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Forums > Hardware Forum

HTPC build (20 comments)

( Forum: HW)

Posted by cloned @ 08:42 CDT, 14 June 2013 - iMsg

Hi there fellow ESR readers. I am currently thinking about getting myself a HTPC the next few monthes. Here is the current build I want to get:

CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-3770
CPU cooler: NH-C12P SE14
GPU: Geforce GTX 670 (Asus)
Mainboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-D3H
Ram: G.Skill DIMM 16 GB DDR3-1600 Kit Ripjaws
HD: Western Digital WD30EZRX 3 TB (SATA 600, WD Green)
SSD: Samsung 840 series 2,5" 120 GB
Case: SilverStone GD07
PSU: Enermax EPM500AWT Platimax
Soundcard: Asus Xonar D2

Any advice someone could give or using something similar? I want to use it as a media station (XBMC) and as a gaming machine (Steam Big Picture).

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<< Comment #1 @ 09:01 CDT, 14 June 2013 >>

By

kevz

that looks more like a full on gaming rig. it can be cheaper u know. i5 instead of i7, gtx660 instead of 670, 8gb ram instead of memory you will never ever use (even 8 is alot for a media pc)

the rest looks aight.

<< Comment #20 @ 07:14 CDT, 15 June 2013 >>

By

cloned - Reply to #1

I want to have enough performance for the coming years. If I get this I want to play Metro 2034 with everything set to maximum. But yeah maybe an i5 is enough. After some reading I am also considering an AMD cpu (FX 8350).

8gb memory is noted. 16gb seems to be really useless :)

<< Comment #2 @ 09:07 CDT, 14 June 2013 >>

By

slunge

same to all what kevs said - get a passively cooled graphics card if you can, the noise makes a difference in a htpc.

The ssd is probably overkill in a media pc - mines almost always on, running undervolted etc to save power - its not like you are going to be storing media on it anyhow - chances are it might make a few seconds difference booting / loading apps but its not like its where you are going to do most of your gaming?

8gm ram is plenty in a media machine

<< Comment #3 @ 09:08 CDT, 14 June 2013 >>

By

kevz - Reply to #2

oh yeah, noise is ofcourse a big factor, also a reason not to get extreme gaming parts :>

<< Comment #9 @ 10:53 CDT, 14 June 2013 >>

By

Anonymous (134.3.122.3)

TBH it would make more sense to build a dedicated gaming machine + get raspberry pi as your HTPC. Your configuarion wastes to much energy for watching videos or listening to music.

<< Comment #4 @ 09:23 CDT, 14 June 2013 >>

By

skint

depending on what kind of games you want to play, if i was building a htpc right now id go for the amd APU's as the graphics portion of them arnt that bad now. AMD A10-6700 is only 65w too.

<< Comment #5 @ 09:35 CDT, 14 June 2013 >>

By

kevz - Reply to #4

yeah... games on an onboard gpu. im still not buying it dispite amd/intel trying to convince people how far theyve gotten ;>

<< Comment #6 @ 09:57 CDT, 14 June 2013 >>

By

skint - Reply to #5

.... look at some benchmarks! not amazing but more than adequate.

oh and xbox one and ps4 are using AMD APU's

Edited by skint at 09:57 CDT, 14 June 2013

<< Comment #7 @ 10:02 CDT, 14 June 2013 >>

By

kevz - Reply to #6

yes and consoles have always been shit gfx wise? :P

ps3 ran gta4 at like 640p 10-25fps, im not buying it that this so called new generation of onboard gpu's will be amazing. chances are its the same old story :)

better off with a dedicated gfx with a proper silent cooler, maybe a custom one if cant find factory quiet stuff.

<< Comment #8 @ 10:10 CDT, 14 June 2013 >>

By

skint - Reply to #7

ok

<< Comment #13 @ 12:18 CDT, 14 June 2013 >>

By

FlashSoul - Reply to #7

yes and consoles have always been shit gfx wise? :P

Not on release time, I don't think.

<< Comment #14 @ 12:28 CDT, 14 June 2013 >>

By

kevz - Reply to #13

in my opinion, on release day consoles have gfx 75% of top end PC capabilities, this drops rapidly in its 5+ year lifetime.

onboard gpu's have always been ~25% of top end gpu's... on a good day. i dont see any reason to believe they have doubled or tripled in power with the upcoming cpu+gpu chips. amd/intel like to claim major advancement in their fancy comparisons, but they very rarely work that well in real world use.

the only point i see in onboard gpu's, are when the main card dies and you can still use the computer. other than that theyre just weak.

<< Comment #15 @ 16:17 CDT, 14 June 2013 >>

By

FlashSoul - Reply to #14

i dont see any reason to believe they have doubled or tripled in power with the upcoming cpu+gpu chips.

But why wouldn't you believe it? The evolution so far on the quality of integrated gpus has been incredibly fast. What makes you think it wouldn't be the case anymore?

onboard gpu's have always been ~25% of top end gpu's... on a good day.

You can't pull these numbers out of your ass like that. I can assure you my 2009 intel chip is nowhere near ~25% of 2009's top end GPU, for instance. More like 5%. It can barely run QL. Yet in 2011 you could play RAGE with intel's latest chips (albeit slowly) and it might indeed have been 25% at this point. But onboard gpus evolve faster than normal ones so there's no way it would remain a constant 25% over the years anyway.

<< Comment #16 @ 16:50 CDT, 14 June 2013 >>

By

kevz - Reply to #15

yeah i completely agree, and yes that number doesnt work for every generation. they do get faster, but i dont expect an amazing leap, merely the expected exponential development we have always seen in computer tech. but for htpc purpose with proper gaming capabilities i just wouldnt bother, maybe in the future :)

its handy to have in some ways, but mostly useless if you ask me :D

<< Comment #10 @ 10:56 CDT, 14 June 2013 >>

By

- i5 3570
- 8GB RAM

If you are wanting to overclock the CPU, make sure you get the unlocked version, the i5 3570k. If you aren't overclocking, you can switch to a lower quality air cooler to save money. The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo is the most popular choice for your needs.

<< Comment #11 @ 11:37 CDT, 14 June 2013 >>

By

cumrag

change GPU to GTX 780 (Asus)

<< Comment #12 @ 12:11 CDT, 14 June 2013 >>

By

kevz - Reply to #11

can it stay quiet under load? :>

<< Comment #17 @ 04:36 CDT, 15 June 2013 >>

By

Anonymous (82.124.158.240) - Reply to #12

dream on :) unless you have it under WC.

<< Comment #18 @ 05:41 CDT, 15 June 2013 >>

By

u3a6

if you consider going small form factor:

https://www.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/GTX670DCMOC2GD5/

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P8Z77I_DELUXE/

<< Comment #19 @ 07:12 CDT, 15 June 2013 >>

By

cloned - Reply to #18

This one looks very interesting. Could use a smaller case then.

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