My HTPC Build

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cnick79

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Oct 5, 2004
Messages
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I think this X-Mas I am going to put together a HTPC build. It only needs to play Netflix, maybe Hulu, DVD and Blu-Ray rips from the file server. It will be hooked up to a Panasonic 54" Plasma. The front end will run XBMC. I went with an SSD because I want it to run quieter and cooler than a standard HD.

Memory: 4GB G.Skill DDR3 $49.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277
Mobo: ASRock H55M Pro $89.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157181
CPU: i3-530 $99.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115222
Case: APEX Micro ATX Slim $39.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811154087
PowerSupply: SeaSonic SS-300TFX $37.99 + $8.26 shipped http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151090
OS+SSD Combo: Win7 Pro and OCZ Vertex 2 60GB SSD $209.98 http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.544791.20-227-550
Blu-Ray: $79.99 LG http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136183


Thoughts and suggestions?
 
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That case is gonna come with a pretty shitty PSU. So you might want to replace the included PSU with this Seasonic.

Also whats with the video card? The Core i3 can handle HD content by itself.
 
cnick79 said:
I wasn't sure if the mobo was good enough to play 1080p video so I went with that video card. If it's not needed then I won't get it. The only thing is the mobo doesn't have HDMI which I need.
Click to expand...

Well the thing you have to remember is that no socket LGA 1156 motherboard has onboard video. Remember that the GPU has now been integrated/embedded with the CPU in the case of the Core i3 and Core i5 dual core CPUs.

Also you have 25 other H55 chipset motherboards out there to choose from that comes with HDMI:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...eactivatedMark=False&Order=PRICE&PageSize=100
 
I'm in the middle of building my first HTPC, some parts are on the way but my choices were
1. Memory: 2 x G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL
You might ask why 16GB of memory for an HTPC, it turns out that my wife love to see "live TV" constantly changing channels and time shifting with that kind of memory I can set up at least 14GB of RAM for a "Ram disk" so changing channels or recording a program while changing channels don't decrease performance for intensive i/o on the disk.... but that was before this morning that I was able to catch one of the crucial 128GB refurbs SSD, now, the Ram disk will avoid constant writing and erasing huge files on the SSD. (90 min HD TV goes around 12GB to 16GB.
 
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2. Motherboard
MSI H55M-ED55 LGA 1156 Intel H55 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Initally I was looking for a MATX that didnt had legacy PCI, because I did not plan to use that slot and needed space for 2 Hauppauge HVR-2250 dual tuners (2 PCIe) and one for video card. Unfortunatelly no motherboard with H55 supports that configuration (I think is the lack of PCIe lines in the H55 Chipset). I found one H57 that was perfect but the price diference was considerable. I decided that if I use the video card in the Second 16x PCIe slot, I would be able to have the two remaining PCIe slots for the tuners. This way the MSI motherboard fill the need, but of course the Video card would be only able to use 8x PCIe lines (not 16 as if it were in the first slot)
At the end the deciding factor was that this MSI motherboard show consistent low power composition in two of the reviows that I checked
http://www.anandtech.com/show/2929/8
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3139/msi_h55m_ed55_h55_express_motherboard/index11.html
That accounts for a minimum of 7W less power en idle, that is important because this HTPC will be turned on 24/7.
 
3. Video Card: AMD HD 6850
I know that intel graphics are enough for video playback in an HTPC, but I could not let the opportunity to fire up some game ports that play ok with wired USB xbox 360 controllers and have some gaming on the big screen. I am 100% PC player, and having almost every game of an xbox ported with at cheaper price and with better graphics in windows helps to avoid buying a console. I will only play games on the HTPC suited for a xbox controller and a couch. FPS and RTS will continue to be played in the main gaming computer.
This case the HD 6850 fit the bill with it's low power consumption. It is considered that this video card consumes 14W more at idle than the integrated intel graphics. Hopefully half of this is mitigated by the choice of the motherboard. Additionally ATI have been the choice of HTPC since its early support for audio bitstream.
 
4. CPU i3-550 (I could not justify not "upgrading" to a higher multiplier for just $10 more than the i3-530.

5. SSD: 28M225 128GB, Solid State Drive
Go with the refubrished $1/GB deal this morning. Hopefully it ships

6. HDD: 2x SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4 HD204UI 2TB 5400 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
By reviews of people this is the 2TB drive to get. High density platters somehow make up for the low RPM, therefore they are not as slow as other "green drives" and they are praised for reliability. At $80 with "iron egg" (price garantee) you can't go wrong here.
 
7. Optical Drive:
LG Black 10X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray Disc Combo Model CH10LS20 R LightScribe Support
It was the less expesive BluRay ROM and DVD Write combo ($45 a couple of weeks ago). You get a better deal now with that blu ray burner for $80.

8. PSU: I had a EX-1000 from the defunct BFG laying around from a previous deal. Although 1000W is certainly an overkill for this machine and you will argue that I will lost a lot of power efficiency losses at low loads.... It turns out that this particular PSU has something called "Frecuency Conversion" that is it is more efficient at low loads!!. It has been proven by several reviews I read when I bought it.
 
just a suggestion, have you considered the zotac mag?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856173001&Tpk=zotac mag

for 279 bucks you get a computer that can play full 1080p, and will do audio over HDMI. plus has optical out if needed. 160gig hdd and ram is included, would just need to load up an OS. the only thing would be no blueray player(could get external). although if you just got the mobo (can be had for 109 on newegg) and build it up it still might be cheaper since the board has a chip and gpu integrated. just add hdd, ram case and your optical drive

me and my roommate split on one to test it out, and its actually a very nice unit. everyone thinks its a router who sees it
 
9. CPU Cooler: Scythe SCSK-1100 100mm Shuriken Rev. B 3 Heat Pipes
Probably one of the worst after market cooler money can buy in terms of cooling efficiency, it has two particular winning points, it is silent and it has low profile to fit the small spaces of an HTPC case.

10. SilverStone Aluminum/Steel Micro ATX HTPC Computer Case GD05B (Black)
It has not arrived yet but what I have read is that is one few that can accommodate all above computer parts in a package no greater than a tipical size audio video equipment. The critical dimension here is depth. HTPC cases are usually deeper and not fit standar AV furniture.
 
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That's it, sorry for the multiple post. First, I was having problems with electricity and did not wanted to miss a long cunks of info, Not being english my native language it would be a lot of time writting it again.
Some parts are still "on transit" (they are being shipped to Costa Rica). But when they arrive I will let you know how it went.
What do you think of my choices? I should have asked for your advice as the tread starter but hopefully no harm is done.
 
I think I'm going to go with what I have posted in my first post. It might cost a little more compared to a prebuilt system such as the Zotac Mag, but I like the piece of mind knowing I can upgrade it and add-on if I need to. Plus, building your own is half the fun.
 
Why are you spending $80 when you can get a Blu ray drive for $40? That makes zero sense.
 
Antiflash said:
I'm in the middle of building my first HTPC, some parts are on the way but my choices were
1. Memory: 2 x G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL
You might ask why 16GB of memory for an HTPC, it turns out that my wife love to see "live TV" constantly changing channels and time shifting with that kind of memory I can set up at least 14GB of RAM for a "Ram disk" so changing channels or recording a program while changing channels don't decrease performance for intensive i/o on the disk.... but that was before this morning that I was able to catch one of the crucial 128GB refurbs SSD, now, the Ram disk will avoid constant writing and erasing huge files on the SSD. (90 min HD TV goes around 12GB to 16GB.
Click to expand...




The ram disk is unnecessary. Any decent SSD will give you comparable performance. Since it seems money isn't much of a factor, 2 SSDs in RAID 0 would be a good option for you. Then again, the bit rate for a HD stream isn't really enough to swamp even a regular 7200 drive. I can record 4 HD channels while watching 2 of them on my extenders and my 7200 drive can keep up just fine.
 
I love a SSS for os on a htpc....

media center is so snappy and responsive.... With 7200 drives there is a noticable lag when opening the guide, which is completely gone with an SSD.
 
Adidas4275 said:
I love a SSS for os on a htpc....

media center is so snappy and responsive.... With 7200 drives there is a noticable lag when opening the guide, which is completely gone with an SSD.
Click to expand...



Yeah, SSD for your OS of course which will make MC feel "snappier".

7200 for your recording drive because the extra speed will be unnecessary for storage of the media files.
 
xFROSTx said:
The ram disk is unnecessary. Any decent SSD will give you comparable performance. Since it seems money isn't much of a factor, 2 SSDs in RAID 0 would be a good option for you. Then again, the bit rate for a HD stream isn't really enough to swamp even a regular 7200 drive. I can record 4 HD channels while watching 2 of them on my extenders and my 7200 drive can keep up just fine.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your input. I will use media center 7. In "live tv" while time shifting, each time you change channels there's a lag that I initially associate with having to discard previous video buffer and starting a new one.. But until further testing (should have done it before buying exta RAM) there are several factors that can contribute to that, including actually tuning the new channel by the tv card or accessing guide data that can be improved by using an SSD.
If not for better performance, the RAM disk will be useful to avoid constantly writing huge temporary files to the SSD. The lifespan of an SSD is related to the number of writes and even being that number ridiculous high we are talking or writing 8GB per hour, 6 hours a day. Once intel quoted 5 years writing 100GB/day. That would be 10 years at this rate. but this numbers I guess are best case scenarios (the same as you would not trust MTBF numbers for HDDs). Additionally I don't bough an Intel drive but an refurbished Corsair without warranty... RAM disk hopefully don't trash my SSD in short time.
 
At the end I think I'm just trying to justify not needed RAM... now I'm thinking that I can sent the temporary buffer files to the storage HDD drive avoiding wearing of the SSD.
 
Antiflash said:
Thanks for your input. I will use media center 7. In "live tv" while time shifting, each time you change channels there's a lag that I initially associate with having to discard previous video buffer and starting a new one.. But until further testing (should have done it before buying exta RAM) there are several factors that can contribute to that, including actually tuning the new channel by the tv card or accessing guide data that can be improved by using an SSD.
If not for better performance, the RAM disk will be useful to avoid constantly writing huge temporary files to the SSD. The lifespan of an SSD is related to the number of writes and even being that number ridiculous high we are talking or writing 8GB per hour, 6 hours a day. Once intel quoted 5 years writing 100GB/day. That would be 10 years at this rate. but this numbers I guess are best case scenarios (the same as you would not trust MTBF numbers for HDDs). Additionally I don't bough an Intel drive but an refurbished Corsair without warranty... RAM disk hopefully don't trash my SSD in short time.
Click to expand...



In my opinion, it's a little early in the SSD life cycle to make any solid conclusions about what affects lifespan the most. I could be wrong, you have certainly done your research, but I think you might have over analyzed it a bit much. Whether the drive dies in 5 years or 10, you are probably going to upgrade it before then anyway :). They way I was looking at it, is that a ram disk is an extra point of failure. An extra point of failure on a system where reliability and up time are somewhat important. I've tinkered with a ram disk before and I found that my SSD gave me similar performance, while reducing complexity (No need to setup or worry about the ram disk). That's a win win in my book.
 
Somebody may have already said this, but the video card will hammer your power consumption. If this is primarily an HTPC then onboard video will save a lot of power. There are posts covering this. Depending on the games, if you have a sufficiently powerful CPU and enough memory you could be OK.
My build using an AMD Phenom II x4 seemed OK for WOW and Halo - not sure about some of the newer offerings , just didn't test.
I'm just saying don't assume you need it.
 
I received all of the parts listed in the first post! Unfortunately the power supply does not fit this case. This case has a fan on top which gets in the way of the PS, also, the holes in the case to mount the PS do not line up for the listed PS.

Unfortunately, the SSD I received seems to be DOA so I must wait for a new one to be sent.
 
If you want to use an SSD for the OS get an Intel 80GB G2. It has proven to be more reliable and better designed. Then use a couple of WD Green 2TB drives for storage (low heat and quiet). Also, stick with an ATI 5450 (passive cooling) for video and audio playback over HDMI. The i3/i7 IGP has issues with 24p if that is a concern for you.
 
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