I need help building a quiet/sexy gaming and HTPC machine

[Guest]

[EDIT: HOW TO STUFF THIS WITH THE BEST GAMING GUTS FOR $750]:

If you know of a better touch-screen HTPC please chip-in: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1639789/experience-touch-integrated-htpc-gaming-systems.html

I plan on using the system as a media center in the living room so I don't want a huge fan monster. Trying to make a real-deal gaming hog and a nice-looking HTPC w/ convenient touch/remote controls.

Thinking something along these lines: Assasin G500 [http://www.assassinhtpc.com/gaming.php]
Case: LCD 7" Touchscreen Premium Case (17.13" x 15.35" x 6.2") w/ 400w Gold rated Silent PSU (+ $580.00)
Processor: Intel i7 3770k 3.5 GHz Ivy Bridge w/ HD 4000 Graphics
Motherboard: Z77 Pro
SSD (Recommended for OS Installation): 128GB
Hard Drive: None (- $175.00)
RAM (DDR3 1600): 8GB (- $30.00)
Graphics Card: Radeon HD 7970 (3GB 384-bit GDDR5) (+ $130.00)
Optical Drive: None (- $60.00)
Power Supply: 850w Gold Modular (+ $35.00)
TV Tuner: None
Wireless Internet: None
Heatsink / Fan: Premium Heatsink & Fan
Pre-Configuration Options: Assassin Ultimate Setup - Includes Windows 7 Pro + More than 250 Configurations (+ $199.99)
Operating System / Windows 7 (Already Included if purchasing Assassin Ultimate Setup): None

...except that setup is almost $3,000 and I want to do it for $1,500 with a touch screen-integrated case (which by itself may be as much as $700)

Maybe start with one of these with a TFT display for music playback:
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=161&area=en
http://www.origenae.co.kr/en/htpc_s16t.htm

Anyone have any experience with these or similar?

Purchase Date: next few months

Budget $1,500+ if I go with a HTPC case with touch

Usage : gaming, music streaming, watching movies

I already have a Samsung 3D bluray player/amp w/ wireless surrounds that this system will complement (unless I'm missing something I think I would use the HDMI-in on the blu ray to play the HTPC content to the TV using the existing HDMI wiring so sound is 5.1 surround?)

Starting fresh, need everything. Case w/ remote or preferably TFT controls, MB, CPU, graphics, 128-256 GB SSD-only (no HDD since I use Synology NAS for music/movies, just games and OS on SSD), 8GB memory?

Need to buy OS: Yes (probably 7 pro?)

Preferred Website(s): ? I have Amazon Prime?

Location: City, State/Region, Country - Hampton Roads, Virginia, USA

Parts Preferences: Here to learn

Overclocking: Sounds like yes

SLI or Crossfire: Huh?

Monitor Resolution: Primary display will be a 55" LED 1080p (living room), secondary is 24" LED 1080p (desk)

My primary questions:

Best chipset/CPU for that budget/longevity?

Best OS for this purpose?

Best graphics setup for this budget? 1/2/4 GB? Brand? I play games & watch movies at 55" & 1080p.

Bluetooth?

Are these x7a's from xi3 (http://www.xi3.com/x7a-modular-computer.php) a legitimate alternative to fit my needs, granted I would obviously be giving up any integrated UI like remote/touch screen

Thank you for any guidance

 

[ssddx]

i do not have any experience with touch controls or htpcs so i am not sure how they will factor in.

however i've been around the block more than enough times to make some generalized suggestions for you to pursue on your own.

--

-processor- i5 is fine for gaming typically. you could upgrade to i7 as well.
-motherboard- i would try to stick with a full atx if you could since you typically get better features but some smaller boards are jam packed with goodies. you would have to look around to see what is available. i would suggest onboard audio, usb 3.0, sata6. personally i love my asus rampage boards. expensive but loaded with treats.
-ram-8gb should be sufficient from a major brand. corsair, ocz, mushkin are my favorites.
-video-typically i always suggest one step down from whatever is bleeding edge at the time for good value to performance and good longevity. i also tend to favor nvidia for the software and evga for the excellent extras, upgrade program and good solid products.
-hdd- i would suggest a ssd 120 to 250gb from intel or samsung and a normal hdd from samsung spinpoint, western digital caviar black or seagate barracuda lineups. you could also just step up the ssd to a large 512 and eliminate the second if you prefer. a ssd takes the chokepoint out of the hard drive equation as a 7200 drive just cannot keep up with todays processors and video cards like they used to.
-win7 home premium is what i would suggest. you could try out win8 if you like but i've never used it for gaming so cannot rate it.
-bluetooth to connect your phone? i know some mb have the capability but i've never used it (usb connection has always been fine for me) however if you want a bluetooth remote control perhaps this is a requirement

additional notes:

i dont see a need for multigpu setups for one 1080p screen.

you need to look at what other htpc users used for cases and remotes as i cannot give you any advice into this area.

you need to think about how you will connect to a home theater system (if you have one). is spdif out or analog ports required? if you have a receiver with hdmi in and video passthrough you can direct connect to that and then from receiver to tv.

a bluetooth or rf keyboard and mouse is better than an ir based one. keep in mind keyboard ranges tend to be rather long compared with mice. some mice have only a range of a few feet while keyboards can be tens of feet. keyboards and mice make better windows navigation tools than controllers (remotes) but do not have the ease of use. perhaps a good option is a keyboard with trackpad/point in bluetooth or rf.

just some ideas.

 

[Guest]

[strike]-motherboard- ...most of these HTPC cases don't take a full ATX, what will I be giving up?[/strike]

-i also tend to favor nvidia for the software and evga for the excellent extras, upgrade program and good solid products....good to know

-hdd- will be 256/512GB SSD

-win7 home premium doesn't have network backup, does it have the other networking tools I'll need for NAS

-bluetooth to connect your phone? ....yes...wife loves it

i don't see a need for multigpu setups for one 1080p screen. ..good to know

I will connect through blu ray player/hdmi in

a bluetooth or rf keyboard and mouse is better than an ir based one...good to know

thanks

 

[ssddx]

matx vs atx? for starters you normally lose expansion slots and ram slots. probably not an issue for you. i'd be more worried about if they support good onboard sound (or just buy a soundcard), enough usb/sata ports and support for such things as spdif. i would also be worried about video cards fitting inside matx cases as some can be rather long.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/rampage-gene-lanparty,2302.html

the article gives some good options. there ARE cases available which support full atx and can be used for this purpose but are larger and not as easy to hide. either would likely work i'm just telling you to give it some thought before you decide.

--

if you want win7 pro then get it. i use home premium myself and do not use network backup.

--

if you want ssd only remember to give yourself plenty of space. it is very easy to use space up when installing newer games and programs not to mention movies and other files. keep in mind also that you are only going to use about 80% of the space as if you fill up a ssd too far performance drops off noticibly. i do realize 512gb drive prices are quite a large pill to choke down but i'm in the same boat myself. either that or you need to limit what you install on the ssd.

--

are you using a blue ray player / speaker combination? otherwise known as a home theater in a box? sometimes there are quite a few glaring issues when connecting other inputs through them. you may have to find an alternate solution if this is the case but worry about that if it doesnt work and not now.

--

remember to have plenty of ventillation for the htpc especially while gaming. putting it in an enclosed area such as in a tv cabinet can raise temps. an open under the tv rack is ideal.

--

any other concerns?

 

[Guest]

I suppose this thread should really be two. I'll start another post for picking a touch-screen HTPC case: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1639789/experience-touch-integrated-htpc-gaming-systems.html

For this thread, if anyone wants to chip-in, please assume I'm going with: http://www.origenae.co.kr/en/htpc_s16t.htm

mainboard support - full atx, micro atx, mini-itx
psu support - full atx
pci / agp card support - full height
drive bays - 4 x 3.5" internal drive bays
- 1 x 3.5" optional drive bay (HM100)
- 1 x 5.25 optical drive bay

fan support - 2 x 80mm exhaust fans
- 1 x 92mm intake fan
expansion slots - 7
front I/O ports - 1 x usb 2.0 port (+2 internal)
- 1 x usb 3.0 port
- 1 x headphone (HD & AC97)
- 1 x microphone (HD & AC97)
- 1 x multi format media bay
ir solution - IR310 ir module
tft specification - 7" screen size
- 15:9 ratio
- 800 x 480 native resolution
- 1920 x 1080 max resolution
- 1 x svga input
- 12v dc input
- 9w power consumption

The unit includes an IMON PAD remote.

Best mobo/cpu/graphics/memory/256-512 SSD that can be stuffed into one of these for ~$750

[SSDDX: thanks again. I do have a home theater in a box and that's what I planned on using. Are you saying that passing the HDMI through it and to the TV may be a problem? I guess it doesn't matter since I can hook it up to the TV directly and I just lose surround but it would be nice to use the bluray/receiver to do surround sound.]

 

[ssddx]

just a quick note in case you missed it. it looks like the remote may be IR based (direct line of sight) not bluetooth or wireless rf. this means it would act like a normal remote control where you need to point at the device.

i'm not sure if you will have an issue or not with your blueray htib. i have heard from others attempting the same that they had some problems with the auxilliary inputs being limited in some way. i think they were having trouble with getting full surround sound if i remember correctly. again, dont worry about it until you test it firsthand. just letting you know beforehand what i have heard from others on here in your situation.