HTPC For HD

[crazyfool]

okay i have been wanting to build a htpc for some time but as i only had a 28 inch crt it was pointless... until now lol... the tv has died so we have to get a new one
I have specced up these components from custompc's recomended htpc components...
Motherboard: http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=787073
Proccessor: http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=632504 or
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=807038
which one would be better for heat/performance?
Memory: http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=255300
I will probably be getting the antec fusion case and i'm assuming the psu supplied with it would be more than enough for playing back blu ray and is built well enough not to explode (corsair video lmao) ....
The optical drive and hdd i will probably recycle from another system. I just need to know a couple of things:
1, will this system be able to playback hd using the on board graphics?
2, which cpu cooler should i use, preferably fanless, to keep the noise to a minimum?
3, I have a Nova T500 dual tuner spare so i will probably use this in the system, does anyone know how well this works with vista?
thanks for the help in advance (i really need it lol)

[staffsMike]

Get the ****e processor. More than enough grunt and 45w makes it very cool running.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=807038

Sit it under a scythe ninja mini.. couldn't be a more perfect heatsink for that setup.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=657369

PSU is good and more than enough.

The abit version of that board is a few quid cheaper if you prefer abit to asus as many do due to customer service.
The onboard is perfect for HD playback with that CPU
http://www.scan.co.uk/product.aspx?ProductId=25610 (£2 cheaper today only)

[s_kinton]

The optical drive and hdd i will probably recycle from another system. I just need to know a couple of things:
1, will this system be able to playback hd using the on board graphics?
2, which cpu cooler should i use, preferably fanless, to keep the noise to a minimum?
3, I have a Nova T500 dual tuner spare so i will probably use this in the system, does anyone know how well this works with vista?
thanks for the help in advance (i really need it lol)

1. Yes
2. Scythe Mini Ninja, especially as you're getting the Antec case
3. Very well. Its probably the most popular dual tuner in use.

As mike said, definitely go for the 4850e CPU, much better spec'd for a HTPC. A 780G uATX board will provide enough power for HD. If you need any further help just post back, many of us here have had HTPC setups for a while and know the pitfalls...

What media program are you using? Vista MC, Sage TV, MediaPortal?

You'll also need a Blu-ray drive. Scan sell the LG super-multi drives which play both blu-ray and HD-DVD disks. Although, don't forget Vista MC doesn't support blu-ray playback as yet.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=747284
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=727916

[crazyfool]

thanks for the help guys, i'll probably go with the mini ninja cooler (I'm assuming it will give decent temps when run passive :S). I wont go for the hd drive just yet as i have an xbox 360 hd dvd drive i've been using in my own pc so i'll probably just you that for now. I'll be using vista media center as it works well for me with dvds and music etc... hopefully the tv on it is just as good . There only one thing left lol... Seeing as i am still using vhs on my current tv (I know )... Is it really worth the money building a htpc over buying a hd recorder or something. I mean i really want one in the living room but i have to convince the folks lol

[crazyfool]

ok i've decided not to go with the antec fusion case as i dont really find it looks that good. I'm gonna go with the Silverstone LC17 case from scan but this means i need to buy a seperate psu. I know i wont need a powerfull one but i would like a quiet one that wont explode lol...any ideas...

[staffsMike]

Modular or not?

Corsair VX450w is very good at £40 - £45 modualr though you are looking at the corsair HX 520W or the Dark Power be quiet 450w

Why not try and find a Fusion Black though, much better looking
http://www.morecomputers.com/extra.a...eferer=Froogle

[TheReaFireblade]

I know i wont need a powerfull one but i would like a quiet one that wont explode lol...any ideas...

400w NorthQ NQ-4300GP-FL Pacific (Fanless) / 450w BeQuiet Dark Power PRO BN071 (Modular) / 500w Zalman ZM500-HP Heatpipe Cooled (Modular)?

[Lourdes]

That system will use under 100w so you don't need much of a PSU, could even get oen of those completely silent Pico ones.

[crazyfool]

hey guys,
reviving an old post lol...
been contemplating whether or not to ago ahead with the build or just buy standalones but the idea of building it is just too tempting so i'm gonna go for it I decided on the antec fusion black because of its size and cooling ability... this is what i have so far(i will be reusing an old hdd)

scan dont seem to have the fusion on their site anymore so i'm gonna order the black one elsewhere... i'm about to click the order button so all i need to know is if this us ok for a hd media center of have i got it horribly wrong... (a thumbs up from staffsmike will do me as hes the man in the know it seems lol )

[staffsMike]

Well that's perfect in my eyes. Just a shame you didn't catch the weekend today only, would have saved about £8

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I know this motherboard is more expensive but it has all solid capacitors and 128MB DDR3 sideport memory:

http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=855947

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/...ProductID=2859

[crazyfool]

CAT-THE-FIFTH stop confusing me lol... nah thanks for the help but i'm stick to what i got and order... just one more quick question i'm not entirely sure what gpu is onboard the motherboard so does anyone know so can i go ahead and download the driver from the ati website to put into my vista slipstream

[staffsMike]

Well it's called HD3200 I think. Essentially a shruken HD3450.

[crazyfool]

kl m8... oh and finally (last one i promise lol) diff places have antec fusion labelled as having a vfd whilst others have an lcd display... ideally i would want an lcd but is this a mistake or are there 2 different versions... this is the one i'm looking at
http://www.yoyotech.co.uk/product_in...94cbfcfdb43b72

or

http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/info_1080.html

both say lcd

EDIT: no worries... google helped me out lol... black v2 is lcd and silver version is vfd... well here goes all my money lol

[crazyfool]

just ordered all of the parts from scan and ordered the case from kustompcs and got an email saying:
Apologies, this product should have been blocked from ordering - we can't take a backorder for this case just now as the spec is due to be revised, I believe the next models we recieve sometime this month are being shipped without power supplies at a lower price.
anyone know where i can still pick up a black fusion?

[staffsMike]

not sure about this one
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...jsp?ANT-FUS43B

might be a pre-order so probably useless.

Can't find them anywhere Maybe waiting is the best option. Hopefully it will drop in price enough to justify something like the Corsair 450VX as a substitute PSU.