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First HTPC, suggestions

post #1 of 15
7/22/12 at 3:24pm
Thread Starter 
Looking at building a HTPC. I used to watch a lot of movies and tv shows on my PS3, but that Cineva craped all over that. So my 1st priority is being able to watch all my DL'd stuff (720p video), Blu-rays, etc. My TV's VGA/DVI inputs do not work so I do need a MOBO with HDMI. 2nd priority is light gaming (Portal, indy games). My budget is $500.

Parts list so far:
Case - Bitfenix Prodigy Mini iTX Case

CPU - AMD A8-3850 Llano 2.9GHz
Intel Core i3-2105 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz

MOBO - ASRock A75M-ITX
BIOSTAR TH61 ITX

RAM - SAMSUNG 8GB (2 x 4GB)

PSU - CORSAIR CX430 V2

HDD - Seagate Constellation ES 500GB

Optical - LG Black 12X Internal Blu-ray Drive


I might end up adding a HD7770 later on for better gaming, but for now hopefully that CPU-MOBO combo will be enough. Mainly looking for better suggestions if that's no good, and I'm not sure how to figure out what an adequate PSU for this setup would be.


*Fixed my ATX-ITX mixup.
Edited by MrAdam5 - 8/15/12 at 9:56pm
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post #2 of 15
7/23/12 at 1:26am
Would you consider Intel?

Mobo- http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130654

Chip- http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115078

2 Gen Intel i3 are awesome for gaming I used to have one.
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post #3 of 15
7/23/12 at 1:42am
Chip- http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116397

it's equivelent to the AMD chip your looking at.
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post #4 of 15
7/23/12 at 7:52am
Thread Starter 
I'm ok with Intel too, I was just having a hard time finding a combo that was under $300. Though looking now I managed to find a pair for $200. I updated the OP with it.
Also, the case I want needs a Mini-ITX, not Micro-ATX. Thanks for the suggestion!

Intel Core i3-2105 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz
BIOSTAR TH61 ITX
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post #5 of 15
7/23/12 at 7:53am
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I agree with bleuborsh. The I3 is a great chip for light gaming and watching HD media. You cant go wrong with that chip. Make sure you have your codecs in place to watch HD content. I rip with makemkv and use the shark007 codec pack.
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post #6 of 15
7/23/12 at 7:59am
While what the above said is definitely true, AMDs APUs are definitely not a lesser choice. Rather a trade for GPU performance. If you have the time to wait I would even suggest waiting a month or so for Trinity APUs to hit the shelves. Predicted improvements are something like 20% cpu and 30% gpu increase over llano, which in my opinion would take the cake. If your looking to get the most general performance than you need a SSD, not a easily comparable side-swap on the CPU.

Another thing to mention is APUs scale directly with fast RAM clocks, 1866 should be what you are looking for unless you can go even higher.

But either way a Trinity APU will get you more performance in general for the price.
Edited by The_Hairy_Yak - 7/23/12 at 8:04am
Omen
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Omen
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post #7 of 15
7/23/12 at 8:17am
I've never owned an AMD chip, not based on a dislike for them or anything but just to put this next bit in perspective.

Get whichever chip has a better iGP. Any of them will play your videos but the integrated graphics will be the limiting factor for performance in games.
I would probably go AMD for this build as they were well ahead in that area when I last checked.

I'd recommend some Samsung memory as it's cheap but overclocks well and overclocking it would help out your integrated graphics performance a bit. Don't be fooled by the stock timings, the size or the lack of heatspreaders because it really is high quality RAM and comes with a lifetime warranty. The 4GB kit is out of stock at the moment though.
8GB kit
4GB kit

If you're getting a discrete graphics card then go Intel.

Edit: Thread about that RAM, it'll give you an idea of how well it OCs.
Also, I missed the part about the 7770 somehow the first time around. Might as well go Intel if you're thinking of putting in a GPU down the line.
Edited by Mike-IRL - 7/23/12 at 8:21am
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Q6600 Asus P5Q-E 8800GTX Crucial Ballistix Tracers 
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Ex-Kentsfield rig
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Family PC
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Q6600 RIG :D
(9 items)
 
CPUMotherboardGraphicsGraphics
i5 760 @4.3 ECS p55H-A (SLI bios) GTX 470 GTX 470 
RAMHard DriveHard DriveHard Drive
Cellshock 1600MHz 7-7-7-14 Samsung F3 Samsung t166 Seagate barracuda (.7 I think so quite old) 
CoolingCoolingOSMonitor
MCP350 w/ XSPC res/top + Supreme HF + PA120.3 MCP655 + MCW60 + MCW60 + MCR320 + MCres windows 8 pro media centre Samsung 245B 
KeyboardPowerCaseMouse
G510 HX1000 Stacker 830 MX518 
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Razer Mantis X-FI Xtrememusic Superlux HD-668B JVC HA-RX700 
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CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
i5 750 Gigabyte P55-USB3 HD 4870 Samsung 30nm 
Hard DriveOSMonitorKeyboard
Old Seagate barracuda. (.8 I think) 7 21" Samsung Generic 
PowerCaseMouse
Thermaltake Toughpower 750W Lian Li A70B MX 518 
View all
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
Q6600 Asus P5Q-E 8800GTX Crucial Ballistix Tracers 
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320GB Samsung spintpoint T166 Xigmatek Dark Knight 7 Chieftec 390W :p 
Case
Some generic chieftec one for now 
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post #8 of 15
7/23/12 at 9:59am
Thread Starter 
I think I'll probably go with that Samsung RAM. Seems like a lot of people like it, and its 'low-profile' which is what I want. The only thing I wonder is if my current MOBO selection says it only supports 1333/1060, will this 1600 RAM work?
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My System
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WDCBlack 640GB 32MB 3GB/s LG Blu-ray/DVD-RW Noctua D-14 CoolerMaster 200MM Megaflow 
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Windows 8 Pro 64-bit Cyborg v.5 ULTRA 750W CoolerMaster HAF 922 
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post #9 of 15
7/23/12 at 10:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike-IRL View Post

I've never owned an AMD chip, not based on a dislike for them or anything but just to put this next bit in perspective.
Get whichever chip has a better iGP. Any of them will play your videos but the integrated graphics will be the limiting factor for performance in games.
I would probably go AMD for this build as they were well ahead in that area when I last checked.
I'd recommend some Samsung memory as it's cheap but overclocks well and overclocking it would help out your integrated graphics performance a bit. Don't be fooled by the stock timings, the size or the lack of heatspreaders because it really is high quality RAM and comes with a lifetime warranty. The 4GB kit is out of stock at the moment though.
8GB kit
4GB kit
If you're getting a discrete graphics card then go Intel.
Edit: Thread about that RAM, it'll give you an idea of how well it OCs.
Also, I missed the part about the 7770 somehow the first time around. Might as well go Intel if you're thinking of putting in a GPU down the line.

I also suggest that samsung ram over most others. Remember that the Trinity APU will scale nicely with a dedicated GPU, it will easily put you into the realm of whatever game you want to play on the market. For the intel chip a gpu would replace the iGPU.
Omen
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AMD A8-3870k APU ASUS F1A75-V PRO AMD A8-3870K APU CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB 1600 cas 9 1.35v  
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crucial c300 Corsair 430 
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Omen
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OCZ Agility 3 120GB Western Digital 2TB Green Corsair H80 Asus 24" VS 
PowerCaseAudio
Corsair Proffesional Gold 850w A05NB Xonar 
View all
CPUMotherboardGraphicsRAM
AMD A8-3870k APU ASUS F1A75-V PRO AMD A8-3870K APU CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB 1600 cas 9 1.35v  
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post #10 of 15
7/26/12 at 12:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrAdam5 View Post

Looking at building a HTPC. I used to watch a lot of movies and tv shows on my PS3, but that Cineva craped all over that. So my 1st priority is being able to watch all my DL'd stuff (720p video), Blu-rays, etc. My TV's VGA/DVI inputs do not work so I do need a MOBO with HDMI. 2nd prioity is light gaming (Portal, indy games). My buget is $500.
Parts list so far:
Case - Bitfenix Prodigy Mini iTX Case
CPU - AMD A8-3850 Llano 2.9GHz
Intel Core i3-2105 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz
MOBO - ASRock A75M-ITX
BIOSTAR TH61 ITX
RAM - G.SKILL 4GB DDR3 1333
PSU - CORSAIR CX430 V2
HDD - covered
Optical - LG Black 12X Internal Blu-ray Drive
I might end up adding a HD7770 later on for better gaming, but for now hopefully that CPU-MOBO combo will be enough. Mainly looking for better suggestions if that's no good, and I'm not sure how to figure out what an adequate PSU for this setup would be.
*Fixed my ATX-ITX mixup.

That PSU will be fine. I have the exact same one.
I will call you Sandy
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I will call you Sandy
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