Hey everyone.
I finally managed to convince my girlfriend that what we really needed in our lives was a 50" 1080p plasma TV hooked up to a computer. Here are the things I have promised her this will accomplish: Central Music and Movie Library (media server), BluRay player, Hulu, Netflix. I will also attempt to do some gaming on this machine (when time permits), and would love to be able to play Starcraft II when it comes out, as well as maybe champions online when it comes out. While the games I play are usually not the graphically most intensive, I do want to be able to play the current crop of games like resident evil 5 etc...at full HD resolution.
I am thinking about building an AMD rig (x3 720 probably) because they are a little cheaper and more energy efficient and was thinking that I might want to go for an ATI HD 4870, both for sound and video over HDMI, but also because they are getting relatively cheap.
This leaves me with a couple of questions:
Graphics: Not enough, too much?
Sound Card: Do I even need to bother?
RAM: is 4 GB enough?
Bluray: What is the best software for playback? Is getting a burner worth it? Is getting a super multi drive that also plays HDDVDs worth it?
Mobo: I am thinking about getting an AM3 board just to be safe for future upgrades, but does this really make any sense? Would a mATX board make sense (more on why later) if it limited me to 1 pci 2.0 x16 slot?
CPU cooler: I will be honest, the likelihood that I will overclock is not very high, simply because my biggest roadblock with games is likely to be the graphics card anyway, and I am trying to keep heat, powerconsumption and stability in the forefront of this build, because as soon as I get a bluescreen my GF will start yelling at my to buy something simple like a VCR...oy...This being the base should I even bother with a non-stock cooler?
Case: Strangely enough, I am having the most trouble with the case, and that is making some other decisions more difficult. I originally wanted the Antec Skeleton, because I think it looks cool, but my GF has vetoed it. She wants something that lays flat, but I am having trouble finding something that doesn't suck that is priced reasonably, has room for a full sized graphics card, is relatively quiet etc...I was thinking about the coolermaster elite 360, but I am not sure that a 4870 will fit in it, and it would only let me put one HD in. I was also thinking about the Antec Sonata III (with the 500watt earthwatts powersupply), but it stands up and I am not sure that a larger graphics card will fit in there anyway. Advice on this would be great.
This is not even close to my first build, but it is the first time I am trying to accommodate someone else (and certainly the first time I am trying to make this a permanent fixture with the TV), and I thank you guys ahead of time for your kind and sage advice.
I finally managed to convince my girlfriend that what we really needed in our lives was a 50" 1080p plasma TV hooked up to a computer. Here are the things I have promised her this will accomplish: Central Music and Movie Library (media server), BluRay player, Hulu, Netflix. I will also attempt to do some gaming on this machine (when time permits), and would love to be able to play Starcraft II when it comes out, as well as maybe champions online when it comes out. While the games I play are usually not the graphically most intensive, I do want to be able to play the current crop of games like resident evil 5 etc...at full HD resolution.
I am thinking about building an AMD rig (x3 720 probably) because they are a little cheaper and more energy efficient and was thinking that I might want to go for an ATI HD 4870, both for sound and video over HDMI, but also because they are getting relatively cheap.
This leaves me with a couple of questions:
Graphics: Not enough, too much?
Sound Card: Do I even need to bother?
RAM: is 4 GB enough?
Bluray: What is the best software for playback? Is getting a burner worth it? Is getting a super multi drive that also plays HDDVDs worth it?
Mobo: I am thinking about getting an AM3 board just to be safe for future upgrades, but does this really make any sense? Would a mATX board make sense (more on why later) if it limited me to 1 pci 2.0 x16 slot?
CPU cooler: I will be honest, the likelihood that I will overclock is not very high, simply because my biggest roadblock with games is likely to be the graphics card anyway, and I am trying to keep heat, powerconsumption and stability in the forefront of this build, because as soon as I get a bluescreen my GF will start yelling at my to buy something simple like a VCR...oy...This being the base should I even bother with a non-stock cooler?
Case: Strangely enough, I am having the most trouble with the case, and that is making some other decisions more difficult. I originally wanted the Antec Skeleton, because I think it looks cool, but my GF has vetoed it. She wants something that lays flat, but I am having trouble finding something that doesn't suck that is priced reasonably, has room for a full sized graphics card, is relatively quiet etc...I was thinking about the coolermaster elite 360, but I am not sure that a 4870 will fit in it, and it would only let me put one HD in. I was also thinking about the Antec Sonata III (with the 500watt earthwatts powersupply), but it stands up and I am not sure that a larger graphics card will fit in there anyway. Advice on this would be great.
This is not even close to my first build, but it is the first time I am trying to accommodate someone else (and certainly the first time I am trying to make this a permanent fixture with the TV), and I thank you guys ahead of time for your kind and sage advice.
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