HTPC New Build

[FiB3R]

I've decided to build a Home Theatre PC which will be running Windows MCE for now, with a view to "Upgrading" to Vista some time in the not to distant future.

I have already ordered the case (Zalman HD160XT) from YOYOtech - ?325.18 inc. vat (Ouch!)

(that first image is incorrect, it actually has more knobs on, which is always a good thing!)

I've also ordered the sound card (X-Fi XtremeMusic) from LambdaTek - ?48.60 inc. VAT

I already have a PSU (Seasonic M12-500) that I'll be using from another system

This is going to be hooked up to a Sony KDL-46W2000 and a DENON AVR-1907

I also want to build a media server in the loft using an old PC to stream media to this HTPC and other PC's in the house, but that's for another post.

For now I need to flesh out the rest othisi> system with...

Mobo

CPU (Core 2 Duo)

RAM (2GB)?

GFX

TV Tuner/s

HDD/s

Any input from you guys would bveryb> much appreciated

Check out these other posts too Link 1 / Link 2

Edited March 12, 2007 by The Cub

[FiB3R]

Have I posted this in the wrong section, or does nobody care :'(

Seriously though, I could use some advice regarding quality components, I want this thing to be rock solid and as quite as possible

[Veedems Veteran]

This would be better in the hardware forums since it deals more with PC components than home theater equipment.

thread moved

[FiB3R]

Cheers bangbang, maybe I'll get some feed back now ;)

[shihchiun]

What you need to decide are how many tuners you want and what kind (analog/HD). Do you have a straight cable connection, or do you need to use a satellite/cable box?

For the hard drives, the more space the better. Everything else doesn't really matter, except the graphics card if you want HDTV.

[ccuk]

Why did you buy an X-fi if you are hooking it up to an AV amp...? Total waste.

Any C2D cpu would be more than enough... I would look for a Board with Heatpipes rather than chipset fans... 2Gb of the cheapest corsair will be more than adequate too.

TV tuners go for Hauppauge dual tuner freeview cards.

HDDs... if you are streaming most of the content then you only need some 160GB Western digitals... maybe 400's if you want to PVR to it.

[chconline Veteran]

Good choice on the PSU though :p

[FiB3R]

I only have SD SKY at the moment, so the only HD content I'll be viewing for now will be via downloaded files. (or HDDVD's through my 360 and BD's through my soon to be acquired PS3)

But yeah, I need the card to support 1920x1080p and work with my TV ether via it's VGA port or the HDMI port.

I didn't realise that having a decent amp negated the need for a good quality sound card, I know that on-board sound has improved hugely in recent times but I still thought I'd get better performance from a dedicated card.

I agree with the fanless mobo, (any recommendations?)

As for the CPU I'm thinking of the E6600 as the price seems to be good value, and I'd like to be able to play a few games, if not at the highest quality/resolution settings. I'll be ripping some DVD's too. Is this overkill again?

If not, then would some "better" RAM be in order?

As for the HDD's, you're right that I don't need much size wise as I want to keep all of my "stuff" on the server. The racket they make is more of an issue to me for this build. so I'm looking for particularly quiet one/s.

I'm gonna hold off on the tuner cards for now, because I need to sort out my reception first (it's really really bad, that's why I HAD to get SKY in the first place)

Another thing I'm thinking about is the LAN connection, is it worth buying a dedicated gigabit card for this or are the onboard solutions good enough? I want it to be rock solid.

Thanks for your replies, it's nice to know I've got one thing right so far ;)

Edited March 13, 2007 by The Cub

[ccuk]

Onboard gigabit is fine...

Could throw a 7600GT in... and add a better, quieter cooler. This will decode HD content on the card using purevideo.

Motherboard -> Asus P5B Deluxe?

I would use corsair value select RAM... since you aren't pushing the system to overclock... if anything you are going to keep it at stock to keep the temperature down.

HDDs I use WD and they are quiet... Seagate drives are supposed to be quiet although just as of late I have heard a number of complaints about noise. This can be remedied using rubber spacers and a whole host of other methods however.

[FiB3R]

Any thoughts on this as the GFX card ---> Link

[ccuk]

Any thoughts on this as the GFX card ---> Link

Should be fine... not sure if that is a full heatpipe system or if it still has a fan though.

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo...roductID=495291

Might be worth looking at a 7900GS 256/512 if you are considering gaming on that 1080 TV...

[I am Reid]

If you are going to get a C2D, save money and get an E6300, not really any need at all for an E6600. You can OC the E6300 at almost the same exact speed as the E6600 and it will be almost the same temp or not much higher, but it does have the smaller cache, that shouldnt matter though.

[FiB3R]

After MUCH deliberation, I've decided to go with my first option for the GPU, mainly because it has (slightly) faster core/memory clock speeds by 200MHz a' piece, it is fanless, and it's in stock. Worth the extra ?14.57? I'm gonna say yeah.

Now on to the CPU (thanks for throwing a spanner in the works there reidtheweed01) I thought I had it covered;))

I'll be back after a good read up.

[ccuk]

If you are going to get a C2D, save money and get an E6300, not really any need at all for an E6600. You can OC the E6300 at almost the same exact speed as the E6600 and it will be almost the same temp or not much higher, but it does have the smaller cache, that shouldnt matter though.

Such bad advice...

This is a HTPC... it needs to be quiet and cool. Overclocking an E6300 gives

a) risk for instability

b) higher temps

c) means he needs to go for more expensive RAM

E6600 Stock is sufficient. Intel have an E6600 priced higher than an E6300 for a reason. It is a better chip.

My advice buy the E6600 so you don't regret is later. Its only ?70 which will save headaches later.

[FiB3R]

Thank you for removing the spanner ccuk ;)

Seriously considering cancelling my order of the 7600GT and going for something with a little more oomph!

Choices choices :wacko:

EDIT: Or should I consider getting two of them and going SLI?

Grr..... my head hurts

Edited March 13, 2007 by The Cub

[ccuk]

7900GS is the same price but offers better gaming experiences at higher resolutions... this is why I suggested it for you as your TV is a 1080HD res.

Do not go SLI, it creates more problems than it solves... the speed increase is also not worth the expense nor time.

ultimately and 8xxx series card would be perfect... but given 8600's and 8900's are round the corner it seems foolish to buy a top end card now. Pop a 7600 or 7900 in now and then buy an 8 series which will allow you to play comfortably on your nice HD TV :)

[FiB3R]

ok I'll stick with the 7600 for now with a view to upgrading it in the future (say 6 months or so)

Great stuff, I can move on now.

This is one's gonna be a real head scratcher for me, the mobo. there just seems so many to choose from.

The are a few things I really want from it though

- Reliability

- Silence

- 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet

- SATA with good RAID options (Just in case)

- Don't need/want wifi (or could I use it for other things like my DS and PSP that don't support the encryption levels of my router?) mmmmm!

- Thinking about it (heat/noise wise) I don't think I'll ever want to go SLI/CrossFire with this system so just 1 x16 PCI-E slot but they all seem to have at least 2 anyway!

OK I think I've just waffled myself into getting THIS mobo

Any thoughts? Is it a glaringly obvious bad choice? or am I starting to get the hang of this?

EDIT: Thanks for all your input ccuk tis much appreciated.

[ccuk]

ok I'll stick with the 7600 for now with a view to upgrading it in the future (say 6 months or so)

Great stuff, I can move on now.

This is one's gonna be a real head scratcher for me, the mobo. there just seems so many to choose from.

The are a few things I really want from it though

- Reliability

- Silence

- 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet

- SATA with good RAID options (Just in case)

- Don't need/want wifi (or could I use it for other things like my DS and PSP that don't support the encryption levels of my router?) mmmmm!

- Thinking about it (heat/noise wise) I don't think I'll ever want to go SLI/CrossFire with this system so just 1 x16 PCI-E slot but they all seem to have at least 2 anyway!

OK I think I've just waffled myself into getting THIS mobo

Any thoughts? Is it a glaringly obvious bad choice? or am I starting to get the hang of this?

EDIT: Thanks for all your input ccuk tis much appreciated.

Seems like a good choice to me... think I posted that one earlier.

Intel chipset is the easiest way to go... less headache. Plus there is plenty of expansion room with that board.

Which Heatsink you thinking of going with for that CPU? be a shame to use the stock one... maybe the artic cooler 5? or a Zalman?

[FiB3R]

Ha ha! Yeah it is the board you suggested. Maybe I should have listened to you from the start. Still I'm catching up with loads of stuff doing all this reading.

How about THIS for the cooler (can't seem to find a 5)

Would it be to much to expect, to be able to get away with a fanless cooler for the CPU?

EDIT: Ah ha! I had forgotten, I've got one of THESE that's never been used. Should do the job, right?

Edited March 13, 2007 by The Cub

[ccuk]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct....&subcat=821

maybe this might be more what you are after? 120mm fan strapped to it on low speed would be perfect....

[FiB3R]

not sure whether to stick with THIS or go for the heat sink you suggested with ether one of these LINK 1 / LINK 2

[ccuk]

hmmm...

There is a slightly newer version of the heatsink I recommended and it has 4 more heatpipes I think. It is the most efficient passive heatsink ever tested to date. 35 degrees idle temps and 42 degrees load temps on a core 2 duo OCed by 1Ghz... incredible heatsink.

What I would do is have a look around and see if they will fit. They are very large heatsinks and may not fit on that Asus p5B due to the heatpipes being so close to the socket.

[chconline Veteran]

The Noctua fans are very quiet, I got a set :D (1200rpm and 800rpm)

[FiB3R]

OK this is what I have so far

Case - Zalman HD160XT - ?325.18 - YOYOtech

Mobo - Asus P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP - ?113.92 - Micro Direct

CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 - ?196.20 - Micro Direct

CPU Heatsink - ThermalRight Ultra 120 - ?37.94 - Micro Direct

Heatsink Fan -

GFX - GeForce 7600GT - ?102.11 - YOYOtech

Not sure about the fan yet, do those Noctua's I linked give enough are flow? Should I change the fans that came fitted to the case?

Are you talking about the IFccukk? it's on the ThermalRight website, but I don't think it's out yet (say's preview on the site)

Arrrrgh! what a plonker, there's no way the Ultra120 is gonna fit in my case unless I cut a hole in the:(id :(

I think I need some sl:|p :|

Thanks again for all your input

Edited March 14, 2007 by The Cub

[chconline Veteran]

The fans pushes enough air IMO. Nothing pathetic like those Nexus fans or whatever. (at least that model 2 years ago with really thin blades)