First ITX/HTPC Build. Missing anything?

[jesot]

So I decided to jump on the WD Green sale on NewEgg yesterday to finally put together the ITX HTPC build I've been wanting to do for awhile.

Case: IN WIN BP655 ($65 - includes discount, shipping, and 4-to-8 pin adapter)
CPU: i3 3225 ($120)
MoBo: ASRock Z77E-ITX ($95)
Memory: Ballistix Sport 8GB DDR3-1600 ($40)
HDD: WD Caviar Green 2TB ($90)

Just need a Blu-Ray burner and a ~64GB SSD.

Am I missing anything? This is my first HTPC build. Am I looking good? I plan to eventually add a tuner card or low profile GPU depending on my mood when I do it.

Also, how's my pricepoint looking compared to other builds? I figure the Blu-Ray Burner and SSD will add $60/each, putting me at ~$525 total.

 

[rwpritchett]

Remote?
TV Tuner maybe?

Everything looks good so far.

 

[jesot]

I was thinking I'd use my phone as a remote with XBMC (anyone have experience with doing so?) and I don't have cable TV at the moment, and not sure I'll get it.

 

[rwpritchett]

I've used mobile mouse pro from my phone to control my HTPC. It works rather well. Others use HippoRemote and say it work good too. YMMV.

 

[jesot]

Cool beans. Thanks.

 

[rwpritchett]

XBMC also has its own phone app:

http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Official_XBMC_Remote/iOS

I've never tried it though.

 

[jesot]

What SSD will I want for Windows 7 64 (also contemplating Linux/something else), XBMC, and other programs I'll want (Steam, and other programs that drive the media)? The HDD is going to be almost pure media storage. And does anyone have recommendations that fit into a budget plan?

I originally thought I'd go with whatever 64GB SSD I can find on the cheap, but really haven't done the math on what I'll need.

I got the bug to start looking into the Samsung 840 Pro, but I know it doesn't make a lot of sense to spend more than $100 on an SSD for this setup.

 

[rwpritchett]

I use 64GB SSD's in my HTPC's and there is plenty of room for the OS and media applications. You might as well go with a 128GB drive these days though since prices have come down. If you go for a smaller SSD, be sure to disable hibernation to get back SSD space equal to the RAM you've installed.

Any reputable SSD will do. Samsung 830, 840 series are good... Crucial M4's are good... Intel SSD's are good. The only SSD I've had issues with was made by OCZ. Just grab one with good reviews that is on sale.

 

[bodeen2012]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ELgd
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ELgd/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ELgd/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-3225 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($136.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: OCZ Agility 3 60GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($97.94 @ Amazon)
Case: Inwin BP655.200BL Mini ITX Desktop Case w/200W Power Supply ($53.56 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHOS104-06 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Drive ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $520.45
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-20 12:04 EST-0500)

 

[jesot]

Unfortunately, the optical drive and the ssd you chose are both out of stock.

 

[rwpritchett]

If you go with the ASRock Z77E-ITX board, it has a mSATA slot on the backside of the motherboard. You can install a mSATA SSD there and save some space.

mSATA SSD's

For a blu-ray drive, try to find one that comes with playback software like PowerDVD. You may pay more up front, but you save in the end because the software alone costs about $100.

 

[jesot]

Yeah, I picked up the Z77E-ITX the other day along with the CPU and memory. The board is just loaded with features. Really excited about its capabilities. Not that I'll ever use them, but I'll have 6 USB 3.0 ports between the MoBo and the case and it has built-in WiFi which allows me to get by for now while I wait for Google Fiber to be installed in my house .

 

[jesot]

I've been wondering what kind of performance I might expect for some gaming in the living room if I picked up a 7750 for this machine. Right now, NewEgg is packaging it with Sleeping Dogs which is a game I've been thinking about picking up anyway and I have a bunch of games that I got from Steam sales that I never play because KBAM is impossible (Bastion, Ys, Prince of Persia, Deadspace 1 & 2 among others).

Just kind of wondering how it might stack up to my actual gaming rig, which is...
Intel Core2 Duo E8400 3.00GHz
8GB RAM
GeForce GTX 260
Seagate 500GB 7200RPM

 

[rwpritchett]

I've actually got that exact same card. Well actually, it's in the gaming computer I built for my son. It's paired with an i3-3220. If you need any benchmarks I can run them for you.

According to Tom's latest graphics chart (link), the 7750 is on the same tier as the GTX 260.