New HTPC

[4321Rocket]

Hey Guys,

 

So I am planning on building an HTPC and I was wondering what your opinion is for my build:

 

Case: Silverstone Grandia GD09 (Really prefer silverstone and must have atleast one 5.25" bay)

CPU: Intel i3 4160

CPU Fan: Nocuta NH-L9i

Mobo: Asus Brand (maybe H97 plus but not too sure)

RAM: 8gb of Corsair Memory (either 1333, 1600, 1866)

PSU: 400-450W 80 Plus or 80 Plus Bronze from Corsair, Thermaltake or Seasonic

SSD: 120gb Samsung 850 Evo (might be overkill, so I was wondering what recommendations you guys have)

HDD: 2TB Seagate or Western Digital (most likely Seagate)

Optical Drive: Samsung Blu-ray reader (full size internal)

Keyboard: Really tough but I'm thinking of going logitech (most likely K400; want something that can recharge less or have incredible battery life without recharge; also not sure about trackpad vs mouse).

Mouse: I might need a basic wireless mouse for my parents as they will not prefer to use the trackpad, however, if trackpad isn't worth it, then I guess I'll go with a basic wireless keyboard and mouse.

 

No GPU as I rarely will be playing games. If I do need to play a few games, then I can easily install one afterwards.

 

Mostly going to be used for bit streaming HD audio from Blu-ray movies, streaming videos from online, youtube, Web browsing, Linus Tech Tips. People were telling me that I can get away with a Celeron or the pentium G3258, but I'm planning on going with the i3 and see how this goes. I'm open to any other suggestions.

 

Thanks in Advance

4321Rocket

 

 

 

[NiftyMist]

As far as the keyboard goes, I bought the K400 for my fiance when I built her desktop PC this Christmas.  She has loved the keyboard and trackpad combo and it has served her well during this past spring semester.  However, I convinced her to test out my MX Cherry Clear keyboard for a few days.  She is now in love with the mechanical feel and her improved speed/accuracy.  So I'm planning to get her a new keyboard with MX Browns (she will require a lighter switch for the long term) and moving her K400 to control my PC when we watch movies from the couch.  We have a small apartment so my PC also doubles as our HTPC for now.  

 

But as far as the K400 goes, I feel that it is perfectly designed for an HTPC setup and should serve you well sir!

[BlazingGunnerFTW]

As far as the keyboard goes, I bought the K400 for my fiance when I built her desktop PC this Christmas.  She has loved the keyboard and trackpad combo and it has served her well during this past spring semester.  However, I convinced her to test out my MX Cherry Clear keyboard for a few days.  She is now in love with the mechanical feel and her improved speed/accuracy.  So I'm planning to get her a new keyboard with MX Browns (she will require a lighter switch for the long term) and moving her K400 to control my PC when we watch movies from the couch.  We have a small apartment so my PC also doubles as our HTPC for now.  

 

But as far as the K400 goes, I feel that it is perfectly designed for an HTPC setup and should serve you well sir!

The cooler is good, but as the G3258 goes, the hyperthreading really makes no difference, is that G3258 can beat out a 4770k if u do a bit overclocking. Just put it at 4.0 to 4.2, and you just got a good streaming box for 50 dollars less. I would recommend the M185, but consider something else as I have used it, and it is extremely small. Just get it if they have tiny hands or are a custom to using one.

[BlazingGunnerFTW]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DmmFnQ

[TassieTim]

not interested in using anything from the AMD Apu side of things?

that's what I'm using in both my htpcs atm ( A4 4xxx series i think from memory ) , at the time they were the cheapest option as they were on special too

not that I'm an AMD fan boy tho as both my gaming rigs are running Intel cpus

I think that's all you need for a proper HTPC setup that your not going to game on

[infamous_last]

You'll need a discrete GPU card for blu-ray and other high def playback, don't need to break the bank, just something basic that you can offload decoding to.

e.g. I'm still using an old AMD HD5450
 

[Stagea]

No GPU as I rarely will be playing games. If I do need to play a few games, then I can easily install one afterwards.

 

Mostly going to be used for bit streaming HD audio from Blu-ray movies, streaming videos from online, youtube, Web browsing, Linus Tech Tips. People were telling me that I can get away with a Celeron or the pentium G3258, but I'm planning on going with the i3 and see how this goes. I'm open to any other suggestions.

 

 

You should be set for Full HD playback. The i3 is a good choice as it supports frame-packed 3D (used on BDs and the like) and provides some acceleration of VP9 and H.265 video decode.