Budget Media Build

[markd87]

I am building a budget media system for a friend. He wants the system for a basic media/entertainment system for his house. Mostly music, movies, and such. Probably will perform some other basic tasks like word processing and web browsing. He would like to stay right around the $300 range, and the smaller the system is the better. I have no experience building micro-systems, so I'm a little ignorant when it comes to shopping those parts. I posted the parts I selected below so if anyone has any suggestions, or sees any potential compatibility issues please let me know.

Parts:
CPU: AMD Anthlon II X2 255 3.1 GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-S2 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
RAM: Mushkin Enhance Essentials 4GB (2x2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Dual Channel
PSU: Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W Continuous PSU
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 320GB 3.5" SATA 3.0GB/s Internal HDD
Case: HEC Blitz Black Steel Edition ATX Mid Tower Computer Chassis
Optical Drive: ASUS DVD-E818A4/BLK/B/GEN Black 18x IDE DVD-ROM Drive

Also, a side question I have.... I just built my system with an i7-970, which is an LGA 1366. Is there anyway to use the stock heat sink to fit on a smaller socket processor like his AMD? I'm guessing it will probably be to big for his system anyways, but if it would be possible to utilize it I would love to be able to save him a few bucks since I have no use for it.

Again thanks for any suggestions.

 

[CrackerJack]

Looks pretty good
Only thing I can think of is. Do plan on playing blu-ray? if so maybe a blu-ray player, and a video card.. HD 3k series would be perfect. I've had big issues with on-board video, so i would a grab physical video card. But if you decide to do that, you would need a beefier psu



*Seen some review on that PSU, good reviews and bad. I've never used a Antec PSU, so maybe someone else can help with that.. I'm picky when it comes to this

 

[Fourstaff]

You can probably get away with 2gb worth of ram. Intel's heatsink will not be able to fit into AMD's slots. If the Athlon II is a retail version, it should come with a heatsink. Use the money saved to bump up the HDD space, it should be helpful to have at least 500gb if the rig is going to be used as a media pc.

 

[happita]

I'm sure its a great PSU, but Antec's Earthwatts series (I got the same 1 your planning on getting), specifically the 380w version DOES NOT come with a PSU power cord. This means you either have to purchase a separate power cord or use 1 from a PSU that is no longer being used.
Earthwatts....green......yea right
I suggest getting a different PSU, but thats just my opinion and experience.

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

You wont be able to use an Intel HSF on an AMD socket. They are setup differently. The AMD CPU will come with its own HSF just like your i7 did. (assuming you buy retail)

EDIT: also if your going a media build, Id go larger than a 320GB hdd. 1TB hdd's go for like $70. They're super inexpensive.

 

[streetfighter 2]

Are you planning to add discrete graphics later? That PSU has two +12V rails, one of which is undoubtedly dedicated to the PCI-E power connector. The PSU will still allocate reasonably when only one of the rails is loaded, but that depends a lot on the design of the PSU.

Personally I like single +12V rail PSUs for my HTPCs.

Also, if you do stick with integrated graphics but decide to go blu-ray (later on) will that mobo provide HDCP? Perhaps you should considered a mobo which has HDMI and is HDCP compliant.

PS. I concur with everything that CrAsHnBuRnXp said.

EDIT: The integrated DVI is HDCP compliant.

 

[markd87]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I had considered some of the things discussed, but after getting some feed back I have changed a few specs. I found a different PSU on based on the advice from happita and streetfighter 2. I also am going to try to get my friend to consider a slightly higher budget to allow for a vid card. I don't know that I will use the bigger hdd just because the pc is on a tight budget, and that is something can be easily added later (possibly for a RAID 0 config). I had initially put in a blue ray, but the person I am building the system for wanted to yank it to save a little money (obviously an easy addition later if they decide down the road they need one). Thanks again for all the advice, and please post any additional thoughts or advice about the new proposal below.

Parts:
CPU: AMD Anthlon II X2 255 3.1 GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core
Video Card: MSI N210-MD1G/D3 GeForce 210 1GB 64-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-S2 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
RAM: Mushkin Enhance Essentials 4GB (2x2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Dual Channel
PSU: CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 CMPSU-430CX 430W ATX12V Active PFC
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 320GB 3.5" SATA 3.0GB/s Internal HDD
Case: HEC Blitz Black Steel Edition ATX Mid Tower Computer Chassis
Optical Drive: ASUS DVD-E818A4/BLK/B/GEN Black 18x IDE DVD-ROM Drive

 

[JrRacinFan]

Skip the GF 210, go with an ATi card instead. Go with an HD5450 instead. Everything else looks ok by me. How much is the x2 255? Maybe can fork over about an extra $20 for an x3 4xx and attempt an unlock?

Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, L...

 

[Fourstaff]

Why bother with the graphics card when the onboard is good enough? Save the money for future use.

 

[markd87]

JrRacin: I definitely would add at least another core if it was my system, however it's my firends and he wants to stay around $300 which is definitely a challenge. Why do you recommend the ATI over the NVIDIA? I am kind of clueless with vid cards so I'm just curious if there is a clear benefit to the 5450 over the GF210, or is it more of a personal preference? Let me know if you can.... Also, I started looking at 5450 cards and found the SAPPHIRE 100292DDR3L Radeon HD 5450 1GB 64-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP (SAPPHIRE 100292DDR3L Radeon HD 5450 1GB 64-bit DDR...). Any thoughts on that card in particular, or another 5450 card? Thanks for your help.

 

[JrRacinFan]

Driver IQ is a touch better on ATi cards. See the above combo i posted, here it is re-linked Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, L.... Also could go with the Topower PSU, just as good build quality wise and you get modular for a touch more
TOPOWER Galaxis MX Series GAPS-500MX 500W ATX12V v...

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

I agree with fourstaff you wont need a video card as onboard graphics will suffice just fine. Use the money that you would spend on a video card towards a better hdd. If you are going to be building a media center/file server, you might as well do it right. And i highly recommend you DONT use raid 0 with a media build. If one hard drive goes out in the array you lose all of the data on both hard drives. I recommend you take a look at the following thread:

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43572

Should tell you everything you need to know about RAID.

 

[markd87]

Thanks crashandburn. I was actually headed towards the same conclusion. I selected a motherboard with better onboard graphics thinking this would provide more expandability. I also found a WD 500GB Blue Caviar for the same price as the 320 GB I had selected earlier so I think that is what I will go with. I am not too concerned about raid failure because I would set up the system to back up once a week to the cloud. I also decided to use one 4 GB RAM because the new motherboard is 4x240 pin, so using one 4 GB instead of 2x2GB will provide future scalability. The new specs are below. As always, please feel free to make further recommendations. Thanks again to everyone.

CPU: AMD Anthlon II X2 255 3.1 GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core
MOBO: MSI NF750-G55 AM3 NVIDIA nForce 750a SLI HDMI ATX
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)
PSU: CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 CMPSU-430CX 430W ATX12V Active PFC
HDD: WD Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"
Case: HEC Blitz Black Steel Edition ATX Mid Tower Computer Chassis
Optical Drive: ASUS DVD-E818A4/BLK/B/GEN Black 18x IDE DVD-ROM Drive

 

[streetfighter 2]

I partly agree with JrRacinFan with regard to an external GPU. If you do decide to buy a graphics card:
The Geforce 210 doesn't support DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD whereas the HD5450 does (source). Also the Geforce 210 is old and I find that the HD5000 series cards have better support for DXVA (with VC-1/H264), which doesn't matter unless you intend to use DXVA.

It should be noted that I'm not presently aware of any mobo chipsets that support Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD.

I do like your choice of the CX430, however it isn't 80+ certified, which is important to me.

Also, are you sure you want a tower case? I'd probably go with something more like this:
APEX DM-317-A Black/ Silver Steel Micro ATX Media ...

 

[Fourstaff]

Again, why 4gb worth of ram? The computer my parents use is a WinXP 1Gb ram, and it works perfectly fine for all the tasks they throw at it, from facebook to watching random movies. 2gb is probably more than what they need. Save that money for future sound/graphics card in case 5.1 is needed. Since that you said there are 4 slots, you will still have plenty of space if 4gb is not enough in 10 years time.

Edit: Why the Nvidia Nforce mobo? You want a 7xxG or 8xxG motherboard, they are usually better.

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

Well if your going to go RAID 0 then your going to want at least 2 hard drives of the same size. And if you add one in later to make raid thats fine, but just know that creating the array will erase the hdd.

 

[CJCerny]

Thanks crashandburn. I was actually headed towards the same conclusion. I selected a motherboard with better onboard graphics thinking this would provide more expandability. I also found a WD 500GB Blue Caviar for the same price as the 320 GB I had selected earlier so I think that is what I will go with. I am not too concerned about raid failure because I would set up the system to back up once a week to the cloud. I also decided to use one 4 GB RAM because the new motherboard is 4x240 pin, so using one 4 GB instead of 2x2GB will provide future scalability. The new specs are below. As always, please feel free to make further recommendations. Thanks again to everyone.

CPU: AMD Anthlon II X2 255 3.1 GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core
MOBO: MSI NF750-G55 AM3 NVIDIA nForce 750a SLI HDMI ATX
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)
PSU: CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 CMPSU-430CX 430W ATX12V Active PFC
HDD: WD Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"
Case: HEC Blitz Black Steel Edition ATX Mid Tower Computer Chassis
Optical Drive: ASUS DVD-E818A4/BLK/B/GEN Black 18x IDE DVD-ROM Drive

You're going the wrong direction with the onboard graphics. Get a motherboard based on the AMD 785 chipset and make sure it has a HDMI connector on it. That is what you need.

 

[markd87]

CJCerny, I'm not sure if I am missing something, but I looked through newegg for awhile and I cannot find a mobo with an onboard AMD 785 chipset..... Have any particular mobo in mind? Thanks for your help.

 

[streetfighter 2]

He's referring to the 785G, which is only one notch below the very popular AMD 790 series chipsets.
785G
Best deal I could find with a quick search:
Open Box: ASUS M4A785-M AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI...

The principle difference between 785G and 760G (with regard to HTPCs) is the onboard graphics. The much newer HD 4200 is used in the 785G chipset (which improves DXVA support, game performance, and the integrated audio controller). It should be noted that the HD4200 still doesn't support HD audio formats (DTS-HD/TrueHD).

 

[markd87]

Ok so I was able to talk my friend into a slightly higher budget in order to get a HTPC case so I changed a few things around. Hopefully this will be the final, but as always please let me know if you see any issues.


CPU: AMD Anthlon II X2 255 3.1 GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core
MOBO: MSI 880GM-E41 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)
PSU: CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 CMPSU-430CX 430W ATX12V Active PFC
HDD: WD Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"
Case: SILVERSTONE Black Aluminum skin einforced plastic front panel, 0.8mm SECC body MILO Series ML03B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
Optical Drive: ASUS DVD-E818A4/BLK/B/GEN Black 18x IDE DVD-ROM Drive
Case Fan" (x4): MASSCOOL FD08025S1M4 80mm Case Fan

Also, in regards to the case one reviewer stated they had to purchase a USB hub because the two USB plugs on the front of the case were USB 3.0. I thought that USB 3.0 was backwards compatible. Is that only for devices, but in order to hook USB 3.0 into a USB 2.0 MOBO you need the USB hub this reviewer is referring to? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Link to the review is below. Thanks as always.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=11-163-174&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=3&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Keywords=%28keywords%29&Page=1#scrollFullInfo://

 

[Fourstaff]

You probably don't want the case fans, less fans = less noise. At any rate, the x2 runs cool enough anyway. I think you would want to avoid the Corsair Builder Series, I have heard bad things about it.

 

[cdawall]

hey if you can afford it try squeezing an athlon X3

AMD Athlon II X3 435 Rana 2.9GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cach...

it has a chance of unlocking to a phenom X4 which is a great deal for the price...

 

[markd87]

Fourstaff, what do you think of the SILVERSTONE ST40F-ES 400W ATX 12V 2.3 PSU? I have been very happy with my Silverstone RV02-E case, but I have never used a Silverstone PSU.... Any thoughts? Thanks again for all your helpful input.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163174

 

[Fourstaff]

Silverstone is generally good, and I think you will be fine with that power supply (I couldn't find much reviews though). Athlon II x3 might be a consideration if you are going to do something other than play Facebook games and watch movies, but personally I think the increase in power consumption (the x3 is rated 95w I believe) will increase your electricity bill (general rule of thumb seems to be $1 per watt per year, so that is $30 per year saved).

 

[markd87]

Thanks Fourstaff. Yea I don't think the X3 is an option. As I said I am building the system for a friend and his budget is tight. I don't think it will be necessary anyhow because the main intent is for movies, music, and web browsing.