New PC build... need advice

[cokenbeer]

So last summer I put together a new gaming PC which is running very well.

Specs:

CPU: Intel Q9550
Mobo: Asus P5E3 Premium
RAM: OCZ 4gb DDR3 1600
Graphics: ATi 4870x2
Sound: Asus Xonar D2X
HDD: 300 GB Velociraptor
HDD2: 1 TB Samsung F1
PSU: Corsair HX1000

Few other things like TRUE cooler Blu ray drive and Noctua fans etc.

Obviously I don't need an upgrade atm. I am however building an HTPC to connect to my TV. I'm going to use the HTPC for watching stored Blu Ray discs and the occasional gaming session.

First.... should I take the mobo, cpu, and ram out of the rig I built in august for the HTPC? That way I can upgrade to i7 and an X58 mobo.

What should I look at for an HTPC build? It doesn't have to be small, actually I'd like it to be about the same size maybe a little bigger than my receiver. I already have a spare ATi 4870 which I bought while I was waiting for the 4870x2 so I can use that as my video card. Also, I want Dolby TruHD and DTS-HD so I plan on purchasing an Asus Xonar HDAVI1.3 sound card.

Any suggestions or insight would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[theAnimal]

Case: your choice
PSU: Seasonic M12II 330W, modular and quiet
Mobo: ASUS M3A78-T, very good on-board video
CPU: AMD 4850e
RAM: 2x2GB DDR2 800 1.8V Mushkin or G.Skill
HDD: WD Caviar Black 640GB

 

[cokenbeer]

Hmmm... don't think he read the original post!

 

[theAnimal]

Hmmm... don't think he read the original post!

That is a very good HTPC build. If you're concerned about the gaming ability, then add a video card.

 

[WR2]

You wouldn't gain much performance gutting your Q9550 and replacing it with an Core i7 system.

What size is your receiver? What budget range are you looking at?

 

[cokenbeer]

No real budget... probably in the 2k range but I can go higher.

I'm going for a full size HTPC case, so I can fit pretty much anything I need inside.

 

[WR2]

Just to jumpstart things with a few ideas:
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R P45 Motherboard $120
Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz $190
ZEROtherm BTF90 92mm Silent UFO CPU Cooler $45
mushkin 4GB DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)$48
HD 4870 already on hand
Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB HDD $130
LG 6X Blu-ray ROM 16X DVD Burner SATA $115

SILVERSTONELC17-B HTPC Case $120 (will require center HDD bay removed for 4870 clearance)
CORSAIR 520HX modular PSU $110

Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Infrared Remote $200
Logitech diNovo Mini USB Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard $130

~$1200 in the shopping cart

 

[Akebono 98]

Nooooooooooooo... not the Barracuda 7200.11!!

 

[Onus]

The only thing Animal may have missed is that the OP has a 4870 (and the htpc will be used for occasional gaming); it will require something beefier than a 330W PSU, even a Seasonic. There's no reason to spend a lot of money unnecessarily. Use a 500W 80+ PSU like an Antec Earthwatts and have done with it.

 

[cokenbeer]

Nobody thinks it's worthwhile to upgrade my PC to i7 + X58 from the Q9550 + X48?

 

[Onus]

I don't think it would be worthwhile, no.

 

[WR2]

You probably wouldn't notice the difference changing out the Q9550 for a i7 920.
When you're gaming at high resolution and very high graphics detail there isn't much difference between CPUs.
A lot depends on the game of course but most of the time you'll see results within a fairly narrow FPS range when the GPUs (9800GTX in this example) are the limiting factor. And so you have results like the graph below:
The whole article is here: ExtremeTech review
Note that no where does using a Core i7 CPU change a game from "unplayable" FPS to "playable" FPS.
Core i7 920, Core i7 965 Extreme, C2Q 6600 and E8600 get essentially the same performance in Crysis, for example.
Company of Hero's is another flat line result among all the CPUs shown.
Even with a game known to be quad core friendly (UT3) using a Core i7 CPU doesnt really affect the game's "playability". Even with CPU overclocking (as long as all CPUs are OC'd) you'd tend to see the same relative graphing of performance. When a game is already GPU limited OC'ing the CPU doesnt always change the avg FPS.
Also, you could add the better AMD CPUs to the chart without it changing much.

 

[cokenbeer]

You probably wouldn't notice the difference changing out the Q9550 for a i7 920.
When you're gaming at high resolution and very high graphics detail there isn't much difference between CPUs.
A lot depends on the game of course but most of the time you'll see results within a fairly narrow FPS range when the GPUs (9800GTX in this example) are the limiting factor. And so you have results like the graph below:
[url]http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/6/hirezhiqfk7.th.jpg[/URL] The whole article is here: ExtremeTech review
Note that no where does using a Core i7 CPU change a game from "unplayable" FPS to "playable" FPS.
Core i7 920, Core i7 965 Extreme, C2Q 6600 and E8600 get essentially the same performance in Crysis, for example.
Company of Hero's is another flat line result among all the CPUs shown.
Even with a game known to be quad core friendly (UT3) using a Core i7 CPU doesnt really affect the game's "playability". Even with CPU overclocking (as long as all CPUs are OC'd) you'd tend to see the same relative graphing of performance. When a game is already GPU limited OC'ing the CPU doesnt always change the avg FPS.
Also, you could add the better AMD CPUs to the chart without it changing much.

Thanks for the very informative reply! Maybe I'll take the money you just saved me and blow it all on a really nice HTPC case and some massive HDD's for storing all my Blu Rays!

 

[WR2]

Are you already recording HD TV for later viewing? Tivo for example?
If not you might want to use your HTPC for a DVR as well.

There are some really nice HTPC cases out there; some have small built-in touch screen LCD monitors. Have you seen any cases you like?
Silverstone Crown CW03 HTPC Case review

 

[WR2]

A few more benchmarks, this time with the latest AMD CPUs and a GTX 280 video card.
from an article @ Legion Hardware

 

[cokenbeer]

I have an HD DVR already, I wasn't aware of any input card which would allow me to record HD? All of the Hauppage solutions require OTA signals.

I'm already looking into one of those HTPC cases with an LCD display. The silverstone is definitely an option!

 

[WR2]

With an existing HD DVR you wouldn't need that function on your HTPC as well.
With some caveats you can get HD PVR on your PC http://www.nextcomwireless.com/R5000/home.htm

 

[cokenbeer]

Thanks for that link! I think I've figured out what I'm going to do... I'll post back once I figure it out.