HTPC Build - First time

[romedawg]

Hello,
Can anyone give me feedback on the specs for this HTPC? want to use it as my 3d blu ray/3d files player, media server, potential gaming device.
CASE nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum / Acrylic / Steel HTPC 6000B ATX Media Center / HTPC Case nMedia PC htpc 6000b 74.99
Power Supply OCZ Fatal1ty 750W Modular Gaming 80Plus Bronze Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandy Bridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom OCZ Fatal1ty 99.99

MOBO GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3 AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard Gigabyte GA-990FXA 149.99
Processor AMD FX-8320 Vishera 3.5GHz (4.0GHz Turbo) Socket AM3 125W Eight-Core Desktop Processor FD8320FRHKBOX AMD FX-8320 Vishera 3.5 GHz 179.99
Memory CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Desktop Memory Model CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10R Corsair Vengeance 16GB 16GB 93.99
PCI
Sound Card Creative SB X-Fi Xtreme Audio (70SB104000000) 7.1 Channels PCI Express x1 Interface Sound Card Creative SB X-FI Xtreme Audio 7.1 48
TV Tuner Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1250 NSTC/ATSC/QAM Internal HDTV Card PCI-E x1 - OEM Hauppage WinTV-HVR-1250 54.99
Video Card PowerColor AX7850 1GBD5-DH Radeon HD 7850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card PowerColor AX7850 256-bit 169.99

Optical Drive LG Black 14X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD R 5X DVD-RAM 12X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA BDXL Blu-ray Burner, Bare Drive, 3D Play Back (WH14NS40) ... - OEM LG WH14NS40 14x 79.99
HDD Western Digital Red WD20EFRX 2TB IntelliPower SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive Western Digital WD20EFRX 2TB 124.99

OS Window 8 x64 Microsoft Windows8 x64 99.99
1176.9
shipping 33.91

THOUGHTS?

 

[bodeen2012]

are you trying to build a gaming computer or a htpc . if gaming is what you are after i would change the case cause it is more suited for htpc builds not gaming. you need a case that has ample cooling cause things are gonna get hot in that case . the build is overkill for an htpc but should be good for gaming .i'd also drop the sound card there is no need for it . the onboard audio is just fine .

 

[stickmansam]

Drop the sound card, cut the ram to 8gb, and swap the board and cpu for an a8 5600k/a10 5800k and drop the 7850 for a pure htpc

For an potential gaming rig you can swap the 8350 for a 3470 as it will be cooler in the case but the 8350 should be fine too, you can drop the mb for an asus m5a7 99x or m5a7 99x EVO as they are cheaper but just as good
It would also be well worth it to send up a bit to get a 7850 2GB

 

[jmsellars1]

That is going to consume too much power and be too hot and noisy for a HTPC.

If noise doesn't bother you, I suppose it would do the job. An i3 with 8GB RAM would do a better job for less cash though.

 

[romedawg]

i don't game hardly at all. i might be inclined to with this thing. I have an Xbox 360 but hardly use it. i bought a 65" 3D LCD-LED and really want to use this as a 3D player and media server for my house. I plan on running everything (audio and video through HDMI) through my yamaha RX-A720.

 

[romedawg]

are you trying to build a gaming computer or a htpc . if gaming is what you are after i would change the case cause it is more suited for htpc builds not gaming. you need a case that has ample cooling cause things are gonna get hot in that case . the build is overkill for an htpc but should be good for gaming .i'd also drop the sound card there is no need for it . the onboard audio is just fine .

how do you recommend running the audio and video without the sound card through my Yamaha RX-A720 receiver? HDMI for video and _____ for audio?

 

[stickmansam]

The motherboard has audio outputs built into it

 

[jmsellars1]

HDMI carries audio as well as video, that's the point of HDMI. I'd just run it through the motherboard for now.

Usually, one of the main focuses of a HTPC is low power consumption. This is because they are usually on all the time so you don't want it to affect your energy bills too much. Also, more power consumption means more heat and noise. Noise can be very annoying for a HTPC. None of those components you chose will be quiet. The hard drive might, but not when used as a boot drive.

If you're not sure if you're even going to play games, i wouldn't commit to a $170 graphics card. I would just run on integrated graphics for a while then add a graphics card if you want to game on higher settings. Modern integrated graphics should handle any game on the lowest settings @ 720P. Probably 1080P on some games.

Intel Core i3-3225
2x4GB Corsair XMS3 1600Mhz 1.5v C9
ASRock H77 Pro4-M
Onboard Intel HD 4000 Graphics
128GB Crucial M4
2TB WD Caviar Green
SeaSonic SSR-450RM 450W
Silverstone Milo ML03B
Coolermaster GeminII M4
Lite ON Bluray Burner
(TV Tuner of choice)

Total - ~$820

That brings the power consumption down from 300-350W to about 80W while having a better CPU for gaming. This doesn't have a GPU but you can always add one if you feel the need to. It needs to be low profile but you can get a low profile HD 7850 now. A low profile HD 7750 would be best if you're not concerned with ultra high settings though.

This also brings the price and noise down massively. If you decide to add a GPU, you may want to add a case fan or two but you won't need it until then.

 

[Aristotelian]

how do you recommend running the audio and video without the sound card through my Yamaha RX-A720 receiver? HDMI for video and _____ for audio?

For my HTPC I use this $3 cable connecting the 3mm audio jack on the MB to the normal composite in jacks on my Yamaha receiver. Sounds great:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882678022