Home Theater Personal Computer Build

thulsu

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Mar 20, 2010
6
0
18,510
Hi, first time posting

I am building a cheap HTPC for use on a 46" 1080p 120hz LCD television. I plan on streaming movies and browsing the internet mostly and no gaming for the time being. I have researched a list of components for this purpose and would very much appreciate any advice, input or corrections from knowledgeable members. Thank You :)

GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H LINK
AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz LINK
CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V LINK
Kingston HyperX 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 1066 Model KHX8500D2/2G LINK
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive LINK
ASUS Black 24X 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner LINK
Rosewill R101-P-BK 120mm Fan MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case LINK

Windows 7 Home Premium


BTW: I plan on using the motherboards HDMI output to connect to the tv. If anyone can think of problems this might incur, please let me know.
 

Alvin Smith

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I have not dug into your links, yet but, at first glance, I would like for you to have 4GB of system memory ... just remember that 4GB, while not the minimum, is the recommended amount of RAM to run any version of Win7 ... Also note that the onboard graphics use 512MB of SHARED SYSTEM MEMORY, which would knock you down to 1.5GB. It'll prolly run ok with that but will require more disk swapping.

I can also see that your storage and memory timing choices are not the best, for the money.

That proc will prolly work fine but, you leave VERY little proc overhead for more demanding uses, such as media transcoding (making .mp3s, etc.) ... I would be recommending an PhenomX3, just so media editing and creation are more viable options.

We could also set you up with a "more attractive" horizontal/lo-profile component style case, with a slim-line DVDR, for about the same cost, if you like that idea.

On the whole ?? What you have spec'd out should work, ok. ... for 2~3 yrs.

= Alvin =
 

Alvin Smith

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By the way ... If you add up the costs of what you chose, and TOTAL IT UP, for us ... one of our value techs will come up with a "prettier" build, for less.

Fill out that "How to Ask" form, at the top of this forum's main page and be sure to tell us ALL intended uses and ALL excluded uses and how long you expect the system to be viable for all intended purposes.

= or not =