So I just purchased a new home and am looking to build a system where I can stream live TV and movies, watch blu-rays, stream netflix and hulu, and have HD audio and video. I will also be using it to store all my media which would consist of photos and music, and then also as my home PC. Currently I have a panasonic plasma (50") and a samsung surround sound setup, both of which are around 2-3 years old. I plan on hooking the HTPC up to the TV via an HDMI Cable and then run a digital optic wire to my receiver for the audio.

ANYWAYS...back on target, I am looking to build an HTPC. I'm not really familiar with computer builds but I have done quite a bit of research on the products I can use to build one. I've basically boiled it down to two separate builds. One is the cheap route and the other is a higher end build. Like I said I'm not too familiar with how well computer parts perform and am really looking to see (A) if these builds will work long term (B) if these parts will be adequate for what I need (C) any suggestions on different equipment. Oh yeah, I will be getting Windows 7 as the OS for either system so I can use Windows Media Center. I've heard that it has everything (codec, etc.) I would need as far as playback for the blu-ray drive and TV and what not.

Okay so for my first build.....THE CHEAP HTPC
(CASE) SilverStone HTPC Case ML03B Link
(CPU + GPU) AMD A6-3500 Link
(MoBo)GIGABYTE GA-A75M-D2H FM1 AMD A75 Link
(PSU)Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W Link
(RAM)G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Link
(HDD)Western Digital 1.5 TB Caviar Green Desktop Hard Drive Link
(Blu-ray) Samsung Blu-Ray Combo Link


THE OVER AND ABOVE BUILD
Everything else the same except these changes or additions*...
(CPU + GPU) AMD A8- 3850 Link
(MoBo) GIGABYTE GA-A75-D3H FM1 AMD A75 Link
(SSD*) Patriot Torqx 2 Link
(RAM) G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB Link
(PSU) Antec EarthWatts Green EA-430D Green 430W Link

*SSD is in addition to the HDD from the first build

OKAY so that should be everything...my only other thoughts would be...is there any other software that I would need and do I need extra fans or cables to go along with this build or if I am to purchase everything I have listed, would that be enough??

Thanks for any help and sorry for the novel!!!!

oh yeah and I plan on using the Rii Touch N7 Mini Wireless Controller as a remote/keyboard/mouse

I think that's everything. About a weeks worth of research and I'm still sort of lost...ha

Thanks again guys!

Give me a chance to look some things over and I'll get back to you (probably tomorrow). I've built a couple HTPCs in the past few years. Comments on first glance would be that an intel psu would probablg be a better choice (runs cooler and therefore will be more quiet). Also, I have an SSD in mine, but it probably doesnt gain you too much. Finally, do some research into XBMC as HTPC software. It's free and much better than Windows media center.

okay thanks! I'll look into the XBMC. I've heard of it but never looked into bc I thought Windows would work and I'd have to have an OS anyways...

For reference, here is my current HTPC setup:

MOBO: Asus P7H55-M Pro
CPU/GPU: Intel Core i5-650
RAM: Corsair XMS3 4GB DDR3-1600
PSU: Antec Earthwatts EA-380D
Case: Lian-Li PC-C37B
SSD: OCZ Vertex 2 90GB
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB

Some of those items are obsolete (the build is a little over a year old), but that will give you an idea on what specs I'm running. The machine can handle anything I throw at it. Here are some of my thoughts...

MOBO: I've always been a fan of Asus. I've used them in about 7 builds without issue. That's not to say other options are no good, I just don't have experience with them.
CPU: As I said in a previous post, I prefer intel for HTPC use. They cost a bit more, but they run cooler and quieter. This was a huge point for me as I don't want to hear fans humming away why I'm watching the TV. My current build is using the stock CPU cooler and I believe the case has one or two fans. The whole setup is virtually silent.
RAM: Probably doesn't make a huge difference. I've had good luck with Corsair so that's what I went with. 4GB, however, should be more than sufficient.
PSU: Good choice on that. This also runs cool and quiet. Even if you do an "upgraded" build, I wouldn't suggest anything higher than the 380W PSU. You aren't running a dedicated GPU, so there really isn't anything that will draw enough power to make it necessary. Save a few bucks there.
Case: Mine was expensive. But I love it. It was tough to shoe-horn everything in, and I spent a couple of hours on cable management within to ensure good air flow and accessibility of components. Don't skimp on this step. I'm sure the case you selected would be fine, but spend the time when putting things together to zip tie cables together. It will make your life easier if you need to get into the case to replace components down the road AND help circulate air to keep things cool.
SSD: Definitely not needed. I've got an SSD in every PC I own, so I've grown used to the reduced load times. If you're planning on leaving the HTPC running most of the time, it wont really help as much. If you've got the money, I would recommend it, but you can just as easily save the cash and run everything off of the HDD. This is always something that can be added down the road if you don't mind re-installing the OS and other software.
HDD: You should be fine going with whatever is relatively inexpensive. Sticking with a 5900RPM drive will keep heat and noise down. Especially if you're running an SSD for the OS and software, you wont need a higher RPM drive for the read/write speeds.
Remote: I strongly recommend getting a cheap HTPC remote. I don't remember what model I have, but something like this should work fine. Once in XBMC, I can control everything using the IR remote. There is even a piece of software that can use a remote button to launch XBMC. I've found this handy as I very rarely need to use a mouse or keyboard with my setup.

I am currently running Win7 Pro on my HTPC. XBMC is then run on top of that. Again, XBMC is free so it wont cost you any more to go this route. I've experimented with nearly all options in the HTPC software realm and found XBMC to be the best (in my opinion). However, there is no perfect piece of software. XBMC is more universal in what formats it will accept. It also does an awesome job cataloging TV shows, movies and music. There are a number of add-ons (also free) that can increase functionality in some areas. The main downfall to XBMC is streaming. There really isn't a good way to stream Netflix, Hulu, etc at this point. I know people have been working on add-ons, so that may change in the future. For now, if I wanted to use any of those, I would just back out of XBMC and run them through their software in Windows.

That's about all I can think of for now. If you have any other questions, post them up. Also, if you get to the build and need help selecting/configuring software, feel free to ask. I've experimented with a lot, so if you hit any snags I would bet I've probably run into the same issues.

One other note. I've never attempted to use my HTPC as a blu-ray player. I've read from numerous sources that there really isn't any great software for Windows when it comes to playing blu-rays. I have a high-end dedicated BR player, so that isn't an issue for me. Just an issue you may run into.

thanks for all the information. do the cpu/gpu combinations also have audio capabilities or would I need to look into a audio card? That case of yours is super nice, and it comes with the fans. I may still stick with the silverstone simply bc it's highly rated and $60, which helps with the budget for this build.

SSD may be a good idea, how much room do you think I would need for the system if I also got a 500GB HDD to coincide with it? As in do you think I could get away with the Patriot one I have listed above or should I just go with the HDD and worry about it later?

Also I think that blu-ray player has software that comes with it, so it'll work out of the box

Make sure you get a LGA 1155 motherboard/cpu for future upgrades.

orangeNblue wrote:do the cpu/gpu combinations also have audio capabilities or would I need to look into a audio card?

Personally, I don't have any experience with this. A board like this should offer video over HDMI and audio over optical. My A/V receiver supports HDMI in, so I run audio and video over HDMI to the receiver. The only audio issue I ever had (on my previous HTPC build) was getting digital audio over both optical and digital coax. The mobo didn't support HDMI so I was running DVI-HDMI to my receiver and trying to send audio to two different locations. It didn't work so I scrapped the audio in two locations idea.

orangeNblue wrote:That case of yours is super nice, and it comes with the fans. I may still stick with the silverstone simply bc it's highly rated and $60, which helps with the budget for this build.

I wasn't suggesting my case. Just showing my build. I do love the case, but I had some size constraints I was working with and it fit. I love the case, but at the end of the day, most cases should work fine.

orangeNblue wrote:SSD may be a good idea, how much room do you think I would need for the system if I also got a 500GB HDD to coincide with it? As in do you think I could get away with the Patriot one I have listed above or should I just go with the HDD and worry about it later?

The size of your HDD would be a function of how much you intend to store on it. I've got about 60-80GB of music and a good 600-1000GB of video on mine at any time. If you're not looking to store much, 500GB should be fine. On the other hand, HDDs aren't terribly expensive and you don't save much by going 500GB over 1.5TB. Food for thought.

The SSD is a bit more complicated. Check out this thread and read the links contained within. They are a bit technical, but they have tons of good information. SSDs function best when they are less than 80% full. A ~30GB drive as an OS drive will probably be nearly full and that will degrade performance (and life). I've used small SSDs as OS drives before, but that was running Ubuntu as the OS and I don't think the install ever took up more than 4-5 GB. Windows is a much larger install and will chew up most of that space. Personally, I don't think I'd go much smaller than a 64GB OS drive (and even then I'd prefer to keep it closer to 90). This drive is an excellent choice, though it stretches the budget a bit more. If you can't afford the larger SSD, I'd hold off until you can. I'd hate to see you buy a smaller drive and have it not live up to expectations. That would be a complete waste of money.

orangeNblue wrote:Also I think that blu-ray player has software that comes with it, so it'll work out of the box

I guess I should've explained a bit more. My receiver accepts HDMI audio, and I was looking for something that could output the latest audio formats (DTS-MA/Dolby TrueHD/etc). It doesn't seem like there is much software out there that supports this well. I'm not saying a blu-ray HTPC wont work, it was simply that it wouldn't meet my (admittedly high) standards. And, at the time of my build, I already had an Oppo BDP-93 for blu-ray. That player is widely regarded as one of the best, so it would be hard to find a HTPC that could live up to the standard it set. So that was all just my personal preference.

asnorton44 wrote:Make sure you get a LGA 1155 motherboard/cpu for future upgrades.

This is also a very good point. Mine was an LGA 1156 build, but it's over a year old. LGA 1155 will get you the latest and greatest processors, so definitely go that route (if you choose Intel over AMD). I would also recommend looking at the 65W variety of these processors (again, lower power consumption = lower heat = lower noise). And in a HTPC build you really don't need the extra horsepower of a larger CPU.

so if I was to go with an i3 3.1 GHz or even 3.3GHz that would run as well as an AMD A series and have graphics capable of doing everything I'd want it to? I'm starting to rethink my build. I may just opt to find an external blu-ray player so I won't have to worry about the drive not functioning properly. Plus I can get a non-wireless one for about the same price as that samsung drive. (79.99) If I am to go this route, I'll be running the blu-ray and the HTPC to my TV via HDMI cable and then run an optic line from the TV to my Samsung surround receiver....

.....So if I was to go the intel route maybe something like this (no links).....
Intel i3 (3.1 or 3.3) - keeps me around the same price tag as the AMD A8
LGA 1155 mother board - I'll find an ASUS one that's got a descent rating and allows for HDMI out
4 to 8 GB of RAM (1600) - find intel compatible and ram is cheap so up-ing to 8 might not be a bad idea
1.5 TB HDD - most likely use the same Seagate one you have since its reasonably priced
Case - Same silverstone one and buy 2-3 80mm fans to keep things cool
PSU - Same Antec 380W

I'm going to hold off on the SSD for now since I'm trying to build on a budget and add later when funds are more readily available.

Also I'm thinking of using something like this LINK for my wireless keyboard/controller.

Thoughts.....

Newegg has the Intel Core i3-2100 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32100 for $110 until 3/4/12:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115078

And yeah if you are streaming media and playing HD content the i3 will do fine.

Also....SICK Z!!

Thanks...I wish I could do more to the Z, but priorities keep ruining my fun....ha

Thanks for posting up the deal..I'm working on piecing something together using that CPU/GPU now...

I have a friend running a core i3 on a HTPC. Works fine for him. If you were adding a tuner card and encoding a ton of video, the i3 might bog down a bit. But it would probably still be fine. You wont be that taxing on it, so you'll definitely be ok.

If you find an awesome deal on ram, 8 gigs wont hurt you. It's definitely not needed, so you may be able to save money going with 4.

Finally, be careful on the fans. You wont need much air to keep that gear cool. Check the specs and even reviews to make sure people can verify that they are quiet. Let us know how it goes as you get to building!

so would it be your opinion that I should save up a bit more and get the i5?

I picked out these two intel motherboards
LINK
LINK

realistically almost everything is the same between these two builds except the motherboard and the cpu/gpu. The more and more I research and read the advise you guys are giving, I think this isn't something I should just go for the cheapest build possible. Currently I have about $500 to spend, but I think I may save so I can build something that is not only good but future proof, just in case I want to take it to the next level. This system won't be used for gaming, but I would say it'd be for just about everything else (outlook email and calendar, music, photos, etc.).

Oh yeah and these were the fans I was looking at, I picked em bc they had long life and good ratings...LINK

Hey just jumped into this thread. It's great to see that this section of NICO isn't as dead as I thought.

orangeNblue you mentioned "streaming live tv", did you mean from a website or watch tv like you watch from a cable box?
I know this makes things much more expensive but Ceton makes some awesome cable card hardware.

I meant from a website. They're just way too expensive, especially when I barely watch actual TV. I can just use Hulu, Netflix, or a couple of websites I've run across that can either do live TV or shows that hulu won't show.

orangeNblue wrote:so would it be your opinion that I should save up a bit more and get the i5?

For a HTPC, the i5 will not be worth the extra $$.

i5 is over kill if you're trying to stream media and play things using VLC.

sadly I ran into a couple of unexpected necessities after purchasing my new house (who knew toilets could be so expensive! lol)...so for now I've put this project on the back burner...

While I was still doing my research I read a little into Google TV. It seems to have everything I'm looking for and sony is going to release a new version this summer (supposedly) which at the rate I keep finding new problems with my old house, may be about the time I can afford to move forward with this project.

Well if you want something lower cost for streaming media I would look at the WDTV Live. I have one and love it, runs about $100 and supports streaming from your network, hulu, netflix, etc.

http://wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=330

Looks a lot like the roku or apply tv, guess there are a lot of these streaming devices out there

It does function a lot like a Roku or Apple TV, except it is DLNA certified. Thats huge if you are streaming media on your network.

Really good thread. One question, when you say Windows 7 with XBMC on top what does this mean? Do you boot to windows 7 first and then load XBMC or does XBMC load from the getgo?

Windows 7 is the os. XBMC is just a piece of software installed on the machine. You can set it to launch on boot if you want though.

n00b240 wrote:Really good thread. One question, when you say Windows 7 with XBMC on top what does this mean? Do you boot to windows 7 first and then load XBMC or does XBMC load from the getgo?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR9-vahLi1s[/youtube]

Wired network is preferred. Via Netflix on mine it's choppy when viewing movies with HD selected. No issues if hard wired.

awesome youtube. Was hoping he would boot from the start, but RF controller and emulator support, I am SOLD

Been using XBMC for years, it's great! Install it right from the Live CD or ISO via flashdrive. I have been using an older version of the ACER nettop like this, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6883103629
and it plays 1080P HD no problem. You do need 2 gig of memory.