New HTPC and Home Server

[psupaul]

Looking to build a new HTPC/Home Server that will hold/play my ripped movies and be able to store all my music, pictures etc.

Last machine I built was over 8 years ago so any advice you can give will be well appreciated.

Thanks in advance


Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next week

Budget Range: Enough to get the job done but don't want to overkill it

System Usage from Most to Least Important: HTPC, Home Server, Web usage, Light gaming

Are you buying a monitor: No need for a Monitor



Parts to Upgrade:

Lian Li HTPC Case

GIGABYTE GA-A75-UD4H Mobo

AMD A8-3870K Unlocked Llano 3.0GHz

SeaSonic 400W Fanless Modular PSU

G.Skill 8GB DDR3 1600

Seagate Barracuda 3TB 7200 RPM x2 (will add more as space is needed but 6 TB will be enough for now.

Intel 120 GB SSD for operating system/programs. I want to boot fast for bringing up movies and what not.


LG Blue Ray burner



Do you need to buy OS: Yes, Windows 7

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: NewEgg, Amazon

Location: NJ USA

Parts Preferences: No real preferences, just trying to build a stable and quiet system

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: 1080P Tv

Additional Comments:
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading:

 

[smorizio]

if you take the clips off the side of this case you could use it as a server case..it be cheaper..just add a set of rubber feet to it.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811128065


if your going to game your better off with i3 or the g line cpu and one of the newer 620/640 cards.

 

[TheBigTroll]

heres what i would get. the i3 2120 is kinda overkill but will last you a very long time

the CPU cooler can be run passively with no problems. so would the video card. all you really need it the pre-included fans to direct some airflow to the cards.

WD red drives are good for home servers since they are more reliable and are second to only enterprise drives

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dJZl

 

[manofchalk]

One problem.

The Intel 330 is quite old now and you can get faster SSD's for the same price.
OCZ Vertex 4 128GB. $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227791

Other than that, dont see any issues with it

 

[tigeryeow]

Looking to build a new HTPC/Home Server that will hold/play my ripped movies and be able to store all my music, pictures etc.

Last machine I built was over 8 years ago so any advice you can give will be well appreciated.

Thanks in advance


Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next week

Budget Range: Enough to get the job done but don't want to overkill it

System Usage from Most to Least Important: HTPC, Home Server, Web usage, Light gaming

Are you buying a monitor: No need for a Monitor



Parts to Upgrade:

Lian Li HTPC Case

GIGABYTE GA-A75-UD4H Mobo

AMD A8-3870K Unlocked Llano 3.0GHz

SeaSonic 400W Fanless Modular PSU

G.Skill 8GB DDR3 1600

Seagate Barracuda 3TB 7200 RPM x2 (will add more as space is needed but 6 TB will be enough for now.

Intel 120 GB SSD for operating system/programs. I want to boot fast for bringing up movies and what not.


LG Blue Ray burner



Do you need to buy OS: Yes, Windows 7

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: NewEgg, Amazon

Location: NJ USA

Parts Preferences: No real preferences, just trying to build a stable and quiet system

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: 1080P Tv

Additional Comments:
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading:

if your just using it for the above tasks the A8 and its on board gpu will handle it and you should buy an after market cooler

 

[TheBigTroll]

@manofchalk: the 330s are rather new like the vertex 4. i think you meant 320s

 

[manofchalk]

Ahh, Thanks for pointing that out BigTroll.
[strike]Anyway, the Vertex 4 is quite faster, as you can see in this Tom's review, and that was before the firmware updates, which has made it so much faster.[/strike] (damnit, thats the 320)
[strike]http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/vertex-4-everest-2-benchmark,3172-3.html[/strike]

Well, until I can find a review that outright compares these drives, you'l just have to take my word that its faster.

 

[psupaul]

Thanks for the advice

As for an after market heatsink what are your thoughts on

Scythe BIG Shuriken

Figure I need something slim...

 

[TheBigTroll]

better off with a noctua. you can go with my build using a microatx board or you can get a htpc case and use a coolermaster gemini. if the case doesnt fit the gemini, the big shrunken will do

 

[evamvid]

I don't know if an HTPC case is big enough for this, but if it is, maybe watercool the cpu and gpu if you use discrete graphics

 

[TheBigTroll]

just get the fractal define mini and my build. its pretty small and has tons of room for all the components i suggested. plus, its about as passive as it can be

watercooling is not necessary nor viable given how small the case is. its probably gonna make it even louder