HTPC/Gaming Build

[Nutrybe]

Approximate Purchase Date: I plan on purchasing parts here and there and building it myself

Budget Range: $300 - $400

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Watching Netflix/Hulu/etc., downloading movies and music, playing a few games like World of Warcraft/Diablo III, surfing the internet

Parts Not Required: Monitor (plan on hooking this up to my 40" LCD Television (1366 x 768 )), Keyboard/Mouse, Computer case (I plan on using the nMEDIAPC HTPC 5000B and OS

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: anywhere that guarantees their service really. Newegg.com,

Country: US

Parts Preferences: No preferences really. I've had great experiences with both AMD and Intel, nVidia and ATI. I've been out of the loop on tech for the past 7 years or so. I'm going to have to trust a lot of your opinions on things.

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Monitor Resolution: 1366 x 768 (My Samsung 40" 720P LCD TV)

Additional Comments: I prefer to have a quiet, lower temperature HTPC. Airflow won't be a problem where I plan on putting this system. It's very open under my TV stand. Also, would the AMD A10-5800k be the way to go considering my budget? Gaming would be secondary in this HTPC.

 

[excella1221]

Pretty much, yeah.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A55M-DGS Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($55.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.86 @ Compuvest)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 6670 1GB Video Card ($56.97 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Green 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $398.27
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

The 6670 is for hybrid-crossfire. You can just drop it for now if you want, and just get it when you feel the need to.

 

[tassietim]

not a bad system but i would be tempted to drop the addon graphic card and go for a bd drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136253

basic gaming wont need it but i did watch a video about using a good quality ram with the on board graphics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0Z7H1PYUkk

 

[Nutrybe]

So far, I like what you've put together with one exception. The motherboard. Is there one that would work well AND have a HDMI output? My TV has a VGI port with an audio input as well but wouldn't a HDMI eliminate the need for 2 cables and provide a better quality?

 

[Wolfshadw]

@Tassietim - The problem with going with a blu-ray drive is that you still need to spend around $80 for the player software.

@Nutrybe - You wouldn't be using the motherboard video out with Excella1221's build, but the HDMI output of the HD6670 card. Honestly, I don't see anything wrong with that build. My only complaint is the arrangement of the PCI-E slots on the motherboard. With a double-wide graphics card installed, you lose your PCI-Ex1 slot (which I like to use for TV Tuner cards, but that's just me).

-Wolf sends

 

[Nutrybe]

And a follow up question...what about a SSD? Not now, obviously, but when I have the extra money. Would that benefit anything in an HTPC? I'd likely use a 7200RPM HDD for storage and add more if I ever needed it. Are SSD's any good?

 

[Nutrybe]

@Tassietim - The problem with going with a blu-ray drive is that you still need to spend around $80 for the player software.

@Nutrybe - You wouldn't be using the motherboard video out with Excella1221's build, but the HDMI output of the HD6670 card. Honestly, I don't see anything wrong with that build. My only complaint is the arrangement of the PCI-E slots on the motherboard. With a double-wide graphics card installed, you lose your PCI-Ex1 slot (which I like to use for TV Tuner cards, but that's just me).

-Wolf sends

But I won't be getting the HD6670 for a while if at all. Is the crossfire of the A10-5800k with the HD6670 really good?

 

[Wolfshadw]

Well, I've never really been a big fan of Crossfire/SLI. To me, the cost of which overrides the need for extra eye-candy (again, that's just my opinion). Looking at some benchmarks, here on Tom's for what you're looking to do:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/a10-5800k-a8-5600k-a6-5400k,3224-18.html (Diablo III)

- and -

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/a10-5800k-a8-5600k-a6-5400k,3224-4.html (World of Warcraft)

I don't see any need for you to go with dual-graphics. With that in mind, I'd probably look at dropping the HD6670 for now and going with this MSI FM2-A75MA-E35 motherboard. Not only does it have native HDMI out, but should you ever decide to go ahead and add a discrete graphics card, you can add one without blocking all of your PCI-Ex1 slots (which I like to keep available).

-Wolf sends

Edit:

Definitely go with an SSD when you're ready to rebuild your system. Between the boot speed and application response times when starting make them worth the cost.

 

[Nutrybe]

Best answer selected by Nutrybe.

 

[tassietim]

my samsung blueray drives came with the software , cycerlink software but does the job

 

[CustomPc]

hi, if you can pay 650$ (if your not on that tight budget) i can provide you with pieces that can run almost any game on high 1080P!
CPU Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor $119.99

CPU Cooler SilenX EFZ-120HA5 86.0 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler $32.99

Motherboard ASRock H77 Pro4-M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard $89.99

Memory G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory $39.99

Storage Hitachi 320GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $58.84

Video Card Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card $199.99

Case Antec Three Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case $54.99

Power Supply Antec Basiq Plus 550W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply $55.99

Optical Drive Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer $19.99



Total: $669.71

You can change any part if you want but thats good for now have fun

 

[Nutrybe]

I picked up the MSI FM2-A75MA-E35 motherboard, G.Skill Sniper 2x4 1866 RAM and the nMEDIAPC 5000B HTPC case so far. The only things left to get are the AMD A10-5800K processor, SSD, HDD, PSU and DVD drive. Can anyone recommend a good TV Tuner card and SSD? These are things I won't be getting soon, but I at least want to check them out. Thanks!

 

[Wolfshadw]

Can't speak to SSDs as I have no experience with them. What TV Tuner card to get depends on what video source you have:

Free over-the-air broadcasts - You need a tuner with an ATSC tuner.
Basic cable (no set top box required) - You need a tuner with a ClearQAM tuner.
Subscription cable (set top box required) - You need a cablecard tuner.
Satellite - No tuners exist for this (to my knowledge), but you could use a digital capture card.

-Wolf sends

 

[excella1221]

Vertex 4 and Samsung 830 for SSDs.
If you'd like to go cheaper, Sandisk.

 

[Nutrybe]

Thanks for the SSD and TV tuner card recommendations! As far as SSD's go...I'm building a HTPC/casual gaming rig that will always be on in my living room. Would that make the SSD go bad? Would there even be a benefit to having an OS/Program only SSD installed or would it be better to have a couple of HDD's for OS, programs and storage?

 

[excella1221]

Not really.
I believe the SSDs life span is shortened the more it writes.

Depends on how much files you got.
I won't recommend storing files on the SSD. You can just get both if you can stretch your budget a bit more.

 

[Nutrybe]

Great!!! The only thing I would use the SSD for is Windows 7 and installing media programs and games. All movies, music and photos would be stored on the HDD. Thanks everyone for all of your help! Can't wait to get it put together!!! My current "HTPC", if you could call it that, is an old Dell Inspiron 9300 with a broken lcd, 1.73ghz Centrino processor, 2gb of RAM and an ATI Radeon X300 graphics card. I'd say it's time to upgrade! LOL!!!