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Thread: A Request for an HTPC Build

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    A Request for an HTPC Build

    I've been waiting for ages for an HTPC, and this week I've just sold some shares and will be receiving my first pay packet from my new job, so I am finally in a position to actually buy one

    I've had a look at loads of threads, loads of ideas, and really can't make my mind up so I would hugely appreciate some advice.

    I want it to be as small as possible (mini-itx perhaps?), and as quiet as possible, but don't want to spend much. Thankfully I only need enough disk space for an OS install - I imagine 100GB would be more than enough, I already have 4GB of Corsair 6400 DDR2 RAM, integrated graphics would be absolutely fine, and my PS3 will play blu-rays.

    Having said that, I would like it to be at least a 2.8 GHz Dual-Core (for 1080p mkvs, possibly without GPU acceleration) at stock - overclocking I expect will be a no-go with size + low noise, and I also need an optical audio output. I guess an IR receiver will also be important, or whatever it is that I need (not really a strong point of mine). I will probably buy a universal remote for the HTPC, sky, etc so what do I need to get to make sure that will work?

    I think Atom will be too slow, so I've considered the Zotac 9300 Mini-ITX with a Pentium, but surely I could get better value for money with an AMD, perhaps even an X3? I'm not too fussed about mini-itx/micro-atx, I just need it to be small, which I suspect will have more to do with the case it's housed in than anything else.

    £300 is the budget I've got in mind, but I might be able to move the goalposts if necessary.

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    Last edited by jim; 24-09-2009 at 12:51 PM.

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    Re: A Request for an HTPC Build

    Not wanting to spend much and wanting it as small as possible are kind of opposing targets! I'd recommend mATX, AMD 785G Chipset and either a Sempron 140 (I keep banging on about them, but they're good processors!) or if you want the e-peen waving option of more cores, an Athlon II X2 (which is the same processor but with both its cores turned on ). IMNSHO a single core chip with a decent graphics chipset is more than sufficient for an HTPC, but most people seem to disagree. However, I'm currently running a Sempron 140 with the stock cooler in one of these (that case has virtually *no* airflow ) and it's so far run everything I've thrown at it quite happily - iPlayer, DVDs, light / moderate gaming - without breaking 35 degrees. It's also whisper quiet - the loudest part of my system is the old IDE DVD drive I'm using. AMD will be bringing out 45W multicore Athlon IIs soon though, so it might be worth wating for them. I paid £123 for the mATX ASUS 785G EVO motherboard (I think it's worth paying extra for the sideport memory personally), a Sempron 140 and 2GB DDR3 and am extrememly happy with what I've ended up with.

    The Antec NSK1380 is a nice case - unfortunately Antec have gimped it down since I bought it (mine has front firewire and a multicard reader, both of which have been cut from the spec) but it's still a pleasing case to look at and quite easy to build into (remove the PSU before trying to fit the mobo!). There's plenty of mATX media cases out there though - just pick the one you like the look of best. Then all you need to do is add a big hard drive and a DVD / BD drive.

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    Re: A Request for an HTPC Build

    Quote Originally Posted by scaryjim View Post
    Not wanting to spend much and wanting it as small as possible are kind of opposing targets!
    I know - but at the end of the day the most important thing for me is to get the right PC. I'm not going to save £100 and get a piece of junk that doesn't fit in and looks hideous - space around my TV is definitely at a premium. Obviously the closer I am to my theoretical "£300 mark" the better, but it's not the end of the world.

    This is exactly the sort of thing I'm looking to work out though - whether mini-itx or micro-atx are the best solutions, and what's going to get me good value for money. Courtesy of your suggestions, I've added a couple of bits to my post about blu-ray and 1080p mkv material - I knew I would forget a few important things.

    Is it likely then that my options will come down to Intel Mini-ITX / AMD Micro-ATX?

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    Re: A Request for an HTPC Build

    The only mini-itx boards currently available for AMD are 780G, and they're hard to find. I anticipate that we will see 785G mini-itx boards eventually, but it'd be a guess as to when.

    As far as Intel goes I think you need to go for the 9300 chipset, and frankly the comparitive cost of mATX and mini-ITX solutions on that chipset make mini-itx a lot more appealling - the markup from 9300 mATX - mini-itx is about 50% (£80 -> £120), whereas the mark up from NVidia 8200 / AMD 780G is over 100% (£45 -> £95!). So, Intel will not be the cheap option, but it will allow you to go for something a lot smaller.

    As I said, the Antec NSK1380 is a good case - it's not too big and it looks nice if you've got the kind of entertainment unit where it can sit under your TV. That gives you the option of using mATX components and having a wider choice. If you think mini-itx has more appeal, I'd suggest browsing http://www.linitx.com/ - I'm personally extremely enamoured of this little beauty, but you'd have to take the built-in powerboard out and go for something like a 120W Pico-psu to be sure of powering the rig.

    tbh, since this is going to be on display, I'd be tempted to do something almost sacreligious, and look at cases first. That way you can choose the best looking case to fit in with your existing entertainment environment, and buy components to fit - if that's mini-itx then Zotac 9300 + low power Core 2, if it's mATX then 785G + Athlon II. Either combination will be more than capable of handling anything you throw at it.

    afterthought: The only thing that could possibly throw a spanner in those works is if someone manages to get a mini-itx 785G mobo out at the same time as AMD release the 45W Athlon II X3 / X4s... that'd be a combination worth investing in...

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    Re: A Request for an HTPC Build

    If this is purely a media center then the Asrock 330 is a good option. Less than £300, low power, low noise, very small and can play blu rays. However if you want gaming then this is obviously no good. I would suggest the intel/nvidia route however both the 9300/9400 boards are hard to come by now, not sure if something newer is coming. As for the remote a harmony remote could control all your equipment and all you would need for that is an IR reciever for the pc.

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    Re: A Request for an HTPC Build

    Bear in mind that for MKV playback ffsdhow is now multicore aware - 1080p playback is achievable on very modest specs (my htpc is hardly a rocket ship), especially with windows 7 (things aren't so rosy on Vista).
    Crosshair VIII Hero (WIFI), 3900x, 32GB DDR4, Many SSDs, EVGA FTW3 3090, Ethoo 719


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    Re: A Request for an HTPC Build

    Quote Originally Posted by scaryjim View Post
    The only mini-itx boards currently available for AMD are 780G, and they're hard to find. I anticipate that we will see 785G mini-itx boards eventually, but it'd be a guess as to when.
    Thats not true. The nvidia 8200 chipset is also available in ITX format for AMD CPUs.

    OP - Check out the Zotac 8200 ITX WiFi. LinITX stock it for £94 inc delivery. Pair it with a 45w CPU and you're off to a good start

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    Re: A Request for an HTPC Build

    Quote Originally Posted by dangel View Post
    Bear in mind that for MKV playback ffsdhow is now multicore aware - 1080p playback is achievable on very modest specs (my htpc is hardly a rocket ship), especially with windows 7 (things aren't so rosy on Vista).
    Going to be on Vista I'm afraid

    My windows 7 license will be going onto my main gaming rig, seeing as that's the machine I use most frequently.

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    Re: A Request for an HTPC Build

    Right, here goes: this is my theoretical build.

    Case (Inc 120W PSU) - http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Compu...-with-120W-PSU - £45.99
    Motherboard - http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Zotac...Board-Graphics - £106.02
    Processor - http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Intel...tio-65W-Retail - £58.18
    RAM - 2x http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/2GB-C...eitme-warranty - Free
    60mm Case Fan - http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Akasa...-and-Long-Life - £4.88
    CPU Cooler - http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Arcti...y-40mm-height! - £12.87
    Optical Drive - http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Samsu...ook-SATA-black - £19.03

    Hard Disk - http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/160-G...MB-Cache-12-ms - £35.75
    Or SSD - http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/30GB-...-100MB-s-Write - £96.59

    So that gives me a total of £282.72 with the Western Digital, or £343.56 with the OCZ Agility. And it lacks an Infra-red receiver (I think) and a 2.5" to 3.5" adapter - maybe a fan mod would also be useful to keep the 60mm speed down.

    Any thoughts?

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    Re: A Request for an HTPC Build

    Be careful with that board. From reading online it does not support wake on USB, meaning you have to hit the power button each time to get it out of S3! I'm not sure if this was solved in a subsequent board revision though - it cannot be rectified by a BIOS flash because of the PCB design.

    I would also look at swapping that CPU for a 45w revision if you can find one. That case is small, so the ventilation wont be great. Dont expect that 60mm fan to be 'ultra quiet' either

    You'll probably want to add the Microsoft MCE remote, which comes with a USB IR. In my experience the cheaper remotes are not as good.

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    Re: A Request for an HTPC Build

    I'm with Scaryjim on AMD 780G/785G.. but thats cos I have a small HTPC barebones in the FS forum - Miles cheaper than your proposed system!

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    Re: A Request for an HTPC Build

    Quote Originally Posted by s_kinton View Post
    Be careful with that board. From reading online it does not support wake on USB, meaning you have to hit the power button each time to get it out of S3! I'm not sure if this was solved in a subsequent board revision though - it cannot be rectified by a BIOS flash because of the PCB design.

    I would also look at swapping that CPU for a 45w revision if you can find one. That case is small, so the ventilation wont be great. Dont expect that 60mm fan to be 'ultra quiet' either

    You'll probably want to add the Microsoft MCE remote, which comes with a USB IR. In my experience the cheaper remotes are not as good.
    Yeah that was fixed in revision 03, so I'm going to make sure I get that one if I go ahead with it.

    As for the 45W revision, I haven't found a single LGA775 45W processor on Scan?

    Also, do you reckon it's worth going for the MCE, even if I'm going to get rid and replace it with a Harmony?

    Quote Originally Posted by Methanoid View Post
    I'm with Scaryjim on AMD 780G/785G.. but thats cos I have a small HTPC barebones in the FS forum - Miles cheaper than your proposed system!
    Thing is, the only mobo that suits I can find is the Zotac 8200, which costs £10 less and has a substandard graphics chip, or the Jetway JNC81-LF for the same price. What processor would you use to make that saving (on top of the £10 saved on the board) then?

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    Re: A Request for an HTPC Build

    I believe Methanoid is referring to this item in the For Sale forums - a prebuilt SFF based on 780G. As it's basically a combined Chassis and motherboard that he's asking £105 for it'd be a pretty big saving on doing it yourself (~ £47 based on your spec above - enough to fit the SSD into your budget ). At 275 x 357 x 90 it's slightly bigger than the compucase case you were looking at, but it will take a 5.25" Optical drive so that'll save you some more money.

    You could simply stick in a processor (probably an Athlon II X2 for ~ £45) and some memory (which you appear to have already) plus an optical drive and hard drive and you're good to go. if the stock HSF on the Athlon X2s are anything like the one on my Sempron they'll be pretty low profile and fairly effective, saving you again as you won't need to buy an aftemarket HSF.

    In fact, I've almost convinced myself to buy it (if I hadn't already rebuilt my HTPC, that is ). Meth: the invoice'll be in the post mate

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    Re: A Request for an HTPC Build

    Quote Originally Posted by scaryjim View Post
    I believe Methanoid is referring to this item in the For Sale forums - a prebuilt SFF based on 780G. As it's basically a combined Chassis and motherboard that he's asking £105 for it'd be a pretty big saving on doing it yourself (~ £47 based on your spec above - enough to fit the SSD into your budget ). At 275 x 357 x 90 it's slightly bigger than the compucase case you were looking at, but it will take a 5.25" Optical drive so that'll save you some more money.

    You could simply stick in a processor (probably an Athlon II X2 for ~ £45) and some memory (which you appear to have already) plus an optical drive and hard drive and you're good to go. if the stock HSF on the Athlon X2s are anything like the one on my Sempron they'll be pretty low profile and fairly effective, saving you again as you won't need to buy an aftemarket HSF.

    In fact, I've almost convinced myself to buy it (if I hadn't already rebuilt my HTPC, that is ). Meth: the invoice'll be in the post mate
    Ah okay, that makes a lot more sense now - I hadn't made the connection between the post and the reference to the one he was selling.

    I don't think I'm going to go down the second-hand route though... my PC spent about 8 months in and out of Scan without working and I don't think my girlfriend has forgiven me yet. In fact, I haven't got over it yet either to be honest .

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    Re: A Request for an HTPC Build

    Quote Originally Posted by snootyjim View Post
    Ah okay, that makes a lot more sense now - I hadn't made the connection between the post and the reference to the one he was selling.

    I don't think I'm going to go down the second-hand route though... my PC spent about 8 months in and out of Scan without working and I don't think my girlfriend has forgiven me yet. In fact, I haven't got over it yet either to be honest .
    Its new with full warranty (PM and I'll explain if U want)...

    Thanks for the sales pitch Scaryjim....

    Snooty, you'll really struggle to find a Rev3 9300-ITX-WiFi as AFAIK Zotac havent even started to ship them yet. I follow a thread on HardForums.com where owners are forever bitching about how the board isnt there yet for features and is potentially good and how they all want Rev3 boards!!

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