Noob - Building SWEET entertainment system

[coiney]

Hey knowledgeable expert people:

I'm new to building PCs, though I'm fairly tech saavy. I'm interested in building a really nice gaming/entertainment PC.

I don't intend to do any work with this thing... I have a laptop for that.

Here's what I'd like to do:
-use at least a core 2 duo circa 3.0 ghz (should I go intel? should I overclock?)
-run the latest best coolest games... (graphics cards?)
-hook up to an HD tv as monitor
-interested in using MYTHBOX... meaning I need the hardware for that
-use this for both media storage and gaming basically.

Every component is up for grabs. I'm doing a bunch of research and I'd love to consider your expertise.

Target price range - circa $1500.

Cheers and thanks.

 

[shadowduck]

CPU: Q6600 (2.4GHz quad core/quad core will benefit your application) can easily overclock to 3.6. Or spend a bit more and get the Q9300 which is a 45nm part
Graphics Card: 8800GT or 9800GX2 if you are going to run a high resolution- both will drive an HDTV too.
Motherboard: Asus P5E x38 (FSB1600 support, native 45nm support)
RAM: 4GB G.Skill DDR2-800/1066
Hard Drives- 3x 500GB Segate SATAII 32MB in RAID-5. Your application will benefit from RAID. Level 5 allows the speed benefit of level 1 without the data loss risk. (One drive can fail and the RAID won't lose all data).
Case- up to you
PSU- Corsair VX550W
OS- Windows XP MCE or Vista Home Prem (Vista is better in this case- for DX10 support and improved Media Center application)
Sound Card- ASUS Xonar DX 7.1 (since video is a main use- this will work better than onboard sound).

Hope this helps you

 

[groo]

you'll want a quiet PC with no annoying lights.
the antec p182 would fit the bill for a case

you might want to consider a hybrid SLI system. what that does is turn off you video card when you not using it (surfing the web, watching TV or movies, etc) and uses onboard graphics. unfortunatly, for now your stuck with AMD if you want to make use of that. not all AM2+ boards can handle the 9850, but most enthusiast boards should. you also need one of the newer nVidia high end cards for this feature.

Get a good 80+ efficient PSU quiet.
I hear the Enermax Pro or modus are the quiet and perform. the only difference between the line is the modus is modular (I think its a potential failure point and a waste of money)
this one should provide all the power you need.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194030

you'll also want a big CPU cooler so it stays cool without adding noise.

a bluray burner starts at $270

 

[jaguarskx]

I recently built a new HTPC for myself, however, since I also have a primary PC this HTPC is strictly for media with gaming as secondary (maybe).

You will probably want this entertainment PC to be quiet unless you like listening to fans when watching movies and listening to music.

The decision to get a HTPC style case to fit in with your TV and other media components (if any), or a regular PC case like the Antec P182 is up to you. However, you cannot simply rely on the case to keep the noise inside it. All components will ultimately determine how loud your overall PC will be.


For the PSU, I highly recommend the Seasonic S12 series. If you want a modular PSU, then consider the Corsair HX series (made by Seasonic). Seasonic's M12 series is modular, but it adds an extra fan (2 in all) it is still quiet, but not as quiet as the Corsair HX which only uses one fan. Seasonic S12 PSU can achieve up to 88% efficiency (based on the load). The higher the efficiency the less electricity is wasted as converted heat. Below is a list of Seasonic S12 PSUs"

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=Seasonic+S12


For the CPU I would recommend the C2D E8400 which is 3.0GHz (stock speed), and is easily overclockable if you want. You could opt for the Q9xxx series, but not very games are even optimized for dual cores yet.

I recommend a large heatsink to keep your CPU cool. In my HTPC I have a Scythe Ninja+ passively (no fan)cooling my E6600 @ 3.0GHz (both from my old PC); after encode videos for a few hour it maxes out to 58C using Core Temp to measure the temperature. There is an all copper version of the Scythe Ninja which just can out this year. Note: I am sure when summer approaches the CPU's temp will increase.

For hard drives I recommend Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache for your OS and some unimportant data and games. It is a very slim SATA hard drive about 2/3 the height of a typical hard drive. It uses a single platter to store data so that means it is quiet and produces less heat.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148262

As for data that is important to you I recommend you store them on a separate hard drive. I would recommend the Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB. It is really quiet because it use two 320GB platters to store data. The few platters a HD has, the quieter it is. I use these in my primary PC.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

If you want even more storage capacity on a single drive (1TB) then I would recommend the Western Digital Caviar RE2 GP WD1000FYPS 1TB 16MB Cache. Very quiet, but also expensive since it an "enterprise class" hard drive. Meaning it is made for businesses where hard drive failure is not an option within the warranty period (5 years). I have two of these in my HTPC to store my videos and music.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136206

Speaking of hard drive reliability, some people set up RAIDs and/or use external hard drives to back up data. RAID is not considered a backup, it is for redundancy (that's the 'R' in RAID). Redundancy means if one drive fails you can still access your data, but should another drive fail you will not be able to access your data anymore. I was originally going to do RAID 1 (mirror) which simply writes/reads data to both RAID 1 drives, and get an external hard drive to back up my data from time to time. But I think I will drop RAID 1 and simply backup my data to external hard drives.

Since you intend on playing games on an HDTV I will assume you want to play @ 1920 x 1080 resolution, I will simply recommend a 8800GTS. Get any brand you want, but EVA generally is better since they allow you to add on a third party cooler without voiding the warranty. The 8800GTX is more expensive and there are fewer of them which makes sense ince the release of the GeForce 9800 series.

Speaking of the 9800GTX it doesn't perform all that much better than the 8800GTS and consumes a little more power as well.

To cool the 8800GTS I would recommend the ARCTIC COOLING ACCELS1 Rev 2 VGA Cooler which can passively cool the 8800GTS. WARNING it is tall, once attached it rises about 1.5 inches higher than the video card.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186016

You can also get the optional fans if you think the temps are too higher, especially after overclocking.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186021


In case you're wondering I have an ECS 9600GT that is passively cooled by an Artic Cooling AccelS2. But I haven't used it to play any games yet.

 

[groo]

Actual my Mini P180 (micro ATX version) cut my system noise by quite a bit coming from an Ultra Microfly. obviously you want to use the quietest components you can, but the right case can take you a long way.

the only problem I see with a P182 is the door would get in the way of media front pannel.