Build Me A Media PC

hi guys,

i've already got 2 PC's (my main rig and a media PC in my bedroom) but i really like the sound of having another media PC to compliment my new 37" HD TV.

Ideally id like something nice and slimline but it cant break the bank, ideally id like to spend no more than £250 (big ask i know!)

i already have a DVD-RW, keyboard/mouse & a hard drive so really im just looking for the case/PSU, mobo, CPU and gfx card (if not onboard)

Cheers guys

EDIT: i also have a legit licensed copy of MCE so no need for software :)

What type of case do you want ? Small tower like the shuttle SS21T, a shuttle cube or a desktop case ?

For CPU i'd go for the X2 3800, only £60ish now (or 4200 if you can get one - they overclock slightly better if thats your thing)
1GB PC800MHZ RAM for £45
Abit NFM2-nView for £60 or the Gigabyte GA M61PM-S2 if you want something a little cheaper at £40

You could also go Intel C2D:

CPU - E4300 £100
RAM - 1GB DDR2 £45
MOBO - Gigabyte GA 945GM-S2 £45

ideally id like a desktop style case but something that looks good - Silverstone do some really nice ones but £160 is a bit out of my league

i wouldnt say no to a shuttle cube, my media PC in my bedroom is a shuttle and i really like them.

do you have any links to the RAM/CPU/Mobo mate?

Recently built one for a friend with the ASRock Conroe945DVI board (about £40 and is MicroATX) using the on-board video and an E4300 CPU (£100) and some cheap DDR2 667. Happily overclocks to 3GHz even with minimal overclocking support.

As for a case, thats a very personal choice, there are so many HTPC cases and a lot of them are expensive.

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Originally Posted by johnny02004976

ideally id like a desktop style case but something that looks good - Silverstone do some really nice ones but £160 is a bit out of my league

i wouldnt say no to a shuttle cube, my media PC in my bedroom is a shuttle and i really like them.

do you have any links to the RAM/CPU/Mobo mate?

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Antec Fusion is a good desktop case with VFD for around £115 delivered & you get a 430W PSU included too:)

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Originally Posted by Alistair

Antec Fusion is a good desktop case with VFD for around £115 delivered & you get a 430W PSU included too:)

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sounds good mate do you have a link?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by johnny02004976

ideally id like a desktop style case but something that looks good - Silverstone do some really nice ones but £160 is a bit out of my league

i wouldnt say no to a shuttle cube, my media PC in my bedroom is a shuttle and i really like them.

do you have any links to the RAM/CPU/Mobo mate?

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Scan :D

Intel Mobo - http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=448646

Intel CPU - http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=532081

AMD Mobo - http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=476333

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=535322

AMD CPU - http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=494952

RAM - (Dual Channel FTW :P)

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=126737

that all looks good mate - i think i prefer the AMD option the Intel might be a bit overkill for what i need it for

anyone with any ideas on a case?

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Originally Posted by johnny02004976

that all looks good mate - i think i prefer the AMD option the Intel might be a bit overkill for what i need it for

anyone with any ideas on a case?

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http://www.digitalkind.co.uk/Inu_pro...p?ref=08092541

i purchased a lian-li V880 from clunk a while back, and its awesome. I'd take a look at the antec fusion, as has already been suggested. What kind of case would you be looking at, both shuttle and destkop media case? How about a sugo?

Very similar to my planned spec..........I went for the LC20 case from Silverstone as I wasn't sure if I wanted another glowing fascia so the VFD wasn't an issue :lol:

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Originally Posted by Steve B

i purchased a lian-li V880 from clunk a while back, and its awesome. I'd take a look at the antec fusion, as has already been suggested. What kind of case would you be looking at, both shuttle and destkop media case? How about a sugo?

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id probably prefer the desktop media style case, i dont really have the height space for another shuttle on my TV unit.

The antec fusion looks just the ticket, i know this is probably a silly question but will the parts mentioned above (the amd ones) fit in there?

i dont want to get a board which wont fit in the case once you bolt the heatsink on

would the Gigabyte board above fit into this?

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/produ...oductID=509818

sorry if i sound like a noob, i only usually deal with big cases :)

The antec fusion/2400 will take any mATX board. The 2400 is basically the fusion without the vfd. Its about £60, you can get it from scan. This is an easy job for £250 with the stuff you alreay have. Get an AM2 processor, doesn't even have to be dual core and grab a mATX mobo. http://www.scan.co.uk/products/produ...oductID=554975 would be fine and then stick in 1gb of cheap ram. Sorted!

excellent, cheers for all your help guys :)

i'll try take some photo's when i get it all hooked up

If you look at "My System" all my stuff is in an Antec Fusion.

The only downside I see to it personally is lack of flexibility with motherboards (matx only)

Considering moving to a Silverstone setup myself so that I could go C2D with a full size ATX motherboard.

Otherwise its an great case, good cooling & quiet too

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Originally Posted by Alistair

If you look at "My System" all my stuff is in an Antec Fusion.

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How uve got that 32" screen in there is beyond me

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Originally Posted by Flewis

How uve got that 32" screen in there is beyond me

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Was a tight fit LOL

:mrgreen: cheers guys, all parts are ordered, just waiting for Scan to confirm if the case is in or not....fingers crossed

What did you go for then ?

Let me know how it goes :D

a few changes - i couldn't order from Scan in the end the case was out of stock and i didnt want it holding the order up.

in the end i ordered from Dabs (i had a £20 voucher so worked out ok on the delivery side of things)

i went for the board and RAM you suggested all being a little bit more expensive from Dabs

i was going to go for the AM2 3800 as well, but they were out of stock so i got stuck with the 4000+ for an extra £15 :p and i chucked on another DVD-RW as i'm not convinced my spare one is 100% working (dodgy flash i think)

i also went for the Antec case - had to order from thecoolingshop.com though as it was only £8.50 guaranteed delivery tomorrow which isnt to painful

fingers crossed for tomorrow now :)

Which board ? The Abit or the Gigabyte ?

Gigabyte

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Originally Posted by Flewis

How uve got that 32" screen in there is beyond me

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Thats nothing, if you look closely, you'll see he has an entire internet company in there.

Nox