Help Me Pick Parts For HTPC

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maulxx

maulxx

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I'm looking to build a HTPC with this case I recently purchased. Silverstone GD04 http://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-GD04B-USB3-0-Aluminum-Computer-USB3-0/dp/B008J0ZODQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1461952312&sr=1-1&keywords=Silverstone+gd04. I replaced the internal fans with Notua NF-S12A http://www.amazon.com/setting-Anti-Stall-Bearing-NF-S12A-ULN/dp/B00BEZWPTO?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00
My original plan was to take everything out of my 6 year old PC & drop it in the Silverstone but the MB was too big. My PS may have worked but would have required serious cable management heroics. I'm pretty settled on this particular case & want to use it.
I would like to replace my MB & PS at the minimum & continue using my AMD Phenom II 955, 4x2GB G.Skill Ripjaw DDR3 1600 ram & XFX Radeon HD 5850 gpu. I also have a DVD drive I can use the old 1TB HDD. I run Winx & Linux Mint.
This is one option I could choose or I could take the opportunity to upgrade.
I'm really not a heavy gamer now days but wouldn't mind having that option for the future. I don't buy games every month anymore but I do play the ones that catches my fancy like the upcoming No Man's Sky. I have been using my PS4 for my gaming machine but may switch over to PC in the future.
This will be my second PC build.

Approximate Purchase Date: Next week, first week of May 2016

Budget Range: $500-$600 before rebates.

System Usage from Most of Least Important: Watching movies, music, streaming/surfing, gaming.

Parts Not Required: Mouse & Air mouse remote, monitor - Connecting to a HDTV, case, fans, old Samung 1TB hdd. I have a Radeon HD5850 I can use for the time being if need be, DVD drive but want a Blu Ray drive in near future.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg & Amazon

Country: U.S.A.

Parts Preferences: I want to use the Silverstone GD04 case, micro atx MB, modular PS & a Noctua low profile CPU cooler if needed & a SSD budget permitting.

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: I'll be connecting to my HDTV through my AVR. I would like to have some good audio for this build. The less heat & noise the better as I have tons of both already.
 
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Eximo

Eximo

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Hmm, not sure I would want to use a Phenom for an HTPC. Are you going for silence or low-power or just wanting that particular hardware in that case.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 3.2GHz Quad-Core OEM/Tray Processor
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9a 57.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock 970M PRO3 Micro ATX AM3+/AM3 Motherboard ($65.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($0.00)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 5850 1GB Video Card
Case: Silverstone GD04B-USB3.0 (Black) HTPC Case
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $165.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-29 15:12 EDT-0400
 
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maulxx

maulxx

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Thanks for the picks. That seems the cheaper way to go but I was also considering upgrading CPU, MB & PS & getting a GPU later. I guess I was asking for two builds. One that works with my older parts which you answered & a new build with new parts for my case. I'm still unsure if I will use it down the road as my go to for games & I know that will influence the parts I need.

 
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maulxx

maulxx

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How about these? I'm little concerned about ATX size PS with micro ATX MB but Silverstone says the case supports it.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i 57.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($42.34 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($94.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.88 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $497.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-30 14:49 EDT-0400
 
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I selected an energy efficient option for you. The CPU is 35W so you don't have to get a low profile cooler, (stock cooler is fine) which leaves a budget for a Blu-Ray burner. I also included an SSD. You can use your Radeon HD5850 for now, I would wait until pascal or polaris was released for a video card upgrade. Don't forget extra SATA cables if you need them.


CPU: 3.20 GHz 35W Core i3 6100T Processor LV ($135.99 @ Amazon)

Motherboard: ASRock H170M Pro4S LGA 1151 Intel H170 ($84.99 @ Newegg)

Memory: G.SKILL NT Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 2400 ($32.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: SanDisk SSD PLUS 2.5" 480GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) ($119.99 @ Newegg)

Optical Disc Drive: LG Black 16X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 12X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA Blu-ray Burner ($58.99 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: EVGA 220-G2-0550-Y1 80 PLUS GOLD 550W ECO Mode Fully Modular ($89.99 @ Newegg)

Sub-Total: $522.94

Prices do not include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
 
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maulxx

maulxx

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Great suggestions Pawacorn. Thank you.
Can I get your thoughts on the i3 over the i5? I understand it's more efficient. I just need some understanding of what I would be sacrificing performance wise.

 
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No problem. With the i3 you get two cores and four threads. With a i5 (like the i5-6400) you get four real cores but it's 65W. You could put in the i5-6400 instead, but might have to upgrade the cooler also. Watching movies, music, surfing, will be fine with the i3. Gaming should be fine with the i3 unless the game requires four real cores (like Far Cry 4 did). Streaming might struggle a little with the i3, an i5-6400 would be better for the build I suggested, if you can afford it.
 
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For a full size ATX tower it would be and only if you intended to overclock. If you chose the i5 4690, you would have to switch over to an expensive aftermarket cooler, a Socket 1150 motherboard and DDR3 RAM instead of DDR4. It would consume more power and run much hotter. Not such a great idea for a HTPC.

The i5 4690 is designed to overclock. Unless you can go with watercooling for that, I'd just stick with the i5-6400. I think the stock cooler that comes with it will be fine. You just may have to run the CPU fan on the "Performance" setting. The 4690 and 6400 perform about the same at stock speeds. The passmark scores are close.

If you wanted a better cooler for the i5-6400 than the stock one, the Noctua NH-L9x65 would be a good choice.
 
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maulxx

maulxx

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Alright, how about this? I still need to squeeze some RAM in there. Do I need the cooler & how about DDR4 3200?
Also, what kind of wattage do I need keeping in mind a geforce 970?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i 57.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($42.34 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170M Pro4S Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($99.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Crucial BX200 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($63.88 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $451.19
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-01 17:46 EDT-0400
 
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maulxx

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That cooler is 65mm tall & I believe I have 70mm to work with but not sure how that's measured. Counting MB/CPU height it might not fit? Also, you think these coolers will cover RAM slots?

 
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maulxx

maulxx

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Hmmmm. Later this year for Kaby Lake?
 
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Those parts look fine except I don't think that cooler is the best choice, with only two heatpipes it's hardly better than the stock cooler. The NH-L9x65 I suggested has four heatpipes and should give you 5mm of free clearance, and should fit just fine. They measure the mm from the motherboard. You don't need DDR4 3200, 2400 is the maximum speed I would even consider. For the 970 you should go with 600W Bronze certified or better. If you get a 970 I recommend getting one with a backplate.
 
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maulxx

maulxx

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I'll get the NH-L9x65 cooler & a 600w Gold PS. So if I don't need the faster Memory then I could get a cheaper price motherboard right? Will 600 watts be plenty? I'm very concerned about the MB running into the PS. I just can't see how it would fit. Is micro aTX only 2 inches smaller than atx?
Thanks for all the help & suggestions, helping make decisions. Much appreciated.

 
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maulxx

maulxx

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This is what I settled on & built this week. I did pay a bit more. I got the cooler from amazon which was charging a higher price & it wasn't available at newegg at the time of purchase. My total was $550.93.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9x65 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170M Pro4S Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($99.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($58.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX200 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($63.88 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: Rosewill 600W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $527.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-07 14:04 EDT-0400


I put my old Radeon hd 5850 in along with my old 1TB HDD.
I may put a GTX 970 in down the road. I was looking at the http://www.amazon.com/Asus-GTX970-DCMOC-4GD5-ASUS-Graphics-Cards/dp/B00RL2SLAG?ie=UTF8&keywords=asus%20geforce%20gtx%20970%20mmini&qid=1462643160&ref_=sr_1_sc_1&sr=8-1-spell but the power connector placement may be bad for my case. It would be at the top where my lid would have to slide on. Not sure if it would work. It seems all these small geforce cards do this.
 
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maulxx

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I haven't really tested anything. In the Bios the CPU & MB temps were fine but I spent yesterday evening just getting windows & drivers set up. I'm really not much of a builder. This is my second build & it took me a good long while just to make sure I was connecting everything properly. I should have run some tests I suppose. If you know any programs I should use for that let me know. If not I can look them up.

I saw that 380 but would prefer 4gb if I choose to game. This could possibly work http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150765&cm_re=r9_380_4g-_-14-150-765-_-Product. I would have to measure for the height bur length would work & it doesn't have the top connectors.
I could just stick with my PS4 for gaming.
I could probably pull out my Radeon HD 5850 from this system & use the intergrated graphics if I decide I wasn't going to game on it. How capable is the Intel HD Graphics 530 for media & streaming? Probably would work fine wouldn't it?


 
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maulxx

maulxx

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I'm going to do some measuring & see if this will squeeze in http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Quieter-Graphics-04G-P4-2978-KR/dp/B00OSS0AG4/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8.


 
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I would recommend to save up and wait for the release of the GTX 1070 (June 10?) instead of the 970. It's going to be faster than the TitanX at $380. Either that or you might want to wait to see if the 970 prices go down.
 
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