HTPC Advice Needed :)

aCid888* · Jan 22, 2009, 12:45 PM

I was thinking of putting together a HTPC so I can watch Movies and play the odd game (CoD4 mainly) and general tasks like browsing and so on.

I have a budget of $600 Canadian and I'm only looking at DirectCanada for my parts to avoid Quebec provincial tax and the air shipping from there is cheap too!

I have come up with the following, I own a Dremel so the case will do fine as I intend to mod it and give it a spray job in black using DupliColor after seeking MK use it on his mods! - I plan on OCing both the CPU and GPU also.

Case: Compucase 7016
Graphics:: ATI 4830
PSU: CM Extreme Power+ 500w
RAM: Crucial Rendition 2x1GB @ 800mhz
CPU: E5200
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-EG41M-S2H mATX G41
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 160GB SATA
Drive: LG DVD Writer

Total: $590.77 with Free ground shipping and tax inc.

I don't need the keyboard, mouse or OS as I have XP.

Just wondering what you guys can come up with but it must be from DirectCanada.

Thanks.

aCid888* · Jan 22, 2009, 12:47 PM

Reserved for updates.

GameSinewPCs · Jan 22, 2009, 05:52 PM

The $7 upgrade to a 250GB HDD may be prudent. I'm assuming you're using TigerDirect.ca and I can't seem to find the Case or motheroard that you listed...For the most part that build is solid for what you'll be doing.

Jakl · Jan 22, 2009, 06:00 PM

Thats a solid build there, for some reason I cannot load the pages

p.s dope gas mask

aCid888* · Jan 23, 2009, 08:57 AM

I'm using www.directcanada.com as that way I can avoid the provincial tax imposed by Quebec.

I will get the HDD that you pointed out instead...but I wont be lacking storage anyway as I will use 2x500GB SATA WD HDDs via NAS; plus my PC and on my girlfriend's laptop and PC.

r9 · Jan 23, 2009, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GameSinewPCs

The $7 upgrade to a 250GB HDD may be prudent. I'm assuming you're using TigerDirect.ca and I can't seem to find the Case or motheroard that you listed...For the most part that build is solid for what you'll be doing.

+1 on 250GB upgrade
E5200 is great overclocker I`m not to sure about board how will play along it would be pitty to get board that don`t play well.

EnglishLion · Jan 23, 2009, 11:38 AM

Have you considered noise etc - where is it going to be housed. You don't really want a monster GPU fan or CPU fan whirring away while trying to watch movies.

I like the idea of modding a basic desktop case for a unique HTPC finish.

If you like you can check out my HTPC here - http://www.mods-n-clocks.co.uk/?p=42

aCid888* · Jan 24, 2009, 06:50 AM

I will be using a lapped Scythe Katana 2 heatsink that I already own, it will be more than enough for the E5200 and stay quiet too as its the fan on it at full speed is only around 30dB.

The GPU will be clocked down while watching movies and will also have the fan speed reduced to avoid unnessersary noise.

And lets not forget your HTPC, Lion....it looks great but that case is too expensive for my budget!

JrRacinFan · Jan 24, 2009, 07:12 AM

Heya acid,

If you not going to be doing some casual gaming you could pull down to a 4850e+780G and not use a video card.

Good luck with the build! Everything looks good. If you need any insight on overclocking the e5200 just ask.

@r9

e5200 will be just fine on that board. It's basically same thing you are running only differences it's mATX with onboard video.

aCid888* · Jan 24, 2009, 08:20 AM

I have to keep my girlfriend happy and let her play CoD4 on the 52" screen or I would be going with AMD!

And don't worry Jr, I have the E5200 OCing thread in sight!

aCid888* · Jan 24, 2009, 10:28 AM

Bump for more Canadian replies/more ideas on this build!!!!

r9 · Jan 24, 2009, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JrRacinFan

Heya acid,

If you not going to be doing some casual gaming you could pull down to a 4850e+780G and not use a video card.

Good luck with the build! Everything looks good. If you need any insight on overclocking the e5200 just ask.

@r9

e5200 will be just fine on that board. It's basically same thing you are running only differences it's mATX with onboard video.

If the chipsets have the same specs does not mean that it will have the same OC options in the bios.
I`m not familiar with that Gigabyte mobo if it has all the OC of my P43 board +1 here.
I had MSI P31 neo-f MSI P45 neo3-fr MSI P7N Platinum and J&W P35 pro and the current one MSI P43 neo-f. The P43 hands down it is the best board of all on OC point of view. The BEST bios other boards can`t compare. All the combinations in BIOS work multi/fsb/memory ratio which I can`t say for above boards.
And another thing that I just remembered about some Gigabyte matx boards that have x4 PCIE instead of X16 PCIE not because of chipset limitation but because Gigabyte figured that it cheaper to build X4.

EnglishLion · Jan 24, 2009, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aCid888*

And lets not forget your HTPC, Lion....it looks great but that case is too expensive for my budget!

I like it

I decided that my HTPC was for TV recording/playback, Videos, Photos and Music solely - no need for gaming power. So I spent a lot on the case and bought bottom of the range on other items. My AM2 3600+ X2 in a uATX board with integrated 6150 GPU is quite cheap really.

The other thing I decided to spend a little more money on was the TV tuner card, so I got a Hauppauge Nova-T 500 dual digital tuner.

It all depends on where your priorities lie.

Jan 22, 2009, 12:45 PM	#1
aCid888* Join Date: May 2008 Location: In a state of flux... Posts: 2,297 (1.25/day) Thanks: 360 Thanked 660 Times in 547 Posts	HTPC Advice Needed :) I was thinking of putting together a HTPC so I can watch Movies and play the odd game (CoD4 mainly) and general tasks like browsing and so on. I have a budget of $600 Canadian and I'm only looking at DirectCanada for my parts to avoid Quebec provincial tax and the air shipping from there is cheap too! I have come up with the following, I own a Dremel so the case will do fine as I intend to mod it and give it a spray job in black using DupliColor after seeking MK use it on his mods! - I plan on OCing both the CPU and GPU also. Case: Compucase 7016 Graphics:: ATI 4830 PSU: CM Extreme Power+ 500w RAM: Crucial Rendition 2x1GB @ 800mhz CPU: E5200 Mobo: Gigabyte GA-EG41M-S2H mATX G41 HDD: Seagate Barracuda 160GB SATA Drive: LG DVD Writer Total: $590.77 with Free ground shipping and tax inc. I don't need the keyboard, mouse or OS as I have XP. Just wondering what you guys can come up with but it must be from DirectCanada. Thanks. __________________ HTPC: E8500 @ 3.8GHz 1.20v ~ Passive Xiggy HDT-1283 ~ X38 Maximus Formula (Rampage BIOS) ~ 2x1GB Mushkin 1150mhz @ 950mhz 2.0v ~ 2x500GB RAID0 ~ eVGA 9800GTX+ SC ~ 52" Toshiba 1920x1080 LCD ~ Windows XP SP3 ~ Logitech Z-5500 5.1 “I would like to thank acid for this pivotal moment in internet history were he has just successfully forced the creation of a brand new meme.” -Solaris17

System Name:	His (aCid888*) ..:\|:.. Hers (p1nky)
Processor:	Q9550 @ 4.25GHz (1.29v) - Lapped Koolance CPU-345 ..:\|:.. 945ES @ 3.82GHz (1.47v) - Lapped Fuzion v1
Motherboard:	Gigabyte EP-45 UD3P (MX-2 NB + SB) ..:\|:.. Asus M3A79-T Deluxe 790FX (MX-2 NB + SB)
Cooling:	MCP-355/XSPC 200ml Restop + Feser X-Changer 360 ..:\|:.. MCP-355/XSPC 200ml + Black Ice Extreme 360
Memory:	2x2GB OCZ Flex II 1150mhz @ 1200mhz 5-5-5-15 ..:\|:.. 2x2GB G.Skill Pi Black @ 864MHz 4-4-4-12
Video Card:	PNY "XLR8" 9800GX2 ..:\|:.. HIS 4870 1GB @ 800/1000 (Stock Air For Now)
Hard Disk:	Western Digital "AAKS" 640GB + XP SP3 ..:\|:.. Seagate 500GB + XP SP3
Optical Drive:	Black LightScibe LG ..:\|:.. Black LightScribe LG
CRT/LCD Model:	22" BenQ E2200HD @ 1920x1080 ..:\|:.. 22" Acer P223w @ 1680x1050
Case:	Modded Lian Li PC-7FW ..:\|:.. Modded Lian Li PC-6F
Sound Card:	SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS (Heatsink Mod) ..:\|:.. SoundBlaster Audigy 2 (Heatsink Mod)
PSU:	Zalman ZM750-HP 750w Modular ..:\|:.. OCZ ModXStream-Pro 600w Modular
Software:	A Lot?
Benchmarks:	Many?

Jan 22, 2009, 12:47 PM	#2
aCid888* Join Date: May 2008 Location: In a state of flux... Posts: 2,297 (1.25/day) Thanks: 360 Thanked 660 Times in 547 Posts	Reserved for updates. __________________ HTPC: E8500 @ 3.8GHz 1.20v ~ Passive Xiggy HDT-1283 ~ X38 Maximus Formula (Rampage BIOS) ~ 2x1GB Mushkin 1150mhz @ 950mhz 2.0v ~ 2x500GB RAID0 ~ eVGA 9800GTX+ SC ~ 52" Toshiba 1920x1080 LCD ~ Windows XP SP3 ~ Logitech Z-5500 5.1 “I would like to thank acid for this pivotal moment in internet history were he has just successfully forced the creation of a brand new meme.” -Solaris17

System Name:	His (aCid888*) ..:\|:.. Hers (p1nky)
Processor:	Q9550 @ 4.25GHz (1.29v) - Lapped Koolance CPU-345 ..:\|:.. 945ES @ 3.82GHz (1.47v) - Lapped Fuzion v1
Motherboard:	Gigabyte EP-45 UD3P (MX-2 NB + SB) ..:\|:.. Asus M3A79-T Deluxe 790FX (MX-2 NB + SB)
Cooling:	MCP-355/XSPC 200ml Restop + Feser X-Changer 360 ..:\|:.. MCP-355/XSPC 200ml + Black Ice Extreme 360
Memory:	2x2GB OCZ Flex II 1150mhz @ 1200mhz 5-5-5-15 ..:\|:.. 2x2GB G.Skill Pi Black @ 864MHz 4-4-4-12
Video Card:	PNY "XLR8" 9800GX2 ..:\|:.. HIS 4870 1GB @ 800/1000 (Stock Air For Now)
Hard Disk:	Western Digital "AAKS" 640GB + XP SP3 ..:\|:.. Seagate 500GB + XP SP3
Optical Drive:	Black LightScibe LG ..:\|:.. Black LightScribe LG
CRT/LCD Model:	22" BenQ E2200HD @ 1920x1080 ..:\|:.. 22" Acer P223w @ 1680x1050
Case:	Modded Lian Li PC-7FW ..:\|:.. Modded Lian Li PC-6F
Sound Card:	SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS (Heatsink Mod) ..:\|:.. SoundBlaster Audigy 2 (Heatsink Mod)
PSU:	Zalman ZM750-HP 750w Modular ..:\|:.. OCZ ModXStream-Pro 600w Modular
Software:	A Lot?
Benchmarks:	Many?

Jan 22, 2009, 05:52 PM	#3
GameSinewPCs Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Albany New York Posts: 89 (0.05/day) Thanks: 0 Thanked 17 Times in 17 Posts	The $7 upgrade to a 250GB HDD may be prudent. I'm assuming you're using TigerDirect.ca and I can't seem to find the Case or motheroard that you listed...For the most part that build is solid for what you'll be doing. __________________ -Bryce D Germain Feel free to contact me with absolutely any Questions Email: Olg4436@Game-Sinew.com www.Game-Sinew.com -"The Muscle Behind Your Game"

Jan 22, 2009, 06:00 PM	#4
Jakl Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Home Posts: 384 (0.23/day) Thanks: 60 Thanked 57 Times in 56 Posts System Specs	Thats a solid build there, for some reason I cannot load the pages p.s dope gas mask

System Name:	AMD Fun Rig \| Intel Lil' Gaming Rig
Processor:	720BE x4 3.4ghz 1.375v \| E8400 4ghz
Motherboard:	Gigabyte 790FXT-UD5P \| eVGA 780i
Cooling:	Scythe Mugen \| TRUE
Memory:	G.Skill 2x2gb 1600 \| 4x1gb Crucial 800
Video Card:	ATI 3870 \| eVGA 9800GTX
Hard Disk:	1TB Seagate \| 1TB Seagate
Optical Drive:	8-inch floppy disk drive - LoL
CRT/LCD Model:	24" ASUS VK246H \| 28" Acer LCD TV \| 40" Sony V4100
Case:	Lian Li \| Cosmos 1000
Sound Card:	Asus Xonar D2X \| Onboard
PSU:	Thermaltake 1200W \| PC Silencer 750
Software:	Win7 64

Jan 23, 2009, 08:57 AM	#5
aCid888* Join Date: May 2008 Location: In a state of flux... Posts: 2,297 (1.25/day) Thanks: 360 Thanked 660 Times in 547 Posts	I'm using www.directcanada.com as that way I can avoid the provincial tax imposed by Quebec. I will get the HDD that you pointed out instead...but I wont be lacking storage anyway as I will use 2x500GB SATA WD HDDs via NAS; plus my PC and on my girlfriend's laptop and PC. __________________ HTPC: E8500 @ 3.8GHz 1.20v ~ Passive Xiggy HDT-1283 ~ X38 Maximus Formula (Rampage BIOS) ~ 2x1GB Mushkin 1150mhz @ 950mhz 2.0v ~ 2x500GB RAID0 ~ eVGA 9800GTX+ SC ~ 52" Toshiba 1920x1080 LCD ~ Windows XP SP3 ~ Logitech Z-5500 5.1 “I would like to thank acid for this pivotal moment in internet history were he has just successfully forced the creation of a brand new meme.” -Solaris17

System Name:	r9
Processor:	AthlonII x3 425 @ PhenomII B25 x4 L3 6MB 3.6GHz
Motherboard:	MSI 770-C45
Cooling:	Cooler Master Gemini II + 120mm X 2 fans
Memory:	Acer 2x2GB DDR3 1333MHz @ 1550 MHz 8 8 8
Video Card:	Palit GTX 460 192bit 768mb @ 870MHz : 2000MHz
Hard Disk:	RAID 0: Hitachi 320GB WD 320GB\|Samsung 160GB
Optical Drive:	Samsung DVD-RW SATA
CRT/LCD Model:	Samsung 2443NW 24" LCD
Case:	Piece of Junk
Sound Card:	Creative Audigy SE
PSU:	Glacial 650W 12V1=25A 12V2=20A
Software:	Windows 8 x64 \| Windows 7 x86 \| Ubuntu Desktop 10.10

Jan 23, 2009, 11:38 AM	#7
EnglishLion Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Peterborough, UK Posts: 435 (0.15/day) Thanks: 6 Thanked 45 Times in 45 Posts System Specs	Have you considered noise etc - where is it going to be housed. You don't really want a monster GPU fan or CPU fan whirring away while trying to watch movies. I like the idea of modding a basic desktop case for a unique HTPC finish. If you like you can check out my HTPC here - http://www.mods-n-clocks.co.uk/?p=42 __________________ My site - Mods n Clocks - Latest update 19th August 2010 - See the new design layout. Latest: Review: Canyon iPhone holder – bike Also: Review: ASUS M4A785D-M Pro uATX motherboard Most Popular: Review: Gigabyte GA-MA785GM-US2H Motherboard

Processor:	Intel Pentium Dual Core E2160
Motherboard:	ASUS P5E3 Deluxe
Cooling:	Akasa EVO 120
Memory:	2 x 1Gb OCZ Gold DDR3 1066Mhz 6,6,6,18
Video Card:	GeCube ATi X1950Pro 512Mb PCIe (Accelro X2)
Hard Disk:	Samsung 320Gb SATA2
Optical Drive:	DVD-RW - Sony
CRT/LCD Model:	Samsung SM206BW 20" Widescreen TFT 1680x1050
Case:	Coolermaster Centurion 532
Sound Card:	On board AC'97
PSU:	Hiper Type-R 580W
Software:	Windows Vista Home Premium
Benchmarks:	See my OC Blog @ http://www.rowan-house.net/

Jan 24, 2009, 06:50 AM	#8
aCid888* Join Date: May 2008 Location: In a state of flux... Posts: 2,297 (1.25/day) Thanks: 360 Thanked 660 Times in 547 Posts	I will be using a lapped Scythe Katana 2 heatsink that I already own, it will be more than enough for the E5200 and stay quiet too as its the fan on it at full speed is only around 30dB. The GPU will be clocked down while watching movies and will also have the fan speed reduced to avoid unnessersary noise. And lets not forget your HTPC, Lion....it looks great but that case is too expensive for my budget! __________________ HTPC: E8500 @ 3.8GHz 1.20v ~ Passive Xiggy HDT-1283 ~ X38 Maximus Formula (Rampage BIOS) ~ 2x1GB Mushkin 1150mhz @ 950mhz 2.0v ~ 2x500GB RAID0 ~ eVGA 9800GTX+ SC ~ 52" Toshiba 1920x1080 LCD ~ Windows XP SP3 ~ Logitech Z-5500 5.1 “I would like to thank acid for this pivotal moment in internet history were he has just successfully forced the creation of a brand new meme.” -Solaris17

Jan 24, 2009, 07:12 AM	#9
JrRacinFan Served 5k and counting ... Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Youngstown, OH Posts: 16,121 (7.13/day) Thanks: 4,149 Thanked 4,552 Times in 4,027 Posts System Specs	Heya acid, If you not going to be doing some casual gaming you could pull down to a 4850e+780G and not use a video card. Good luck with the build! Everything looks good. If you need any insight on overclocking the e5200 just ask. @r9 e5200 will be just fine on that board. It's basically same thing you are running only differences it's mATX with onboard video. __________________ Graphics Artists United™ Request Thread Low Cache CPU Club Solaris Utility DVD 3.0 DanishDevil's Logitech Soundroom TPU Video Gallery Sciencemark Revisited

System Name:	Mine; Hers; Our HTPC; NAS Box
Processor:	i7 2600k : i3 2120 : Celeron G440 : P4 2.6Ghz Nwood
Motherboard:	Asrock Z68 Extreme4 : Asus P8P67 Pro : Asrock H61M/U3S3 : Dell
Cooling:	CM 212+ w/ scythe jyuni : Stock : Stock :Stock
Memory:	2x4GB Ripjawx 1866 cl9 : 2x2GB Corsair 1600 cl9 : 2x2GB Ridgebacks 1066 cl5 : 768MB PC3200
Video Card:	Palit GTX560Ti 2Gb : XFX HD5770 : Integrated : Integrated
Hard Disk:	2x 750GB Raid 0 + Maxtor 500GB : WD Black 1TB+Corsair Nova 2 64GB : Toshiba 750GB : Leftover ATA133
Optical Drive:	Lite-On DVD-RW : Samsung DVD-RW : None : None
CRT/LCD Model:	AOC 21" : AOC 20" : Philips 42" HDTV : Headless
Case:	Rocketfish : CM HAF 912 : Bgears Cube Style case : Dell
Sound Card:	X-Fi Xtremegamer : Onboard : Onboard : Onboard
PSU:	Tt 750W Modular : Antec 500W Earthwatts : Corsair CX430 : Dell's OEM

Jan 24, 2009, 08:20 AM	#10
aCid888* Join Date: May 2008 Location: In a state of flux... Posts: 2,297 (1.25/day) Thanks: 360 Thanked 660 Times in 547 Posts	I have to keep my girlfriend happy and let her play CoD4 on the 52" screen or I would be going with AMD! And don't worry Jr, I have the E5200 OCing thread in sight! __________________ HTPC: E8500 @ 3.8GHz 1.20v ~ Passive Xiggy HDT-1283 ~ X38 Maximus Formula (Rampage BIOS) ~ 2x1GB Mushkin 1150mhz @ 950mhz 2.0v ~ 2x500GB RAID0 ~ eVGA 9800GTX+ SC ~ 52" Toshiba 1920x1080 LCD ~ Windows XP SP3 ~ Logitech Z-5500 5.1 “I would like to thank acid for this pivotal moment in internet history were he has just successfully forced the creation of a brand new meme.” -Solaris17

Jan 24, 2009, 10:28 AM	#11
aCid888* Join Date: May 2008 Location: In a state of flux... Posts: 2,297 (1.25/day) Thanks: 360 Thanked 660 Times in 547 Posts	Bump for more Canadian replies/more ideas on this build!!!! __________________ HTPC: E8500 @ 3.8GHz 1.20v ~ Passive Xiggy HDT-1283 ~ X38 Maximus Formula (Rampage BIOS) ~ 2x1GB Mushkin 1150mhz @ 950mhz 2.0v ~ 2x500GB RAID0 ~ eVGA 9800GTX+ SC ~ 52" Toshiba 1920x1080 LCD ~ Windows XP SP3 ~ Logitech Z-5500 5.1 “I would like to thank acid for this pivotal moment in internet history were he has just successfully forced the creation of a brand new meme.” -Solaris17

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