HTPC for my dad

499 Views 4 Replies 5 Participants Last post by EvilGenius007, Nov 26, 2009

thedarkknight

Discussion Starter · Nov 25, 2009

Okay so my dad wants me to build him a HTPC. His conditions are he wants the case to be a micro, and a graphics card good enough so it will be able to play Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 (whenever those come out).

I was wondering what anyones experience is with HTPC and gaming and if I should build him two seperate machines or just one. Also what would you recommend since he is using it for more than just playing video and tv...i.e. graphics card, processor....etc.

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tNok85

· #2 · Nov 25, 2009

We don't know what the D3 reqs will be.

So, for now, I'd recommend an AMD X2 platform with built in HD3x00/HDMI, and a PCIe slot to upgrade to whatever card is needed.

Case can't be a slim if you want to be sure you'll fit whatever card is needed for D3. I doubt a slim card will do very well with it, although we don't know for sure.

Mobo: (w/ HD4200)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138156 - $60

CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103688 - $61

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rammunition

· #3 · Nov 25, 2009

Defo go with the AM3 socket. GPU wise i think this slim gtx 260 would be great

http://www.dvhardware.net/article38117.html

case wise, not to familiar with HTPC cases but how about a mid tower case?

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Manyak

· #4 · Nov 25, 2009

1 - If the PC can play games well, then by extension that means it can do most other things well too. Home users don't normally push a PC to its limits other than with games. And multimedia doesn't even come close.

2 - How much is the budget here?

3 - Guaranteeing it'll play D3 is pretty much out of the question because we don't know what the requirements will be. And SC2 will need a pretty good GPU to be able to turn up the details, so it's probably best to just wait on buying a discrete GPU until the game is released, because by then you'll get more performance for the money.

4 - This is an awesome combo deal. Phenom x2 BE and 785G for $145 AR. That's all he's going to need for a CPU, and if you're lucky you'll be able to unlock the two extra cores on it, making it a quad

5 - Does your pops have a stereo/surround system? If so he'll probably expect sound quality equal to or better than regular A/V equipment. Unless it's only being used on TV speakers, a Xonar card is a must.

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EvilGenius007

· #5 · Nov 26, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manyak

4 - This is an awesome combo deal. Phenom x2 BE and 785G for $145 AR. That's all he's going to need for a CPU, and if you're lucky you'll be able to unlock the two extra cores on it, making it a quad

Manyak has found you an awesome combo for a gaming PC. Thanks to Black Friday, it's now $139 after MIR. If your budget allows you to spend more (or less) you should check the other combo deals available with that mobo, there's a wide range of Athlon II & Phenom IIs available at discounts. I also agree with him RE: Xonar being a strong recommendation.

If you are going to be buying a video card right now, I'd check out the 40 nm Radeon HD57x0 models. They should be your best bet in terms of minimizing heat & noise while maintaining good performance. Would work great with this Antec Fusion micro ATX full-height case.

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