case but I am open to other alternatives if there is a better one out there. I am also going to put a NAS in my house as well. So I have a ton of information to research and I am excited to begin piecing this build together. I appreciate the help on this.
HTPC Case
- Silverstone Tek GD07B
List of stuff I want the HTPC to do.
- Windows 7 (WMC)
- Cable card ready with DVR capability (Live TV)
- Best picture quality possible (HD, 1080P)
- SSD HD (What are the benefits of SSD over traditional HD’s?)
- Decent amount of storage (I am not looking to back up NASA databases though so nothing crazy)
- Light gaming
- Wifi ready
- Blu-ray
- Video streaming
- HDMI out
- Remote control capability
- Quiet
- Runs cool

Let me know if anyone else has any recommendations for a great system.

Thanks for your help.

 

vincent5253

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Well i recommend going with intel's processor. I like the i7's because they are super fast. For the SSD here is what the difference on SSD &HD. SSDs do not have moving parts like regular HD's. The SSD make it alot faster to processes information. Regular hd's take a little bit longer while SSD are really fast. I upgraded my pc to having a HD for storage and having the SSD for the first boot up . My pc is really fast for that. My pc loads up everything in about 2-3 min tops plus login time. I suggest doing that also which will be really fast. But do not put files on the SSD though it will slow down your boot up time. Use your Hard drive to store everything. For the Hardrive by a big one like 3tb or more. For cpu cooler i suggest liquid cool. Not air. And for motherboards i suggest buying a z87 motherboard with OC abilities if you want to overclock in the furture.
 
i wont list any specific builds but here is some general advice..

the gd07b doesnt seem like a bad case however if you browse the media center and htpc cases on newegg you may find a few others you like.

the benefit of a ssd is speed. a ssd system can boot in 7-8 seconds while a normal hard drive may take 20-30. performance is also snappier. typically you would use a ssd as your windows booting drive and leave any big file storage to a regular hdd.

for storage either a seagate barracuda, wd caviar black (but you could use a blue as well) or samsung spinpoint in 1tb size is what you want.

if you want to do light gaming you will want a dedicated graphics card and not an integrated solution. what kind of card you get depends on what kind of gaming you want to do.

since you will be gaming you also want a case with better airflow than your typical htpc case. does the design need to be flat to fit on a tv stand or is a box shape fine?

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if you want small and powerfull building around mini itx and a case like the corsair obsidian 250d or coolermaster elite 120 provides alot of cooling and potential in a small form factor. price is a bit higher on m-itx boards though.

if you go with a media center case like that one you are thinking about then i would definitely make sure it has at least two 120mm sized fans for cooling.

if want cool and quiet along with low power usage going with an intel chip is likely the best option however its more expensive than going amd. you could probably get away with an i3 however if you want better gaming performance something like an i5 is better. you would want to use an aftermarket cooler as well (what you get depends on what kind of case you get)

as for wifi support... you may be able to get a motherboard which supports this but a wifi card with longer antennas is going to give you better signal.

blueray/dvd just needs a blueray drive and software such as powerdvd

sorry i cant help much on remotes but if its ir you need a direct line of sight so you need to keep that in mind. i dont know if they make a bluetooth remote for media center but that would be convenient. there is an app to make your cellphone a remote control via bluetooht if your motherboard supports bluetooth (or if you use an adapter)

 
as far as vincents reply is concerned.. not sure most of what he says actually applies to you.

for a htpc you do NOT need an i7 (you will be wasting money), you do not need to overclock (cpus which can do this are more expensive and you dont need it) and you do not need a z87 motherboard for overclocking (again, they cost more and its a waste of money for you) and to be honest you dont need liquid cooling (air is fine and its alot cheaper). as far as the large hard drives are concerned they have high failure rates once you go above 1tb in size. i have had 6 replacements in a few years on my 1.5 and 2tb drives while most people have zero issues with 1tb drives. as for putting files on your ssd slowing it down... that isnt exactly true. while you dont ever want to fill a ssd up past 80% capacity (for longevity of drive) its not going to hurt if you have files on it. i have a 512gb ssd which is half full and its every bit as speedy as it was empty. granted that file searches take longer (more info to sort though) but this is linked to having more stuff not any performance degradation of the drive.

overclocking is speeding up a cpu from its default speed by boosting voltage to it and changing a few settings. it makes the cpu draw more power and produce more heat in return for more performance. honestly not something you need for a htpc and even most other pcs do not need it. overclocking is more of an enthusiast thing.
 

Travis_1203

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Apr 17, 2014
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Thanks for all of your info. I have just spent an hour or so researching Cable tv tuner Cards. Seems like a lot of people are having a lot of problems with them. My main reason for wanting to build an HTPC was to ditch my comcast DVR and their rediculous prices. But I am beginning to think I do not want to deal with the head ache of problems using those tuner cards. Have you had any experience with them?
 
sorry i personally dont use cable tv tuner cards so i cant help you there.

there are many users on here which do use htpcs who might have such cards and can offer advice though if you just give the thread some time.

i would just keep the discussion in here going and wait for some advice about tuner cards or better yet in the meantime search for some other posts dealing with htpcs and tuner cards on here to try and gleam some info.
 

Travis_1203

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Apr 17, 2014
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Thanks again. I was researching stuff to build my HTPC and I came across this.

http://

It seems like a nice little pre built HTPC and it has awesome reviews. I just need a OS and SSD and I will be good to go. I just wish I could use it as a DVR but after reading about the problems people are having with cable cards, I don't think I want to (or have the technical ability) to deal with them. Let me know if this sounds like a decent machine and your thoughts or views on it.

Thanks