Which parts to use for HTPC/Video Editing Set-up?

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: over the next 2 months BUDGET RANGE: $500-$600 (hopefully)Before / After Rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Editing VOB files, converting VOB to mp4,avi,etc. and DVD Playback from HD's

PARTS NOT REQUIRED:
9 WD Green HD's = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136494

PSU = Aspire ATX Switching power supply Model : ATX-AS600W 12V
http://www.atacom.com/program/prin [...] ASPI_60_RD

Monitor = 1HDTV, possibly another monitor also (dual monitor output)

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: www.newegg.com COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES:
Full Tower = Antec 1200 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129043
CPU/MOBO = Intel
HDMI outputs and e-sata to match the hook-up on the top-front of the case.

OVERCLOCKING: No SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe (if needed)

MONITOR RESOLUTION: HDTV and possibly another standard 17" monitor (dual output)

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Set-up is mainly used for watching and editing movie files (VOB). I will also be converting to other movie formats (avi,mp4,wmv) and would prefer not to tie up the machine for hours doing so. I understand a dual monitor output would require a Graphics card, but dual output is purely optional. If the MOBO has HDMI outputs thats completely fine.

i would recommend getting a different PSU, that one is a POS, apevia is horrible (formally known as aspire)

Using a POS PSU always puts your components at risk. You're much better off using that PSU as a door-stop and getting a quality unit to power your new machine.

Your system doesn't need a high wattage PSU. A quality 500W PSU would easily power the system.

Antec EarthWatts Green EA-500D Green 500W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply $89.99

You don't have to get that specific PSU, but you should stick with the known quality manufacturers. That list includes Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, Seasonic, and the Antec TP & EA series. I like the above PSU because it is a quality unit that's 80+ Bronze certified and is priced right.

I read somewhere on newegg that Antec power supplies arent very reliable. Im not sure myself as to the reliablility, its just what I read. What would you recommend for a CPU? I was told that an i3 will be ok for video editing/conversions, but if its gonna tie up my system for hours on one file, I'd rather spend a bit more and get an i5 if its not gonna be overkill. also....would I "need" a graphics card? does it have make any impact on editing VOB files? I doubt VOB's count as 3-D rendering. This will not be a gaming machine at all.

I have yet to read any reviews of the Green PSUs from Antec, but the CP850 is a quality unit.

You have yet to give a budget, or I just missed it, but if you are using the PC for a lot of encoding, which it sounds like, this might be of interest to you.

HD's and DVD drives use very little power, especially the green drives you're using. The 500W PSU above would still power the system with a discreet GPU and all your HD's and DVD drives. You don't need a $150 PSU for this system.

I honestly don't think your budget is realistic. Your looking at 220 dollars for the 1200 and a power supply with 9 sata connectors. Gskill Ripjaws are gonna cost 105 for each 4gb set you need one or maybe even two of those for video editing. At least 100 dollars for windows. About 60 dollars for a video card with HDMI out. That leaves 200 dollars best case for proc/mobo. You might get lucky if you have a Frys near you for a mobo/proc combo but that would be about it.

lolthdk : I read that article you gave and it seems thats a window's based product, and I want my system to be flexible between window's and Linux (I'm starting to migrate everything to linux) Also it seems that there may be some limitations to what MOBO's its compatible with so the extra money on a better CPU and ram may be worth it.

When you guy's mention a "discreet" GPU....what are you referring to?

shortstuff: So if I'm understanding you correctly......a dual-core CPU would allow me to get away without needing a graphic card, but if I wanted faster speed I would need a quad-core and a separate GPU?

I guess I should've posted what operating system I was going to use, but Im not quite sure myself. I've been using Linux for pretty much everything except DVD playback and ripping since I can seem to find a program like WinDVD and DVD Fab.

All-in-all it seems like an i5 and a decent graphics card is going to be the road to take.

chefjw : That budget started out thinking I had a PSU already and not needing a graphics card. Now its looking more like a $700 build. But from what I've learned in the past....you get what you pay for. If im gonna do it i might as well take a bit longer and buy the right components than to just try and get a quick build.

lothdk: that set-up would save about $50....but I would have to consider the placement of the extra box. I would prefer to have everything housed neatly and discreetly since this setup is going to be in an open area (Living Room). also I might lose some speed since its not accessing everything internally. But thanx for that info on the cage since 4 of my drives are in separate external boxes and its a pain plugging/unplugging them for access. That may hold me over until I can figure out how to piece this system together

I have a HUGE amount of information, hardly a "quick reply"; I recommend copying and pasting into a Word Processor if you find anything useful. I don't have a parts list because I think between your reasonable computer knowledge and what i tell you here you should do fine looking yourself.

I INCLUDE HARD DRIVES not for you necessarily but for others.
Here goes:

*Always read reviews for the EXACT part you are buying. A good PSU is critical. The motherboard is the foundation of your computer and also the main component which Windows Activation uses (why you can't reinstall on a system with a different motherboard).

Video Editing vs HTPC:
These build ideas are in many ways exact opposites. A HTPC tends to be very quiet whereas a Video Editing rig tends to need powerful components, more RAM etc. The best compromise is to use efficient cooling and carefully pick your hardware. More on that later.

PSU:
The efficiency curve for most PSU's peaks at 50%. In otherwords, you should add up your components total, maximum power and double that. You won't use 50% most of the time but you should leave room for expansion, especially if you add a high-end graphics card once video editing software does a good job of using it AND if using it is much faster than your CPU (ideally both are used). My quick recommendation is a 750Watt Corsair, especially if you can find a sale.

Motherboard:
- I lean towards Asus, Gigabyte or MSI
- ensure proper CPU fan speed control
- eSATA (you did mention it)
- write down everything you want to avoid accidentally forgetting something
- Be aware SATA6 on some 1166 boards limits PCIe bandwidth if that is an issue (though you can disable SATA6 if it is). SSD's that go beyond SATA2's abilities will be here soon though don't let the AVERAGE write and reads fool you. There are charts that show read and write speeds depending on usage and these can be FAR less than the top speed. So even if you max out the average read speed it'll be a LONG time until you max it out in all situations (plus you can get add-in cards which use the PCIe bus but if you put high-end graphics cards later on you need to understand how bandwidth is affected. Seriously though, a high end 2011 SSD, even if limited to 300MB/second is incredibly fast. For example, Windows Word 2007 used 13MB after opening. That is 1/30th of a second. Of course, coming out of Hibernation does make a difference.

- The best value is an 1156 board.
- An "i7" CPU for an 1156 won't work on a 1366 board. There's been some confusion with that.

You seem to be smart enough to choose your own. Write down your preferences on paper (like eSATA). You should be aware that few HDMI connections allow you to simply plug in your HDMI cable and use everything normally. Usually sound is limited to video (no game or Windows sounds). My dad has a better setup in his laptop; it ALMOST works perfectly but I have to manually switch the audio source (which is stupid because it uses the same onboard chip). *read more about video in my Hints at the end.

You'll eventually want a video card anyway since video editing software will use them but which ones, ATI, NVidia or both? Probably NVidia but for now it's mainly the CPU so it's no big deal.

RAID:
Since you have 9 hard drives I assume you are using a RAID configuration. I'm not quite sure what it is though let me add a comment.

I've dealt with a lot of RAID questions and my answer to most people is to NOT use RAID and go with something with two hard drives and use Acronis True Image to make a backup. I imagine you could combine the two.

Noise is an issue with 9 hard drives. Anyway, if you don't have them yet I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend you don't bother. If your data is super, super critical you could always build a remote RAID box (preferably Ethernet-based with Wi-Fi capability) then automate backups using the methods mentioned so, for example your second hard drive is backed up AND your remote backup drives (such as 4xRAID1) have your Image backed up as well. Whatever.

I suppose you could also partition each of your RAID drives and use the second partition for your Acronis Images and the first partition for videos etc. You'd likely want a DLNA device solution that could also communicate with a video player that's plugged into your HDTV; I'm not happy with most such devices but they're getting really, really close. I'm personally looking for a BluRay player with excellent support for all of my MASSIVE video collection (Containers: MKV, AVI, OGM etc. Video codecs: AVC, VC1, MPEG2 etc. Audio: MP3/AC3, Vorbis, AAC etc). I'm starting to think perhaps a Linux solution will end up being best.
Video card:
Onboard or addon? I recommend narrowing down your motherboard choices first and see if you can get one with a video card with the other specs you want. My advice would be no onboard video and get the inexpensive HD5450 512MB card. As I mention elsewhere, there's little reason to upgrade to an expensive video card for video editing until it is supported well.
http://www.erodov.com/forums/ati-r [...] page7.html
- Must-have features for an HTPC video card:
-low-power,
-512MB (no more, no less),
-UVD2 (picture-in-picture i.e. Video Commentary)
-AVC, VC-1 and MPEG2 hardware decoding
*the tradeoff for lower power and price is very limited 3D support. Otherwise, there's no card better for Windows 7 with Aero support. There are good reasons NOT to get onboard video. One advantage is the possibility to tie the onboard video with the onboard audio hardware and allow an HDTV to be attached via a normal HDMI connection (no game/Windows sounds but audio once you change the source to the graphics card). The disadvantage is that it probably still uses power even when not used (adding a PCIe card). Another disadvantage would be multiple screens though this may be possible. I highly recommend the separate card I mention.
- given the PRICE of standalone BluRay players it's currently hard to recommend a computer system. My advice is wait for BluRay BURNERS to drop a lot unless you MUST have one for work. Know that standalone players vary a lot. That's a separate issue but some are missing major features like the inability to use BD-Live etc. (I still think the ability to access a hard drive is important too even if it's only unmodified copies of BluRay and DVD discs)

-SSD and RAID?
Price prohibits this. As mentioned elsewhere in my comment I recommend waiting and getting and SSD for your main drive in a year or more. As mentioned too, it is simple to use Acronis True Image to make automated copies, even daily if necessary. RAID is still used in certain situations where data is absolutely critical (like bank servers), however the methods I discuss are EXTREMELY reliable; a second or even third Image, frequently update with even more frequent copies of the critical data (even multiple times a day) is hard to beat. In fact the cost of the hardware, the continued cost of power and the noise are serious cons.

CPU:
Intel i5-750.
It has an excellent price. When combined with a suitable motherboard it uses much less power when idling/basic usage compared to an i7-920. Two systems compared showed 76W versus 114W in idle which is amazing and reduces noise. The only real drawback affects mainly gamers. The bandwidth for PCIe video cards is limited to a single card at 16xPCIe(v2) or two 8xPCIe(v2). Testing showed that an HD5870 scored 98% using a x8 slot. In otherwords, you can safely use up to a single HD5970 or two HD5870's in Crossfire (or NVidia equivalents). Faster cards would work, they just wouldn't work any faster.

Considering two HD5870's would likely also be limited by your CPU it really isn't important. Tuck this away for a time in the future when you might get a really fast card for video editing. Single cards are best usually. You won't likely find a comparison of future cards with your CPU, but you will find ones comparing video cards. You could (roughly) buy one with twice a single HD5870. Performance isn't the same as bandwidth interface but my post is far longer than i intended.

Luckily, Workstation cards are being replaced by normal gaming cards. We're mainly waiting for the software to catch up. Anyway, for you it sounds like you can wait a while which is good.

RAM:
4GB DDR3 (you may wish to investigate the newer RAM which uses less power. 1.35V maybe? Make sure the motherboards supports it.)

You MAY even want 8GB of System RAM. This would be solely for video editing so you would need to read up on this yourself. My dad uses Photoshop for picture editing. He edits the RAW files on a high resolution picture. The RAW is over 100MB. After that, Photoshop does Layers etc (excuse my ignorance) but basically you can get multiple copies which could maybe require 500MB or more for once picture?

I'm really not sure how Video Editing affects RAM so this is something you'd need to investigate. One possibility is to get 4GB then more later. It seems problems can crop up if you don't get IDENTICAL RAM. I think you are okay if you get a different RAM with the same specs.

Important: If you get 8GB of RAM you need to carefully ensure that there is no heigh t issue between the RAM and a HSF for your CPU. RAM with heatsinks can have problems. Even if they hit, you probably could bend your heatsink to compensate or even remove a couple fins. Your choice for RAM is less about maximum performance and more about having enough. Again, high-efficiency RAM might be the best choice but I haven't looked into it extensively.

I can NOT find compelling evidence to get more than 4GB of RAM even for 2D Video Editing, especially if you are on a budget. My CPU uses 100% of my CPU and takes hours to edit video. I'm sure someone could find reasons but I believe the Cons far outweigh the Pros. RAM quality is very important so read reviews carefully. You should have two slots free in case you need to upgrade.

Hard drive:
1) WD 1TB Black (two partitions, consider 300GB for Windows and 620GB for partition 2)
2) WD 1TB Green (backup, extra storage)
3) Software: Acronis True Image (do automated full backups, daily e-mail backups)
4) Software: SyncbackSE (it's free, I do an automated daily backup of my "Documents" folder to my second hard drive).
5) Hints: If you have a lot of crucial media, like pictures put those on the first hard drive, but in the second partition. If you don't have much stick with the main "Documents" folder. Make folder and organize. As mentioned, automate the copy of folders to your second hard drive. Always plan for your main drive to fail. Ideally, assume your PC can be stolen if it's that critical (regularly update an eSATA hard drive and HIDE the drive. Anything easily stolen is tempting. Some people put backups in a Postoffice box.)

Solid State Drive?
No. Another year should help prices, quality and some issues. When/if you do, simply CLONE your Windows drive. It really does make a big difference when opening and closing windows.

8) Windows 7 64bit OEM:
- OEM is far cheaper. The only disadvantage is that it is tied to your computer. The "full" version can be used on another computer though not at the same time. The OEM version doesn't give you a manual. There's nothing to think about "Windows 7 x64 OEM."

Regarding Activation. This is when it is "locked" to your PC. I think you can go 14 days before Activation is required. I make an Image using Acronis TI after Windows 7 is installed. It's pointless to make an Image BEFORE activating. Why? Microsoft limits the number of times you can reinstall on your machine. It might be three but I'm not certain. Restoring a non-Activated Image will counts as another reinstallation once you Activate whereas restoring an Image doesn't count. I periodically restore an Image (I don't seem to have problems anymore but I still do it just in case I got any viruses I don't know about AND as good practice for backing up and restoring.)
Hints:
1) Always HIBERNATE your computer when you are done. On laptops, remap this command to the physical power button.

2) Read about, and use power savings features. Turn off hard drives? Yes, every 30 minutes (by preference). Enable CPU power savings etc.

3) HDMI for video: It's currently difficult to design a PC to work with an HDTV.
- One way is to buy a video card that takes audio from the sound card (not common; it's done by telling software to passthrough the SPDIF audio signal instead of playing it).
- The second option is to have the HDTV as a second monitor. You can play video on it (by extended, or switching it to the Primary), however you need to change the audio output MANUALLY to use the hardware codec audio support (right-click the audio icon in the lower right and change the DEFAULT sound source). Since it's software they could make this work automatically but this hardware setup still has only audio codecs for video.
(I have this setup on a laptop. My dad changes the audio source, the HDMI cable is usually left installed, he switches to his HDTV as the main monitor, changes the audio and starts the movie using MPC-HC.)
-the THIRD method is to use the HDTV as a normal monitor using a VGA or DVI PC input (they have HDMI-PC inputs now too). There's no audio for VGA or DVI. HDMI-PC probably has the same audio issues mentioned above. It's important to note (mainly for gaming) that PC inputs allow you to change the resolution (640x480, 800x600...2650x1600). HDMI-Video, what your normal HDMI inputs are, can only take 480i/p, 720p, 1080i/p in a 16:9 ratio. If you start a video game you have ONE choice.

4) PC case
- door: Looks cool, but gets in my way burning DVD's.
- I actually got MORE sound from squeaking. In a couple spots I had to put in strips of cardboard which solved the problem. I didn't get this in a "cheap" case.
- many cases have grills and side holes for fans. Every time there is a hole you don't need this requires fans to spin up to compensate for the leak. In general, I don't recommend side fans. Any spot with no fan should be blocked (I use cardboard and tape). If you spots next to each other know that two fans with lower speed sound better than one fan with twice the airflow. However if you don't need the airflow then tape the second one up. There are articles dedicated to this; I do have some information here.

5) Monitor: I know you have one. If you get have issues with high resolution scaling note that:
- I have "DPI Scaling" set to 144% with a resolution of 1600x1200. Otherwise, at a lower resolution text and objects are not as sharp or at 1600x1200 they're too small.
- Some games and programs currently have issue if DPI scaling is set (like a game going off-screen). Simply find the main EXE, right-click it and Disable DPI
- Google Chrome currently scales much better when DPI is enabled. In fact, it just won the best browser rating here at Tomshardware.

6) Fans and noise. Here's a guide:
- CPU heatsink/fan combo
(read reviews; it's an important piece so spend your time. I recommend $40 to $60.)
- 120mm case fans x2
(get the quietest fans. simply needed to move out the hot air. Install one at the rear, near and in-line with the CPU direction. The second pulls air OUT the case. So, in at bottom front and out at top rear.)
- PSU:
A quality PSU like the Corsair 750W will have good fan speed control. You should buy between a 550W and 750W. I think 650W would be just fine, even allowing for adding a more powerful video card in a year or two once editing software really makes use of it).
- Video card.
Currently, Vapor-X is a really great technology for keeping cards cool. Combine this with excellent idle power on some cards (a must spec to know) and fan noise can be kept low in idle. Non-gamers can use a card with no fan (as long as you have good case cooling)
- hard drives.
(WD Black and WD Green)
Your first card should be fast, but replace it with an SSD in a year or more (then, no noise); I recommend the WD 1TB Black (partition when installing Windows to 300GB partition 1 and 620GB for partiton 2). Your second hard drive should be a WD Green drive; have them turn off after 30 minutes or so. In fact, consider putting it in an external, eSATA (hot-swappable) case instead of the Green drive. My advice is install it inside first, then monitor your usage and decide if you'd rather have an external drive which only adds noise when you need it and you can transport. The only con besides the price of the external case is if you automate a backup utility like Acronis True Image, however I think it simply doesn't backup if the hard drive isn't on so it's not as big a deal. If you use eSATA, if the device is ON then it's treated like an internal drive (so turns OFF when your other drives do). If you turn it OFF it removes the links from Windows Explorer immediately.

7) Backing up:
- Acronis True Image
(I have FOUR images. My first image was after I installed Windows 7, applied the Microsoft Updates and applied Activation. My second was after I installed the latest drivers such as Video card drivers and trusted programs like Microsoft Office. The third was after I installed everything else and tweaked things. I waited two months before making Image three. My FOURTH image is an experiment, I used Image Three and allow Acronis TI to update it every week. It applies only the changes so this is small. Every few months I manually wipe out the changes to save space and let it go back to the copy of Image three. I have a SEPARATE backup for my Microsoft Outlook e-mail. This too has an image plus daily backups and I also wipe out and start over.

SyncbackSE
I use the free version. I use it solely to copy any data in a folder that is not present in another folder. I have it check DAILY. I copy the "Documents" ("My Documents" for XP) folder from Drive#1 (WD Velociraptor) to Drive#2 (WD 1TB Green).

Other:
Have a plan, on paper, of what you would do, step-by-step if your computer's main hard drive failed. Have another plan for what to do if it was stolen. If your main drive failed the solution is to buy a new drive, RESTORE your latest Image from Drive#2, restore/Import your e-mail and copy back data from any folders. Should I explain the alternative to NOT backing up?

FYI, making an Image with Acronis TI is also very handy for eliminating viruses or if some software has caused problems. I periodically restore to my THIRD image; before doing this I ensure all my data is backed up and even organize and delete files.

8) Buying parts:
- Find and bookmark several major PC parts distributors (i.e. Tigerdirect, NCIX, newegg etc.)
- stay away from E-bay if possible. They've discovered FAKE chips though mainly for camera cards. You really don't know what a second-hand part has been through and I suspect some parts with issues are resealed using a special machine. Do I sound paranoid? Do some googling on the Ebay issue.
-factor in the price of shipping and also consider delivery insurance.
-look for sales
- I built a system and discovered after much comparison that it worked out best by having some parts from one distributor and some parts from another.
- find comments locally and reviews online for each part

First I would like to thank everyone who has taken some time to help me out with building this system. You undoubtedly have saved me from wasting money on useless/poor quality components. With all of your help here is what I've been able to put together for my build. I'm still open to suggestions if you think there are better quality parts that have the same price range.

Case: $119 NZXT WHISPER WHI - 001BK Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811146051
Since I am running all 10 WD Caviar green drives which power down when idle, am I being paranoid thinking they wont get enough cooling since the fan isnt blowing directly onto them like the Antec 1200 would?

CPU: $297 - Intel Core i7-930 2.8GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 Quad-Core - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115225

MOBO: $209 - GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128423

PSU: $109 - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139006

Ram: $165 - G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231225
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This setup is pricing at $850 from www/newegg.com before shipping, which Im guessing isnt bad considering 60% of that is going towards the CPU/MOBO.

The only thing Im missing is a Video Card. the ATI Raedon HD 5450 was suggested but I dont know which brand is a quality maker so thats my last missing link.This build will NOT be doing any gaming, but I do like to edit and convert alot of VOB movie files so I dont want to slack on performance too much.

Is there anything that I am missing or does this seem to be on track?

Pretty much all the 5450 cards are using the reference design, which means the manufacturer isn't all that important. Here's a nice XFX card. XFX is a good company because they stand behind their cards with a double lifetime warranty. That means that the GPU is covered by the warranty by the second owner is you ever sell it.

XFX HD-545X-YNH2 Radeon HD 5450 (Cedar) 512MB $49.99